Fittingly, I’m writing this on Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year.
Indeed, although more than a few years have passed since I was a full-time student, I still feel a deep attachment to the academic calendar.
Starting fresh in September still makes sense to me.
In fact, later this month, we’re soft-launching our wellness app VWell(more about that below.)
Beyond this, today also marks the two year (!) anniversary of Vlad coming into my life.
Here he is on that fateful day, enjoying our jeep ride from the Crossed Paws Animal Shelter, ready to begin his new hipster life in Bushwick.
In order to simplify my life, in most of the Puppy Chats, I self-identify as “Vlad’s Dad.”
It just seems so much simpler that way.
In other areas of my life, however, concept of identity and labeling get far more complicated.
In fact, on my website, I’ve long had two bios.
One “Authorized” –– meaning the kind of thing people read as an introduction when I’m on someone’s podcast, designed to impress and demonstrate credibility.
Another “Unauthorized” –– a glimpse into the “behind the scenes” reality that also includes all the other (usually less conventional) ways I might define myself.
Since I’m a sucker for all personality assessment systems, I’m drawn to sharing some of those that strike me as most telling.
To quote from my own bio, I’m proud to reveal myself as…
A Cancer Sun with a Scorpio Moon and Scorpio Ascendant;
In Vedic Astrology I’m a Gemini with a Scorpio Moon and a Libra Ascendant;
In Mayan astrology I’m a White Dog (like Vlad!);
In Chinese, I’m a Rabbit;
In Cherokee, I’m a Wolf.
In Myers-Briggs, apparently I’m an INFJ (and sometimes an ENFJ, as I’m a true ambivert).
In Human Design, I’m an Emotional Projector (a minority type that includes Barack Obama, George Clooney, and Charlie Sheen).
And numerologically, I’m a number 1.
Netflix, by the way, believes that my three favorite qualities in a movie are “quirky, witty, and heart-warming” and I think that says a lot.
Finally, I also love any action movie provided someone says at least one semi-‘mystical’ thing.
Pick the system you like best and we’ll get along just fine.
Returning to the topic of Identity and September beginnings…
The theme this month is Identity (Meditation HERE), and I have a Special Invitation for anyone who identifies as a Wellness Expert.
If you’re any kind of healer (Reiki or life coaching; crystal healing or plant medicine)…or fitness expert (pilates & barre to HIIT)…
If you share any wellness modality (yoga to dance) or practice (nutrition to hypnotherapy to financial health)…
And you want more clients, we’re launching our wellness start-up to connect you with them.
It’s all FREE.
I invite you to become a Founding Expert (with lots of perks).
There’s a Q&A Thursday Sept 21st at 7pm EST for wellness experts find out more.
You just have to sign-up HERE.
I’m also delighted to share a recent wellness healing miracle.
It feels like a century ago, but it was only this winter, when Agathor’s terrible accident on the baseball field left him paralyzed.
It was a Saturday morning I’ll never forget.
Nor will anyone else.
There have been so many heartfelt conversations with friends who were present that day about how intense and traumatic the experience was to witness.
And there were many dark moments afterwards where the prognosis looked increasingly negative, and we were moving towards worse case scenarios.
Yet, through the combined miracles of modern technology and good old-fashioned prayer and positive visualization, Agathor has enjoyed a remarkable recovery.
In fact, last week for the first time, I saw him standing and walking on his own four feet once again.
Agathor’s proven that healing is possible, that we can recover from almost anything, no matter how dark the path seems.
Such reminders are always helpful.
In fact, this same message of hope is central to every wellness practice and modality, to every step on the healing path, and frankly to the human journey.
Finally, whenever I think about the nature of Identity, I often go back to the work of Joseph Campbell, particularly his seminal The Hero With A Thousand Faces.
(Those thousand faces may include the many labels we give ourselves, authorized and not!)
I’m also particularly moved by a passage from a later lecture of Campbell’s about the role of the artist.
I think the meaning reaches far beyond that demographic, to include especially healers, but frankly all humans.
Here’s what he says:
“What I think is that a good life is one hero journey after another.
Over and over again, you are called to the realm of adventure, you are called to new horizons.
Each time, there is the same problem: do I dare?
And then if you do dare, the dangers are there, and the help also, and the fulfillment or the fiasco.
There’s always the possibility of a fiasco.
But there’s also the possibility of bliss.”
As this September New Year begins and I’m daring to launch three projects––and celebrating my Vlad anniversary––I feel this deeply.
I’m acutely aware that around every corner, there’s the possibility of fiasco…and also of bliss.
Even so, it’s increasingly clear that daring to say “yes” to the human adventure is always worth the risk.
I invite you to join me on that path.
Namaste for Now,
