There is a Buddhist teaching that says before enlightenment, chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment — chop wood, carry water. The same life, but experienced from an entirely different place within. Walking through this year’s Conscious Life Expo — which was remarkably larger and more vibrant than last year — I kept returning to this idea. The awakening happening right now is not dramatic. It is quiet, practical, and deeply embodied. And it is growing at a pace that should make every cynic pause.
What I witnessed was thousands of people choosing, with great deliberation, to feel something real. To seek not escape but presence. The halls were filled with plant medicine in its most ancient and accessible forms — Amanita mushroom, lion’s mane, sassafras , blue lotus — not all the psychedelic spectacle but subtle, legal allies that indigenous cultures have understood its wisdom for millennia. Rinnovare Foundation was there with astonishing healing technology — red light panels, beautifully designed tools, and a water bottle that I actually swear by and bought one last year which my daughter who is 9 and does not believe in anything “woo woo” took from me and so I had to buy another one this year
.But what moved me most — and what I believe speaks directly to the future of how we dress and adorn ourselves — was the presence of indigenous artisans. Mama Ayni Collective is running the most conscious project at the Conscious Life expo . Their hand-woven shawls, their knitted hats, their jewellery. Each piece carried a frequency that you could literally feel against the skin. This is not metaphor. When a human being who cares sits with raw, non-toxic materials and pours hours of skill and attention into creating something, that object holds energy. You become the beneficiary of that intention when you wear it. It enters your field. The conscious way her business is structured and gives back to the indigenous artisans and their families and helps to support the indigenous cultures of the Amazon .
This is what I would call spiritual style — and it is the opposite of everything the fast fashion industry represents. True sustainability is not a marketing phrase. It is a garment that lasts because it was made to last, from materials that did not poison the earth to produce or to clean. It is the radical act of supporting a real artisan — someone whose hands are gifted and whose heart is in every thread.
The Conscious Life Expo reminded me that the most intelligent thing any of us can do right now is pay attention. To what we put in our bodies, on our bodies, and into the world. The fact that this movement is expanding — not contracting — tells me something profound about where the collective consciousness is heading.
We are waking up. Not with fireworks. With intention.
List of my best secrets I discovered this weekend:
Amentara
Best Blue Lotus Heart Opening Gummies in the world !
And many other delights await you …
https://www.instagram.com/amentara.shop
Rinnovare Foundation
Incredible Red light technology , panels and even their wand is the best one I have ever used ! And supplements and magic technology to change water in a water bottle!
Incredible Qi Gong master and teacher !
My energy completely shifted after his healing class
Get his book YOU WERE NOT BORN TO SUFFER !
And take a class with him even online. Incredible gifted teacher and master !
https://www.instagram.com/blakedbauer
MAMA AYNI
Incredible beautiful spiritual indigenous made art work you can wear . Please check these precious hand made heart felt pieces out !
Reciprocity, Beauty, and Cultural Preservation Indigenous & global artisans united Handmade, authentic, & one-of-a-kind
The Economy of Ayni:
How Your Purchase Feeds 35€ Families
Fast fashion extracts, underpays, hides margins.
We do not.
At Mama Ayni, your purchase is a living exchange.
When you buy from Mama Ayni, you are not funding exploitation.
You are funding:
Food on a family’s table
Natural resource guardianship
Traditions that refuse to disappear
Please check these beautiful pieces out !! Love what they are doing and supporting !
Kayawei Earth by Leah Steiger
I love this project so much and very dear to my heart.
Kayawei Earth is a 508c1a non-profit organization operating in spiritual and material collaboration with the Indigenous nations of the Amazon
Heather Divine Gift
A true healer and alchemist . Highly recommend her to people wanting to heal trauma and let go of patterns that are holding them back. To wake up is a true blessing .. then one can become the blessing 💫
