Our Mission, Vision & That Dead Flower.
Our Lil Ole Mission
Here at Enlightened, Apparently we ground the ecstasy and light of spirituality into the density and physicality of living in a human body – which isn’t always easy or straightforward! Humaning can be hard work, and it often includes periods of darkness.
That’s why our mission is to demystify the sparkling ideas of “spirituality” and “enlightenment” while offering resources and experiences to help you navigate the often-messy everyday journey of humaning. Our aim is to do this with a lot of encouragement, a bit of irreverence, and a dash of sass – because we also believe in keeping things FUN.
We believe there’s a place for the reverence and seriousness of healing and growth, but we also believe in laughter and levity and childlike curiosity. Because light and dark work best when woven together.
R/EV·o·LU·tion
(noun) The slow process of self improvement that morphs into rapid, fundamental change of society; a bottom-up process of societal change; the revolution that begins with our personal evolution.
Our Big Crazy Vision
Let’s be honest, we all want to know how to make the world a better place (or at least, make other people better). And while sweeping top-down approaches are important, here at Enlightened, Apparently we believe in the power of the individual, in the bottom-up r/evolution that begins with one person integrating their light and dark parts, one soul at a time.
Think that doesn’t matter?
Think about an orchestra. Every single note contributes either to the harmony or disharmony of the whole. Too many dissonant notes and we have a dysregulating cacophony of sound. But with each singular note that comes into resonance, we come closer and closer to something beautiful and harmonious. People want to DO something to make the world a better place, but tuning and holding your soul note is also doing something for the collective.
Yes, it sounds sort of stupid, but we think it’s true.
We also envision a world where we can normalize talking about what feels taboo, uncomfortable, or “dark.” We promise not to shy away from what needs to be heard, even if it’s awkward or vulnerable. Because when we integrate what is unsaid, sidestepped and pushed away, we become more whole, more real, more bright. Enlightened.
Enlighten means: “to cause to be in light.” But unlike the fairytales we’ve been fed, the presence of light doesn’t just eliminate the dark. It’s not simply a happily ever after from here on out. We don’t become enlightened by perpetually chasing the light. We do it by opening our eyes in the dark. By turning around and facing what it is we are running from.
So, what follows “enlightenment,” or this oneness with the light? Embodiment. Embody means: “to put into a body.” We bring the light of the spirit back down into the human form. Back down to Earth. And we begin the messy but rewarding work of humaning. One harmonious human at a time.
This is about creating the future we want to live in. It’s a bottom-up (and bottoms up!) r/evolution, baby. So let’s start with our damn selves, tune those divine soul notes, and make some beautiful noise.
Why the Dead Sunflower?
Both Talia and Angela have a personal connection to the sunflower, so it was an easy choice for our logo. But we knew it needed a twist. Not to cast any shade (pun intended) on the beautiful beast, a live sunflower is a bit on-the-nose for a spirituality business. Bright as the sun, determined to follow the light, the sunflower is the epitome of that good-vibes-only culture. So we decided to make it a little bit…deader. Cheeky, dark AND a little bit weird? Check, check and check.
But beyond the surface of its bright, cheery face, the sunflower has a much deeper symbolism that we just LOVE. Did you know that it is only young sunflowers that constantly follow the light?
When young, sunflowers move all day long, keeping their face towards the sun, east to west. Every day, following the journey of the sun. But as they age, their stems begin to stiffen, they cannot keep tracking the sun, and eventually they permanently face east. This eastern orientation keeps them warmer than a western orientation, and able to produce more and larger offspring, or seeds. But this also means that they spend half of the day with their face in the shadows.
As they age, sunflowers find an ability to thrive in relationship to both the light and the dark. Just like us humans, we too, get a little stiffer as we age, and we too, can find ways to thrive in relationship to both the light and the dark.
As the sunflower moves towards the end of it’s life cycle, it still has one more lesson in store for us. Towards the end of its life, we see sunflowers start to stoop (kinda like us humans again). The stooping is typically due to being so full of seeds – their legacy to leave behind, which starts the cycle all over again.
Sunflower shows us as it ages that it’s not just about how brightly you shine, but the seeds you leave behind.
Life moves in cycles. There are times to shine brightly, and times to humbly stoop in the darkness as we plant the seeds for our next chapter. At Enlightened, Apparently we want to celebrate all these parts that make us human, all these parts that make us whole.
