“Cosmic Reflections” Origin Story
In the beginning, there was a tender seed of hope and belief in connection…
“Cosmic Reflections” as a name burst forth from my mind early one morning, waking me from sleep and speaking itself into my psyche. Prior to that wake up call, I’d spent months pondering names, checking out availability, not being quite satisfied with other options, until… one summer night, when my cat Yuri shattered the glass of the framed portrait I’d drawn of my personal symbol for divinity (see below). The next morning the name announced itself, as if released from the heavens straight into my mind.
“Cosmic Reflections”—it made immediate sense to me. We are inherently reflections of the world and cosmos around us, and the cosmos is reflected in and a part of us too. So much of what I have learned and experienced about Life tells me that we are all macro and micro versions of each other, spinning around through space and time together. Our bodies are made up of many intricate and interconnected systems… we have family systems… societal systems… global systems… our solar system… We are reflections of what’s around us and within us. We are made of the same stuff as the stars and planets all around us. As within, so without. As above, so below. We are never alone. In fact, we can’t be. We are a part of Life, not apart from Life.
And also, Cosmic Reflections because we’re often reflecting in a thoughtful way when we engage in therapy, meditation, and spirituality.
The combination of therapy + meditation + “spirituality” in my own life is what led me to create Cosmic Reflections.
Therapy has been the foundation of my healing since 2012— beginning to see and understand myself and my patterns more deeply, learning how much my past experiences influence my present moment, how to nurture and compassionately care for all parts of myself, how to have authentic and vulnerable (and sometimes difficult) conversations with others, how my body/mind and nervous system work and how to use that knowledge to self-soothe and regulate, the thoughts and core beliefs that drive my responses, how the systems I/we have grown up within influence us and our beliefs… and all in the presence of someone who deeply cares and is willing to hold my hand through the discovering.
And I have witnessed this healing happen for others in therapy too. There is something about tenderly investigating our experiences in 1:1 company of compassionate care and patient attunement that allows us to naturally heal and reconnect the parts of ourselves that have been banished or covered up to survive. The therapist has knowledge and skills to help in that uncovering, but wholeness is already within each of us— those parts are just waiting for our kindness and attention to uncover. I once described therapy as an empathetic cleansing of the mirror, helping us to gain a clear and compassionate view of oneself, others, and the world around us. It brings tears to my eyes just knowing and remembering that this re-union is possible for all of us, and it’s why I continue to believe in the healing power of the therapeutic relationship and to show up to offer my heart and soul to others in this service.
But it wasn’t until I started exploring my own spirituality, joined a meditation community, and began using meditation techniques to deepen my relationship with myself and Life that I felt truly connected, within and without.
After finishing my master’s program in mental health counseling, I spent the next two years deep-diving into the land of meditation. I was amazed and delighted to find that so much of what I had learned about how to help humans in therapy school was essentially the same as what meditators and yogis have been using to help humans for thousands of years. (Same wisdoms and techniques, different labeling.) And joining a meditation community took my healing to the next level. It wasn’t just me and my therapist validating that my experiences were normal- I was seeing and hearing from other people of all ages that they too were struggling and striving, just like me. This is one of the core truths that has come up a lot in my meditation studies— we are not alone in our experiences. There is nothing wrong or abnormal about me or my experiences or reactions— other people feel these ways too. The details of our stories and experiences are unique, of course, but we share the same emotional options as everyone else. We all experience suffering, joy, hope, fear, doubt, pleasure…
Alongside all of this healing within the therapeutic relationship and my meditation community, my own connection to spirituality was opening up. Spirituality can mean so many things to so many people. But to me, I found my spirituality through nature, and through experimenting with the wisdoms of writers and poets and philosophers across time and space to find out what truly resonated with me and my lived experiences. I believe in this right to spiritual freedom for all beings. It wasn’t until I found my connection to spirituality that I truly learned how to let go, how to trust Life and myself as a part of Life, and release the vice grip that anxiety had on me.
I want to offer these same tools that have been so essential to me remembering my wholeness to the world in the ways I’m able. So here we are building towards that, one step at a time.
Here’s some future dreams I have for Cosmic Reflections…
Meditation groups for authentic connections (because it seems like we’re all feeling disconnected and alone)
Hopefull Hermit blog (because clearly if you’ve read this far you know that writing is how my spirit loves to speak)
Meditations on YouTube channel (so you don’t have to go searching far and wide for something reliable)
Relationship therapy (for folks in positive relationships but who just want to understand each other better)
Spiritual coaching (so that I can serve folks outside of Oregon too!)
These days I am constantly giving myself permission to do things one bit at a time, even as I want all of them happening RIGHT NOW. Just like the natural world we’re a part of, things take time to grow and blossom into fullness and so must I.
So thank you for being with me through all the growth! Excited for this next chapter and unfolding. Sending Love and gratitude your way, always.
The glass-less frame of my personal symbol of divinity drawing (Alice).
