about

My name is Amanda. 

There is no one thing that defines me. My journey to self and enlightenment and compassion is ever continuous. Sometimes I feel as though I know what I am I doing in life, and other times, not so much. That is the scariest and yet most glorious part of being human. Scary, because our attachment to outcomes leads us to fear, but glorious because our fears lead us to unity and compassion for one another in all our uncertainties and sharing in the common lot of human suffering and joy combined. 

I am not your typical anything. I have a very eclectic sense of inspiration in the world.  I would like to think this is somewhat reflected in my blog :-)

I have many intuitions of past lives that without a doubt lead to the fact that I am a very “old soul.” I find this to my evident in my spiritual development and simply by the ways I think and contemplate about life, the mind, the heart and the world. I see in a bigger picture. I love everyone. But I’m still working on trying to love myself. 

I will also be graduating in May 2013 with my bachelor’s in Psychology and am planning to go to graduate school to become a clinical psychology. I am also graduating with my bachelors in an individualized major called “Mindfulness and Meditation” which combines elements of psychology and mindfulness practices and teachings. I have taken some very interesting courses if you are interested in chatting about them! 

Traditionally I grew up a Christian (a liberal protestant denomination, United Church of Christ) and still consider myself primarily of this faith; however, I find spiritual enrichment in many different religions, not limited to Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, Wicca, Islam and I would like to continue to learn about others as well. Despite my primary Christian affiliation, I see the world in a collective sense and I see every human being as my brother or sister, regardless of any classification, including religion, because I recognize that what unites us all is our human condition. 

I am probably one of the most understanding, closest listening, open-minded, nonjudgmental, compassionate people you will ever meet. I say this in the humblest of ways, as I mean to extend my message box to anyone, FOR any one, for anything — even just to say hello! :-) 

To briefly attempt to describe myself, I am a very artistic and creative person, and equally logical and practical. In essence, there’s a method to my madness ;-) I love expression, in any form. I value simplicity, I value quiet, I value genuine friendship. 

I see the good in everyone, I believe everyone is beautiful at heart despite their short comings and mistakes, and I love everyone. Everyone. I believe love is always the answer. 

I am also a writer. I love writing, I love reading, and I love words. I love photos and paintings and pictures equally as much. 

If you are interested in personality tests (as they can sometimes be accurate — they hold true in my case, for the most part) I am an INFJ in terms of Myers-Briggs. 

Two of the strongest beliefs I have about the human race are: 

1. People should love themselves — not for what they’ve done, or what they can do, or because of any physical manifestation, but merely because of who they are, how special they are… just because of the nature of who they are. Because they are worthy of love—their own love—which should come first and instead of filling one’s life with other people or material things in order to fill that void that one can only fill alone. 

2. The human mind is an incredibly power, mysterious and only somewhat understood, complex and wonderfully built tool in life that each one of us has the ability to control and tune into, in order to understand ourselves and others better. I think everyone should take every opportunity to understand their mind, and embrace what is able to come of a stronger consciousness of the “now.”