Happily Ever Now

I first encountered the remarkable Courtney A. Walsh (CAW) via Facebook and was beckoned into her wondrous wordsmith world immediately. With the same quirkily colorful imagination, she felt like a kindred spirit immediately. I met her this Spring when I drove up to Rhode Island for my nieces’ graduation from Johnson and Wales. From the minute I walked into her eclectically decorated apartment, I felt very much at home. A piece of her writing called Dear Human has gone viral.

“Dear Human:

You’ve got it all wrong. You didn’t come here to master unconditional love. That is where you came from and where you’ll return. You came here to learn personal love. Universal love. Messy love. Sweaty love. Crazy love. Broken love. Whole love. Infused with divinity. Lived through the grace of stumbling. Demonstrated through the beauty of… messing up. Often. You didn’t come here to be perfect. You already are. You came here to be gorgeously human. Flawed and fabulous. And then to rise again into remembering. But unconditional love? Stop telling that story. Love, in truth, doesn’t need ANY other adjectives. It doesn’t require modifiers. It doesn’t require the condition of perfection. It only asks that you show up. And do your best. That you stay present and feel fully. That you shine and fly and laugh and cry and hurt and heal and fall and get back up and play and work and live and die as YOU. It’s enough. It’s Plenty.”-Courtney A. Walsh

I have yet to meet her ‘partner in co-creative mischief’, Maria Gutierrez-Ferrar with whom she has designed a workshop called Happily Ever Now, but was fascinated with this moving, grooving force of nature. I welcome you to enjoy this interview with these two he(art)ists.

Edie: We are so accustomed to the idea of ‘happily ever after’. Why do you call your work Happily Ever Now?

Maria: For me, We truly only have “NOW” as we know, happiness is a choice not an outcome of our situation. I’ve worked with hundreds of women that tell me, I’ll be happy when…I lose the last 10 lbs, or I get that face lift or the love of my life shows up or whatever… Unless we are happy NOW none of those things will TRULY , completely & PERMANENTLY happen ! We’ll end up unhappy again and again!

Edie: Why is passion so vital to our lives?

Maria: Passion is everything! The lifeforce behind any action! If we love what we are doing it resonates with everyone and everything. The Universe/Source responds in kind. Otherwise we are just meandering about trying to figure “it” out. Most people aren’t even sure what “it” is! They just “FEEL” unhappy! How did you each discover your own unique passion and purpose? Through years of PAIN, emotional , spiritual and ultimately physical ! I am not advising anyone to take this path! But for me it was necessary. I dishonored myself and my body for most of my youth. To mask the pain of physical, mental and sexual abuse I turned to drugs, alcohol, sex , food, you name it. My road of recovery led me back to myself and my first passion “DANCE” Music and The Arts! After having 20 years of recovery I was able to share the tools that helped me CREATE a life beyond my wildest dreams!

Courtney: Passion to me is actually quite a peaceful experience now. It’s not all fireworks and show. It’s a feeling of: “Yes, this nourishes me. This is where my juice is. This has heartmojo.” And it has its own magnetism. Its own agenda. Purpose flows from there. It isn’t this hyped thing to me. It’s really subtle. Organic. Flowing. My purpose is really to write my heart out. To tell the deepest and highest truths people think, know and feel but are often afraid to say. To be willing to show up, get out of the way and let Spirit move through me. Pain? Yeah it’s a part of any progress. The flavor in any cosmic stew. But I really do feel more and more that the entire planet is moving from pain/struggle to ease/thriving. It’s so new and foreign we don’t even fully know what it looks or feels like yet. Learning through pleasure and fun is just as valuable and noble to me now.

I find passion and purpose most in presence. Presence is multidimensional. Meaning I can hold many realities and possible timelines and vibes at once…and choose the ones I want to activate and recognize the ones that no longer serve me. Soul weaving. Energy conducting

Edie: What tools do you encourage people to use to uncover their own?

Maria: STILLNESS/ MOVEMENT/ DANCE/TUNING IN/ PLAY because our bodies have an innate intelligence and reconnecting to that heals us. Only by healing the “FEELING” of disconnection to ourselves and others can we begin to see the magic in our lives. This next paragraph was written by Misty Tripoli who created “The World GROOVE Movement” (which i have been facilitating for over 5 years) for this exact purpose. “The mental, physical, and emotional benefits of utilizing your creativity are endless. If you start from the inside out and nurture your spirit first, you create a healthier more harmonious inner environment for the optimal function of your cells, organs, and systems that sustain your life. Yes, it matters what you eat. Yes, it matters how you move, but even more important than these is how you think, how you feel, and how authentic and creatively expressive you are in your life.” Through this movement we have helped thousands of people around the world connect to themselves in an Authentic Way! check out www.theworldgroovemovement.com

Courtney: So we’re going to write. We’re going to dance. And talk about anchoring and growing conscious, heart-centered business models and engaging a true individual/global prosperity mentality. We’re going to get in our bodies. And share our voices. And support and encourage and push and catch each other. Because as the Dalai Lama so eloquently said: “The world will be saved by the Western woman.” And I’d add: when she loves herself genuinely and gently with a wild abandon and total freedom? The world benefits enormously. It took me a long time to even begin to start aching for this kind of self love. To see it as grace and not selfishness. To see it as radiance and not ego. I still forget every day. And then something jars me from me soul amnesia or conditioning. And then I remember again. So that’s what we are here to do. Keep helping each other? Remember.

Edie: Can anyone become what I call a master manna-fester?

Maria: I say YES! but I’ll let Courtney answer this one! Why do folks settle for less than what they desire and play small? FEAR! we deal with this a lot in GROOVE. Fear restricted movement which will creep into your life eventually! and Visa Versa, Big, Bold, stepping out in a huge way with movement will ultimately free you in day to day life! I’ve seen it work miracles!

Edie: Courtney, you call yourself a conscious warrior and Maria, a Groove facilitator. What does those titles mean to you?

Maria: We call ourselves GROOVE facilitators not teachers or instructors because honestly we have no Idea how you should be moving your own body!!! NO ONE does! In order for us to TRULY connect to our authentic selves we MUST LISTEN to ourselves first and then move. NOT COPY SOMEONE ELSE!!!! We facilitate a safe and free space for that magic to happen! What are participants likely to experience in your playshop? The JOY of moving, dancing and playing that you enjoyed as a child. Reconnecting to your AUTHENTIC SELF! ALL OF IT! and the FREEDOM to be YOU!

Courtney: Actually the term Consciousness Warrior wasn’t my term but I do like it. I’m more like a Love Ninja. I sneak up on you—full frontal attack and BAM…whack you with love nunchucks. Mostly by destroying all notions of what you thought love was (obligation/sacrifice/self denial/codependency) and replacing them with ideas that feel more real, whole and empowering. (Omg…love the word nunchucks…now I’m envisioning somebody “chucking nuns” which is a hilariously naughty visual. for this former Catholic schoolgirl!). I do like CAWnsciousness because it incorporates my initials. But anyway labels schmabels…sometimes we don them and shed them like clothing.

www.squeezingthestars.com

http://www.theworldgroovemovement.com

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