June 2019: Magical Moments
By Christina Wilke-Burbach PhD, RMT, CA
Mind, Soul, and Self LLC
mindsoulandself.com
Intro to 2019 Photo Blog: 2019 is a journey into the world of non-verbal healing and personal growth here at Mind, Soul, and Self LLC. I have come to understand, true ways to heal spiritually, psychologically and emotionally are non-verbal: through art, music, movement, meditative states, and bodywork/energy work. The language of the soul/psyche is symbols, images, colors, vibrations, sensations, and patterns; we communicate this non-verbally. I have been on an incredible personal growth journey of my own the past few years into the world of art. I have become very involved with John Michael Kohler Arts Center (JMKAC) in Sheboygan, WI. I am the chair of the JMKAC Indoor Gardens, a member of the Friends of the Arts Council, and a museum docent (teacher/tour guide). I try to take a new art class every month. I started joining my artist husband in his art studio to paint and experiment with making art. Coincidentally, my old office space was located in an art gallery and my current office space is in an entire building of art studios. My preferred social media has become Instagram. I try to post a new photograph every day. I have enjoyed experimenting with art and photography as ways to express myself. So I have decided to have a photo blog this year to complement this personal and professional journey that I am on. I just recently had a revelation regarding my photography and am working on a project I hope to release later this year.
June Photo Blog: The past few months I have written my blog at the end of the month instead of the beginning. Unintentionally, it has become a way for me to reflect on the past month and my experiences. June was an inspiring month for me. I had several revelations and magical moments. A more formal term for these magical moments is “peak experience.”
“Peak experiences are sudden feelings of intense happiness and well-being, possibly the awareness of an “ultimate truth” and the unity of all things … the experience fills the individual with wonder and awe….he feels at one with the world, and is pleased with it ….” Abraham Maslow. They are moments when you feel more at one with yourself and the world, more integrated. You feel happy, even ecstatic, interconnected and in harmony. Peak experiences are one type of mystical experiences. Peak experiences play an important role in becoming-self-actualized. Peak experiences are not restricted solely to self-actualized individuals, however. Maslow believed that all people are capable of having these moments, but he also felt that self-actualized people were likely to experience them more often. Peak experiences are often described as transcendent moments of pure joy and elation. These are moments that stand out from everyday events. The memory of such events is lasting and people often liken them to a spiritual experience.
Maslow suggested that one of the best ways to think of peak experiences are to think of the most wonderful experiences of your life. Those moments of ecstasy and complete and utter happiness. Being in love is one example of a peak experience. Such moments may also occur when you are in a creative moment or when reading a book or listening to a movie. You might feel a sense of “being hit” by a particular creative work in a way that strikes an emotional chord inside of yourself. In one survey, people reported that peak experiences tended to occur during artistic, athletic or religious experiences. Moments in nature or during intimate moments with family or friends were also common. Achieving an important goal, either a personal or collective one, could also lead to a peak experience. You cannot create a peak experience at will. They are surprises and come unexpectedly. They are spontaneous. Below are photos that represent my magical moments this month. As you view the photos, I’d like you to think about the recent moments in your life that took your breath away…that inspired you….that filled your heart and made it burst. Light and Love~ Christina
**All photos are the property of Christina Wilke-Burbach. All rights reserved ***