TESSI MUSKRAT

Q: What is The Barefoot Journey?

A: An invitation.

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Life is a journey; an ongoing pilgrimage in search of what matters. 

Meaning,happiness, growth, connection, beauty.

Love.

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So many of us have found our journey rough. The path has been littered with sharp stones, broken glass, and filth. And so we put on our shoes. Not just any shoes; we put on the strongest, thickest combat boots we can find. We need them, to keep us safe. To protect what is sensative, and vulnerable, and easily wounded.

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And it works, sort of. We start stomping our way through life, protected from everything that can cause pain. The problem, we may eventually realize, is that we can no longer feel anything beautiful, either.

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Journey Barefoot with Me

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I choose to walk my path barefoot, and invite you to join me. Together, we can take off our worn-out combat boots, peel away our thick wool socks, and bury our feet in the cool dew-covered morning grass.

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Together, we can walk into our own story--past, present and future--no longer shielded from its raw beauty, but sensitive to the presence of the sacred in both our joy and our pain. We can learn to enter the stories of others with openness and willingness. Openness to learn, to grow, to connect, to love.

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Journey Barefoot with Others

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When we've been hurt too many times, and we don't know how else to protect ourselves, we start stomping into all our relationships with our big heavy combat boots on. Whether it's your partner, family, friend, co-worker or a stranger whose perspective you just can't grasp, wading into a relationship with all our vulnerabilities locked off damages relationships.

 

When we walk through life ready for battle, battle is what we will find. Journeying with others takes wisdom: we learn how to keep ourselves safe from danger while staying open to beauty and life and love.

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How I Can Help

(click a link to learn more)

 

Spiritual Direction: Whenever we are learning something new, it's always helpful to have a companion to walk with us on the journey. I use deep listening and careful questions, to help folks with a spiritual orientation learn to recognize the sacred in the pieces of their own story and to respond to Creator with deepening relationship, growing freedom, peace and love​

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Coaching: I offer coaching for those who wish to address issues of religious or identity trauma, relationship challenges, or other life struggles from a more academic, psychological, evidence-based perspective.

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Creating a Meditation Space: Sometimes we just need space. Space to think, safe space, space to open and bloom. Whether you want help learning to create space of your own, or are part of a gathering (conference, festival, etc.) that is in need of a meditation space, I can help!

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Barefoot Weddings: If you're getting married and want something just a little bit different, I love to create and officiate weddings that are meaningful, unique and exactly what you want. I officiate weddings in both American Sign Language and spoken English.

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Barefoot Writing: Looking for a guest blog post or an article for your magazine? I write about post-traumatic healing, purity culture, labyrinths, spiritual direction, and much more. You can find my writing in Spiritual Director International's Connections magazine or on my blog. If you're interested in re-publishing a piece or having something written for you, send me an inquiry.