Embracing Your Full Self with Christian Bradley West, The Country Clairvoyant

Embracing Your Full Self with Christian Bradley West, The Country Clairvoyant  I am so excited to share Christian Bradley West, The Country Clairvoyant, with you today! I have been a long-time follower and fan of their memes. However, after having a “Clear Expressive Blocks” session, I knew I had to have them on Spirit School!   In this episode, we talk about embracing your authentic self, and different forms of expression. Christian is an artist and writer in addition to being an intuitive. Tactile art mediums like textiles, photography and sculpture have influenced their work. Memes are a way of incorporating poetry and art to remix existing content.   “When we gain the words of description, we also gain access to expression.” - Christian Bradley West   Connect with Christian Bradley West   Instagram: @thecountryclairvoyant Website: https://www.thecountryclairvoyant.com/ Book a session: https://www.thecountryclairvoyant.com/book-online   Spirit School Links Registration for The Initiation is open!: https://www.squamishmedium.com/programs-the-initiation Join us on the new FREE Spirit School platform: https://myspiritschoolcollective.com/plans/ Join the Spirit School Collective: https://www.squamishmedium.com/spiritschoolcollective Visit Spirit School at https://www.squamishmedium.com/ for all courses and upcoming programs View full transcripts of podcast episodes at https://www.squamishmedium.com/blog   In this episode: Grief is a form of longing for something, whether it’s a person or a potential future Even with end-of-life doula training couldn’t prepare Danielle for experiencing grief Fear, shame and grief are the source of most negative emotions Having language that resonates for emotions and experiences is validating Christian shares that the term non-binary fit and being trans is part of that identity We are emotive beings, yet we learn to suppress instead of explore our emotions The vocabulary comes from curiosity, and we gain access to expression. Danielle says it’s her responsibility as a lightworker to educate herself on the spectrum of emotions Vibes, and positive vibes only, cannot be weaponized against negativity We have a complex language system as humans and should use it Communication is key to relationships, so just vibing doesn’t work Sometimes we need to feel it before we get the language for it Words are vital but if they're disconnected from emotion, they're just thoughts As intuitives, sometimes the trickiest part of connecting is expressing through emotion and thought Emotional intelligence was not talked about, so there are layers of deconditioning to go through Christian began writing, and found a balance of intuition and intellect in their thirties Their art showed a struggle with communicating who they were and what they wanted Christian had trauma from being called too much and not having a filter As a teen, they found essential oils and metaphysical modalities through a family friend They moved away from Christianity when those values clashed with holding a non-binary identity Christian is self taught in art and it was something to do quietly alone and to stay present Christian was drawn to fashion trends a couple years before they were trends As an earth sign, being able to touch things is important to their art practice A science degree and psychology classes also influence the action steps for clients in sessions You have to look at all the pieces of yourself and explore them The intuitive sessions are an opportunity to see what humans are struggling with People want to see the process, so “show your work” Even Buddha and Christ went through struggles in their humanity Danielle and Christian also want to change the bypassing of humanity within spiritual spaces Children aren’t born with fear, so they rely on parents for perspective and a safe environment Violence is part of the human experience, and we want to survive Shadow is about being integrated and loving the whole We all have impulses and physical needs, but sex is not as acceptable You can choose monogamy and the intimacy that that offers Christian believes in living on purpose in your choices Danielle says that people may not see this depth in the memes on Christian’s account Christian is good at remixing pieces together and chose to have a meme account  When you find your voice, people recognize and resonate with your work Memes can walk the line between the sacred and the profane A lot of spiritual labour goes into creating original content Christian refers to the high tide raising all boats and supporting one another If you're stealing just for stealing and you're not making your own, that's an issue Scottish culture was stolen by Britain during the Highland Clearances in the 1800s A trend like that would last 30 years at that time compared to memes today There is violence behind stealing from others without acknowledgement Christian is willing to be self-reflective and have conversations about appropriation Danielle says that accountability is the change we are striving for Christian is okay with triggering people if others feel unsafe, but not without reason Danielle’s favourite meme is “I became my full, authentic self when I realized I was cringe.” Christian has trauma from being silly and being called names when people were uncomfortable The process of making great art is messy Early abstract painters weren’t understood in their time and started with copying the masters We start out in life with what is right, then we deconstruct and it gets messy Danielle really feels that Christian embodies their term “spirit guide in a meat suit” Christian offers relationship readings and feels that we can make them more conscious All life is about duality and experiencing relationships