Just spent the past five days at a 5Rhythms dance meditation workshop in Philadelphia called "Cycles".

It was beautiful opportunity to honor humanity...to take the time to explore and investigate the Cycles of Life through movement and dance, and dance our stories about our own families and lineage.

In preparation for the workshop, I sat down with my Mom and Dad and created this family tree. I learned some pretty amazing stuff, including that my Great Grandmother Katie (who I am named after) was a seamstress and a fortune-teller.

The picture on the right is Katie's daughter, my grandmother "Nanny". Nanny was one tough Brooklyn broad. She died when I was in High School, but I've always felt connected to her...One day a Hawaiian woman working at the Hele gas station saw my Nanny's energy around me and told me she's always with me.

Im about 10 years old in the picture on the left with my parents, and it pretty much sums up my relationship with them: lots of love and care and they totally have my back.

I came out of this workshop with more compassion for my parents, a deep appreciation of my own story and really such a reverence for Being human.

We may all have different experiences of how Life unfolds, but we were all born and take a very special and specific journey through childhood, adolescence and maturity to death.

Life maybe painful at times, but it is certainly nothing less than truly beautiful.

Sometimes being with family can be hard. I recall the Ram Dass quote -- "you think you're enlightened? Go spend a week with your parents..."

Yet being in relationship is our best access to transformation - our best access to Love - because others act as our mirrors reflecting back to us all that we offer the world...the good, the bad and the ugly.

And who better to be our best mirrors than the people who we are closest to...

This weekends' lunar eclipse highlighted family and romantic relationships...and it just so happens that my parents are here visiting in Hawaii.

We've shared stories, had laughs, eaten great meals together, went a wonderful talk-story event last night with Hawaiian music...but it hasn't been a walk in the park the entire time. We've argued, got angry, triggered, hurt. We all had our "stuff" come up.

For me, I realize how easy it is to get caught up in the 'blame game' and I how much I've been blaming my parents for all things I don't like about myself.

When we make our parents (or anyone!) "wrong", we're really just expressing our own self-hatred.

And when we attempt to control another's behavior, it's a futile attempt to control Life.

This visit hasn't been pretty 100% of the time...but at least I can use the hard times as an opportunity to look at myself and make the changes that are necessary to love ME more...and as a natural extension, to love THEM more.

Our parents gave us Life. They took care of us and loved us to the very best of their ability.

Forgive yourself for all the times that you didn't realize that Truth, and be grateful for the opportunity to remember.

#LOVErevolution #therealdeal #Cycles #ho'oponopono #Mirrors #Truth #unlock #unlockwhoyoureallyare