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The contemplative life is accessible to anyone at any time.  But when, where, and how do you even start? I can't answer that for you, but can share how it began for me.  Noticing.  Noticing is the point of contact with present-time -- with that which captivates your attention and stirs your heart in this moment.  Do you notice a repeated thought? a thought pattern? an emotion? an attachment? a color? or something beautiful in the middle of chaos that makes you heart smile?   Reviewing your own data, that which  you consistently notice, is sacred work and the only way I know to step into the field of curiosity; of actual life.  Like Thoreau's tender quote reminds us "it's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see" .   What we see  is the invitation-- it's where we begin our divine apprenticeship and courtship with life.      By Mayra Porrata ©2026 Solara Publishing, LLC

The "hinged" candidate/aspiring public leader checklist:   self-awareness - if your ego is doing all the talking, we can't tell what's actually in your heart.  emotional intelligence -- without it you can't express or model respect for others-- especially your opponent(s).  social intelligence - without it you're likely unaware that other human beings (including opponents) are not like you, but that doesn't make them "unhinged", just different from you.  communication intelligence - clearly and consistently expressing your unique gifts and qualities. systems/spiritual intelligence -- how are you actively minimizing fear and  proposing people work with you to be wiser/happier than they are today? By Mayra Porrata ©2026 Solara Publishing, LLC

I taught marketing courses in higher ed for 11 years. Twice each year, a capstone group project was assigned.  Coming from a background as a corporate trainer, I was well-versed in adult education theory and methods. This experience not only gave me a little edge in understanding the psychology beneath a number of factors that make projects, in general, fail or succeed, but it informed me on the unique challenges and importance of project-work in general.  Accordingly, one thing that was standard policy in my courses was choice ; students could choose to work in semi-randomly assigned groups or work alone.  By a show of hands I would get a sense of the students who wanted to work alone-- typically a small number, and then conduct an abbreviated Insights-style assessment for everyone.  At the conclusion of the 10 or so question assessment, I would ask: "Where are the yellows in the group?" The "yellows" eagerly raised their hands and I would ask them to "come on...

The Divided Self which is the natural state of being in the dimension of time (the 3 rd dimension) teaches us that whatever we reject or exile inevitably becomes an anchor--- emotionally, psychologically, physically, and energetically. Unless you make it so, this is a temporary passage of experience, not a permanent state.   What are the gifts of the 4 th dimension (and the 4 th chakra of our bodies)—the emotional, astral, mythical realm of existence? The Undivided Self--- the integrated human, the modern human, a wise human being. Can we access more layers and dimensions of knowing while we’re still alive in our bodies? Yes, but only if you follow your heart and Soul— they are our only direct line to God/Source.  By Mayra Porrata ©2026 Solara Publishing, LLC

Learning about the latest website project from the leadership team in Washington, DC.,  inspired me to consider a number of things. Titled American Arcade, its aim is to indoctrinate American children in the values of American shadow culture. What do I mean by shadow culture? The sad, dark, oppressive, and unforgiving aspects of a country’s personality seeking visibility, illumination, and healing.    Most of us are familiar with the term shadow from psychology and the work of Carl Jung. All of us have a shadow. It’s the primitive, survival-based drives that stem from a wounded ego—from a blocked or dysregulated root chakra run amok. Countries have shadows too. If the fact that the United States leads the world in the number of prisons, the worst health outcomes, food insecurity, and the number of single-family homes and social service institutions owned by private equity firms has not awakened leaders and citizens alike, hopefully the new arcade will.   ...

There's a gorgeous and growing silent majority in our country. They live in every state and  come from every background and human shade. Their key defining feature? Their ability to sense benevolence through the energetics of the human heart. What is benevolence? The stance of "do not harm" --- of not hurting anyone or anything intentionally or as a matter of policy.  As many more of us notice and realize the harms caused by the cultural expressions of malevolence*, a gentle energy is activated that naturally awakens an inner call to speak up and out. Despite the machinations of our current systems it is no match for the vast, living data base that informs the human spirit and heart. Accordingly, our response to current events is lived through the ability to move towards that which is beautiful and just;  that which serves humanity and is designed for our collective common good.   *Cultural expressions of malevolence  violence and abuse of women (verbal, physica...

Throughout my publishing career, collaborations and working with friends was always a given. The joy of sitting around my dining room table, hashing out ideas, book covers, and marketing plans remains a personal and career highlight for me.   All this took a giant pause following my daughter's passing, then COVID, then my re-turn to corporate America for a few years. It wasn't until mid-2024 when my dear friend Eric reached out with an idea to do a book on soul, joy and love in every day life. That book became ONE WITH THE LIGHT.   Then I turned 60. And when recurring caregiving duties took over my life in a deep and demanding way something hit me: I'm not a 'spring chicken' (lol), I'm an old-er mother hen! While there are countless leadership initiatives for young people/professionals, there are few for individuals 55+-- and so it struck me: the world needs wise elders-- we need to hone our "wisdomship", and model modern elderhood for our children and...

Looking back on my career, its evolution, involution, and refinement, I can see that purpose was a lens.  In corporate America, the purpose lens was commonly teased out by way of psychological assessments like Insights and MB which reduced us to a type, or a color, or a shade of something we could hold and admire about ourselves.  As we age and mature, our purpose is less so about an avatar or sequence of letters, and more about a longing or yearning that lives deep within our hearts.  In the meantime, purpose is what happens when we're busy searching and making other plans.        By Mayra Porrata ©2026 Solara Publishing, LLC Photo: Miyu and me (selfie)-- Yes, that's MIYU the great cat INFLUENCER (lol) 

Human beings are naturally endowed and imbued with God-given technology--- as such, there's a vast intelligence operating within and around you. If you doubt this statement then tell me: how does your mind work? why do you think the thoughts you do? how does your body operate? what enables you to feel, dream, hope, and accept grace? what urges you to fight? what actually is keeping you alive? Do you know? Our ignorance is no longer optional. Our compassion is no longer optional. What is optional is the choice to allow any leader or group to insert primitive technology into our towns and bodies and then sell it back to us as an advancement--as "the future".  Control is not the future. Division is not the future. Hoarding and raping the Earth is not the future. Toxic capitalism is not the future. Incarcerating human beings for profit is not the future. These are all functions of our collective past. And perhaps why they feel somewhat familiar and resonant. However, our  mut...

There's a common tendency among many of us, self-included, the default to quickly fix or rescue someone or something instead of allowing ourselves the time (respect) of feeling our way to what is wise.  Another way to describe this dynamic is control through   the rescuing of others when radical compassion is what's called for instead.  Compassion is a relationship between equals. This is timeless wisdom that took me many years to integrate and fully activate. What hindered me are the usual things: first-born daughter, overly-responsible, analytical, empathetic, spiritual, practical-- all the perfect ingredients that make someone efficient, dutiful, and sometimes an arrogant jerk-face.  Fixing and control are common anxiety reducers. If you ever notice this tendency in yourself, you may find that the arrogance that first activated your "fixing muscle" was then followed by a number of unpleasant symptoms and sensations: resentment, exhaustion, false pride, and anger....

As the language and awareness around quantum mechanics and the quantum field reaches more individuals,  I'm finding myself connecting with friends and colleagues in an even richer  way. Fielding questions about consciousness, Spirit, and life not only informs the inquirer, but it deepens my own awareness and sense of self.   In my career as a community health educator, my approach was always "from the inside-out". This was not because I wanted to be a jerk-face contrarian (lol), but because that is how reality is created-- from the inside-out. You/we can create 'reality' that is divisive and punitive (as we do today), or we can create a 'reality' where we honor the divine in each and every life-- including our gorgeous and abundant planet.  From my research and observations, it's impossible to be sane and 'healthy' if we're constantly striving to fit standards that are not our own--- standards designed to keep us ensnared in mind loops with...

Like many of us, I have a long and complicated relationship with hospitals. Yet despite this antipathy being a frequent flyer at "club med" and the "house of pain" was something I sincerely took to heart.  Through the years, I've wrestled with and written about the pain and isolation of being a  caregiver-- my chronic sorrow and disbelief. It took me a very long time to fully comprehend that (obviously) this was an important part of my soul development and karmic path.  As I left the ER last night, I tried to find the setting sun. I desperately wanted to snap a photo that could lift my spirits and give me a little warm hope. But, those pesky Akron clouds would not grant me this wish--- they delivered something even better instead.  It may take a little dot-connecting and Divine grace, but hopefully one day you too will discover that your deepest life wounds are concealing your greatest lessons about love.  By Mayra Porrata ©2026 Solara Publishing, LLC...

I was introduced to the work of David Whyte in the 1990's-- in corporate America of all places.  At the time, I was a young project manager in a leadership development rotation through our training and development department.  My primary mentors, three profoundly generous and wise women took me under their wings like the baby bird that I was. Each of them not only  illuminated the technical aspects of adult learning protocols and processes, but who they were as human beings. It was a life and career altering rotation to say the least.    As a young professional I hardly had the depth or maturity to understand what David Whyte was talking about or what most of it meant. But when this poem, Sweet Darkness re-found me in 2009 it both  haunted and changed my life. Today, I understand and have lived every single word and maybe you have too.   Sweet Darkness (in the collection The House of Belonging ) When your eyes are tired the world is tired a...

All of us enter life with unique wiring and a divine blueprint. Depending on your individual path and journey, there are things you'll naturally outgrow along the way.  Below is a list of some of the things I've outgrown -- ideas and both behavioral and cultural patterns I've evolved/matured beyond. I would  also like to note that about half of these lessons came directly from the soulful wisdom of my daughters-- the one on Earth who's still schooling me, and my cosmic angel who never misses a chance to remind me "the best is yet to come mom, keep going!!!"  colonialism (in myself) toxic masculinity (in myself) toxic capitalism (regular capitalism/exchange is our friend!) consumerism (a form of addiction)  charity (a form of structural colonialism)  "fighting" for a cure/cause (a form of structural militarism) "winning" (a form of structural colonialism) addiction (my one big lifelong addiction was to "thought"-- my blind ...

The last war will not come about because we elected a great leader, or because we finally stopped arguing about who owns what, while our children question their sanity, unable to freely live out their precious soul journeys and human lives. The last war will come through each of us —because of you and me and anyone who has ever felt the fire of their own human heart—who has bled and wept over the many wars they’ve already lived and barely survived and who know there’s no end until they end them.   In quiet rooms, in soulful circles, in secret journals, and in the hopes and dreams we carry in our living cells awaiting our silent signal; the yes that awakens our ancient memory and our living wisdom is released like a massive pulsar that will make Earth quiver all at once. When the golden light of your heart is no longer occluded, and you reclaim your blue sky and inner-sun, everything will be blessed, and your last war will finally end.   By Mayra Porrata ©2026 Solara ...

Sometimes our best laid travel plans go sideways or nowhere at all. When this happens it's easy to feel angry or somehow defeated. For me, travel plot-twists always trigger anxiety and prompt me to slow way down, get grounded, and pay close attention so that I can reassess.  At times like this it's good to remind ourselves that our guardian angels and Spirit guides know better than we do. While we may not always understand all the reasons why something dissolves in real-time, we can rest assured that if we remain calm and allow all the feelings to pass through us they will. You can still cry about it if you want (I sure do!), but I also trust that divine timing has better plans for me.   By Mayra Porrata ©2026 Solara Publishing, LLC

Anytime we make peace with our wounds and polarities -- with our own internal divide, we enter the realm of divine neutrality.  This is a tender space of deep contemplation and self-compassion. As we meet our own estrangement and forgive all the ways we've abandoned ourselves, we instantly realize the grace that's been with us all along.  As a natural consequence, we naturally allow others the grace of their own journey. We learn that no one needs  fixin'  only alignment and that happens at just the right time (for them).  Standing in neutral ground is not a stance of ignorance or being unaware or unengaged from the daily scuffles and battles of society. In fact, it makes individuals hyper-aware and informs them in ways that change them from the inside-out.  Yes, you can argue, fight, or debate, or you can walk the path that leads from your own divine heart instead. You may find it's the simplest and most rewarding way to live.     ...

The deepest insights from your human journey will not come from your mind, but through your heart and through the unique tune God/Source placed in your cells.  This is the tune that connects each of us to our human family and to our soul lineage-- and that's now playing in the world through you.   Engaging in these tender practices requires our willingness to look, listen, and love, and in many cases re-parent ourselves. Remember: wisdom is not 'out there' in another person, place, or thing. Wisdom is light that already dwells in and through you. self inquiry inner-child work wound/shadow patterns awareness and integration of shadow gifts understanding your multidimensionality readiness/ripeness to move forward  coherence/alignment returning to your innocence becoming an integrated human being (a modern human) By Mayra Porrata | comments: mayra@solarapublishing.com ©2026 Solara Publishing, LLC

In several of my former corporate roles, I wrote job descriptions. They always followed the same recipe: what the job entails (a job summary), the aptitude and skill-set required, and both the desired and minimum requirements for the job.  Given that our country (and world) are in a time of evolutionary change, my sense is that it's important to state the obvious out loud:  serving in public office is a sacred duty.   At minimum, you need to:  #1. respect all people; and  #2. embody the social, emotional, and intellectual maturity to honor the sacred role of serving others. If you don't like people or think people are dumb, public service may not be for you-- but there are many ways you can still serve. The world needs all of us! All of us are in this soup together-- learning how to do things better every single day.  Truth is that the world needs leaders who reflect our highest human virtues --- individuals who are  self-aware, sensitive ...

W e need more  leaders  who are: - self-aware - compassionate - have emotional intelligence - have intellectual intelligence - have spiritual intelligence - are service (other) oriented At this time in our collective history, we simply need more intelligent and respectful leaders who can unite human beings and communities through creative collaboration(s) and God-given benevolence and goodwill.  How can we nurture our current public leaders? And equally important,  how can we start or continue to nurture these same qualities in ourselves ?  By Mayra Porrata | comments: mayra@solarapublishing.com ©2026 Solara Publishing, LLC

Aligning with the gravitational pull of our heart changes life for the better. Guided by the natural laws of life, of God/Source, we not only dissolve the density of emotional, mental, and physical energetic baggage, but we begin to embody more light and love—literally.   When our soul’s essence is allowed to direct our days, life takes on a different shape and form. We become more mindful, creative, and playful and more present to the beauty and magic of life and of each precious day.  By Mayra Porrata | comments: mayra@solarapublishing.com ©2026 Solara Publishing, LLC Photo credit: Camille Silvestro 

As we mature and evolve, our health and wellbeing  naturally  turn inward. This shift motivates us to reflect on the following:     appreciation of your body nervous/electrical system cardiovascular system digestive system waste (excretion) system skeletal system facia network your mind/brain/thoughts your emotional patterns   appreciation of  your people your partner your children your friends your parents & siblings your colleagues/co-workers your extended family your neighbors your local farmers your local businesses   appreciation of  what you ingest food & other substances media nature, sun, ocean, fresh air   appreciation of y our home & community peaceful (to you) beautiful (to you) clear of extraneous objects and clutter clear of unnecessary past feels like home (to you)   appreciation of  nature/the natural world around you your fur babies & ...

Anyone who has fallen or been kicked off the mainstream economy knows this to be true: no one is economically independent. Most, if not all of us, are interdependent and rely on others throughout our entire lifespans. Here’s a basic summary of how most of us are funded at this moment in time:   If you have a regular job, you’re funded by your employer-- who is solely dependent on customers, consumers, markets, social, and environmental conditions.  If you’re self-employed you’re funded by customers or clients. If you work for the government, you’re funded by taxpayers and corporations. If you’re unable to work, you’re funded by both the excess of economic activities (economic safety nets) and by your community --- kind people, caregivers, etc. If you’re married, you’re partially or fully funded by your spouse (note: you can also work a regular job and be self-employed but based on law, marriage binds partners economically). If you're a minor, you're funded by your ...

As a long-time advocate for women and children, I invested a great deal of time and energy testifying and educating others about systems and policies that hurt women and single mothers in particular. Through my own journey I was able to see more clearly what undermines us all.  There’s a powerful lesson I learned from observing nature: anything built on a false foundation is bound to implode or dissolve. Applying this wisdom to human partnerships, institutions, and culture can help us to better understand what is worthy of our effort and what requires our letting go. Building the new systems, structures, and policies require the heart and wisdom of all who have been tenderized by life. Thankfully, there are millions of us who carry the lessons within us, as well as the deep knowing and conviction of those who fought the good fight with us.   By Mayra Porrata | comments: mayra@solarapublishing.com ©2026 Solara Publishing, LLC

Women become wise slowly. It begins when we pause to look plainly at all the ways life went wrong, or sideways, or simply stopped being kind. But more importantly, all the ways it lifted, tenderized, and directed our own course. We grow wise from the inside: through the thousand and one betrayals that forced our adaptation and disillusionment; from the courage to walk away from partnerships built on false foundations; from the patience of allowing the same tender lessons of life to touch those who betrayed our hearts—and that includes ourselves.    There’s a powerful prayer I learned in graduate school—the Gestalt prayer (see Fritz Perls) which goes like this: "I do my thing and you do your thing. I am not in this world to live up to your expectations, And you are not in this world to live up to mine. You are you, and I am I, and if by chance we find each other, it's beautiful. If not, it can't be helped." The medicine of life is there for all of us. ...

As an Aquarian woman, it took me a long time to understand that my deep humanitarian sensitivities and emotional intelligence are not the same thing. From my experience, emotional intelligence (emotional availability) is an activation that enables us to sense or perceive beyond the confines of our mind. This sensory enhancement provides a new language that leads to a broader and deeper knowing, and therefore an expanded intelligence in us.  What some call ‘woke’, commonly used as an insult or derogatory slur, is nothing more than a God-given power and grace that’s available to us all. This activation can occur anytime we’re open to it. For me it was introduced in small doses via friends, colleagues, and family, and then fully received as a heavenly zip-file sometime after my daughter died. Needless to say, this has been a profound process and ongoing deepening of my own humanity --  a revelatory process that has become my new normal and way of life. If you’re not...

We encounter many bridges on the road of life; some we only cross once and some we have to go back and forth on until we master the fear, the lesson, and the gift that can only be found on the other side.  By Mayra Porrata | comments: mayra@solarapublishing.com ©2026 Solara Publishing, LLC Photo credit: Mari Peterson

As we learn more about the way our world and universe actually works, polarized cultural bands become increasingly obsolete.  Polarized cultural bands are thought forms that pit one thing against another. The either-or mentality or fear programs all of us were taught to operate from. These are persistent bands of consciousness that exclude the intelligence of life/nature/energy/God and of our own human hearts. Ideas like  business/profits over people/humanity, this religion is the one and only, these are the good guys/saviors, this political party over the other (and vice-versa) keep us operating in a particular band of existence that limits our God-given gifts.   Although it may appear as such, nothing in God's universe is one-sided. It is, we are, multi-sided --- mind, body, and spirit.   Anytime we notice ourselves arguing with reality or with our own deeper wisdom, that's a symptom that part of us is estranged or in exile. Bring yourself back into sani...

This post is inspired by a dear friend who many years ago commented: "you can't argue with insanity."  -- something I still remind myself of from time to time.  Culturally-speaking, insanity is common anytime someone  operates from a divided or polarized band of awareness which is what happens anytime we leave our center, our soul-self.  So, h ow do we stop our common addiction to engage in the ping-pong of changing someone's mind? #1. First and foremost, know that you cannot change anyone's mind. Minds are changed from the inside-- from the person themselves, not from us informing, telling, teaching, instructing, yelling, shaming, shouting, undermining, or any of the garden variety tactics people employ to keep you in their ping-pong  game . #2. Stop playing ping-pong. Put your paddle down and walk away from the table. #3. If the urge persists, notice yourself returning to the realm of division and polarization. Notice yourself with non-judgement, tenderly, wit...