<script data-pm-proxy="intercept"></script><?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0" xmlns:itunes="http://www.itunes.com/dtds/podcast-1.0.dtd" xmlns:googleplay="http://www.google.com/schemas/play-podcasts/1.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[Point of Life]]></title><description><![CDATA[For those who know the world is worth fighting for (but occasionally need a loving reminder).]]></description><link>https://christinezaroura.substack.com</link><image><url>https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!KbQk!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F41039a17-b9f2-4e10-88a3-c1f05dc3f93b_256x256.png</url><title>Point of Life</title><link>https://christinezaroura.substack.com</link></image><generator>Substack</generator><lastBuildDate>Tue, 01 Sep 2026 19:45:32 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="/__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/feed" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><copyright><![CDATA[Christine Zaroura]]></copyright><language><![CDATA[en]]></language><webMaster><![CDATA[christinezaroura@substack.com]]></webMaster><itunes:owner><itunes:email><![CDATA[christinezaroura@substack.com]]></itunes:email><itunes:name><![CDATA[Mystic Christine]]></itunes:name></itunes:owner><itunes:author><![CDATA[Mystic Christine]]></itunes:author><googleplay:owner><![CDATA[christinezaroura@substack.com]]></googleplay:owner><googleplay:email><![CDATA[christinezaroura@substack.com]]></googleplay:email><googleplay:author><![CDATA[Mystic Christine]]></googleplay:author><itunes:block><![CDATA[Yes]]></itunes:block><item><title><![CDATA[I Was Never Motivated by Money]]></title><description><![CDATA[And here's why I'm finally ready to talk about it. (Inspired by Jay Clouse.)]]></description><link>https://christinezaroura.substack.com/p/i-was-never-motivated-by-money</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://christinezaroura.substack.com/p/i-was-never-motivated-by-money</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Mystic Christine]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 30 Apr 2026 14:33:56 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/b993ab84-f2f0-4d8b-9a83-7f0c176f2c31_1200x630.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Jay Clouse is the human behind <a href="https://creatorscience.com">Creator Science</a>, which teaches creators to build sturdy businesses through observation, experimentation, and iteration. (He is also incredibly fascinating when it comes to operations.)</p><p>He quickly became one of my favorite creators online who, for me, has bridged the gap I have felt when learning to plug my multi-faceted, purpose-driven work into the modern-day capitalist paradigm.</p><p>Most of the business voices I have trusted throughout my career have been women. <strong>Jay might be the first man whose work I found myself returning to. </strong>He embodied a kind of humbleness, a kind that communicated: &#8220;I am not trying to convince you of anything, I am just here to share with you what I know and what works and doesn&#8217;t work for my business.&#8221;</p><p>I remember experiencing a man in the online space who was just stating things as they are. Logical, yet not cold. Directive, but invitational. Practical, but not boring.</p><p>What he was sharing was not necessarily new to me after five years of consuming courses, podcasts, YouTube videos, and hiring coaches on building a business.</p><p>I share all of this to say how recently <strong>I came across a post of his that didn&#8217;t land </strong>for me at all.</p><div class="pullquote"><p>In his post (which I can&#8217;t, for the love of God, find now), he shared:</p><p><em>&#8220;My accounts grew because I shared my revenue numbers publicly. But I&#8217;ve stopped doing that.&#8221;</em></p></div><p>His reasoning centered around the dynamic it created &#8212; both internally and with his audience. Sharing numbers tied his business performance to his identity, meaning any downward trend felt like a collapse. It also created an audience dynamic where people were buying into the appearance of success rather than the actual help being offered.</p><p>See, I have rarely been motivated by money. </p><p>I grew up in a Middle Eastern household where you would need to say no to someone offering you food two or three times before saying yes. Or how receiving money from my grandma was as if a drug exchange was happening. She would literally have the money rolled up in her hand, barely extending her arm out, and quietly nudge me to take it.</p><p>I was also frugal by design. I was 11 years old with money in my drawer I had received from two Easters ago. And yes, I grew up Catholic. One in every 100 Syrians is Christian (the last I checked), making my father&#8217;s side of the family one percent of the population in Syria.</p><p>I grew into an adult living in New York, where having more than one job was common, while barely being able to pay rent. Yet I managed to meet my basic needs without overspending or accumulating debt since age 22, when I got my first apartment.</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://christinezaroura.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="/__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/subscribe"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><p>I was still living in survival, however. </p><p><strong>My mind is wired to view money as a means to stay alive. </strong>Which is fair, given the economic paradigm we were born into.</p><p>Money in a capitalist system is tethered to our basic living needs, which makes it very difficult to look at money as a co-creator for a better world rather than something that keeps us looped inside survival.</p><p>We are conditioned to put so much of our power into money without realizing that the weight it carries in our minds and bodies is actually getting in the way of some of the most brilliant people creating the kinds of solutions we need right now.</p><div class="pullquote"><p>Capitalism&#8217;s roots run in our subconscious minds, and the process of redistributing wealth is going to require agency, consistency, hope, and discernment. </p></div><p>Because right now we are creating a bridge between who we are &#8212; our intrinsic value, our intrinsic worth, our connection with each other, our connection with the earth &#8212; and plugging that into a modern-day world that prioritizes success in terms of how much money we make.</p><p>Karl Marx called this alienation. The process by which <strong>capitalism severs people from their own creative nature</strong>, converting what is most essentially human into a commodity to be priced and evaluated by the market. And underneath that, what he called out the way people internalize the values of the system conditioning them without realizing it is happening. </p><p>The voice that says &#8220;who am I to charge for this.&#8221;</p><p>However something in me has recently shifted. I understand that money must be in the hands of those who will receive it and redistribute it back into the earth. Which means back into our environments, our communities, and each other.</p><p>Am I now motivated by money? Not necessarily. But I do feel a great call to dismantle some of the ways we are conditioned to think about it.</p><p>What I loved most about Jay when I came across his work in 2023 was his transparency. Especially when he shared how much revenue he was generating for his business. It gave my scarcity mind and my near-total absence of drive for money an anchor for what is possible.</p><p>Here is someone I admire, who has supported me, and here are the ways he is receiving financial support for his effort. Clean, clear, and helpful.</p><p>And so when his recent post landed in my feed, I sat with it. Because I do not disagree with his reasoning. Every problem he named is real. The hype cycle is real. The house of cards is real. His people needed to hear what he said and the response confirmed it.</p><p><em><strong>B</strong></em><strong>ut his people and my people are not the same people.</strong></p><p>My people carry cultural shame around receiving. A deeply internalized belief that their gifts (the ones that live in the unseen, the intuitive, the unquantifiable) have no legitimate place in the economic world.</p><p>For them, for me, seeing a number shared by someone they trust does not create envy. <strong>It creates permission.</strong> It says: this kind of work can exist in the world and be compensated.</p><div class="pullquote"><p>Two different messages. The same underlying value. </p></div><p>What money talk should do is serve the people in the room. And what that looks like depends entirely on who is in the room and what they are carrying when they arrive.</p><p>Based on my story and my history, I support minorities, including women and people of color. I also service those with alternative solutions, with gifts that have never had a space in our current world. Who are into magic, synchronicities, dreams, consciousness, sorcery, alchemy, and all things considered &#8220;woo.&#8221;</p><p><strong>I am here for those whose voices have been silenced. </strong></p><p>Those who have worked to massage out the unseen blocks in their throats to share their truth. Those who are learning to ask for more, to reckon with shame, and work towards goals that enliven them. Those who are multi-faceted and embody a kind of self-awareness that will send you on a ride by just listening to them. Those who see the beauty in you, especially on the days you can&#8217;t see it for yourself.</p><p>And what we all have in common is believing money is separate from our innate offerings to the world. <strong>The kind that makes us doubt it&#8217;s possible to generate financial wealth by simply being who we are.</strong> Those of us who have been blinded from the very thing that makes us unique due to society&#8217;s undervalue of the unseen. Because that is my people. Those who work on the unseen levels of our shared reality.</p><p>And so talking about money with them is important and is in integrity with my vision for a world where they have a role to play. </p><p>It is time for money to go into the hands of those who understand the unseen dynamics shaping reality. I trust in them. I trust they will be the pillars of light to redistribute the wealth back into our communities and the ecosystem of the earth.</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://christinezaroura.substack.com/p/i-was-never-motivated-by-money/comments&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Leave a comment&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="/__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/p/i-was-never-motivated-by-money/comments"><span>Leave a comment</span></a></p><p>&lt;3</p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[006 Your innate capacity for service]]></title><description><![CDATA[Dismantle Toxic Productivity Without Writing It Off]]></description><link>https://christinezaroura.substack.com/p/006-dismantle-toxic-productivity</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://christinezaroura.substack.com/p/006-dismantle-toxic-productivity</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Mystic Christine]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 14 Apr 2026 14:02:30 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/194185109/96fa721396a42d5aae32bf7280da5e95.mp3" length="0" type="audio/mpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong>What would productivity look like if we weren&#8217;t indoctrinated by capitalism?</strong></p><p>This episode is for the purpose-driven visionary who is here to do the work of their soul and is willing to get honest with how we personally and collectively measure our worth by how much we produce.</p><p>In this solo episode, Christine strips productivity down to its root. She unpacks productivity&#8217;s relationship with performance, capacity, and what it actually looks like to contribute from your natural design rather than from a conditioned standard that was never built for your wholeness.</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://christinezaroura.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="/__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/subscribe"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><p><strong>What to expect:</strong></p><ul><li><p>A reframe of productivity through the lens of capacity</p></li><li><p>Real examples of how capacity shows up differently across different kinds of contributors</p></li><li><p>Contemplations to help you identify where you are self-extracting and what it would look like to redirect that energy toward something generative</p></li><li><p>A reminder of why living with purpose is challenging right now. </p></li></ul><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://christinezaroura.substack.com/p/006-dismantle-toxic-productivity/comments&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Leave a comment&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="/__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/p/006-dismantle-toxic-productivity/comments"><span>Leave a comment</span></a></p><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Non-Dualism Is Not Spiritual Bypassing]]></title><description><![CDATA[On staying present, taking sides, and the war within the war]]></description><link>https://christinezaroura.substack.com/p/non-dualism-is-not-spiritual-bypassing</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://christinezaroura.substack.com/p/non-dualism-is-not-spiritual-bypassing</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Mystic Christine]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 03 Apr 2026 21:30:44 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/9277c4f5-503a-4e35-852b-a9644ea98b70_1200x630.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>The more you awaken to the underlying energetics shaping reality (which usually points back to unprocessed trauma), the more attuned you are to what&#8217;s not working on planet earth. </p><p>On one hand, we know awareness is the catalyst to change, but on the other hand, when <strong>destructive power dynamics</strong> kill children or when the US Supreme Court bans conversion therapy for kids, things can feel out of our control.</p><p>And then there is the weight of having a genuine calling to be on the frontlines of spiritual activism, when most of the work we do is unseen within a materialist-heavy paradigm. Let&#8217;s just say we are pressed up against, <strong>&#8220;Are we doing enough?&#8221;</strong></p><p>This essay is written to disrupt the ideologies that stand in the way of connecting with the unifying force underlying reality, specifically how non-dualism is a practical passageway through this intense collective nightmare.</p><p>I was hunting via the online space to get an update on the war this morning. My usual sources are Al Jazeera or Hasan Piker, but I wanted to explore the Google web to see what I could find.</p><p>I wondered, &#8220;Can I just have information without someone&#8217;s perspective of it?&#8221;</p><p>And the answer is no, because 1. there is always going to be a filtration system (i.e., subjective reality) when observing objective reality, and 2. someone who can come from a non-dualist perspective on the war may not go far in the Google algorithm. (Not yet, that is, since we know the algorithm is based on attention, and as more humans awaken, there will be a shift in what we place our attention on.)</p><div class="pullquote"><p>But we know not taking &#8220;sides&#8221; has gotten us here in the first place, all while clearly seeing how we are more polarized than ever.</p></div><p>Did you notice what I just wrote? A non-dualist perspective won&#8217;t get us far, yet we have been conditioned not to take sides, which got us here in the first place. </p><p>Am I shedding light on a narrative that conflates non-dualism with not taking sides? </p><p>Perhaps the very perspective that could dissolve polarization has been flattened into the same neutrality that allowed it to fester.</p><p>Let me open this up with some contemplations.</p><p>What is the source of our polarization? Is it because not enough people have taken sides or too many people have taken &#8220;sides&#8221;?</p><p>What is being unearthed systemically (#capitalism), directing us to observe the power of taking sides as a way to monetize and gain attention in order to fuel the very game we seek to stand against?</p><p>And how many, within this liminal space between an old world built on materialism and a new world fascinated by the role of energy, are willing to rise in service of the self or in service to the whole? Or in service to the self and the whole, realizing they are the same thing?</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://christinezaroura.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="/__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/subscribe"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><p>As someone who would identify as a non-dualist (the recognition that beneath all apparent opposites, all separation, all conflict, there is one underlying reality) does that mean I don&#8217;t take &#8220;sides?&#8221;</p><p>No and yes.</p><p>No, I do &#8220;take sides&#8221; when there is a clear source of disconnection from what is just.</p><p>Yes, I won&#8217;t take sides because when I go deep enough, there are no sides. There is only the recognition of a unifying force, an interconnected web amongst apparent opposition, and an acknowledgment of one who has become separate from the whole or deemed less valuable than others, without forgetting their potential to be whole again.</p><p>I am fully aware of both sides, many sides. And to be fully aware is to strip all conditioning down to its core, to recognize love in its purest form, and be catapulted into recognizing the deeper wounds of fear standing in the way of our own receptivity to play our role within this cosmic dance projected as physical form.</p><div class="pullquote"><p>We have collectively been conditioned to be more concerned with following a trend than with fully understanding the complexity of an ego that has lost its way.</p></div><p>Enter: Spiritual Awakening</p><p>A spiritual awakening is a shift in consciousness, where there is a dismantling of one&#8217;s perception of themselves and of the world, inviting them into a more expansive sense of awareness, rooted in a deeper connection to life.</p><p>Right now, this is happening on a massive scale. Barna Group research found that following the pandemic, 73% of Gen Z and 77% of Millennials reported a deeper desire to grow spiritually, even as organized religion continues to decline. More of us are becoming conscious of the inner world, finding our way back to ourselves.</p><p>Although on the surface there is a valid spiritual movement happening, if that movement is coming from the indoctrination of capitalism (which is a form of having power over others) and other unseen systems operating within our psyche, then the pattern of separation from each other and from one&#8217;s soul&#8217;s purpose will continue.</p><p>And here is where it gets sticky:</p><p>There are key players (i.e., content creators online who have a following) right now representing spirituality, who are unconsciously using this sensitive time as a way to gain attention.</p><p>I say this lightly as someone who has perceived attention as a threat.</p><p>Any other woman reading this instantly locks her car door the moment she gets in? You know, that automatic gesture as the body keeps the score of what attention has historically meant for us.</p><p>It wasn&#8217;t until I read Mona Eltahawy&#8217;s chapter on attention in The Seven Necessary Sins for Women and Girls that my view on attention shifted. Eltahawy, an Egyptian feminist activist, writes that attention is power. That when you command attention, you command power. And that patriarchy muddied those waters deliberately, using shame to convince women that wanting attention is something to be ashamed of.</p><p>So when I suggest content creators are unconsciously using this collective awakening to gain attention, I am not saying attention is wrong. I am saying we need to get radically honest about what we are feeding when we reach for it. Is it in service of liberation? Or is it the wound seeking relief through the very system that created it?</p><p>(I could share contemplations on attention, shame, and body image in another essay. Just let me know if that interests you.)</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://christinezaroura.substack.com/p/non-dualism-is-not-spiritual-bypassing/comments&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Leave a comment&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="/__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/p/non-dualism-is-not-spiritual-bypassing/comments"><span>Leave a comment</span></a></p><p>It is dangerously easy for someone to slip into the space within one&#8217;s own psyche during the tender transition of a dark night of the soul (an inner crisis where the structures that once gave one's life meaning).</p><p>How easy it is to recycle this dis-armoring we are witnessing during this collective awakening and its destruction, to use it in service of one&#8217;s own benefit. </p><div class="pullquote"><p>People are slipping into the space created from this liminal time we are in, and doing a disservice to our collective liberation and healing by inserting their ideologies and advice on someone else. The same ideologies and advice built by the very systems causing harm. </p></div><p>If you have read this far in this piece of writing, you are someone who is learning to stop silencing yourself. You are allowing yourself to actually be more outspoken and release the fear of what other people think of you. You are claiming your purpose like it&#8217;s your last day on earth because you are tired of feeling subjected into a box of what power is supposed to look like.</p><p>I for one, as a highly sensitive person, am someone who is learning to share my perspectives (hence this essay) in a world that values being direct in its advice over being contemplative (hence the style of this essay).</p><p>And so, where will we go from here?</p><p>Will we, as long as we are here experiencing ourselves as separate, continue on this cycle of being fed the idea we are separate in order to be controlled?</p><p>Will we be willing to do the deep work of focusing on our own individual sovereignty, be willing to admit when we have faulted, willing to forgive, and build a healed and whole ego?</p><p>Will we find a way to teleport our spirit beyond the confines of a physical self, to coordinate with the energetic intelligence of our universe, and feed into an individual self who remembers the body of the earth one carries and the mind of the cosmos one inhabits?</p><p>And so back to non-dualism. (Which I didn&#8217;t realize would be the center point of this essay, but here we are.)</p><p>Non-dualism is when many truths can exist at once.</p><p>And the many truths are playing out at once right now:</p><ul><li><p>We have been conditioned to not talk about politics or religion.</p></li><li><p>We are being invited to be more outspoken on where we stand.</p></li><li><p>We are recognizing the power of manipulation and propaganda.</p></li><li><p>We are being called to show up and don&#8217;t know if our contribution is enough.</p></li></ul><p><strong>All while the reality is, humans are dying. We are literally killing each other.</strong></p><p>And I can&#8217;t say even those on the &#8220;side&#8221; of admitting war is not okay can truly see beyond the labels, beyond the identity we have subjected each other to based on where we were born, what our sexual orientation is, what side of the limited two-party system we are registered as.</p><p>The insidious perception of separation over thousands of years of materialist conditioning.</p><p>This is a war on the psyche as much as it is one of bloodshed. And the blood in a psychological war is one where we have forgotten our intrinsic role.</p><p>One who has forgotten our right and will to live free, within each breath we take, within each moment our feet touch the ground, within the next conversation we have and lock into full body listening.</p><p>And yet beneath all apparent opposites, all separation, all conflict that we have weaponized against each other, there is still a human who has forgotten their way home.</p><p>Presence is the non-dualist&#8217;s way home.</p><p>Through this repeating war of our minds, inflicting physical pain within our very real reality.</p><p>May we all rise and deepen into this human experience.</p><p>May we be willing to disrupt fear lying dormant in our psyche.</p><p>May we find the way through this darkness and reemerge as pillars of light in a world hungry to see.</p><p>And so, shall we say goodbye to the Materialist Old World</p><p>And say hello to the Energetic New World</p><p>What a time to be (somewhat) alive.</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://christinezaroura.substack.com/p/non-dualism-is-not-spiritual-bypassing?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="/__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/p/non-dualism-is-not-spiritual-bypassing?utm_source=substack&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_content=share&amp;action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p><p>P.S. A gentle reminder to stay the course coming into your email inbox this Sunday.</p><p>Subscribe here (if you aren&#8217;t subscribed already): <a href="https://point-of-life.kit.com/520f52c7fd">https://point-of-life.kit.com/520f52c7fd</a></p><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[When the Voice of Spirit Tells You to Keep Going]]></title><description><![CDATA[And Shame Keeps You in a Spiral of Exhaustion]]></description><link>https://christinezaroura.substack.com/p/when-the-voice-of-spirit-tells-you</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://christinezaroura.substack.com/p/when-the-voice-of-spirit-tells-you</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Mystic Christine]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 27 Mar 2026 12:59:10 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/4aafae15-5a9f-4564-9b02-a83faa951587_1200x630.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I began my outward journey of living with purpose (i.e., started a blog via a WordPress website in 2017) to share what supported my healing journey. </p><p>But now I realize that is not the genuine desire underlying why I chose to show up.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ZVAU!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5b204950-c30c-48b0-919a-85a38e2a175d_1920x1440.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ZVAU!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_424, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5b204950-c30c-48b0-919a-85a38e2a175d_1920x1440.jpeg 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ZVAU!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_848, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5b204950-c30c-48b0-919a-85a38e2a175d_1920x1440.jpeg 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ZVAU!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5b204950-c30c-48b0-919a-85a38e2a175d_1920x1440.jpeg 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ZVAU!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5b204950-c30c-48b0-919a-85a38e2a175d_1920x1440.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ZVAU!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5b204950-c30c-48b0-919a-85a38e2a175d_1920x1440.jpeg" width="1456" height="1092" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/5b204950-c30c-48b0-919a-85a38e2a175d_1920x1440.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1092,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:456047,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://christinezaroura.substack.com/i/192306776?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5b204950-c30c-48b0-919a-85a38e2a175d_1920x1440.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ZVAU!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_424, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5b204950-c30c-48b0-919a-85a38e2a175d_1920x1440.jpeg 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ZVAU!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_848, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5b204950-c30c-48b0-919a-85a38e2a175d_1920x1440.jpeg 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ZVAU!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5b204950-c30c-48b0-919a-85a38e2a175d_1920x1440.jpeg 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ZVAU!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5b204950-c30c-48b0-919a-85a38e2a175d_1920x1440.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>I was someone who wanted to be seen. And not in the superficial way. I wanted to be seen for the depth of my soul.<strong> I wanted to come out of the closet.</strong> I wanted my vulnerability to take the stage, publicly.</p><p>I quickly learned that wanting to be seen for the hidden parts of my depth was not enough. Not enough to gain traction. Not enough to gain attention. Not enough to meet the vision I had for the world. </p><p>I carried this burden. I knew there was a way through our collective suffering and I knew my tiny existence had some kind of intimate relationship with what is possible for our humanity, yet my little self couldn&#8217;t understand why my work wasn&#8217;t resonating.</p><p>And so I kept going. Learning how to create an online presence only to find myself even more disoriented. I just wanted to share, and so I kept going, learning about marketing, sales, customer journeys, and branding from all kinds of voices sharing the same information spoken through different perspectives.</p><p><strong>Yet I couldn&#8217;t find what I was looking for.</strong> </p><p>I consistently felt that the content on business couldn&#8217;t meet me at my depth or help me translate that depth into the online space.</p><p>Sitting here now, it feels like I was chewed up and spit out again and again with each failed attempt to gain attention, while the wounded parts of me, the shame-stricken versions of me, resisted being seen.</p><p>The pull, the stretch, the constant rejection was exhausting. <strong>While the bigger vision for the world felt like a strong magnetic force to keep going. </strong>To share my heart. And so I did. And so here I am.</p><p>I can now see how I confused my lack of knowledge of how to play the capitalist game with the belief that my depth wasn&#8217;t enough to gain attention. And writing this from who I am now, I clearly recognize the intelligence of my body simply doing what it was conditioned to do&#8230; working with the operating system that induced the shame to begin with.</p><p>And so I find myself sitting with this:</p><p>How do we recalibrate our relationship with attention for the sake of liberation? Liberation from the shame-based belief systems telling us we are not enough. While infusing our lives with the kind of purpose that acts as a mirror for others to find their way, too.</p><p>How could we use insidious, bloodthirsty, addicted-by-nature social media as an initiation into the relationship we have with being seen?</p><p>How much of that is pure? How much of it is energetically charged by unworthiness? How much of it is due to the imprisonment of being right, proving, or defending as opposed to being fully present?</p><p>And what would happen if we renegotiated our relationship with attention? Would we be willing to reckon with the wounds of shame?</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://christinezaroura.substack.com/p/when-the-voice-of-spirit-tells-you/comments&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Leave a comment&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="/__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/p/when-the-voice-of-spirit-tells-you/comments"><span>Leave a comment</span></a></p><p>P.S. If you enjoyed reading personal shares on living with purpose inside a capitalist system mixed with contemplation, then you&#8217;ll most likely enjoy the content here.</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://christinezaroura.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="/__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/subscribe"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[We Need Bridge Builders]]></title><description><![CDATA[What Jane Goodall taught me about showing up when everything feels heavy]]></description><link>https://christinezaroura.substack.com/p/we-need-bridge-builders</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://christinezaroura.substack.com/p/we-need-bridge-builders</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Mystic Christine]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 24 Mar 2026 22:01:27 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/22261e43-22cf-4407-aedc-d9a7acc7301e_1200x630.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>It's a pretty wide gap to sit with when you can see what's possible for our humanity, while also being fully aware of what is actually happening.</p><p>And right now, our reality includes an increase in lives lost in the Middle East, stemming from U.S. and Israeli airstrikes that began on February 28, 2026.</p><p><em>Aljazeera has reported as of March 24, 2026</em></p><p><strong>Iran: 1,500 deaths</strong></p><p><strong>Lebanon: 1,039 deaths</strong></p><p>And adjacent to this painful reality, I decided, as any heart-centered human would do, to create. And if you are a fellow energy worker of some kind, you too are feeling called to curating safe spaces for people to land.</p><p>The intention of this post is to be an initiation for a new email newsletter I have been designing. It is specifically for those of us who are sensitive to the heaviness of our world but still believe in a new world where we remember our interconnection </p><p>AND for those who desire to create a life where what we do is centered around who we are, even when capitalism makes it feel impossible.</p><p><em>If you would like to take part in this new space, you can learn more below.</em></p><p>But for now, let&#8217;s talk about the woman who has impacted our evolution (and is currently staring back at me from a picture on my office tac board).</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!YAIX!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa90dd064-4d9a-46bb-b451-4bf574a1e3c7_1920x1080.heic" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!YAIX!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_424, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa90dd064-4d9a-46bb-b451-4bf574a1e3c7_1920x1080.heic 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!YAIX!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_848, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa90dd064-4d9a-46bb-b451-4bf574a1e3c7_1920x1080.heic 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!YAIX!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa90dd064-4d9a-46bb-b451-4bf574a1e3c7_1920x1080.heic 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!YAIX!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa90dd064-4d9a-46bb-b451-4bf574a1e3c7_1920x1080.heic 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!YAIX!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa90dd064-4d9a-46bb-b451-4bf574a1e3c7_1920x1080.heic" width="1456" height="819" 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/__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa90dd064-4d9a-46bb-b451-4bf574a1e3c7_1920x1080.heic 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!YAIX!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_848, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa90dd064-4d9a-46bb-b451-4bf574a1e3c7_1920x1080.heic 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!YAIX!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa90dd064-4d9a-46bb-b451-4bf574a1e3c7_1920x1080.heic 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!YAIX!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa90dd064-4d9a-46bb-b451-4bf574a1e3c7_1920x1080.heic 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>There&#8217;s a Netflix documentary series called Famous Last Words. It&#8217;s interviews with cultural icons, filmed privately, and released only after their passing.</p><p>(I am so into the concept, btw).</p><p>Jane Goodall was the first episode.</p><p>The part that stayed with me was at the end of the interview. </p><p>(Aside from the part where she casually suggests sending Musk, Trump, Putin, Xi Jinping, and Netanyahu on a one-way spaceship ride to whatever planet Musk is convinced he's going to discover. I digress.)</p><p>The interviewer leaves the room. Jane looks directly into the camera, knowing we wouldn&#8217;t hear it until she is gone, and says, &#8220;Each and every one of you has a role to play&#8221;.</p><h4><strong>A clear-sighted declaration from a woman who spent her entire life embodying hers.</strong></h4><p>What strikes me about Jane Goodall is her consistency.</p><p>She was a young girl with no money and an entire world telling her to dream smaller (aside from her mom), and yet she followed her north star anyway.</p><p>I remember coming across an old documentary on YouTube and getting to witness some of her first connections with the chimpanzees in Gombe, Tanzania. She simply showed up, patiently and with radical presence, allowing trust to build over time.</p><p>And in doing so, she disillusioned us from the limiting beliefs we held about our ancestry and trailblazed her way to reminding us of our connection with the aliveness of the earth.</p><p><strong>I feel that&#8217;s what purpose looks like in a body.</strong></p><p>What Jane Goodall represents for me (beyond our shared love for animals and this planet) is that I, too, believe each one of us has a role to play. </p><p>And I hold those words the way she held her presence among the chimpanzees. To show up for our collective liberation, consistently, patiently, allowing trust to build over time.</p><p>We have lost our way, and I believe the path back or the way forward runs through each of us. Through those of us willing to rise to the occasion, to offer new (or perhaps remembered) pathways home to our interconnection.</p><p>And in a time where we are tempted to put each other in boxes, to write each other off, to be more concerned with being right than being present, we need bridge builders.</p><p>Those who can witness the destruction of our world with eyes wide open and still choose to create. </p><p>Those who hold the quality of grace required to witness the old world burn to ashes, while tending to the one emerging. </p><p>Those willing to shine a light on the pathways back to sovereignty and wholeness.</p><p>And so I, Christine, who somehow dwells within new age spirituality (although I don&#8217;t identify with the culture), of Middle Eastern descent, with the backbone of an anti-capitalist, a devotion to deconditioning from the shame-inflicting tentacles of the patriarchy, an idealist nature, and a futurist mind&#8230; simply want to be your reminder to stay the course.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!7GmB!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3b97e99e-05af-49cb-b57f-e0381ad7c777_1170x1170.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!7GmB!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_424, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3b97e99e-05af-49cb-b57f-e0381ad7c777_1170x1170.jpeg 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!7GmB!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_848, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3b97e99e-05af-49cb-b57f-e0381ad7c777_1170x1170.jpeg 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!7GmB!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3b97e99e-05af-49cb-b57f-e0381ad7c777_1170x1170.jpeg 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!7GmB!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3b97e99e-05af-49cb-b57f-e0381ad7c777_1170x1170.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!7GmB!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3b97e99e-05af-49cb-b57f-e0381ad7c777_1170x1170.jpeg" width="584" height="584" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/3b97e99e-05af-49cb-b57f-e0381ad7c777_1170x1170.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1170,&quot;width&quot;:1170,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:584,&quot;bytes&quot;:null,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:null,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!7GmB!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_424, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3b97e99e-05af-49cb-b57f-e0381ad7c777_1170x1170.jpeg 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!7GmB!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_848, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3b97e99e-05af-49cb-b57f-e0381ad7c777_1170x1170.jpeg 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!7GmB!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3b97e99e-05af-49cb-b57f-e0381ad7c777_1170x1170.jpeg 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!7GmB!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3b97e99e-05af-49cb-b57f-e0381ad7c777_1170x1170.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>Sometimes my little ego mind doesn&#8217;t exactly know how my tiny speck of existence connects to the larger tapestry of life. </p><p>Thankfully, I have been guided by that larger tapestry of life since starting my first website in 2017, where my domain name was Mindful Deconstruction.</p><p>And here I am now, dancing intimately with a capitalist system that loves to convince me I am not worthy of sharing my heart in a really noisy online space.</p><p><strong>Most days, I don&#8217;t know what I&#8217;m doing</strong></p><p><strong>But that&#8217;s because I remember who I am.</strong></p><p>The unknown, the darkness, is where I dwell.</p><p>And so if you, too, are craving an intimate space to check in weekly, I will be offering that via my new email newsletter (outside of my Substack).</p><p>Every Sunday(ish), receive an email from me.</p><p>Consider them a space to alleviate some of that pressure of the liminal space we are in.</p><blockquote><p><strong>Here is what you can expect:</strong></p><ul><li><p>A grounded perspective on the world through the lens of purpose.</p></li><li><p>A link to something worth reading or listening to for inspiration or contemplation</p></li><li><p>A curated window into what&#8217;s keeping me anchored (books, ideas, voices, and practices oriented toward collective liberation)</p></li><li><p><strong>An honest reflection from a highly sensitive human building a purpose-driven life inside the same upside-down systems you&#8217;re navigating</strong></p></li><li><p>Offerings to go deeper</p></li></ul></blockquote><p></p><h4>You already know what you&#8217;re here to do.</h4><p>Some days you just need a reminder.</p><p></p><p>To stay connected, subscribe here: &#8594; <a href="https://point-of-life.kit.com/520f52c7fd">https://point-of-life.kit.com/520f52c7fd</a></p><p>Be kind, stay weird, and remember who you are.</p><p>Christine</p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[005 Halftime show or a revolution?]]></title><description><![CDATA[From Bad Bunny to Karl Marx to your Soul's Calling.]]></description><link>https://christinezaroura.substack.com/p/005-halftime-show-or-a-revolution</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://christinezaroura.substack.com/p/005-halftime-show-or-a-revolution</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Mystic Christine]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 11 Feb 2026 23:01:20 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/187651894/39e26a8420b67778c99d51b7fa0354cd.mp3" length="0" type="audio/mpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>What if dismantling capitalism is about understanding it well enough to alchemize it from the inside out?</p><p>In this episode, Christine uses Bad Bunny&#8217;s Super Bowl halftime performance as a lens for examining one of the most pressing questions of our collective moment: Are we witnessing a social class revolution, or just a deeper divide? And what does any of this have to do with you?</p><p>Part 1 weaves together Fire Horse energy, the Communist Manifesto, the core wound of the American Dream, and the synchronicity between this Fire Horse Period 9 and 1846 (the second wave of the industrial revolution, two years before Marx and Engels wrote the Communist Manifesto). Christine explores what it means to use the master&#8217;s platform to reject the master&#8217;s rules, and why the only way through might be in.</p><p>Part 2 brings it home by acknowledging each person&#8217;s intrinsic role within this collective dark night of the soul, since understanding the system is only half the work. The other half is tending to your inner landscape, specifically, what happens when you doubt your soul&#8217;s calling and why your willingness to show up resourced and rooted in your authentic truth is one of the most radical acts of resistance available right now.</p><p><strong>In this episode, you&#8217;ll explore:</strong></p><ul><li><p>What Bad Bunny&#8217;s Super Bowl performance reveals about the current state of American consciousness</p></li><li><p>The synchronicity between Fire Horse Period 9, 1846, and the Communist Manifesto</p></li><li><p>The core wound of the American Dream and what&#8217;s still worth reclaiming</p></li><li><p>Why dismantling capitalism requires understanding it from the inside out</p></li><li><p>The connection between tending your inner landscape and contributing to collective transformation</p></li><li><p>An invitation to show up resourced, rooted, and unapologetically yourself</p></li></ul><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://christinezaroura.substack.com/p/005-halftime-show-or-a-revolution/comments&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Leave a comment&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="/__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/p/005-halftime-show-or-a-revolution/comments"><span>Leave a comment</span></a></p><div><hr></div><p><strong>References</strong></p><ol><li><p><a href="https://time.com/7373018/bad-bunny-super-bowl-halftime-show-analysis/">Andrew R. Chow, &#8220;Bad Bunny&#8217;s Super Bowl Halftime Show Was an Exuberant Act of Resistance,&#8221; TIME, February 9, 2026. </a></p></li><li><p><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/American-Dream">James Truslow Adams, The Epic of America (1931). Referenced in Britannica, &#8220;American Dream.&#8221; </a></p></li><li><p><a href="https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1848/communist-manifesto/">Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, Manifesto of the Communist Party (1848). </a></p></li><li><p><a href="https://moneywithkatie.com/the_mwk_show/">Money with Katie Show (Podcast)</a>, episode featuring Andrew Hartman, author of Karl Marx in America.</p></li></ol><div><hr></div><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Bad Bunny Goes Into the Belly of the Beast]]></title><description><![CDATA[Me: Are We Watching a Social Revolution or a Deeper Divide?]]></description><link>https://christinezaroura.substack.com/p/bad-bunny-goes-into-the-belly-of</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://christinezaroura.substack.com/p/bad-bunny-goes-into-the-belly-of</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Mystic Christine]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 11 Feb 2026 18:59:41 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/7c47f763-d653-4875-857b-f5356bcc85ec_1920x1080.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I have been contemplating Bad Bunny&#8217;s Super Bowl halftime performance for days. I found myself feeling like something wasn&#8217;t right. And I don&#8217;t mean good or bad or making a statement on morality or whether or not I find value in his performance and its significance on the state of America right now, but rather I come into this with genuine curiosity.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://www.threads.com/@mysticchristine" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!_x9e!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_424, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffd448875-f173-45aa-ab0d-28e5b24f88e5_1240x726.heic 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!_x9e!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_848, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffd448875-f173-45aa-ab0d-28e5b24f88e5_1240x726.heic 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!_x9e!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffd448875-f173-45aa-ab0d-28e5b24f88e5_1240x726.heic 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!_x9e!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffd448875-f173-45aa-ab0d-28e5b24f88e5_1240x726.heic 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!_x9e!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffd448875-f173-45aa-ab0d-28e5b24f88e5_1240x726.heic" width="1240" height="726" 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/__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffd448875-f173-45aa-ab0d-28e5b24f88e5_1240x726.heic 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!_x9e!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_848, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffd448875-f173-45aa-ab0d-28e5b24f88e5_1240x726.heic 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!_x9e!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffd448875-f173-45aa-ab0d-28e5b24f88e5_1240x726.heic 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!_x9e!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffd448875-f173-45aa-ab0d-28e5b24f88e5_1240x726.heic 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>Was the &#8220;something isn&#8217;t right&#8221; sense perception I was picking up on stemming from an inner knowing?</p><p>An inner knowing that if someone is going to go into the belly of the beast and push up against its conditioning, it is only a matter of time before disorientation increases, leading to destruction, which you may or may not know is necessary for creation.</p><p>Any time we challenge our conditioning (how we operate, how we move in the world, how we think, what we say, what we do, what we don't do) it's only a matter of time before we become disoriented, dysregulated, pushing us and propelling us to create inevitable destruction because the material world now has to shift in response to our psychological blueprint (or the underlying energy shaping reality).</p><p>That my &#8220;something isn&#8217;t right&#8221; was acknowledging that what we just saw during the Super Bowl was more than a halftime show; we are witnessing a dismantling of capitalism from the inside out.</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://christinezaroura.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="/__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/subscribe"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><p>If you are a friend of my corner of the internet universe, Point of Life, you know how I merge the mystical with the systemic to ultimately remind purpose-driven humans to make their unique contribution during this dark collective transit.</p><p>And if you have been following my content lately, you would know what I have been chewing on and connecting a couple of key threads:</p><p>I&#8217;ve been chewing on the relationship between fear and intuition, how their core difference is their relationship with time. Fear is bound by linear time, which means it is rooted in ego, built by survival strategies, and when unconscious, can lead to fear-based decision-making. Intuition, on the other hand, collapses time, operating outside the constructs of past and future, connecting us to something eternal, an inner knowing, a direct connection to the soul.</p><p>Which led me to the Industrial Revolution and how profoundly our relationship with time shifted during that period. Where factories required synchronized labor. Machines required continuous operation. Employers needed a way to measure work. Point is: time became a commodity.</p><p>And then I discovered that the last time we were in a Fire Horse Period 9 was 1846, the second wave of the industrial revolution.</p><p>And recently, while listening to Money with Katie Show (Podcast) where she had Andrew Hartman, a history professor and the author of Karl Marx in America, I realized 2 years later, in 1848, Marx and Engels published The Communist Manifesto.</p><p>Writing out my contemplations recently, days after Bad Bunny performed at the Super Bowl, I have to ask: <strong>Are we in a transit of manifesting what Marx and Engels initiated? Is what Bad Bunny created on that stage a clearer divide or the beginning of a revolution? Or is it both?</strong></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://christinezaroura.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="/__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/subscribe"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><h3>What Bad Bunny Did</h3><p>Let me be clear about what happened on that stage. Bad Bunny (and his team) made a choice.</p><p>At the peak of his career (most-streamed artist on Spotify, Grammy Album of the Year winner) he could have softened his Latino presence for mainstream American consumption. He could have played the game the way so many before him had to play it to &#8220;make it&#8221; in this country.</p><p>Instead, he retreated more deeply into his Puerto Rican lineage featuring barber shops and bodegas, family gatherings and elders playing dominos. He performed almost entirely in Spanish. During &#8220;El Apag&#243;n,&#8221; his dancers pretended to struggle to fix power on electrical poles (a direct reference to Puerto Rico&#8217;s frequent blackouts that worsened following the private takeover of the island&#8217;s grid). When he sang &#8220;CAF&#233; CON RON,&#8221; he held a football that read &#8220;Together we are America&#8221; and stated &#8220;God Bless America,&#8221; then named countries across Central America, South America, and the Caribbean.</p><p>He turned being caught between two worlds, too Latin for some in the United States, too closely associated with America for others, into his superpower, symbolizing a new world.</p><h3>The Question Beneath the Super Bowl Halftime Show</h3><p>So when I ask if this is a revolution or just a deeper divide, I&#8217;m really asking something more fundamental: </p><p><strong>What does it mean when someone uses the master&#8217;s biggest platform to reject the master&#8217;s rules?  </strong>What if to dismantle capitalism is to intimately understand its workings? To alchemize it from the inside out.</p><p>Because here&#8217;s the thing&#8230; the Super Bowl is doing the capitalism. It&#8217;s commodified labor, consumerist by design with the anticipated commercials, built for pleasure and play, while the NFL profits on players risking their bodies.</p><p>And hey, this is not a stance, simply an observation. I think at some point, the goal here is to become conscious enough of what operates in this shared reality, so that people can then make more informed choices about what they decide to contribute their life to (i.e., their time and energy).</p><p>Nevertheless, the Super Bowl is part of American culture, and during a time of civil unrest with ICE brutality in Minnesota to the release of the Epstein files, Bad Bunny&#8217;s performance (featuring Lady Gaga) seems to be talked about more on social media than the actual game.</p><p>Something is coming online for the American consciousness. More individuals are being invited to question where they stand within this clear divide.</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://christinezaroura.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="/__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/subscribe"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><h3>&#8220;Workers of the World, Unite! </h3><h3>You Have Nothing to Lose but Your Chains&#8221;</h3><p>This is a line from The Communist Manifesto.</p><p>It reminded me of the vision of Lady Liberty I had last year. The energy I tapped was similar to this line in the Communist Manifesto. What if all we had to lose was our chains. The conditioning, blinding us from our right and will to be free as we are. To reinitiate the little seed, a vision America&#8217;s founding fathers had for this country.</p><p>Will get back to that little seed in just a moment&#8230;</p><p>Capitalism needs us to believe in scarcity, in competition, in the myth that there&#8217;s not enough for everyone so we better fight each other for scraps.</p><p>What if Bad Bunny demonstrated that there is enough to go around? What if his performance on that stage was a reclamation of there is enough.</p><p>Is this a signal to their being a shift in consciousness?</p><h3>The American Dream&#8217;s Core Wound</h3><p>Here&#8217;s where it gets interesting for me. I believe in the American Dream. I believe there is still something here that wants to be nourished. That could possibly be the very kind of manifestation that comes from the pendulum being swung so far in the other direction of dysfunction, providing the kind of contrast needed to remember our right and will for genuine liberty and freedom and justice.</p><p>Historian James Truslow Adams defined it in 1931 as &#8220;not a dream of motor cars and high wages merely, but a dream of a social order in which each man and each woman shall be able to attain to the fullest stature of which they are innately capable, and be recognized by others for what they are, regardless of the fortuitous circumstances of birth or position&#8221;.</p><p>I can&#8217;t help but sense that America can be an example of a reckoning, the storm before the remembrance, the chaos before the order, the darkness before the light.</p><p><strong>Could America pave the way for a one-world order? One where, through the age of technology, where we can connect at the instant hit of thumb to screen, we can be disillusioned from the unseen borders, reuniting our diversity with the soil of the Earth.</strong></p><p>But the moment I sit with this and knowing America&#8217;s history, it gets muddled since we know this country was built on stolen land, genocide, slavery, built on the core wound of separation.</p><p>The same wound that turned the American Dream into the American Nightmare. The same wound that traps us in soul-sucking jobs, unhealthy relationships, unworthy belief systems, dysfunctional operating systems in relation to time and money, and reducing our capacity for initiating creativity, the kind needed to unearth the solutions in a time of collective crisis.</p><h3>What If the Only Way Forward Is Together?</h3><p>This brings me back to the question I&#8217;ve been sitting with:</p><p><strong>What if the only way to achieve material (economic and social) equity is through collective recognition of our intrinsic abundance and interconnection?</strong></p><p>What if the revolution is about remembering that we all already have power? What if it&#8217;s about recognizing that the material scarcity we&#8217;re experiencing is unconscious conditioning built by the very systems that profit from our disconnection?</p><p>Since we do have enough food to feed everyone, enough homes to house everyone, and enough resources for everyone to thrive, but the distribution is corrupt because the consciousness needs consolidating.</p><p>Marx understood how capitalism extracts value from workers, how it concentrates wealth, how it creates class division. I believe what he was seeing, what he was manifesting was an organized society that honors our inner authority and sovereignty&#8230; Similar to cosmic order, where every human remembers their role to play within our shared human tapestry of life, where everyone knows their place, their purpose.</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://christinezaroura.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="/__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/subscribe"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><h3>Fire Horse Energy and the Manifestation We&#8217;re In</h3><p>As I mentioned in my recent episode on the Point of Life podcast, we&#8217;re in a Fire Horse year and the last Fire Horse Period 9 was 1846, 2 years before Marx and Engels wrote the Communist Manifesto. I don&#8217;t believe this is a coincidence. Fire Horse energy is about reclamation.</p><p>And here we are again. Bad Bunny on the Super Bowl stage, representing the millions of people who are tired of shrinking themselves to fit into a system designed to exploit them. Representing a different vision of what &#8220;America&#8221; could remember the generous nature of reciprocity.</p><p>So when I ask if this is a revolution or just a deeper divide, I believe it is both. And it depends on what we choose to do with this moment that matters.</p><p>This requires acceptance of our divide, of our history of stolen lands, of years of slavery, of oppressive systems. While holding the vision for a consciousness that remembers, &#8220;I am worthy, as I am.&#8221;</p><p><strong>So, what came first? Corruption, greed, or humans who have forgotten their intrinsic value? </strong>Are we willing to do the work of shifting our consciousness to match the vision of what America could be? Are we willing to recognize our innate abundance and interconnection, with a bird's-eye view of conditioning that feeds on scarcity and separation?</p><p>I believe the choice is ours, individually in service of our collective shared life on Earth.</p><p>And to end this, I would like to come back to my vision of Lady Liberty</p><p>Lady Liberty reminds us of the internal I AM presence, rooted in freedom. To act from a deep-seated space of inner knowing. To trust in your discernment. To recognize that your embodied sense of awareness, your body, as a manifestation of the earth, means you don&#8217;t need permission to live free. You need a reminder to know who the fuck you are.</p><p>P.S. If you want the audio version of this contemplation, <a href="/__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/s/podcast">check out the Point of Life Podcast</a>. I include loving reminders there for purpose-driven humans who are here for collective liberation. </p><div><hr></div><p><strong>References</strong></p><ol><li><p><a href="https://time.com/7373018/bad-bunny-super-bowl-halftime-show-analysis/">Andrew R. Chow, &#8220;Bad Bunny&#8217;s Super Bowl Halftime Show Was an Exuberant Act of Resistance,&#8221; TIME, February 9, 2026. </a></p></li><li><p><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/American-Dream">James Truslow Adams, The Epic of America (1931). Referenced in Britannica, &#8220;American Dream.&#8221; </a></p></li><li><p><a href="https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1848/communist-manifesto/">Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, Manifesto of the Communist Party (1848). </a></p></li><li><p><a href="https://moneywithkatie.com/the_mwk_show/">Money with Katie Show (Podcast)</a>, episode featuring Andrew Hartman, author of Karl Marx in America.</p></li></ol><div><hr></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://christinezaroura.substack.com/p/bad-bunny-goes-into-the-belly-of/comments&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Leave a comment&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="/__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/p/bad-bunny-goes-into-the-belly-of/comments"><span>Leave a comment</span></a></p><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[004 Your purpose doesn't run on time.]]></title><description><![CDATA[Why the difference between intuition and fear matters now.]]></description><link>https://christinezaroura.substack.com/p/004-your-purpose-doesnt-run-on-time</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://christinezaroura.substack.com/p/004-your-purpose-doesnt-run-on-time</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Mystic Christine]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 23 Jan 2026 23:01:06 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/185555733/ae568f8368d6e24c8c5f1eeefe972c85.mp3" length="0" type="audio/mpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>What if intuition and fear aren&#8217;t opposing forces, but operating systems with a fundamentally different relationship to time?</p><p>In this episode, Christine explores a question she&#8217;s been chewing on for weeks: at what point did our collective relationship with time shift so dramatically that we became trapped by it? And what does that have to do with the choices we make from fear versus the choices we make from intuition?</p><p>A recent discovery about the Fire Horse year and Feng Shui Period 9 gave her the missing piece she needed to finally record this episode. The last time the world experienced this alignment was 1846, the heart of the Industrial Revolution. That timing is not a coincidence.</p><p>This is an invitation to examine your own relationship with time, to understand how fear and intuition move through you differently, and to consider what this moment in our collective timeline might be asking us to reclaim.</p><p><strong>In this episode, you&#8217;ll explore:</strong></p><ul><li><p>The core differentiator between intuition and fear&#8212;and why it&#8217;s all about time</p></li><li><p>How fear operates as a survival system bound by linear time</p></li><li><p>How intuition collapses time by accessing a more expansive field of consciousness</p></li><li><p>The Industrial Revolution&#8217;s lasting impact on our collective psyche and relationship with time</p></li><li><p>Why the Fire Horse year and Period 9 mark a significant moment for reclamation</p></li><li><p>A practical framework for discerning whether a decision is rooted in intuition or fear</p></li><li><p>An invitation to use time as a tool rather than be used by it</p><p></p></li></ul><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://christinezaroura.substack.com/p/004-your-purpose-doesnt-run-on-time/comments&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Leave a comment&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="/__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/p/004-your-purpose-doesnt-run-on-time/comments"><span>Leave a comment</span></a></p><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[003 I know the world feels heavy.]]></title><description><![CDATA[What the 2026 Fire Horse Asks of Us]]></description><link>https://christinezaroura.substack.com/p/003-i-know-the-world-feels-heavy</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://christinezaroura.substack.com/p/003-i-know-the-world-feels-heavy</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Mystic Christine]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 16 Jan 2026 15:00:47 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/184771856/8cd129046d7475d9562c6d839830c0d2.mp3" length="0" type="audio/mpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>In this episode, Christine sits with the heaviness of the current state of our world and shares what she&#8217;s been sensing about the year ahead. 2026, the year of the fire horse, is a year of reclamation, alchemy, and choice. </p><p>She explores the expansion available to those doing the inner work, the destruction that may come, and the invitation to choose the side of humanity. This episode is a reminder: you have a role to play, and the world needs the light you carry.</p><p>In this episode, you&#8217;ll explore:</p><ul><li><p>What the fire horse energy means for 2026 and how it may show up differently depending on where you are in relation to your soul</p></li><li><p>The dual nature of the torch we carry&#8212;to light the way through or to burn what no longer serves</p></li><li><p>Why purpose feels more urgent now than ever before and what it means to choose the side of humanity amidst growing separation and propagandized fear</p></li><li><p>An invitation for contemplating your unique blueprint and the alchemy of turning what no longer serves into fertilizer for something new</p></li></ul><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://christinezaroura.substack.com/p/003-i-know-the-world-feels-heavy/comments&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Leave a comment&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="/__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/p/003-i-know-the-world-feels-heavy/comments"><span>Leave a comment</span></a></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[What Kali Ma Taught Me]]></title><description><![CDATA[On reclaiming my unhinged-ness]]></description><link>https://christinezaroura.substack.com/p/what-kali-ma-taught-me</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://christinezaroura.substack.com/p/what-kali-ma-taught-me</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Mystic Christine]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 09 Jan 2026 23:01:34 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/90b38f04-f7e2-4693-bf50-082cebef00c7_6960x4640.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I was just going downstairs to fill my water bottle. As much as I didn&#8217;t want to break my flow from the project I was working on, I couldn&#8217;t ignore my thirst. Something I sometimes do. Avoiding my needs while in the middle of creating. </p><p>Anyone else?</p><p>Going down the steps, I thought of renaming my Instagram username to &#8220;un-hingedchristine.&#8221; Sorta like a testament to where I am right now. I shared with my friend Kat last night how people most often describe me as authentic, when really I feel like I&#8217;ve barely scratched the surface of my unhinged nature.</p><p><strong>It&#8217;s like the sweet nectar of liberation a woman can experience when she stops playing by the rules of the patriarchy, deconditioning from old ego identities that kept her safe, while embracing chaos and destruction as necessary antidotes for creation.</strong></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://christinezaroura.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="/__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/subscribe"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><p>I filled my water bottle, stared out toward the trees lined in rows surrounding my home, and went back upstairs into my office (which I call my incubator). I instantly looked at the statue of Kali Ma now sitting in her rightful place/position on the windowsill behind my desk . </p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!3XZV!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1e18f5be-b10d-4539-8839-df872d7aaf78_3024x3024.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!3XZV!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_424, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1e18f5be-b10d-4539-8839-df872d7aaf78_3024x3024.jpeg 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!3XZV!, 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/__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1e18f5be-b10d-4539-8839-df872d7aaf78_3024x3024.jpeg 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!3XZV!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1e18f5be-b10d-4539-8839-df872d7aaf78_3024x3024.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>Side note: She spent her first two-plus years in my meditation space. ( And yes, I have a designated room for prayer, meditation, freewriting, reading, self-pleasure, and sometimes just a container to stare off into space with absolutely no pressure to do anything.)</p><h4>Kali Ma taught me a lot.</h4><p>Mostly, she reunited me with my anger. It was like cracking me open to unprocessed energy I had no idea was there, energy I didn&#8217;t have the tools, knowledge, or awareness to navigate. </p><p>Years of suppressing my needs, years of having no concept of where my boundaries lay in relation to my capacity, held tightly to unconscious guilt if I spoke my truth (fearing I would hurt the person on the other side), and the energy-sucking pattern of putting others before myself. And mind you, I had already done a ton of inner work around these patterns. Deconditioning is truly a process.</p><p>That&#8217;s the thing about deep energy work. It will conjure shit inside you that you weren&#8217;t aware was there. And the journey straight up sucks sometimes. </p><p>Sometimes we&#8217;ll react. Sometimes we&#8217;ll want to grasp onto an answer without fully allowing ourselves to process our emotions. Sometimes we&#8217;ll lash out at those we love. Sometimes we&#8217;ll revert to old habits we thought we were done with. </p><p>The parts of our identity rooted in survival will do whatever it takes to hold onto the familiar, and our work is to acknowledge that as simply part of the process of our becoming.</p><p>(And when I say becoming, I really mean undoing the layers of protection built to keep us safe that now act more as blocks against our core essence, our authentic expression, our purpose.)</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://christinezaroura.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="/__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/subscribe"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" 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/__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F539c0128-bec3-48c7-92a4-025bc0940d39_4640x6960.heic 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!aY8m!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F539c0128-bec3-48c7-92a4-025bc0940d39_4640x6960.heic 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>That is the work of Kali Ma. (From my experience, that is.)</p><p>She strips off the ego masks that no longer serve our evolution. She cuts through the illusory gaps between our truth and our conditioning like a skillful swordsperson. She uproots stories built by societal expectations, binding us to choices that don&#8217;t enliven us, preventing us from taking action on creative projects, or gripping us in an unwarranted sense of desperation that guides us in loops.</p><p>She gets down and dirty, tongue out, with a no-fucks-given attitude. <strong>She is relentless, a savage-like energy hungry for blood, only to alchemize what she pierces her teeth into. </strong>From death to a renewed sense of being. Unplugging from belief systems that shrink you, contort you, bleed you of your creative power. That is who Kali Ma is to me.</p><p>She is the reason I&#8217;m able to write about her without falling into the story of not knowing enough. She frees me from the narrative that I need to prove myself worthy to acknowledge her presence in our psyche, that I need to consume enough content before sharing my relationship with her. That&#8217;s what she&#8217;s doing for me at this moment as I write this. <strong>Full permission to say fuck it.</strong> Here I am, and here is what I desire to share.</p><p>May it reach you where you are. May it invigorate the unhingedness needed to stop playing by the rules that weren&#8217;t built for you, unlock the portals of your chaos, and give you permission to use your voice in a time where silence is considered stoic and enlightened.</p><p>P.S. I wrote this 700+ word post while in the middle of working on a group cohort I&#8217;ll be offering in February. The irony is, I teach how to live inspired and embodied creativity without contorting our minds into linear goal-execution. I have a feeling this post came at the perfect moment. &lt;3</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://christinezaroura.substack.com/p/what-kali-ma-taught-me/comments&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Leave a comment&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="/__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/p/what-kali-ma-taught-me/comments"><span>Leave a comment</span></a></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA["You're projecting"]]></title><description><![CDATA[Thoughts on the dismissive conversational shutdown of "you're projecting."]]></description><link>https://christinezaroura.substack.com/p/lets-have-mental-sex</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://christinezaroura.substack.com/p/lets-have-mental-sex</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Mystic Christine]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 02 Jan 2026 16:34:58 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/82187756-7fda-49bd-9640-4cbe5fb666f1_1920x1080.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong>What if saying &#8220;you&#8217;re projecting&#8221; is also a projection?</strong></p><p>I have been probing this common term of &#8220;you&#8217;re projecting,&#8221; being used by more humans awakening to the inner workings of the mind. IE seeking therapy and getting involved in spirituality or the mechanics shaping the nature of reality in some way, shape, or form.</p><p>We are beginning to recognize how powerful the mind actually is, <strong>hence the obnoxious amount of content around manifesting</strong>, especially at the beginning of the new year.</p><p>Clearly, amongst this complete systemic collapse (political, social, cultural, economic), there is some <strong>rewriting of the matrix </strong>that is happening.</p><p>&#8594; Apathy is actually being seen as unprocessed fear.</p><p>&#8594; Fear is being recognized as shadow work.</p><p>&#8594; Shadow work is getting the light it deserves by realizing it&#8217;s actually a reunion with disowned parts of ourselves.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!DgIn!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F93d37875-ad2a-462a-bdec-a2bdf6929bbb_1920x1080.heic" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!DgIn!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_424, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F93d37875-ad2a-462a-bdec-a2bdf6929bbb_1920x1080.heic 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!DgIn!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_848, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, 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/__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F93d37875-ad2a-462a-bdec-a2bdf6929bbb_1920x1080.heic 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!DgIn!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_848, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F93d37875-ad2a-462a-bdec-a2bdf6929bbb_1920x1080.heic 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!DgIn!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F93d37875-ad2a-462a-bdec-a2bdf6929bbb_1920x1080.heic 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!DgIn!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F93d37875-ad2a-462a-bdec-a2bdf6929bbb_1920x1080.heic 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><h3>Duality is at an all-time high. </h3><p>There are those of us gripping even tighter to control, a false sense of security, and thinking that cultivating a civilization on another planet will solve our problems.</p><p><strong>Then there are the rest of us.</strong> (insert alien emoji here).</p><p>Willing to shed light on what no longer serves us, seeking to be heard and seen from a deeper level of presence, and bold enough to take action via purpose, instead of the deep well of unworthiness planted by the very systems that do not serve the interconnection of human and earth.</p><p>And so, enter Point of Life.</p><p>I desire for this space to be a place where we have space (hehe) to contemplate the inner workings of our minds and how the mind is intrinsically woven and projecting into this shared tapestry of life on Earth, ultimately manifesting into the lives we live.</p><p>Full circle. Maybe?</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://christinezaroura.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="/__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/subscribe"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><p>Ok, getting back to this term of &#8220;you&#8217;re projecting.&#8221;</p><p><strong>I initially wanted to come in hot/spicy and be like, &#8220;Um, can we stop using it.&#8221;</strong></p><p>But after giving myself the space to contemplate, I realize the irony of that, considering the grounded message that came through for me. (More on that with further words). </p><p>Me coming in hot like that is a conversational weapon. </p><p>Like sure, it is a way to evoke the rebellious part of my nature. The aspect of me who is completely frustrated with how backwards we have been wired/influenced/conditioned when I compare it to the nature of existence, however, it can literally work against what I really want to say here.</p><p>I digress.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!wiEy!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff3fb8c09-102b-4dd3-86b2-f34fe6a89431_1920x1080.heic" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!wiEy!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_424, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff3fb8c09-102b-4dd3-86b2-f34fe6a89431_1920x1080.heic 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!wiEy!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_848, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff3fb8c09-102b-4dd3-86b2-f34fe6a89431_1920x1080.heic 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!wiEy!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff3fb8c09-102b-4dd3-86b2-f34fe6a89431_1920x1080.heic 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!wiEy!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff3fb8c09-102b-4dd3-86b2-f34fe6a89431_1920x1080.heic 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!wiEy!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff3fb8c09-102b-4dd3-86b2-f34fe6a89431_1920x1080.heic" width="1456" height="819" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/f3fb8c09-102b-4dd3-86b2-f34fe6a89431_1920x1080.heic&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:819,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:291197,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/heic&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://christinezaroura.substack.com/i/183253591?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff3fb8c09-102b-4dd3-86b2-f34fe6a89431_1920x1080.heic&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!wiEy!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_424, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff3fb8c09-102b-4dd3-86b2-f34fe6a89431_1920x1080.heic 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!wiEy!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_848, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff3fb8c09-102b-4dd3-86b2-f34fe6a89431_1920x1080.heic 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!wiEy!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff3fb8c09-102b-4dd3-86b2-f34fe6a89431_1920x1080.heic 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!wiEy!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff3fb8c09-102b-4dd3-86b2-f34fe6a89431_1920x1080.heic 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>Here it is: I sense we turned this phrase of &#8220;you&#8217;re projecting&#8221; into a way to dismiss what someone&#8217;s saying without actually engaging with it.</p><h4>We&#8217;re all projecting, all the time. That&#8217;s just how perception works.</h4><p>Projection is a basic cognitive function. It is how our thoughts get expressed. We can&#8217;t communicate without filtering through our own existing models of reality. It&#8217;s an underlying mechanism. We&#8217;re constantly interpreting reality through our own lens.</p><p>When we say &#8220;you&#8217;re projecting,&#8221; what we often mean is: &#8220;you are unconsciously attributing your unwanted feelings or disowned parts of yourself towards ::insert subject here::&#8221;</p><p>But if we use &#8220;projecting&#8221; as a conversational shutdown without examining our own lens, then on some level, that accusation is also a projection (our need to be right, our discomfort with what&#8217;s being said, and/or our own unexamined patterns).</p><p>I have some alternatives I can share here.</p><p>However, I don&#8217;t want my projection to influence some closed loop. My point of writing and using my voice is to offer space, to marinate in the topics, to expand our perception for holding more truths at once. Hashtag omniscience.</p><p>Ok, here is what I have in 2 parts:</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!wY27!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe48ae46f-e507-4884-b013-62c85657432c_1920x1080.heic" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!wY27!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_424, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe48ae46f-e507-4884-b013-62c85657432c_1920x1080.heic 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!wY27!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_848, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe48ae46f-e507-4884-b013-62c85657432c_1920x1080.heic 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!wY27!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe48ae46f-e507-4884-b013-62c85657432c_1920x1080.heic 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!wY27!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe48ae46f-e507-4884-b013-62c85657432c_1920x1080.heic 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!wY27!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe48ae46f-e507-4884-b013-62c85657432c_1920x1080.heic" width="1456" height="819" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/e48ae46f-e507-4884-b013-62c85657432c_1920x1080.heic&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:819,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:84011,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/heic&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://christinezaroura.substack.com/i/183253591?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe48ae46f-e507-4884-b013-62c85657432c_1920x1080.heic&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!wY27!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_424, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe48ae46f-e507-4884-b013-62c85657432c_1920x1080.heic 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!wY27!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_848, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe48ae46f-e507-4884-b013-62c85657432c_1920x1080.heic 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!wY27!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe48ae46f-e507-4884-b013-62c85657432c_1920x1080.heic 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!wY27!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe48ae46f-e507-4884-b013-62c85657432c_1920x1080.heic 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><h4>What if instead of shutting projection down, we used it as a portal (pun intended)?</h4><p>First, we can shed light on the disassociated part. <em>What part of me is feeding into their projection? </em></p><p>I mean, think of it. Feeding into. We are actively plugged into their projection at that point. Both minds merge for a moment. We can probe the projection (the conversation or however the person is expressing it) that is influencing an aspect of our mind that has been shut down (due to: insert whatever you want here, usually related to our early formative years).</p><p>You can see why I am proposing that &#8220;you&#8217;re projecting&#8221; is dismissive, used as a weapon to defend. Because underlying that defensiveness is actually a part of us held hostage by the survival mind, seeking to maintain and control those parts of us.</p><p>I know, trippy.</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://christinezaroura.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="/__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/subscribe"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><h4>What if we came into the convo with curiosity?</h4><p>Second, treat the moment as an opportunity for loving and mutual investigation.</p><p>If someone&#8217;s projections are penetrating our minds, that may suggest there&#8217;s something to learn about ourselves by examining what others project onto us, even if it originates in them</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Rxj5!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff968a4b1-d06c-493e-b9f0-69ef9b563e02_1920x1080.heic" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Rxj5!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_424, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff968a4b1-d06c-493e-b9f0-69ef9b563e02_1920x1080.heic 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Rxj5!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_848, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff968a4b1-d06c-493e-b9f0-69ef9b563e02_1920x1080.heic 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Rxj5!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff968a4b1-d06c-493e-b9f0-69ef9b563e02_1920x1080.heic 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Rxj5!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff968a4b1-d06c-493e-b9f0-69ef9b563e02_1920x1080.heic 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Rxj5!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff968a4b1-d06c-493e-b9f0-69ef9b563e02_1920x1080.heic" width="1456" height="819" 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/__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff968a4b1-d06c-493e-b9f0-69ef9b563e02_1920x1080.heic 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Rxj5!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_848, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff968a4b1-d06c-493e-b9f0-69ef9b563e02_1920x1080.heic 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Rxj5!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff968a4b1-d06c-493e-b9f0-69ef9b563e02_1920x1080.heic 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Rxj5!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff968a4b1-d06c-493e-b9f0-69ef9b563e02_1920x1080.heic 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>Here&#8217;s how I interpret penetrating in terms of thought threads:</p><p>Some thoughts are not our jam. Some conversations aren&#8217;t inspiring and lift our spirits. However, I dance with unwanted thoughts as I do wanted. It is all information to me. I understand the need for contrast. I sense that <strong>leaning on non-duality is not being bereft of duality</strong>, but essential to merging 2 opposing (or what seem opposing) forces.</p><p><em>Ok, did I lose you?</em></p><p>What I am saying is, curiosity is healing. That the next time someone is &#8220;projecting,&#8221; maybe the most loving thing we can do is get curious. Ask them, &#8220;What makes you say that?&#8221; and genuinely listen for what gets revealed.</p><p>And hey, I am not suggesting that people&#8217;s projections necessarily involve disowned parts of ourselves; it can just be a path to sharpening our awareness, expanding our perceptions, and offering them the kind of presence needed for liberation.</p><p>And whether they lean in or not is <strong>not</strong> the point. It&#8217;s at least giving others (and ourselves) the chance to lead our minds from the consciousness of our hearts. No?</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://christinezaroura.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="/__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/subscribe"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><p>I could wrap this up, but I don&#8217;t want to.</p><p>Like I said, this is an open space to share the inner workings of our minds.</p><p><strong>If I projected anything here that does not meet you where you are, cool.</strong></p><p><strong>If I projected anything here that tickles your pickle or arouses you, great.</strong></p><p>I am here for both.</p><p>So, let me know your thoughts.</p><p>I am open to <strong>playing</strong> with them.</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://christinezaroura.substack.com/p/lets-have-mental-sex/comments&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Leave a comment&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="/__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/p/lets-have-mental-sex/comments"><span>Leave a comment</span></a></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Are We Dismantling Systems or Protecting the Ego? ]]></title><description><![CDATA[2026 calls for a new kind of activism (a contemplative inquiry)]]></description><link>https://christinezaroura.substack.com/p/are-we-dismantling-systems-or-protecting</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://christinezaroura.substack.com/p/are-we-dismantling-systems-or-protecting</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Mystic Christine]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sat, 27 Dec 2025 23:00:32 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!mTxY!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7cccb692-8665-460c-830c-ecb63d5672f2_1920x1080.heic" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>It&#8217;s likely my algorithm, but I&#8217;m seeing more content online addressing patriarchy, colonialism, and capitalism. More people are willing to challenge these systems that are designed to be intrusive, disruptive, dysregulating, and exploitative.</p><p>Yet I can&#8217;t help but contemplate the ego: </p><p><strong>Are people more concerned with being right than with actually deconditioning from the systems they&#8217;re willing to see clearly?</strong></p><p>I ask because I&#8217;ve lived the other side of this.</p><p>I'm someone who has always felt like others didn't fully understand me. Someone who feels deeply, struggles with surface-level conversations, and has spent a lifetime feeling left out. I've internalized other people's reactions as evidence that I did something wrong. I've doubted my impact, shrunk myself, minimized my multifaceted self-expression. </p><p>I've disconnected from my own sovereignty, mistaking other people's ego and arrogance for authority, reinforcing the very hierarchies I now question.</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://christinezaroura.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="/__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/subscribe"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><h3>Dysregulation is the point</h3><p>These systems (capitalism, patriarchy, and colonialism) are embedded subconsciously in our minds and bodies, and to create change, we must become aware of how they live inside us and bring light to these shadows.</p><p>But we all know that behavior and action (not just awareness) drive real transformation. And as you probably already are familiar with how the nervous system works, you understand that dysregulation leads to reactivity.</p><p>The same dysregulation caused by oppressive systems can reinforce those very systems if we aren&#8217;t willing to face ourselves. </p><p>For some of us, dysregulation looks like urgency, dominance, and the need to be right. For others, it looks like shutting down, shrinking, and assuming we&#8217;re wrong before we&#8217;ve even said a word. But no matter where we dwell, both reactions keep the systems running.</p><p>The deeper question isn&#8217;t just what we know about these systems, but the psychological grip they have on our operating systems&#8212;on the ego, the individual self equipped with choice, with free will.</p><p>See, my pattern of doubting myself and mistaking arrogance for authority is dysregulation (hypoarousal/fawn response), too. It&#8217;s just less visible. And it&#8217;s been just as effective at limiting my capacity to co-create, contribute, and make change.</p><p>So what is our ego plugged into? The fear of being wrong? The desire to be right? The fear of being too much?</p><p>Or the willingness to emanate love and grace during collective upheaval?</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!9gkS!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F92c23010-456b-4936-b207-3a851c558018_1920x1080.heic" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!9gkS!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_424, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F92c23010-456b-4936-b207-3a851c558018_1920x1080.heic 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!9gkS!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_848, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F92c23010-456b-4936-b207-3a851c558018_1920x1080.heic 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!9gkS!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F92c23010-456b-4936-b207-3a851c558018_1920x1080.heic 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!9gkS!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F92c23010-456b-4936-b207-3a851c558018_1920x1080.heic 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!9gkS!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F92c23010-456b-4936-b207-3a851c558018_1920x1080.heic" width="332" height="186.75" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/92c23010-456b-4936-b207-3a851c558018_1920x1080.heic&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:819,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:332,&quot;bytes&quot;:22642,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/heic&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://christinezaroura.substack.com/i/182529286?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F92c23010-456b-4936-b207-3a851c558018_1920x1080.heic&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!9gkS!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_424, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F92c23010-456b-4936-b207-3a851c558018_1920x1080.heic 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!9gkS!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_848, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F92c23010-456b-4936-b207-3a851c558018_1920x1080.heic 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!9gkS!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F92c23010-456b-4936-b207-3a851c558018_1920x1080.heic 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!9gkS!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F92c23010-456b-4936-b207-3a851c558018_1920x1080.heic 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div></div></div></a></figure></div><h3>When Being Right Feels Safe</h3><p>Certainty can feel safer in moments of upheaval. Being right gives us something solid to stand on. And for those of us conditioned to stay silent can feel like the safest option&#8230; when it is easier to disappear than risk being told our depth is too much.</p><p>Love and grace, however, invite us to tolerate not knowing what the future holds, to put down our protective armor, to stop trying to prove or defend our way through, and/or to stop protecting ourselves through self-minimizing.</p><p>Is it fair to say that people &#8220;waking up&#8221; can unconsciously recreate the same hierarchies they&#8217;re trying to dismantle? Am I sensing unfinished deconditioning?</p><p>Is it possible that the same systems that condition some of us to be loud, certain, and right, condition others of us to shrink, doubt ourselves, and fall quietly into the background? </p><p>Since both responses&#8212; the need to dominate the conversation and the need to minimize ourselves&#8212;are two sides of the same hierarchy. One performs authority. The other performs invisibility. Both upholding the very systems we are here to rewrite.</p><p>And it seems that our capacity to intellectually understand these systems often wakes up faster than our nervous system's ability to integrate them. </p><p>Perhaps this is because of these very systems that prioritize urgency, closed loops, and overvalue the material world to provide us with answers instead of the wisdom of our bodies.</p><p>Is it possible that the need to spread information about these systems without integration prevents us from closing the gap on our separation? </p><p>And is it possible that those of us who&#8217;ve been conditioned to silence ourselves are also preventing integration, holding back our wisdom because we&#8217;ve been taught our depth is too much?</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://christinezaroura.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="/__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/subscribe"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><h3>The Ego Identities of Our Ancestors</h3><p>Perhaps the path forward isn't about more certainty. Perhaps it is one that invites us into gentleness.</p><p>One that presses up against how we define leadership and activism. </p><p>What if, amongst this upheaval, there is a new set of humans embodying a kind of tenderness and softness needed for radical transformation?</p><p>And what if the result of deconditioning is a reunion with the translucent expression of our souls&#8212;here to unmask the many ego identities our ancestors put on to survive, to get us here?</p><p>What if more of us were willing to alchemize how we actively make change, creating a kind of blueprint humans before us didn&#8217;t have the resources to write?</p><p>Grace asks us to listen without immediately sorting experiences into right/wrong, good/bad. To allow complexity to breathe without rushing to conclusions. </p><p>What if more of us stayed in contemplation while slowly deconditioning?</p><p><strong>::Gentle Pause::</strong></p><p>Perhaps what I&#8217;m proposing here is simply one way: a path to unplugging from these systems by rebuilding through our relationship with our bodies, our energy, how we spend our time, and the quality of our relationships. </p><p>By cultivating the grace needed to untangle the embedded roots of shame.</p><p>To be seen fully, wholeheartedly, nakedly, aware and present.</p><p>To genuinely let go and allow love to lead.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!mTxY!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7cccb692-8665-460c-830c-ecb63d5672f2_1920x1080.heic" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!mTxY!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_424, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7cccb692-8665-460c-830c-ecb63d5672f2_1920x1080.heic 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!mTxY!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_848, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7cccb692-8665-460c-830c-ecb63d5672f2_1920x1080.heic 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!mTxY!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7cccb692-8665-460c-830c-ecb63d5672f2_1920x1080.heic 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!mTxY!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7cccb692-8665-460c-830c-ecb63d5672f2_1920x1080.heic 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!mTxY!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7cccb692-8665-460c-830c-ecb63d5672f2_1920x1080.heic" width="1456" height="819" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/7cccb692-8665-460c-830c-ecb63d5672f2_1920x1080.heic&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:819,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:150995,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/heic&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://christinezaroura.substack.com/i/182529286?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7cccb692-8665-460c-830c-ecb63d5672f2_1920x1080.heic&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!mTxY!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_424, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7cccb692-8665-460c-830c-ecb63d5672f2_1920x1080.heic 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!mTxY!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_848, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7cccb692-8665-460c-830c-ecb63d5672f2_1920x1080.heic 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!mTxY!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7cccb692-8665-460c-830c-ecb63d5672f2_1920x1080.heic 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!mTxY!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7cccb692-8665-460c-830c-ecb63d5672f2_1920x1080.heic 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><h3>Moving at the Speed of my Nervous System</h3><p>I don&#8217;t have this all figured out, of course. I&#8217;ve been on this quest to understand the shadows of our psyche, as a modern-day mystic dancing with nihilism would. I&#8217;ve been deconditioning from these systems for possibly my entire conscious life.</p><p>The deconditioning I've had to work through (and continue to work through) as the child of immigrant parents from the Middle East growing up in America has required immense awareness and grace. </p><p><strong>It's demanded persistent commitment to behaving in ways that enliven me rather than appeasing unseen expectations.</strong></p><p>Learning not to shrink to look a certain way, speak a certain way, sit a certain way. Learning that my assertiveness and dominance weren&#8217;t threats to be managed. Learning that my intense, intimate connection to sexuality (something I&#8217;ve felt since childhood) was not something to hide or suppress as a woman, but something sacred.</p><p>I have now come to understand that sexuality is deeply connected to creation itself, something I&#8217;m deeply passionate about. The patriarchy made it difficult for me to trust this inner knowing, to <strong>co-birth</strong> a new world that remembers our innate wisdom to shape reality.</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://christinezaroura.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="/__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/subscribe"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><h3>Metabolizing the Systemic Shadows</h3><p>I share this because I&#8217;ve barely scratched the surface of my own deconditioning. Creating this content alone is healing and liberating for me. But I&#8217;m not here to be right. I&#8217;m here to share my story at the speed of my nervous system, and my hope is to create safe containers where love and grace can permeate&#8212;or penetrate (hehe).</p><p>One thing I know is clear: I prioritize (for myself and when supporting others) providing the space and presence needed to metabolize these shadows rather than forcing change.</p><div><hr></div><p>So I&#8217;m sitting with these questions, and I invite you to sit with them too:</p><p>What would integration feel like in your body, rather than just more information in your mind?</p><p>Are you performing authority or performing smallness&#8230; and can you feel where that pattern lives in you?</p><p><strong>What wisdom are you holding back because you've mistaken someone else's certainty for authority?</strong></p><p>And perhaps most importantly: </p><p>What becomes possible when we allow ourselves to be fully seen&#8230; </p><p></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://christinezaroura.substack.com/p/are-we-dismantling-systems-or-protecting/comments&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Leave a comment&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="/__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/p/are-we-dismantling-systems-or-protecting/comments"><span>Leave a comment</span></a></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[What's Really Baked into Santa's Cookies]]></title><description><![CDATA[Unplugging from the Holiday Matrix]]></description><link>https://christinezaroura.substack.com/p/whats-really-baked-into-santas-cookies</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://christinezaroura.substack.com/p/whats-really-baked-into-santas-cookies</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Mystic Christine]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 21 Dec 2025 01:00:34 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yftS!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fee6813c1-dcd8-4fc6-9faa-48c67f4d2741_1920x1080.heic" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>This time of year always feels extra delicious for me. Even when I was plugged into the matrix of the holiday hustle and bustle, <strong>I remember vividly being confused</strong> by the stress everyone would experience. </p><p>There was this steady knowing in my core that all this was unnecessary, that there was something profound in simply existing as we are during this time of year. </p><p>I didn&#8217;t have language for it then, but what I was sensing was the unseen operating system distorting the potency of this season and shaping how people spent their money, time, and energy. I soon realized the power consumerism had on us.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!TYrC!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5fff3e21-dd12-4c56-ab87-8d942b2c48c2_1920x1080.heic" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!TYrC!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_424, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5fff3e21-dd12-4c56-ab87-8d942b2c48c2_1920x1080.heic 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!TYrC!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_848, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5fff3e21-dd12-4c56-ab87-8d942b2c48c2_1920x1080.heic 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!TYrC!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5fff3e21-dd12-4c56-ab87-8d942b2c48c2_1920x1080.heic 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!TYrC!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5fff3e21-dd12-4c56-ab87-8d942b2c48c2_1920x1080.heic 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!TYrC!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5fff3e21-dd12-4c56-ab87-8d942b2c48c2_1920x1080.heic" width="1456" height="819" 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/__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5fff3e21-dd12-4c56-ab87-8d942b2c48c2_1920x1080.heic 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!TYrC!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_848, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5fff3e21-dd12-4c56-ab87-8d942b2c48c2_1920x1080.heic 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!TYrC!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5fff3e21-dd12-4c56-ab87-8d942b2c48c2_1920x1080.heic 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!TYrC!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5fff3e21-dd12-4c56-ab87-8d942b2c48c2_1920x1080.heic 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">I messaged my mom last night asking if she had a picture of my brother and me on Christmas, and this is the only one she could find. So this isn&#8217;t the version of me referenced in the story below, but it&#8217;ll do. :)</figcaption></figure></div><h4>What My Mother's Face Told Me</h4><p>My mom would have this long list she would handwrite of all the people in my family she would buy for, which also included professional relationships.</p><p>The expression on her face would sometimes look horrified, juggling work, caring for two children, and tending to a relationship with my baba (dad in Arabic). I&#8217;m sure she has fond memories of this time of year, but this is the one that is currently at the forefront of my awareness. </p><p>Looking back, I can see how much effort is required to keep these traditions alive and how that amount of responsibility is absorbed, especially by women.</p><p>I specifically recall not understanding when my mom would ask me what I wanted. Bless her heart&#8212;she always did follow up with, &#8220;I never know what to get you.&#8221;</p><p>It was super hard for me to answer, so it was no wonder why she always found it challenging to buy me something. (I don&#8217;t have much attachment to the material world, which at the time I wasn&#8217;t fully conscious of. And you could imagine why my relationship with receiving money has been a sticky one. More on that in later posts.)</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://christinezaroura.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="/__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/subscribe"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><h4>Is this just a me thing?</h4><p>I remember as a child receiving presents during our big family gatherings and putting what I got over to the side. I would usually sit quietly, observing, while my heart would race the moment Santa would call my name. Yes, my family would have someone dressed up as Santa every year.</p><p>Once the gift-giving portion of the evening was done, I would bring my gifts upstairs to open privately. Was this because, as a child, <strong>I knew the energetic pressures underlying this tradition</strong> and didn&#8217;t want to partake, or was it because receiving didn&#8217;t come easily for me? Or is it both?</p><p>In all honesty, I would get upset when I would receive a gift that wasn&#8217;t something that represented who I was, or feel that it was wasteful to spend time and money buying something I didn&#8217;t need. I know that, amongst my gentle nature as a child, I always carried some inner spice (a boldness) ready to share what was on my mind (if I felt safe to or allowed to). </p><p>I do, however, receive gifts with more grace now, and no matter what the item is, I focus less on the item and more on the human who gave it to me. (Most of the time, ha).</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gC-7!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa0ae6b73-0cb4-4601-a279-0ea80fe3af93_1920x1080.heic" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gC-7!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_424, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa0ae6b73-0cb4-4601-a279-0ea80fe3af93_1920x1080.heic 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gC-7!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_848, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa0ae6b73-0cb4-4601-a279-0ea80fe3af93_1920x1080.heic 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gC-7!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa0ae6b73-0cb4-4601-a279-0ea80fe3af93_1920x1080.heic 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gC-7!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa0ae6b73-0cb4-4601-a279-0ea80fe3af93_1920x1080.heic 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gC-7!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa0ae6b73-0cb4-4601-a279-0ea80fe3af93_1920x1080.heic" width="430" height="241.875" 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/__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa0ae6b73-0cb4-4601-a279-0ea80fe3af93_1920x1080.heic 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gC-7!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_848, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa0ae6b73-0cb4-4601-a279-0ea80fe3af93_1920x1080.heic 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gC-7!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa0ae6b73-0cb4-4601-a279-0ea80fe3af93_1920x1080.heic 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gC-7!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa0ae6b73-0cb4-4601-a279-0ea80fe3af93_1920x1080.heic 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><h4>No One Seemed to Care.</h4><p>I began educating others on consumerism back in 2018 when I was a fitness instructor and wellness coach via social media. </p><p>Finally, I had a platform to share the inner workings of my mind. I shared this picture of me standing in one of the main wings of the Staten Island mall, shopping bags in my hands, a Nike beanie on, which I still have, paired with a crewneck sweatshirt and leggings.</p><p>It was cold out, but wearing your jacket in a mall is straight up unhinged. The text read, CONSUMERISM, paired with a caption on my frustration with how crippling this system can be on our psyche. <strong>Yet I found there wasn&#8217;t much interest in what I was sharing</strong> (only by a select few who were willing to go there).</p><p>And now writing this, I wonder why.<strong> </strong>Why didn&#8217;t anyone really engage with what I was sharing? </p><p>Was it because I wasn&#8217;t fully articulating the message in a way that landed for them? Was it because they weren&#8217;t ready for what I was sharing? <strong>Or perhaps because they had normalized holiday stress, and my words became a part of the noise?</strong></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://christinezaroura.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="/__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/subscribe"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><p>Even today, I&#8217;m amazed when I do anything around this time of year that involves the greater population. (I am introverted if you can&#8217;t tell. Most of my time is enjoyed in solitude, but when I am out, get ready for a good time). </p><p>People are still attempting to manage all the holiday traditions while staying afloat financially, navigating tight schedules, and some straight up expressing how they actually want this time of year to be over. (Sure, this is a vague interpretation, but it still holds value.)</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yftS!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fee6813c1-dcd8-4fc6-9faa-48c67f4d2741_1920x1080.heic" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yftS!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_424, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fee6813c1-dcd8-4fc6-9faa-48c67f4d2741_1920x1080.heic 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yftS!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_848, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fee6813c1-dcd8-4fc6-9faa-48c67f4d2741_1920x1080.heic 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yftS!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fee6813c1-dcd8-4fc6-9faa-48c67f4d2741_1920x1080.heic 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yftS!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fee6813c1-dcd8-4fc6-9faa-48c67f4d2741_1920x1080.heic 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yftS!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fee6813c1-dcd8-4fc6-9faa-48c67f4d2741_1920x1080.heic" width="1456" height="819" 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/__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fee6813c1-dcd8-4fc6-9faa-48c67f4d2741_1920x1080.heic 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yftS!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_848, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fee6813c1-dcd8-4fc6-9faa-48c67f4d2741_1920x1080.heic 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yftS!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fee6813c1-dcd8-4fc6-9faa-48c67f4d2741_1920x1080.heic 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yftS!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fee6813c1-dcd8-4fc6-9faa-48c67f4d2741_1920x1080.heic 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><h4>Consumerism is baked into Santa&#8217;s cookies, folded subconsciously into the rituals we&#8217;ve come to call tradition.</h4><p>Consumerism severs us from the tenderness, the sacredness, the energetic offering during a time in the northern hemisphere when it is dark, inviting, delicious, and intimate.</p><p>This is a time to reunite with the aspect of creation desiring transmutation, to clean the ashes of what we released the year prior, <strong>giving the body permission to calibrate</strong>, providing the kind of openness for new possibilities in the new year.</p><p>The need to juggle and find some sense of regulation during this time of year while operating (thinking, feeling, and doing) based on consumerism is, can I say, impossible? </p><p>Because consumerism by design is meant to disconnect us from the natural rhythms of creation, keep us on a hamster wheel of doing, trapped as a cog in a system entangled in time, I think the word impossible checks out.</p><p>Why make it harder for ourselves? Why do so many people still partake in these traditions?</p><p>(I mean, I have some ideas: who they would leave behind. Avoiding the deep wound of abandonment&#8212;or, in today&#8217;s language, FOMO. Fear of how they&#8217;ll be perceived or judged. Wondering who they are outside of these traditions.)</p><p>I digress.</p><p>I know you&#8217;ve already unplugged, or are at least beginning to. I know you are here to build out your life, your way. </p><p>And I know how willing you have been to decondition from these sorts of systems that have not only been blocking you from genuine safety to be who you are, but have also <strong>kept you from being an embodiment for others to know it&#8217;s possible to break free of the matrix (only to find we are the scriptwriters of it)</strong>.</p><p>You are in this for the long game, so that even when your body falls into the cycle of death, your memory will carry potentiality, embedding a kind of storyline that remembers the sacredness of the holiday season.</p><p>So thank you for your contribution during this holiday season. :)</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://christinezaroura.substack.com/p/whats-really-baked-into-santas-cookies/comments&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Leave a comment&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="/__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/p/whats-really-baked-into-santas-cookies/comments"><span>Leave a comment</span></a></p><div><hr></div><h3>Go Deeper (hehe)</h3><p><strong>End-of-Year Presence Immersive Listening Experience</strong></p><p>Although when I first created this MP3 downloadable resource in 2023, I labeled it as a meditation, but really it&#8217;s simply an invitation into presence during one of the most high-inducing stressful times of the year (for most people). </p><p>This immersive listening experience is designed to be received <strong>within the rhythm of your life</strong>, not separate from it. You can listen while walking, resting, moving through your day, or simply being as you are (wherever you are).</p><p><a href="/__u/open.substack.com/pub/christinezaroura/p/end-of-year-presence?r=37f102&amp;utm_campaign=post&amp;utm_medium=web&amp;showWelcomeOnShare=true">Listen Here</a></p><p><strong>Winter Solstice Guide </strong></p><p>I designed a practical end-of-year Integration framework to help you make sense of what unfolded this year and enter the next with clarity. This resource guides you through reviewing patterns, calibrating your energy based on where you are, and identifying aligned ways to move forward (using both logic and intuition).</p><p>This framework is for you if:</p><ul><li><p>Traditional goal-setting feels disorienting or stress-inducing</p></li><li><p>You want structure <em>and</em> flexibility </p></li><li><p>You&#8217;re more interested in making grounded, self-affirming decisions than forcing outcomes</p></li></ul><p><a href="/__u/open.substack.com/pub/christinezaroura/p/winter-solstice-guide?r=37f102&amp;utm_campaign=post&amp;utm_medium=web&amp;showWelcomeOnShare=true">Download Here</a></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[End-of-Year Presence]]></title><description><![CDATA[Listen now (11 mins) | An Immersive Listening Experience]]></description><link>https://christinezaroura.substack.com/p/end-of-year-presence</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://christinezaroura.substack.com/p/end-of-year-presence</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Mystic Christine]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sat, 20 Dec 2025 16:40:10 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/9a23f3fe-7207-43f5-b41f-2079193fe6ff_1200x630.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p></p><p>Although when I first created this in 2023, I labeled it as a meditation, but really it&#8217;s simply an invitation into presence during one of the most high-inducing stressful times of the year (for most people). </p><p>Any hoot&#8230; enjoy!</p><p>BIG (and warm) hug,</p><p>Christine</p><div><hr></div><h3><strong>End-of-Year Presence: An Immersive Listening Experience</strong></h3><p>This immersive listening experience is designed to welcome you into<strong> the organic rhythm of your life</strong>. You can listen while walking, resting, moving through your day, or simply being as you are (wherever you are).</p><p>Rather than directing the body or the breath, this experience offers <strong>gentle reflection and spacious awareness</strong>, allowing presence to emerge naturally.</p><p>Through spoken reflection and intentional pauses, you&#8217;re invited to:</p><ul><li><p>Acknowledge the year that has unfolded</p></li><li><p>Reflect without judgment or evaluation</p></li><li><p>Release rigid ideas of right and wrong</p></li><li><p>Deepen trust in your inner knowing</p></li><li><p>Experience yourself as the meeting point between past and future</p></li></ul><p><strong>This offering meets you in the in-between space of the end of the year.</strong></p>
      <p>
          <a href="/__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/p/end-of-year-presence">
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          </a>
      </p>
   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[002 Intuition is how you claim authority.]]></title><description><![CDATA[If logic can only take us where we&#8217;ve been, how do we navigate where we&#8217;re going?]]></description><link>https://christinezaroura.substack.com/p/intuition-is-how-you-claim-authority</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://christinezaroura.substack.com/p/intuition-is-how-you-claim-authority</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Mystic Christine]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sat, 13 Dec 2025 01:00:59 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/181434026/a10bd04ddb643c56dbbd2799501a3795.mp3" length="0" type="audio/mpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>In this episode, Christine initiates a conversation about how, in our modern world, relying solely on logic can become its own kind of trap, since logic is based on the objective, the seen world, and what can be examined and measured. </p><p>She introduces intuition as a deeper, embodied intelligence that helps us make aligned decisions in uncertain times.</p><p>Christine shares a personal story from the early stages of her awakening that illustrates how <strong>purpose reveals itself through embodied experience rather than certainty or credentials</strong>, and how listening to the body becomes a gateway to soul-alignment.</p><p>The episode concludes with 3 grounded practices for strengthening intuition by cultivating presence, building self-trust, and reconnecting with creativity. </p><p>If you have been sensing a call to use intuition to guide your decision-making, this conversation offers both introspection and practical support.</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://christinezaroura.substack.com/p/intuition-is-how-you-claim-authority/comments&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Leave a comment&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="/__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/p/intuition-is-how-you-claim-authority/comments"><span>Leave a comment</span></a></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[10 Years of Achieving Goals the ‘Wrong’ Way]]></title><description><![CDATA[And the operating system that got me here (and no, it's not logic).]]></description><link>https://christinezaroura.substack.com/p/10-years-of-achieving-my-goals-the</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://christinezaroura.substack.com/p/10-years-of-achieving-my-goals-the</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Mystic Christine]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 11 Dec 2025 23:38:46 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Bd4l!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fafe3111e-f244-459b-90dc-ecfb1babc846_4032x3024.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I recently taught at a conference for youth service providers under the umbrella of the Pennsylvania Department of Education. <strong>I shared my signature framework on a structured yet flexible approach to goal-setting and implementation that emphasizes sustainability and authenticity rather than relying solely on willpower to drive change.</strong></p><p>I walked up to the room about an hour before my talk with Nicole, the coordinator of the event.</p><p>The room was dimly lit and carpeted; there was a projection screen against one wall and about 40 chairs arranged in rows. The air quality varied depending on where you were standing, and all I could think was: <em>Man, I should&#8217;ve worn a t-shirt instead of this button-down.</em> </p><p>It was cute, yes, but I knew I was going to sweat, especially while talking. It&#8217;s like the floodgates of my body open.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Bd4l!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fafe3111e-f244-459b-90dc-ecfb1babc846_4032x3024.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Bd4l!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_424, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fafe3111e-f244-459b-90dc-ecfb1babc846_4032x3024.jpeg 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Bd4l!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_848, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fafe3111e-f244-459b-90dc-ecfb1babc846_4032x3024.jpeg 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Bd4l!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fafe3111e-f244-459b-90dc-ecfb1babc846_4032x3024.jpeg 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Bd4l!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fafe3111e-f244-459b-90dc-ecfb1babc846_4032x3024.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Bd4l!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fafe3111e-f244-459b-90dc-ecfb1babc846_4032x3024.jpeg" width="1456" height="1092" 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/__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fafe3111e-f244-459b-90dc-ecfb1babc846_4032x3024.jpeg 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Bd4l!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_848, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fafe3111e-f244-459b-90dc-ecfb1babc846_4032x3024.jpeg 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Bd4l!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fafe3111e-f244-459b-90dc-ecfb1babc846_4032x3024.jpeg 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Bd4l!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fafe3111e-f244-459b-90dc-ecfb1babc846_4032x3024.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><h4>While teaching, I could visibly see a woman upset. Like, visibly annoyed. </h4><p>Past me, who would internalize people&#8217;s reactions as though I had done something wrong, or worse, that <em>I</em> was wrong, would have wanted to crawl into a hole and never come out.</p><p>She was furrowing her brows, making slight gestures with her hands, and her body language was communicating with the woman next to her, who seemed to know more about what she was moving through.</p><p>As soon as we took a break, I went over and sat on the floor in front of her table. (Thankfully, I wore mom jeans and could actually relax my butt onto my heels.)<br>I asked, <em>How&#8217;s it going?</em></p><p>She explained that years ago, she would have eaten this all up. Then she shared how she has achieved all the goals she once intended and is now frustrated by not knowing exactly what she wants.</p><p>(And I do know that my work, rooted in introspective, meaningful questions, may have bumped up against her instinct to approach the framework logically, which is how we&#8217;re often taught to set and execute goals).</p><p>I acknowledged where she was and asked her:<br>What would goals look like if they weren&#8217;t about getting somewhere? What if they existed simply for the sake of creating?<br>What if you didn&#8217;t have to know what you want yet?</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://christinezaroura.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="/__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/subscribe"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><p>Sitting with her, I was reminded of how many of us are quietly wrestling with this same thing&#8230; especially those of us in the midst of awakening. <strong>Unlocking purpose often invites us to develop a deep intimacy with the unknown</strong>, to let go of the expectation that we must know exactly what we want or where we are headed.</p><p>The truth is, when we begin to see how much we&#8217;ve relied solely on logic, we notice how easily we attach ourselves to outcomes and try to <em>control</em> our becoming. But I&#8217;ve found that there is a subtle, powerful difference between forcing life to happen and allowing life to reveal the next<em> right</em> step.</p><p>And this isn&#8217;t just personal work. It&#8217;s collective. We are living through a time when so many of us are learning to shift from willpower to full-body, embodied action. We&#8217;re learning to soften and let go, rather than harden and force things to happen.</p><p>If you&#8217;re someone who feels called toward personal and collective liberation this shift matters. <strong>We cannot lead ourselves (or others) into new worlds using the old strategies of control.</strong></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!VxSe!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbfce45c3-b3e5-4c64-b253-635d6724ac9c_1920x1080.heic" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!VxSe!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_424, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbfce45c3-b3e5-4c64-b253-635d6724ac9c_1920x1080.heic 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!VxSe!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_848, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbfce45c3-b3e5-4c64-b253-635d6724ac9c_1920x1080.heic 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!VxSe!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbfce45c3-b3e5-4c64-b253-635d6724ac9c_1920x1080.heic 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!VxSe!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbfce45c3-b3e5-4c64-b253-635d6724ac9c_1920x1080.heic 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!VxSe!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbfce45c3-b3e5-4c64-b253-635d6724ac9c_1920x1080.heic" width="308" height="173.25" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/bfce45c3-b3e5-4c64-b253-635d6724ac9c_1920x1080.heic&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:819,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:308,&quot;bytes&quot;:29570,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/heic&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://christinezaroura.substack.com/i/181379375?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbfce45c3-b3e5-4c64-b253-635d6724ac9c_1920x1080.heic&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!VxSe!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_424, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbfce45c3-b3e5-4c64-b253-635d6724ac9c_1920x1080.heic 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!VxSe!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_848, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbfce45c3-b3e5-4c64-b253-635d6724ac9c_1920x1080.heic 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!VxSe!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbfce45c3-b3e5-4c64-b253-635d6724ac9c_1920x1080.heic 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!VxSe!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbfce45c3-b3e5-4c64-b253-635d6724ac9c_1920x1080.heic 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div></div></div></a></figure></div><h4>Being solely logic-driven narrows our field of possibility. Point blank.</h4><p>Not because logic is &#8220;bad,&#8221; but because logic is designed for order, prediction, and linear reasoning. It looks for what is known, what is measurable, what can be replicated, what can be secured. </p><p>When we rely on it as our primary operating system, we begin to believe that if we think hard enough, plan as much as humanly possible, and anticipate every potential outcome, we can avoid uncertainty.</p><p>We end up tightening our grip on the nature of reality, which involves chaos, destruction, rhythms, seasons, currents, and change. We bleed our creative life force, mistaking it for management.</p><p><strong>And honestly, every time I sit with that reality of squeezing myself into linearity, I think about that Florence + the Machine song &#8220;Free.&#8221;</strong> The way she sings about her mind trying to keep everything contained while her body just wants to run, breathe, and feel alive.</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://christinezaroura.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="/__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/subscribe"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><p>Here&#8217;s the thing: control unseen is fear in disguise. It will continue to shape reality according to the illusion that our power lies somewhere outside of us.</p><p>Logic, as an operating system, is built from the manifested world. It relies on what has already taken form (reasoning, data, evidence-based decision making, step-by-step linear processes). It&#8217;s simply conditional. It can only draw from what we already know, the information we already have access to, and the patterns we have already lived, all filtered through our current worldview and our uniquely limited perspective.</p><p>But as a creator, we are not meant to pull solely from the manifested world. <strong>We are intelligently designed to draw from the unseen energetics that shape reality long before logic can measure them.</strong></p><p>So if we are operating in a way that is solely logic driven, this way of moving through the world cannot account for what we have not experienced yet. It cannot lead us beyond our current paradigm, which keeps us looping inside the same narratives and the same inherited limitations.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!S0iE!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc299901e-f90a-4383-80d8-fe17e161a475_1920x1080.heic" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!S0iE!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_424, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc299901e-f90a-4383-80d8-fe17e161a475_1920x1080.heic 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!S0iE!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_848, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc299901e-f90a-4383-80d8-fe17e161a475_1920x1080.heic 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!S0iE!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc299901e-f90a-4383-80d8-fe17e161a475_1920x1080.heic 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!S0iE!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc299901e-f90a-4383-80d8-fe17e161a475_1920x1080.heic 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!S0iE!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc299901e-f90a-4383-80d8-fe17e161a475_1920x1080.heic" width="266" height="149.625" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/c299901e-f90a-4383-80d8-fe17e161a475_1920x1080.heic&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:819,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:266,&quot;bytes&quot;:94474,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/heic&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://christinezaroura.substack.com/i/181379375?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc299901e-f90a-4383-80d8-fe17e161a475_1920x1080.heic&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!S0iE!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_424, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc299901e-f90a-4383-80d8-fe17e161a475_1920x1080.heic 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!S0iE!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_848, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc299901e-f90a-4383-80d8-fe17e161a475_1920x1080.heic 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!S0iE!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc299901e-f90a-4383-80d8-fe17e161a475_1920x1080.heic 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!S0iE!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc299901e-f90a-4383-80d8-fe17e161a475_1920x1080.heic 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>And because the mind is a pattern-recognizing organism, our &#8220;evidence-based&#8221; conclusions often come from a limited lens. Not because we are not intelligent, but because there is far more to our intelligence than logic alone.</p><p>I mean&#8230; look out into the world. Look into the current matrix. <strong>See how it is predominantly driven by fear, keeping us in a loop of giving our power away to aspects of social, cultural, political, or economic paradigms that do not support our wholeness and creativity.</strong> See how this control reinforces the story that we are slaves to the system, that we have no power to create change.</p><p>Our current world is infected with a kind of disease where some lives are valued more than others, where culture is being erased for profit, where resources are exploitatively extracted, where leadership is a means of superiority, and where money is rooted in survival.</p><p>These manifestations are the byproduct of being cut off from the intelligence of the body we inhabit. And so, how do we create order?</p><h4><strong>Through the very operating system that embodies chaos: Intuition.</strong></h4><p>And if you are reading this, you are aware of how you have been conditioned to not trust your inner nudges because they &#8220;don&#8217;t make sense.&#8221; You have been told to ignore the unseen communication you are experiencing as your thoughts seem to merge with your external environment.</p><p>It is almost like you knew something was going to happen before it did, and it is so easy to write that off. Synchronicities are a daily expression for you, and every time a synchronicity unfolds, you usually label it as weird. The outsider archetype you have known for most of your life takes on a new form. <em>I am different can</em> sometimes feel like a double-edged sword, or even like a curse.</p><p>Well, I am here to remind you: you are weird. And you are different. And the current world does not fully understand you. But I do. I see you. <strong>I know what you are capable of when you listen to the sacred communication you are having with the energy of your heart.</strong> I know your story is the catalyst for being a voice in a world that has been silenced. I know who you are beneath the masks you have worn to fit in.</p><p>And I need you to trust your intuition. To remind the world of what is possible when you are willing to press up against the resistance, loosen the grip of control, and reclaim your will as an intrinsic part of our collective liberation.</p><p>Your intuition is our medicine.</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://christinezaroura.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="/__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/subscribe"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><p>Intuition is your internal compass. It helps you sense when you&#8217;re contracting and when you&#8217;re expanding. And btw, contraction doesn&#8217;t automatically mean something is &#8220;wrong.&#8221; It simply means there is something to observe, something to witness. </p><p>As you heal and grow in awareness, you begin making more conscious choices, recognizing which actions, interactions, or thoughts no longer serve you and choosing <strong>not</strong> to engage with them. When you&#8217;re earlier on the healing path, you may need to lean into those contracting sensations to understand what they&#8217;re pointing to.</p><p>The opposite of contraction is expansion. Expansion is the moment your body softens, opens, and allows. It is the activation of light from within. The feeling of liberation that comes when you unlock an authentic part of yourself. It&#8217;s when you treat joy and play as radical acts against the conditioned fear that once limited you.</p><p>This is the work: reconnecting with your inner guidance system, the intelligence of your body.</p><p>This intelligence knows what is true for you in this moment, and how your truth is meant to contribute to the greater whole. <strong>Intuition teaches you how to trust the unknown, how to walk without having every desire defined or every step mapped out. </strong>It becomes the catalyst for realizing you don&#8217;t always need to know what you want in order to take action.</p><p>You are held, as you are, and guided in ways logic alone cannot perceive.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Dz8R!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F49c20d66-cd3f-4d14-8c59-7ddcf95ce116_1920x1080.heic" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Dz8R!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_424, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F49c20d66-cd3f-4d14-8c59-7ddcf95ce116_1920x1080.heic 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Dz8R!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_848, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F49c20d66-cd3f-4d14-8c59-7ddcf95ce116_1920x1080.heic 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Dz8R!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F49c20d66-cd3f-4d14-8c59-7ddcf95ce116_1920x1080.heic 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Dz8R!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F49c20d66-cd3f-4d14-8c59-7ddcf95ce116_1920x1080.heic 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Dz8R!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F49c20d66-cd3f-4d14-8c59-7ddcf95ce116_1920x1080.heic" width="320" height="180" 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/__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F49c20d66-cd3f-4d14-8c59-7ddcf95ce116_1920x1080.heic 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Dz8R!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_848, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F49c20d66-cd3f-4d14-8c59-7ddcf95ce116_1920x1080.heic 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Dz8R!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F49c20d66-cd3f-4d14-8c59-7ddcf95ce116_1920x1080.heic 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Dz8R!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F49c20d66-cd3f-4d14-8c59-7ddcf95ce116_1920x1080.heic 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>It&#8217;s one thing to teach this. It&#8217;s another to live it. <strong>And life has a way of testing whether what we know is conceptual or embodied.</strong></p><p>That night when I got back to my hotel room, I sent a voice message via WhatsApp to <a href="https://magneticbrand.co">my friend Kat</a> saying, <em>What am I doing? What is even happening?</em> </p><p>I didn&#8217;t mean it literally. I meant, I didn&#8217;t plan to be here. A speaker. Getting hired to share a workshop. Given a room to stay overnight in this pretty hotel.<strong> I didn&#8217;t plan any of this.</strong> </p><p>At no point did I create a super-focused roadmap of where I could be 10 years ago, when I was in the pit of despair, not knowing what the point of life was. When I look at pictures of myself from that time, I don&#8217;t even recognize who I&#8217;m looking at. Existential crisis at its finest.</p><p>What I did over the last 10 years was lean the F in. To unmask. To embrace my weirdness. To leave soul-sucking jobs and turn away from people who didn&#8217;t see me. To move in the direction of what actually lights me up, even if I didn&#8217;t exactly know where I was headed.</p><p>And here I am. A representation of what it means to let go of control (most of the time, haha) and surrender to the intelligence of my body, my intuition, as the perfect counterpart to logic. </p><p>Okay, I&#8217;ve said enough.</p><blockquote><p>Tell me&#8230; what landed for you here?</p><p>And where have you felt your own over-reliance on logic pulling you away from your inner knowing?</p></blockquote><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://christinezaroura.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="/__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/subscribe"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><h3>Continue the Conversation</h3><p><strong>Point of Life Podcast</strong></p><p>I recently created the <a href="/__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/s/podcast">Point of Life Podcast</a> (hooray). Over the next few weeks, I&#8217;ll be diving into intuition and how to work with it, strengthen it, and use it to navigate 2026 in a rapidly changing world.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gEWz!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F091fc93c-43ca-4f43-b29a-4ddfc0214ab6_1848x818.heic" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gEWz!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_424, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F091fc93c-43ca-4f43-b29a-4ddfc0214ab6_1848x818.heic 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gEWz!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_848, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F091fc93c-43ca-4f43-b29a-4ddfc0214ab6_1848x818.heic 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gEWz!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F091fc93c-43ca-4f43-b29a-4ddfc0214ab6_1848x818.heic 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gEWz!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F091fc93c-43ca-4f43-b29a-4ddfc0214ab6_1848x818.heic 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gEWz!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F091fc93c-43ca-4f43-b29a-4ddfc0214ab6_1848x818.heic" width="1456" height="644" 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class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!qT0y!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5a86a60c-74d7-4ed2-b045-4959c8cf3874_1242x182.heic" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!qT0y!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_424, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5a86a60c-74d7-4ed2-b045-4959c8cf3874_1242x182.heic 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!qT0y!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_848, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_webp, 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/__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5a86a60c-74d7-4ed2-b045-4959c8cf3874_1242x182.heic 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!qT0y!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_848, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5a86a60c-74d7-4ed2-b045-4959c8cf3874_1242x182.heic 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!qT0y!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5a86a60c-74d7-4ed2-b045-4959c8cf3874_1242x182.heic 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!qT0y!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5a86a60c-74d7-4ed2-b045-4959c8cf3874_1242x182.heic 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div></div></div></a></figure></div><p><strong>1:1 Coaching</strong></p><p>In my <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DFL00tGSU1Q/">5+ years of coaching</a>, I&#8217;ve found that building toward a purpose-driven goal does require discipline, strategy, and a clear roadmap with a gentle, realistic timeline. But it also requires intimacy and sacredness to actually live into it.</p><p>Consider me a mystical strategist who works directly on a <a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DPgwrI5DU1J/">soul level</a>, helping you bring your vision to life through both logic and intuition (the dance of masculine and feminine energy) so you can reach your goals with love every step of the way.</p><p>Email me at christine@christinezaroura.com or DM me on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/mysticchristine/">the gram</a>, and we can chat.</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://christinezaroura.substack.com/p/10-years-of-achieving-my-goals-the/comments&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Leave a comment&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="/__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/p/10-years-of-achieving-my-goals-the/comments"><span>Leave a comment</span></a></p><div class="directMessage button" data-attrs="{&quot;userId&quot;:193856978,&quot;userName&quot;:&quot;Mystic Christine&quot;,&quot;canDm&quot;:null,&quot;dmUpgradeOptions&quot;:null,&quot;isEditorNode&quot;:true}" data-component-name="DirectMessageToDOM"></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[8 Tips for Intuitive Planning in 2026]]></title><description><![CDATA[Where structure meets intuition and your goals meet their deeper meaning.]]></description><link>https://christinezaroura.substack.com/p/8-tips-for-intuitive-planning-in</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://christinezaroura.substack.com/p/8-tips-for-intuitive-planning-in</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Mystic Christine]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 25 Nov 2025 15:39:34 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/30c4e304-c0d2-4420-b527-c89d7d69fe90_1080x1080.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>If we&#8217;re being honest (because why wouldn&#8217;t we be&#8230; the world is currently breaking down from the inside out, so we might as well begin this post with a little transparent riff on the underlying dysfunction of how we set and execute our goals), most of us aren&#8217;t taught how to trust ourselves, make decisions based on intuition even when it &#8220;doesn&#8217;t make sense,&#8221; track our energy in a way that doesn&#8217;t feel like another to-do, or differentiate between soul-led goals and fear-based goals shaped by systems that were never built for us.</p><p><strong>Instead, we often outsource our power or fall into cycles of planning that feel disconnected from who we truly are.</strong></p><p>And as someone who has spent the last 10 years manifesting genuine, life-affirming goals that required no specific timeline, I think it&#8217;s safe to say I have some solid footing on how we can trust our intuition to design and create a life fueled by our deeper desires.</p><p>But since I could pretty much write three books on this subject, I&#8217;m going to narrow this down into 8 tips on how you can use a planner to align your goals with your intuition, move with your natural cycles, and take action in a way that feels grounded, easeful, and deeply connected to your soul&#8217;s timing. (Btw, I am using 8 intentionally, symbolizing a logical representation of the spiritual world that can take shape in the 3D material plane.)</p><p>This post is meant to meet you where you are and <strong>guide you in using a planner as a tool to plan your 2026 from abundance, whole-body living, intuition, and soul-led clarity</strong> instead of unnecessary pressure, excessive productivity, time-entanglement, and external influence.</p><p>My hope is that you walk away knowing how to integrate your inner world with your outer world by using a planner that truly reflects who you are and what you are feeling called to consciously create.</p><div class="pullquote"><p>This post is written in celebration of contributing a piece of my work to the 2026 Many Moons Lunar Planner. (Hooray!) In partnership with The Moon Studio, you can use the <strong>code CHRISTINE2026 for $5 off </strong>your pre-order. Offer expires 12/05. </p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!_vsN!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff9340f00-0fc4-450b-84de-b2f6a53f7159_1920x1080.heic" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!_vsN!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_424, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff9340f00-0fc4-450b-84de-b2f6a53f7159_1920x1080.heic 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!_vsN!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_848, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, 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y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div></div><p><em>Many Moons is a comprehensive spiritual guide that combines astrology, Tarot archetypes, and other modalities to support you throughout 2026. Each New and Full Moon comes with a ritual, spell, or practice, alongside monthly overviews and specifically timed reminders and prompts. Many Moons is the only planner and guide that hosts experienced practitioners, artists, creatives, and teachers from eclectic backgrounds. You will deepen your intuition, strengthen your practice, and achieve your goals with ease.</em></p><p><a href="https://moon-studio.co/collections/spiritual-tools/products/many-moons-2026">Click here to Buy</a></p><div><hr></div><h3>8 Tips for Intuitive Planning in 2026</h3><p>Using a planner is a symbol of the constant connection you have access to via your inner guidance system. It is where you can document what is coming up for you and begin to connect the dots. It allows you to see your life as non-linear by identifying main themes and transits. It also supports you in releasing the past and unearthing what you are feeling called toward.</p><p>So, if you&#8217;re ready to bring more intuition and soul-led clarity into your planning for 2026, here are eight tips to consider. </p><p></p><h4>#1 Let the Stars Guide Your Awareness</h4><p>If you&#8217;re into astrology (which, assuming you are, because you wouldn&#8217;t be reading this otherwise), use your planner to note what&#8217;s coming up for you. It&#8217;s easy to outsource meaning to online interpretations or take someone else&#8217;s perspective as truth. Let astrology inform your decisions, not override your intuition.</p><p>Take time to sit with what you learn. Notice the specific experiences you&#8217;ve been having that reflect the information you&#8217;re consuming. Let the external patterns reflect your internal shifts, and let your inner world be the final interpreter.</p><p></p><h4>#2 Use Each Month as an Integrative Checkpoint</h4><p>Use the beginning of each month as an intersection between what was and what could be. What themes emerged in the prior month?  How are you integrating what came up for you? What felt like a clear positive shift, and how can you ride that wave of clarity into the next chapter? Allow yourself to free write: narrate how the previous month supported you (make room for both challenges and celebrations) and what you feel called to lean into next.</p><p></p><h4>#3 Omit the Tasks and To-Dos</h4><p>This one you can take or leave: I personally feel tasks and to-do lists should be kept separate from your planner. The energy of a to-do list is about closing loops, whereas this planner carries the intention of openness and receptivity. Instead of &#8220;getting things done,&#8221; keep your action lists on Google Calendar or sticky notes. Let your planner remain a space of attunement rather than obligation.</p><p></p><h4>#4 Plan with Rhythm</h4><p>Your planner helps you track your energy, not your time. Moon phases, your body cycles, daily responsibilities, and emotional rhythms shape when you naturally feel creative, grounded, social, or the times when all you need is a cup of hot tea and a good book. Remember: Time management is meant to dance with your energy not against it.</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://christinezaroura.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="/__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/subscribe"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><p></p><h4>#5 Lead from Devotion and Lean on Support</h4><p>Ritual is how devotion grows, and devotion requires you to stop going at this alone. Who is part of your support system? How can you rely on others to help keep your fire nourished? What modalities, tools, or resources help you connect with your intuition? Are there rituals that bring you back to center that you can deepen into?<br>Side note: If you&#8217;re interested in strengthening your psychic abilities or working with angels, guides, other-dimensional beings, or ancestors, I highly recommend leaning on rituals and on practitioners who can support you.</p><p></p><h4>#6 Actualize Your Deeper Desires</h4><p>Use your planner as the intersection between the unseen and the material world. Your planner is a place where you can actualize your deeper desires. Write your goals with non-attachment and a heart-centered connection. Trust that what&#8217;s rising within you is communicating where to place your awareness. Let go of right vs. wrong, good vs. bad. Remember: everything is information. Internally or externally, it&#8217;s all karma; it&#8217;s all data. And your choices shape the life you lead, create, and ultimately experience.</p><p></p><h4>#7 Befriend the Underworld</h4><p>Use your planner to work on a subconscious level. Tarot is a powerful way to uncover what&#8217;s circulating beneath the surface. Your planner can become a place to note your card pulls. You may want to write down how you felt before drawing a card versus after.</p><p>Dreams, too, are direct messages from the subconscious. If you already keep a dream journal, use your planner to jot down quick notes or symbols, reference the date, and hold the full details in your dream journal.</p><p></p><h4>#8 Love Letters Across Timelines</h4><p>Use your planner as a love letter to future you. I have a pile of yearly planners sitting in a clear container in my closet. Some phases included stickers and different colored markers, and some were in all black ink and mostly led by stream of consciousness. I noticed that planners are representations of the different seasons and phases of our lives, and just as we can look back at childhood photos and videos, we can look back at our planners with gratitude, sending past versions of ourselves love for following through and committing to our inner temples.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!GE_1!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2bfa65ab-d369-435f-b2d0-2a78aca8ac96_1920x1080.heic" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!GE_1!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_424, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2bfa65ab-d369-435f-b2d0-2a78aca8ac96_1920x1080.heic 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!GE_1!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_848, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2bfa65ab-d369-435f-b2d0-2a78aca8ac96_1920x1080.heic 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!GE_1!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2bfa65ab-d369-435f-b2d0-2a78aca8ac96_1920x1080.heic 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!GE_1!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2bfa65ab-d369-435f-b2d0-2a78aca8ac96_1920x1080.heic 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!GE_1!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2bfa65ab-d369-435f-b2d0-2a78aca8ac96_1920x1080.heic" width="292" height="164.25" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/2bfa65ab-d369-435f-b2d0-2a78aca8ac96_1920x1080.heic&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:819,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:292,&quot;bytes&quot;:22642,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/heic&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://christinezaroura.substack.com/i/179917792?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2bfa65ab-d369-435f-b2d0-2a78aca8ac96_1920x1080.heic&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!GE_1!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_424, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2bfa65ab-d369-435f-b2d0-2a78aca8ac96_1920x1080.heic 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!GE_1!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_848, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2bfa65ab-d369-435f-b2d0-2a78aca8ac96_1920x1080.heic 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!GE_1!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2bfa65ab-d369-435f-b2d0-2a78aca8ac96_1920x1080.heic 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!GE_1!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2bfa65ab-d369-435f-b2d0-2a78aca8ac96_1920x1080.heic 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>Before I published this post, I shared these tips with my friend Gina, and her reflections brought up some solid questions. I&#8217;m including some of them, along with others, in case they support you, too.</p><p>And if anything rises for you as you read, feel free to ask in the comments. I&#8217;m always happy to dive deeper with you.</p><h3>Q&amp;A: Beginning Your Intuitive Planning Journey</h3><p><strong>Q: Has the way you&#8217;ve been using your planner changed over the years?<br></strong>YES. My planner used to be a tool for managing time and tracking tasks. Now it&#8217;s a space/tool where I track my energy levels, record intuitive hits or dreams, notice patterns (like a month ago when I began connecting with horses and realized the year 2026 is the Year of the Horse &#8212; I&#8217;ll be writing more on that soon), and follow the threads of my story as they unfold. Over time, it&#8217;s become less about productivity and more about presence.</p><p><strong>Q: How much time do you spend with your planner each day?<br></strong>It varies. Some days it&#8217;s five minutes; some days it naturally becomes a longer ritual with tarot pulls, reflection, or freewriting. There&#8217;s no &#8220;right&#8221; amount of time. The point isn&#8217;t to fill the page, of course&#8230; it&#8217;s to strengthen your relationship with yourself. Let it meet you where you are.</p><p><strong>Q: If I&#8217;m new to this and don&#8217;t usually take time for myself, where do I start?<br></strong>Start small (always). Five minutes is a great place to begin.<br>Use that time to jot down how you&#8217;re feeling, what you&#8217;re contemplating or chewing on, a desire that popped into your head while at the gym, or even a conversation with a friend that stirred something up in you.</p><p><strong>Q: How do I keep intuition at the center of this practice?<br></strong>Remember: your planner is a sacred union with yourself. It&#8217;s a place to be witnessed. When you document what&#8217;s rising within you, reflect on your cycles, and track your energy rather than your time, your intuition becomes clearer and easier to trust.</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://christinezaroura.substack.com/p/8-tips-for-intuitive-planning-in/comments&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Leave a comment&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="/__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/p/8-tips-for-intuitive-planning-in/comments"><span>Leave a comment</span></a></p><p>Sending you so much love.</p><p>Here&#8217;s to a year shaped by intuition, presence, and soul-led timing!</p><p>Christine Zaroura</p><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[001 You are here for a reason.]]></title><description><![CDATA[Your work is to find out why. (New Podcast- weeeeeeeee)]]></description><link>https://christinezaroura.substack.com/p/001-you-are-here-for-a-reason</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://christinezaroura.substack.com/p/001-you-are-here-for-a-reason</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Mystic Christine]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sat, 22 Nov 2025 01:27:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/179587603/1ff5c1339799ed51bc779eed8f182b89.mp3" length="0" type="audio/mpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>In this episode, Christine explores the experience of feeling a growing inner calling during a time when the world feels increasingly chaotic. She breaks down what it means to feel accelerated on the inside and how these shifts relate to the concept of the soul&#8217;s will.</p><p>This conversation offers a clear explanation of what the soul&#8217;s will is, why it becomes louder during moments of collective upheaval, and how to recognize it in your own life. Christine also speaks to the limitations of relying solely on logic and analysis, and how reconnecting with intuition supports greater alignment, purpose, and self-understanding.</p><p>If you&#8217;ve been feeling pulled toward something deeper, more meaningful, or more authentic, this episode provides a grounded framework for understanding your inner experience and navigating it with clarity and intention.</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://christinezaroura.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="/__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/subscribe"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://christinezaroura.substack.com/p/001-you-are-here-for-a-reason/comments&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Leave a comment&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="/__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/p/001-you-are-here-for-a-reason/comments"><span>Leave a comment</span></a></p><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Because the world is worth fighting for.]]></title><description><![CDATA[(Even When Everything Says There Isn&#8217;t)]]></description><link>https://christinezaroura.substack.com/p/for-the-ones-who-know-theres-a-point</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://christinezaroura.substack.com/p/for-the-ones-who-know-theres-a-point</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Mystic Christine]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 16 Nov 2025 13:03:15 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/8b77d840-82f8-4a60-bb17-2ef4312b4312_1920x1080.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!2van!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe76b1cfd-cab0-4607-aef6-afc340be3c78_1920x1080.heic" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!2van!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_424, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe76b1cfd-cab0-4607-aef6-afc340be3c78_1920x1080.heic 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!2van!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_848, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe76b1cfd-cab0-4607-aef6-afc340be3c78_1920x1080.heic 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!2van!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe76b1cfd-cab0-4607-aef6-afc340be3c78_1920x1080.heic 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!2van!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe76b1cfd-cab0-4607-aef6-afc340be3c78_1920x1080.heic 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!2van!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe76b1cfd-cab0-4607-aef6-afc340be3c78_1920x1080.heic" width="1456" height="819" 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/__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe76b1cfd-cab0-4607-aef6-afc340be3c78_1920x1080.heic 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!2van!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_848, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe76b1cfd-cab0-4607-aef6-afc340be3c78_1920x1080.heic 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!2van!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe76b1cfd-cab0-4607-aef6-afc340be3c78_1920x1080.heic 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!2van!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe76b1cfd-cab0-4607-aef6-afc340be3c78_1920x1080.heic 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>Amid increasing propagandized fear and the obvious-in-your-face-systemic-collapse, it can feel almost impossible to stay connected to your spiritual journey or, more essentially, sustain your purpose-driven creativity.</p><p>Be creative while the world burns?<br>Yeah. Makes zero sense.</p><p>But the truth is: Your calling and your desire to create, lead, build, or serve didn&#8217;t disappear just because the world is falling apart.</p><p>If anything, they have only gotten louder.</p><p>And you&#8217;re not alone in feeling that.</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://christinezaroura.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="/__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/subscribe"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><p>The more you seek purpose or try to connect with your higher self while our current paradigm is being dismantled, the more counterintuitive it can seem.</p><p>Sometimes you may find yourself spiraling into the questions:<br>Why bother? What&#8217;s the point?</p><p>Maybe you feel disconnected or unmotivated even though you&#8217;re &#8220;doing the inner work.&#8221; Maybe you&#8217;ve lost touch with your creative spark, your energy, your sense of direction. Maybe you&#8217;ve noticed loops of procrastination, self-sabotage, or self-criticism when you can&#8217;t seem to &#8220;get things done.&#8221;</p><h3>And yet, you&#8217;ve also felt those sudden moments of clarity that remind you, &#8220;This is what I&#8217;m meant to do.&#8221;</h3><p>Those little bursts of truth that hit you out of nowhere, pulling you back into why you care in the first place.</p><p>And if you&#8217;re a soul-led entrepreneur or creator, the tension can feel even louder.</p><p>You know you&#8217;re here for something meaningful. You know you&#8217;re here to create, to serve, to contribute to collective healing and liberation, but there&#8217;s this gap between what you dream of and actually achieving it.</p><p>Some days your purpose gets drowned out by exhaustion, doubt, or the endless demands of &#8220;shoulds.&#8221;</p><p>Other days, you get these bursts of inspiration and you show up in aligned action led fully by your intuition, only for the spark to burn out quickly, leaving you wondering why the fire didn&#8217;t last.</p><p>And as the world moves through a collective dark night of the soul&#8230;</p><p>You might find yourself asking:<br>How do I stay aligned with my purpose when the world feels chaotic?<br>How do I honor my creative calling while also living in a system that rewards productivity over presence, and profit over purpose and wellbeing?</p><p><strong>And still, despite the heaviness of this time, there are moments where your inner voice rises to the occasion, reminding you, &#8220;Keep going. You&#8217;re on the right path,&#8221; even when absolutely nothing around you makes sense.</strong></p><p>Or maybe your awakening&#8230; ya know, this thing that was supposed to bring you closer to light, has left you feeling heavier, more-in-the-void, yet somehow more human than ever.</p><p>If any of this feels familiar, I SEE YOU.<br>These are the questions I&#8217;ve been sitting with, and guiding others through, across ten years of exploring the healing arts.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!XluJ!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fde72ba92-263d-4ccd-a3ae-d4d50ffcf7b2_1920x1080.heic" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!XluJ!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_424, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fde72ba92-263d-4ccd-a3ae-d4d50ffcf7b2_1920x1080.heic 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!XluJ!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_848, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fde72ba92-263d-4ccd-a3ae-d4d50ffcf7b2_1920x1080.heic 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!XluJ!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fde72ba92-263d-4ccd-a3ae-d4d50ffcf7b2_1920x1080.heic 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!XluJ!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fde72ba92-263d-4ccd-a3ae-d4d50ffcf7b2_1920x1080.heic 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!XluJ!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fde72ba92-263d-4ccd-a3ae-d4d50ffcf7b2_1920x1080.heic" width="306" height="172.125" 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/__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fde72ba92-263d-4ccd-a3ae-d4d50ffcf7b2_1920x1080.heic 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!XluJ!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_848, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fde72ba92-263d-4ccd-a3ae-d4d50ffcf7b2_1920x1080.heic 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!XluJ!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fde72ba92-263d-4ccd-a3ae-d4d50ffcf7b2_1920x1080.heic 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!XluJ!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fde72ba92-263d-4ccd-a3ae-d4d50ffcf7b2_1920x1080.heic 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>Hi, my name is Christine, and I am a Mystic, Intuitive, Spiritual Activist, Energy-Worker, and Soul Doula. I am also a vegan, Syrian-American, and radically passionate about collective awakening, healing, and liberation.</p><p>My core role is to disrupt the systems and stories long held by the reduced perspective of materialism and to remind us of the vast-expansive-unseen nature of creation.</p><p>Each of us is imprinted with a kind of multi-faceted algorithm (if you will) that, when activated, moves us into aligned, sustained, soul-led, resourced action.</p><p>We start playing our role (not based on societal and cultural influenced identities) but from deep inner alignment (where all parts of us have space to play).</p><p>Where your ego becomes driven, reclaimed, and operated by your soul (vs. survival programming built by oppressive systems).</p><p>And btw, I didn&#8217;t come to this realization by kumbaya-ing my way through. It came from a deep reverence for life and a fascination for how much of our current reality remains stuck in the shallow, surface-level understanding of it.</p><p>I&#8217;m here to use my voice in service of remembering who we are creators.</p><p>I&#8217;m here to rebuild the systems as they crumble, and to use the rubble as fertilizer for our collective revolution/evolution.</p><p>And chances are, you are here too to rebuild a new world.</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://christinezaroura.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="/__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/subscribe"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><p>Compassionate human, you are a creator&#8230; and your desires and your calling are in service of our shared humanity.</p><p>Just as you have access to artificial intelligence, you have access to divine intelligence. Divine Intelligence here to work through you. You, as a conduit, are here to unearth your unique blueprint.</p><p>You were created with such intelligence&#8230;<br>You carry unique gifts, skills, perspectives, and capacities, and you were never meant to do this alone.</p><p>This is a space to remind you that you matter, your calling matters, and we need you&#8230; especially now.</p><h3>Because despite the chaos, the corruption, and the unraveling of systems that were never built for us&#8230; you&#8217;re still here.</h3><p>Something in you still believes there is a point.<br>And I&#8217;m here to remind you:<br>You&#8217;re right. You are the point of life.</p><p>Whether your art, business, or voice is your vessel, creation itself is how you participate in our collective evolution.</p><p><strong>Welcome to Point of Life.</strong></p><p>For those who know the world is worth fighting for (but occasionally need a loving reminder).</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://christinezaroura.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="/__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/subscribe"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><div class="pullquote"><p>May we all who have heard the call rise to the occasion. May we use our pain as fertilizer for birthing a new world that remembers our unity. May we unlock the blocks within our throats and become the voices needed in a world that has silenced us.</p></div><p><em>P.S. I have a weekly newsletter outside of Substack. It&#8217;s an intimate Sunday dispatch for sensitive humans who are here to fill the gap between the world we see now and the one we are here to create. </em></p><p><em>You can subscribe here: &#8594; <a href="https://point-of-life.kit.com/520f52c7fd">https://point-of-life.kit.com/520f52c7fd</a></em></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Before you question your gifts, read this.]]></title><description><![CDATA[The medicine you carry is part of our collective future.]]></description><link>https://christinezaroura.substack.com/p/before-you-question-your-gifts-read</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://christinezaroura.substack.com/p/before-you-question-your-gifts-read</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Mystic Christine]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 14 Nov 2025 22:31:14 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!kqH2!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F23d1763f-44f2-4120-92c5-30c66f5ad87a_1920x1080.heic" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I recently attended a wellness event close to home. Kalahari, a convention center near me, puts on this event so employees can shop locally as small businesses come in to share their services.</p><p>A young woman (<a href="https://www.instagram.com/serenity_reiki_healing/">Mallory from Serenity Reiki Healing</a>) walked into the room before the event started, and I instantly sensed her energy pulsating through the space. </p><p>Like, I literally stopped what I was doing to look at her. </p><p>It turns out she and another young woman (<a href="https://www.instagram.com/soundhealingsos/">Samantha from Sound Healing SOS</a>) were offering a collaborative sound healing and Reiki experience. </p><p>They set up their space in the hallway, filled with sound bowls and yoga mats. I thought, <em>isn&#8217;t this dope as fuck?</em> Here we are in 2025, offering energy-based healing modalities in convention centers.</p><p>It&#8217;s funny&#8230; six years ago, I was telling the people I guided that a massive awakening was happening. They were confused at the time since they had no proof (despite their own individual awakening). And mind you, I was in NY, and we&#8217;re pretty progressive.</p><p>And here we are now, making the healing arts relatable and not so &#8220;woo woo.&#8221; </p><p>Let&#8217;s goooo.</p><p><strong>But we&#8217;re also living in a time where there is a clear systemic collapse. Just this week, we witnessed the longest U.S. government shutdown&#8212;43 days&#8212;impacting SNAP benefits that provide essential food support for millions of households.</strong></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!kqH2!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F23d1763f-44f2-4120-92c5-30c66f5ad87a_1920x1080.heic" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!kqH2!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_424, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, 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/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!kqH2!, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F23d1763f-44f2-4120-92c5-30c66f5ad87a_1920x1080.heic 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!kqH2!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F23d1763f-44f2-4120-92c5-30c66f5ad87a_1920x1080.heic" width="1456" height="819" 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xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>We are waking up to the dysfunction on the center stage of government, and it&#8217;s rippling into our homes and communities.<br>More of us are beginning to see how politics is not an opinion or something to &#8220;believe&#8221; in.<br>It is literally the backbone of our shared humanity.</p><p>So how can someone attending a sound healing class or reiki session be directly connected to advocating for collective liberation and economic equality? How can healing give us the kind of agency we need to make changes during this unraveling?</p><p>And for my fellow energy workers, intuitives, and guides who feel called to serve&#8230;</p><p>How do <em>you</em> trust the impact of your work when the world feels like it&#8217;s collapsing?<br>How do you stay rooted in your purpose when your gifts aren&#8217;t always validated by the systems around you?<br>How do you keep showing up when your medicine isn&#8217;t always understood?<br>How do you honor the work your soul came here to do while navigating a society that still undervalues the unseen?</p><p>And the biggest question of all:<br>How do you trust that what you&#8217;re offering is not only real, but necessary&#8230;. especially now?</p><p>These are the questions I chew on as someone who sits intimately with divine intelligence and distills that information onto the grounds of our daily human lives. I also fundamentally know that if each one of us unlocked our unique contribution to our communities, we would instantly make the kind of progressive changes our world needs right now.</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://christinezaroura.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="/__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/subscribe"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><p>What I&#8217;ve realized is that healing, especially energy work, plays a role in de-escalating the larger atrocities we are collectively facing. And I am going to break down how. And if you, too, are an energy worker, I want to remind you why your work MATTERS.</p><p>Unconscious wounds manifest as energetic blocks held in the body. Anyone who dabbles in the healing arts knows this to be true. Energy workers release these blocks, ultimately supporting others in reclaiming their sovereignty and reconnecting to their free will.</p><p>Although this work is deeply personal, it plays a significant role in our shared humanity, beginning with an indirect contribution to collective healing and liberation.</p><p>Those who consciously decide to heal reclaim the power to alchemize, transmute, and dismantle the fear-driven paradigms that feed on our division and suffering via our energy (i.e., our mind and body). When an individual liberates themselves from internalized narratives of oppression, they become less susceptible to propaganda, more discerning in their choices, and more courageous in their actions.</p><p>On the contrary, turning our backs on healing and operating from an unconscious lens leaks our energy and contributes to scattered, fragmented patterns that perpetuate unnecessary chaos, violence, and destruction. In this way, healing and calibrating our own energy becomes an act of devotion. It may seem indirect, but it is, in truth, a direct way of being light in a world that has forgotten its oneness.</p><p>Individual healing, seen through this lens, is the most radical act of all. Each time we choose to reclaim our energy, we participate in a collective shift. Each time we return to our wholeness, we offer the world a mirror of what is possible. Inner healing becomes a living contribution to our collective awakening.</p><p>We are all connected to one unified field of mind&#8230; a living current of energy flowing through everything. This energy moves through us, and the ways we shape and direct it with our free will ripple outward, influencing what takes form in the physical world.</p><p>So although we can&#8217;t always see the impact of individual healing, we can recognize how a shift in someone&#8217;s energy influences the choices they make&#8230; the choices that shape how they think, how they feel, what they say, and what they do.</p><p>That ripple moves outward. First into their immediate relationships and communities, and ultimately into the vast, interconnected tapestry of our shared humanity here on Earth.</p><p>And if you&#8217;ve heard the call to serve on an energetic level, the next time you hold back from sharing the medicine of your soul, let this post be your loving reminder to STAY the course. We need you.</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://christinezaroura.substack.com/p/before-you-question-your-gifts-read/comments&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Leave a comment&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="/__u/christinezaroura.substack.com/p/before-you-question-your-gifts-read/comments"><span>Leave a comment</span></a></p>]]></content:encoded></item></channel></rss>