Category: Blog

We need to Exit the Matrix Mentality

by The Author, posted in Blog

I hope this combination audio-text blog finds you well as we approach Christmas and Hannukah.

I have a new toy

I’m happy to finally get to test my new, wireless microphone. I’m like a kid about these things. Every new gadget makes me happy, and I’m especially happy if you can hear my voice clearly. (Click below for the audio version of this blog post.)

A big part of Take it to the Next Level has to do with feeling dissatisfied with where you’re at.

You have a gnawing feeling that you can be more, do more.

That’s why I’m striving to work on the primer, Take it to the Next Level, How to Rise in Life. I want to be able to have it ready for you.

I finished Module 13 most recently and am waiting on inspiration for Module 14.

Allow yourself to be inspired

That’s just it, I have to wait for inspiration to come before the next module ‘emerges.’

Next Level work happens within the messiness of life. It’s there—ready to access—waiting for you to pay attention to it. It really is that simple.

It happens in a quiet moment, when the sun suddenly appears from behind the skyscrapers, when you can and are willing to—for a moment—turn away from the business of life.

It happens while you’re doing the things you’re doing; while I’m busy being the part-time chaplain, and part-time student, and doing other activities.

We need to exit the Matrix Mentality

I recently became frustrated because of something bureaucratic.

It reminded me that we live in what some call a matrix because when things flow the way they’re supposed to flow, there is no bureaucracy. There isn’t that extra layer of ‘fluff’ that is completely unrelated to what you’re trying to achieve but suits others’ purposes.

The environment that surrounds us can—in and of itself—be an impediment to living our best lives, allowing our talents to emerge and moving up in levels.

I say it clearly in the primer, not everyone will cheer you on when you’re determined to Take it to the Next Level. Quite the contrary, we don’t want to be pushed out of our comfort zone. It’s so much easier not too make that extra effort, give ourselves that gentle ‘little kick.’

In a way, when you take it up a level, when you poke your head out of the ordinary, when you peer outside the matrix, you’re saying no to things that block you from utilizing your full potential. More importantly, you’re saying yes to the unknown and a certain level of risk.

Spirituality is squirmy, but good

Although spirituality—like something squirmy—is hard to put one’s finger on and can vary from person to person, we can all feel when we’re being limited.

The whole point of Take it to the Next Level is to shift our focus to what we CAN do, what we LIKE to do and what we’re inherently GOOD at doing.

It really is that simple.

Joyous festivities ahead and let’s Take it to the Next Level together,

Luba

Featured Photo by JOSHUA COLEMAN on Unsplash

It’s Almost Christmas

by The Author, posted in Blog

I’m not sure about you, but I’m excited that Christmas is just around the corner!

Photo by Ian Keefe on Unsplash

I love the above photo because it makes me dream of being inside that toasty cabin—a beautiful and peaceful oasis in a winter wonderland.

If it were possible, perhaps you and I could be sitting there, together, talking about your life and how you would like to change it, improve it and become the person you’ve always dreamed of being.

It starts with a dream, a vision first and then comes the reality.

I’m convinced that it can happen to you, because I feel it happening to me.

Scrooge

I’m already thinking about Scrooge (click here to see the 1970 version). I like to watch this movie once a year as a reminder about lasting values such as love, fidelity and generosity.

Holiday tunes are playing in my mind, too. (Click here to listen to some relaxing Christmas music).

Yesterday, I noticed that gift products were available at the Shopper’s Drug Mart I frequent and that people were already displaying that ‘nervous holiday energy.’

Black Friday Super Deal

Getting into the mood, please note my upcoming Black Friday Promotion:

*The first 15-minute, introductory session is always free, conditions apply. Offer valid on Friday, November 25, 2022 only if you book your first paid session by midnight and include promo code XP32.

I was rummaging through old, family photographs today.

I enjoyed seeing one of my paternal grandmother, my namesake, and father, Julius, as a young boy.

We all have a background and a history but it’s the radical transformations—like Scrooge’s—that happen along the way that arrest our attention.

Watching Scrooge makes me wonder how much we participate in the transformative, next-level process and how much of it comes from the Spirit.

Whatever the case, we are certainly co-participants in the up-leveling process.

Out of the blue

That which calls us to re-examine our lives often appears to come unannounced.

Like for Scrooge, it might be a little scary, but the end result is wonderful!

Nothing like it

Becoming a better version of ourselves is the opportunity that is given to us in this life.

I think that we ought to take advantage of this, perhaps the greatest of opportunities.

Merry Christmas in advance, and Happy Holidays, to all celebrants!

Let’s Take it to the Next Level Together,

Luba

Luba Rascheff Interviewed by Subkit

by The Author, posted in Blog

Read the interview here.

We Are Never Truly Lost: Chief Albany and the Li’l Nüvi

by The Author, posted in Blog

Some people are born with a good sense of direction and some, well, are not.

In a way, if I hadn’t turned right instead of going left—toward Banff, our destination—we wouldn’t have gotten lost at dusk near Lake Minnewanka and I wouldn’t have seen the baby deer on the road blinking at me in the car headlights in astonishment seemingly thinking, ‘What on earth are you doing here?’ Mama deer was nearby and the family quickly leaped safely back into the dense woods.

The Canadian Rockies | LUBA RASCHEFF PHOTOGRAPHY

If I hadn’t booked the holiday through a third party, I would have been able to change our WestJet flight; wouldn’t have arrived in the late afternoon (after an unexpected delay); and would have missed seeing the family of elk peacefully grazing on the side of the TransCanada Highway (A1). What a sight! Next to what geologists call ‘cluster blocks’ and ordinary folk call mountains.

When you don’t have a good sense of direction, GPS becomes very important. And when your GPS doesn’t immediately locate satellites it becomes a problem at best or your worst nightmare. When I saw ‘Ontario’ appear in location and not ‘Alberta,’ my heart dropped.

It all started in the garage of Enterprise rent-a-car at the Calgary International Airport. I was given a speed tour of the Hyundai Kona (2021 model)—and a map. The map and a compassionate hotel receptionist in Calgary are what got us on the A1. He said, ‘You can use the GPS on your phone.’ That’s what—eventually—got us to Banff. I prayed that God would bless this man and his entire family.

Calgary International Airport | LUBA RASCHEFF PHOTOGRAPHY

I like my GPS and call it the Li’l Nüvi for short. It’s actually a Garmin nüvi 44 LM. Without the Li’l Nüvi, I feel lost.

All this to say that in my mistakes—forgetting that the Li’l Nüvi can’t locate satellites while surrounded by concrete in an underground parking lot—and allowing trepidation to take hold of me when we were ‘this’ close to Banff led to the most wonderful discoveries. I learned that my phone can guide me just as well (no offense, Li’l Nüvi); that elk and deer come out at dusk; and that all detours lead to Banff.

Moose Hotel & Suites, Banff | LUBA RASCHEFF PHOTOGRAPHY

Still processing the experience

As I pen these words from my Toronto residence, I realize that I continue to process the spiritual significance of my trip to Banff and the ‘cluster blocks.’ The Nepalese waiter (she/her) from Pacini’s who was born in Kathmandu calls them ‘Baby Mountains.’ We got a good laugh out of that. They may be babies but they sure have clout!

Chief Albany

Possibly the oddest thing that happened on the trip was sensing the presence of Chief Albany. This is not the man’s real name, but for those who have ears to hear, let them hear. It happened at thirty thousand feet.

‘My name is Luba and I’m in an iron bird.’

‘I know what planes are,’ the chief replied.

This provided a good laugh, too.

View From Above | LUBA RASCHEFF PHOTOGRAPHY

We are never truly lost

There was no doubt that I was on the traditional territories—in this case in the traditional air space—of the Indigenous people.

Although I was physically lost near Lake Minnewanka, the chief ‘spotted’ me even before I stepped foot on land and knew exactly where I was.

The mountains seemed to know, too. After every excursion, I would feel their calm and sober presence.

A Panorama View of Lake Louise | LUBA RASCHEFF PHOTOGRAPHY

I had some hesitation before taking my 85-year-old mother out west, but decided to cast my fears aside and go.

And if you’re wondering, the Li’l Nüvi connected to satellites in Alberta after all.

Let’s Take it to the Next Level together,

Luba

Part-time chaplain and student by day; spiritual counsellor by night.

Book your first free session here.

I’m not busy. I’m on vacation.

by The Author, posted in Blog

Am enjoying the beauty and tranquility of Niagara-on-the-Lake.

The drives through the countryside are refreshing and there’s a seemingly endless supply of wineries, vineyards and hydroponics. Fresh fruit is for sale everywhere.

Although there were some threatening, billowing, dark clouds earlier this morning, the sun is shining as I relax in my Holiday Inn Express hotel room.

I placed a sign outside my room which reads, ‘Hang on! I’m busy.’

In the old days, the sign used to say, ‘Do not disturb’ on one side and ‘Please clean room’ on the other.

Today, it reads, ‘Hang on! I’m busy’ on both sides!

The truth is that I’m not busy because I’m on vacation.

The venerable Chögyam Trungpa used to say that there is no such thing as a vacation because life is still happening. Just because you’re on vacation doesn’t mean that you have an excuse to avoid life.

We couldn’t, for example, avoid seeing the tall, lanky, dark stranger with the bizarre, twisted ‘Joker’ grin walking down the regional road with cars zipping by and wondering. And we couldn’t avoid remembering that in spite of being surrounded by natural beauty we were still in the midst of a global pestilence.

But for me to say ‘Hang on! I’m busy’ in my hotel room (on both sides no less) is erroneous. It’s part of the old thinking which equates busyness with productivity and relaxation with sloth.

To relax is not to be slothful. Relaxation is a boon for body, mind, spirit and soul.

We are entering into a new era so perhaps the sign should read, ‘I’m relaxing now. Please clean the room later.’

Let’s Take it to the Next Level together,

Luba

Good Grief

by The Author, posted in Blog

Sometimes I feel like exclaiming, Good grief!, When will this pandemic end?

What I have noticed in my clients, though, is that the pandemic has afforded them the time to be on their own, reflect and grieve.

Good grieving is something that we have time to do during the pandemic. It’s one of the pluses of being at home.

Memories from the past resurge and we have the time to process them, something that was less likely before.

We may feel a tinge in our heart, followed by sadness, followed by letting go.

It’s important to let these memories surface and then leave our system energetically as well as verbally when we tell someone.

In his book, Modern Man in Search of a Soul, the renown psychiatrist Carl G. Jung discusses the concept of confession as being the first step in a psychic process that, ultimately, leads to transformation.

When we, for example, reveal our secrets to our analyst, we are confessing (expressing verbally) that which was previously concealed.

According to Jung, that which remains concealed—remains secret—leads to illness. In his own words, ‘To cherish secrets and to restrain emotions are psychic misdemeanours for which nature finally visits us with sickness ….’[1]

As a chaplain, I see physical illnesses that are manifestations of unresolved spiritual issues. I find that when the person shares their story with me (a kind of confession) and we pray together, they feel better and are able to release anger or sadness or perplexity.

It starts with ‘confession’ and all comes out.

To tell your truth to another human being is not easy and involves trust.

Tears may flow after which comes a release like no other.

We cannot move from one level to the next without having fully worked through our issues at the level we presently find ourselves.

We must confess before moving to Jung’s next steps of explanation, education, and transformation.

The model that I use in Take it to the Next Level, ‘Listen Recognize and Create’ (or Co-create) is similar to, but different from, the psychic process defined above.

Take it to the Next Level is all about you finding the knowledgeable, qualified person (mentor or spiritual coach) you’ve always been looking for to really listen to you, recognize the issue that is blocking you from advancing, and (together) create a plan to move forward.

In order to move up a level, we need to let go of our past. When we let go, we can ‘climb out and climb up’ a level.

The pandemic has forced us to let go of many things: we can’t go places we used to go; meet people we used to see; or engage in the distractions we used to engage in.

The pandemic has forced us to stay home and spend time with ourselves. This is a plus because it is only when we look at ourselves that we realize that we are no longer satisfied with the status quo. We realize that we want to change, want to move up a level.

We may have all the material things we could ever want, but our soul is crying out, telling us something is missing.

Let’s Take it to the Next Level together. Book your appointment today here,

Luba

Follow Take it to the Next Level on Facebook here.

Looking for quality photographs that inspire? Check out my prints here; choose the photo you like; and click on the image of the shopping cart. Select Canvas, Metallic or Mounted and size. Shipping is FREE and major credit cards are accepted.

Want to read spiritually uplifting books? Check out my books here.

Photo by Karim MANJRA on Unsplash

[1] C.G. Jung, Modern Man in Search of a Soul (New York: Harcourt, 1933), 34.

Dark Times, Open Heaven

by The Author, posted in Blog

I feel saturated, bombarded by Covid-19 news. What about you?

Dr. Neil Levitsky, a Toronto, Ontario psychiatrist, says we should be aware of pandemic news but limit how much we watch.[1] I agree.

We recently celebrated the First Sunday of Advent whose first candle represents hope. For Christians, this hope exemplifies both the Nativity and Second Coming of Jesus Christ. Christian theologian John Piper thinks that Christ should be the rock on which we lean in the midst of the pandemic, a pandemic which is opening a way for transformation.[2] I believe that this transformation is both personal and societal.

You may wonder, ‘Luba, how on earth can I take my life to the Next Level in the middle of so much insecurity, division and change?’ ‘Luba’, you may say, ‘people are dying, and you expect me to believe that there is a God and that this God cares about me?’

Yes, I do.

God works best in dark times because God’s light shines most then. These are precisely the times we’re living in.

Dark Times, Open Heaven

Many believe that, in spite of the dark times we’re in, we are also living under an open heaven which means that communication is actively happening between heaven and earth.[3]  

As bleak as things appear around us in the physical realm, as dark as the situation seems to be, as uncertain as our circumstances are, there is an ‘openness’ that covers us through which blessings come. This is the hope that I refer to in this piece.

God has a plan for each and every one of us. God’s plan for me was to leave Bulgaria, come to Canada and become a chaplain in war time.[4] Although we are not in a traditional war, we seem to be involved in a new kind of warfare, an invisible war with an invisible enemy, Covid-19.

God’s blessings will pour on us when—in the midst of this warlike atmosphere, a kind of protracted lent from pre-Covid-19 activities we took for granted—we remember God.

What is impossible—Next Level thinking—suddenly becomes possible in a step-by-step, day-by-day reliance on the knowledge that we are living under an open heaven that is ready to pour out its gifts on us so long as we accept the transformation that is required of us now.

‘You mean, Luba, that more is required of me than being careful and wearing a mask?’

Yes, I do.

I think that we’ve been given this time of ‘straightening’ as a reprieve. You can think of it as grace or a grace period that’s been given to us to get rid of all the extraneous things and relationships in our lives that are preventing us from rising in life, being the person we were always meant to be.

Open Heaven

An open heaven is clear, bright, gracious, and freeing. It accepts us with our foibles and is ever ready to provide and guide, caress and bless, help, and support, acknowledge and rebuke and love us. An open heaven is uncomplicated and balanced, ruled yet tolerant, and fundamentally good. An open heaven is filled with goodness. It is ready to cover you in an abundance of beauty and goodness in the midst of your pain and suffering.

Feeling a little anxious because of the pandemic? Unsure of what to do next? Perhaps you’ve just retired and don’t know what to do with the rest of your life? As an experienced chaplain in a first class retirement home and psychotherapy intern at the University of Toronto, I can help you.

Let’s Take it to the Next Level together. Book your appointment today,

Luba

Follow Take it to the Next Level on Facebook here.

Looking for quality photographs to adorn your walls? Check out my prints here. After clicking on the link, choose the photo you like, click on the image of the shopping cart, and then select your print type—Canvas, Metallic or Mounted and size. Shipping is FREE and major credit cards are accepted.

Looking for a unique Christmas gift? Buy my book, 101 Gold Nuggets of Advice, here.

Photo by Johannes Plenio on Unsplash

[1] Neil Levitsky, ‘COVID 19 coping strategies,’ YouTube, accessed online on December 1, 2020, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wn7mKyKwPDI.

[2] John Piper, ‘COVID-19,’ YouTube, accessed online on December 1, 2020, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgfu6JLB_XE&vl=en.

[3] Dr. James W. Goll, ‘What Really Happens in an Open Heaven?,’ Charisma, accessed online on December 1, 2020, https://www.charismamag.com/blogs/a-voice-calling-out/22133-what-really-happens-in-an-open-heaven.

[4] Read the description on my website’s home page, https://lubarascheffconsultancy.com/.

Are You Focused or Other?

by The Author, posted in Blog

It used to be that when we opened our e-mail, there was one, monolithic column of e-mails to go through.

Now, there are two: Focused and Other.

It’s interesting and worth keeping an eye on because, in the future, perhaps there will be more columns or perhaps we, the so-called end users, will be given the ability to create columns of our own.

Whatever the case, if you want to Take it to the Next Level, you must be focused and nothing other.

To be focused means ruthlessly cutting out of your life anything that is a stopper toward growth, fulfilment, and joy. This kind of behavior will rub people the wrong way, but in the final analysis, it’s your life. We live in order to achieve a certain amount of success that is couched in quality of life.

The pandemic has forced us to focus more. In order to survive, we find ourselves prioritizing more. Do I go to the grocery store now or do I wait until tomorrow? What task is more important, blogging for my business or writing a reflection for class? In the end, we can do it all, but the key is to pace ourselves within a structured framework and not allow current circumstances to overwhelm us.

A steady pace

A structured framework and a steady pace are important  in maintaining balance these days. Keep your chin up, don’t despair, organize your affairs, and maintain your focus. Everything will be alright!

You must develop the ability to immediately separate the ‘wheat from the chaff,’ so to speak. Put aside—perhaps into the other column—that which does not merit your immediate attention, or never will.

The amount of junk mail that I find myself flooded with is amazing. Not a day goes by that someone isn’t trying to sell me something or promote an idea that is more fanciful than anything else. This is the bombardment of falseness that must be weeded out. In the end, the truth—represented by everything that is valid and true for us—prevails. Always.

Keep it simple

In our focused state—the only state that leads to attaining our goals—simplicity works best. When we do this, everything becomes clear—instantly.

Are you retired and perhaps feeling anxious or a little disconnected because of the pandemic? Unsure of what to do next? As an experienced chaplain in a first class retirement home and psychotherapy intern at the University of Toronto, I can help you.

Let’s Take it to the Next Level together. Book your appointment today,

Luba

Follow Take it to the Next Level on Facebook here.

Photo by Andrew Neel on Unsplash

The Power of Imagination: How to Use Your Imagination to Get Through the Pandemic

by The Author, posted in Blog

The pandemic has forever changed the way that we live our lives.

Perhaps we should coin new abbreviations: B.P. (before pandemic) and A.P. (after pandemic).

Life B.P. seemed easier and more free-flowing. Obtaining goods and services happened relatively seamlessly, as did moving through dynamic processes involving multiple individuals and going places.

This is no longer the case.

When we can’t obtain what we desire in the expected but no longer extant B.P. modus operandi, what can we do?

In Freudian theory, there is something call the primary process. This process involves forming a mental image (imagining) an object that we desire (but cannot immediately obtain) in order to satisfy our desire for said object.

Beach Scenario

Let’s say that you’re dreaming of being on a favorite beach but that this isn’t possible right now in the A.P. world.

Close your eyes and imagine it. See the beach in your mind’s eye. Remember the time you were there. Feel the hot sand under your bare feet. Feel the soft, cool breeze that blows a slight ocean spray onto your body as you enter the water and slowly move deeper and deeper into the sea.

Can you hear the voice of the children playing on the beach? They suddenly scream for joy!

You’re in the water now, moving your arms rhythmically in order to stay afloat. You’re a ways off from the beach and can see the umbrellas lining the sand—blue and yellow blobs. The cicadas on the hanging vines that climb the surrounding cliff are loud and their ‘song’ reaches you intermittently, in cycles.

‘Ouch,’ you exclaim as you jerk your leg. A little fish bit you! But it’s alright. You’re here, at the beach, in the water, swimming and letting all your cares slip away.

This is an example of how you can imagine a favorite place and de-stress during these strange times.

The idea is that ideas, known in psychological terms as imagoes (idealized mental images of persons, the self or objects), can be willed in order to satisfy unmet needs.

Comparing Worlds

Lately, I’ve been wondering how children born A.P. will experience the world. For them, the B.P. world will be unknown. It was a world that was more carefree, less ecologically minded, less thoughtful, and perhaps more ‘real and physical.’

Perhaps A.P. kids will be more spiritual, less impulsive, more thoughtful, and prone to discover new inventions to help us adapt to the new, A.P. world. Perhaps these children will lead us into a new era.

No Regrets

Facebook came up with a new design. It’s sleek and elegant and we have until September to accept it. When September comes, we won’t have a choice; we’ll just have to accept it—or learn to live without Facebook.

It’s the same way now. Everything seems new. I deliberately use the word ‘seems’ because in many ways nothing has changed. Like Facebook, we can only repackage something so many ways—but it’s essentially still the same.

Spiritual Authenticity

Spiritual authenticity is what will enable us to move through the changes. In many ways, we can obtain this by replacing physical things with spiritual ones. It’s not as hard as you may think. With a little stretch of the imagination, even food can be obtained in this manner as the ancient Israelites were fed heavenly bread called manna.[1]

The pandemic is elevating us to higher thought and belief levels. We may feel as if we’re being pushed beyond our ability to cope, but this isn’t the case. There is a primary process that we can use to satisfy our needs.

Let’s Take it to the Next Level together. Book your appointment today.

Luba

Follow Take it to the Next Level on Facebook here.

Photo by Joel Casilla on Unsplash

[1] Exodus 16:4.

Everything is Going According to Plan

by The Author, posted in Blog

I become inspired—infilled with creativity—when I sit on my balcony.

I become lost in the ‘hum’ of construction, the occasional chirping of birds and the steady oasis of lush, green trees that permeate the urban landscape and selflessly absorb carbon monoxide from a depleted environment and transform it into O2.

Earlier I listened to a vulnerable and powerful conversation on race between Dean Helen Easterling Williams, EdD and Greg McKeown of the ‘Essentialism with Greg McKeown’ podcast here.

One of the points brought up among many is that out of the chaos and violence that the world is currently experiencing, something new and better will emerge.

Righteous anger is bursting at society’s seams. The stitches are becoming loose.

What I liked most about Dr. William’s expressive style is the calm and clarity with which she speaks about an explosive topic. Her life experience including having worked in a sharecropper family as a child in South Carolina—a reality that her Baltimore, Maryland school teacher whom she admired denied—gives Williams the authority to navigate between two worlds—black and white—and activate changes that will, perhaps sooner than we think, bring inequity to an end.

In Kohutian psychological terms, the disappointment Williams experienced from an idealized other (her teacher) contributed to lessening her grandiose exhibitionistic (expansive) self’s sense of worth and diminishing the integrity of her nuclear self. Fortunately, Williams overcame this via the compensatory path of becoming the first African American, female dean of Pepperdine University. If, however, we imagine this kind of soul-damaging trauma happening to—being replicated on—countless other black children, we get a glimpse into how this denigration of one’s personal story, one’s intimate, lived life experience devalues all of us (blacks, whites, and those of other races) in the societal matrix of our shared human experience.

As I observe the sky from my  balcony, dark clouds are interrupted by bursts of sunlight. It is a cycle in which the sun makes strides, but clouds appear once more. This metaphor applies to how the fight against racism and racial injustice has progressed over the years.

As painful as dismantling old, inequitable, and iniquitous structures and building new, better, and righteous ones is, the time for this to happen has finally arrived. And I believe that this is happening on more than one level of society.

Our Creator is doing a new thing.[i] The tables are turning and sooner than we had ever imagined.

When all of these thoughts occurred to me on my  balcony, so did the title for this piece, ‘Everything Is Going According to Plan.’

Let’s ‘Take it to the Next Level,’ book your appointment today,

Luba

Follow Take it to the Next Level on Facebook here.

Photo by Ian Parker on Unsplash

[i] Isaiah 43:19.