Dr. Michael Aanavi

04/14/2024

In my bones, in my heart, in my dreams, I know that I am awash in grief—layer upon layer, generation upon generation, lifetime upon lifetime. It lingers in the still spaces, in the crevices of the psyche, in the nuances of touch and thought and scent. It obstructs everything: the possibility of kindness, the reality that we are all connected. It says: this is mine and only mine, I am entitled to it. It says: you cannot possibly know, I will not yield until my grief is seen, until I am seen, and until then I am *apart.*

It is time to come together.

I invite you to join me in ceremony, now and for the next three days—to honor and release our grief, the grief of our ancestors, the grief of the earth; to grieve the connection lost and the spirit of separateness that convinces us that it is real.

I am not interested in what is right; I am interested in letting go of the need to be right, and the only way in which I can envision that possibility is to feel my way through the known and unknown depths of grief, because like love, it has no walls, no boundaries.

It is not mine; it is ours.

I am not here now to speak of my own grief, of the painful losses of this lifetime, but rather to call on those who watch over us to help, to release, to heal through honoring the experience of those who came before us. My grandparents, and theirs, and theirs. Your grandparents, and theirs, and theirs.

*Our* grandparents.

Sometimes we call this trauma—generational, historical, intergenerational. And for many of us the horrors experienced in past generations, in past lifetimes, is beyond comprehension, beyond humanity.

But really, its nature is grief, and its shared experience bears within it the possibility of that which we all need; it becomes a seed for peace.

So: I invite you to this, to this work, to this confluence of spirit, to this sacred place, in whatever way calls you, in whatever form you wish.

This evening I lit a yahrtzeit candle and said the mourner’s kaddish—things my ancestors would recognize, things that I too know in my very being. I do this knowingly, willingly, for them and for my son, for all before and all who come after. Because in this confluence, where grief is eternal, the time for healing is also eternal and accessible in and from all directions, in and from all lineages, in and from all times and dimensions.

This also means: no matter when you see / read this, the ceremony is now—whenever now is, it is the right time. However you choose to enter this process, in whatever your tradition, in whatever way feels right in your heart and in the outer world, it is your intention that brings the possibility of reconnection.

I’m not sure what will make itself known in the next three days, what form this practice will take—I have a feeling there is more to come. Meanwhile, I am here; please feel free to reach out.

In this and in all things, may the creator bless us with grace.

05/19/2023

Been spending a lot of time with this friend lately: Guatemalan blue nephrite jade. Hard to get a good pic, it has so many angles and qualities. See if you can feel it?

05/18/2023

02/08/2023

Sitting & Ceremony: a weekly group meditation and invocation, by videoconference.

Beginning on Friday 2/24, this will be an ongoing offering, 12:30-1:30 PM Alaska time.

Space is limited; advance registration is required.

Suggested donation $20; ability to pay is not a requirement.

For further details, questions, or to register, email is best: mpaanavi@gmail.com.

02/02/2023

Sending out the bat signal: I’ve had a few folks finish up their psychotherapy process recently and consequently have some spaces available for people who are, so to speak, vibrationally aligned with my therapeutic style… needles optional. Link in bio for more info. Feel free to DM.

01/27/2023

Apparently I’m writing again.

It’s not really up to me—it’s a kind of calling forth, perhaps even a compulsion, but from somewhere or something else, from some source of insight that has wisdom beyond my capacity, that requires me to both humble myself and speak up at the same time. I suppose I could resist; rather, I’ve been resisting, but despite my attempts at avoidance resistance is futile, and more importantly, miserable.

The Origin Node is a point of departure for discussion of the energetics of trauma in all its forms: personal, ancestral, political, karmic. Trauma is, in essence, a disorder of energy, and the Origin Node represents the intention to embody a vibrational shift away from conventional notions of trauma and ideas of healing; what exactly this means will become clear as it becomes clear(er) to me—this is a process, not a thesis, and it will go where it needs to go, clinical, personal, esoteric, and otherwise, however tangential that might appear.

Some of you know that my book, The Trusting Heart: Addiction, Recovery, and Intergenerational Trauma (2012), was written in the form of weekly blog posts that were later edited into a loosely cohesive text. I’m aware that the practice of blogging is largely passé, but I lack the discipline to sit down and write consistently without some form of self-imposed pressure—I need some kind of deadline or I’ll just watch cooking shows on YouTube on my phone and wonder where my time went—and this format gives me just enough structure and accountability to get things done. I wish I could commit to weekly posts, but my life these days is full-tilt householder reality, in Zorba’s words, ‘the full catastrophe,’ so as far as frequency is concerned we’ll just have to see.

Frequency. That’s really what I’ll be writing about: wavelength, energetic signature, vibration. Stay tuned.

Whatever insights are offered are coming through me, with my gratitude for the availability of insight beyond my own field of view. What will follow in coming weeks is what I’m being shown, being offered, as a way through ordinary notions of post-traumatic resolution and healing, toward energetics beyond trauma.

(Link in bio)

01/24/2023

Rabbit Mind: a 3-part contemplative series, by videoconference.

Rabbit qi gives access to a path toward the legitimacy of that which is deeply felt. This *feeling* quality of rabbitiness is distinct from ‘feelings’ in the emotional sense—really akin to Carl Jung’s typological idea of the feeling function.

In this group / quest / thing we’ll engage in some meditative exploration, some discussion, some elaboration on the felt and experienced qualities of rabbit vis a vis the feeling function. Partially structured, partially freeform, there will also be a fair bit of intuition involved because, although it’s not the same as rabbity feeling, I’m a snake, and it’s just how we are.

Three Wednesday mornings in February, 8:30-9:30AM Alaska time: 2/1, 2/8, and 2/15.

Limited to 8 participants; advance registration is required.

Free of charge, with the request that participants commit to all 3 sessions.

DM me to register or for questions, or email me at mpaanavi at gmail.

01/05/2023

As Water Rabbit year approaches, from now through the first month of the new lunar year I'll be offering depth coaching sessions on a suggested donation basis--by telehealth, US and internationally. Please see below or visit link in bio for details, and DM me to schedule or with any questions. Feel free to share...

Depth coaching focuses on resolving the residual patterns that often underly relationship problems, chronic and recurring physical ailments, shame and problematic self narratives, feelings of stuckness or obstruction, difficulty clarifying life path and purpose, and many other physical, emotional, energetic, and spiritual concerns that can remain unresolved despite years of work with other methods and therapies.

These lingering energetic dynamics–often stemming from personal and intergenerational trauma, grief, and unresolved past life or ancestral experiences–may once have held a protective function, but can become constricting or limiting, now no longer serving the greater good.

Specific approaches vary from person to person and from session to session. Through a broad emphasis on deepening trust in one’s own perceptions and inner guidance, depth coaching holds the intention of moving into greater alignment with one’s sense of purpose and meaning, and shifting spiritual, somatic, emotional, and energetic obstacles to fulfillment of one’s life path, work, relationships, and sense of self.

01/03/2023

4pm.

01/01/2023

Happy 2023!

11/10/2022

Newly arrived old friends, time to revisit… just in time for the darkening of winter.

10/25/2022

10/22/2022

“There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.”
― Albert Einstein.

09/25/2022

L’shanah tovah, g’mar chatima tovah.

May we know how to welcome the blessings of the coming year in whatever form they arise.

I’ll be off social media for the next 10 days, the sacred contemplative period between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, but will be available by message.

Be well.

09/24/2022

I’m currently expanding my clinical consultation practice, and wanted to let everyone know I’m available to work with psychotherapist colleagues on deepening therapeutic process; I’m happy to schedule ongoing consultation, or sessions on an as-needed basis for complex cases.

I draw on Jungian / archetypal, relational-analytic, and existential frameworks, as well as a Buddhist / Daoist orientation and somatic, transpersonal, and mindfulness-based approaches. I am particularly interested in the dynamics of spirituality, embodiment, and clinical intuition in psychotherapy.

I also draw on the work of my friend and mentor of many years, Dr. Eduardo Duran.

My book ‘The Trusting Heart: Addiction, Recovery, and Intergenerational Trauma,’ was published in 2012 (Chiron Publications), and I continue to work in the intersection of personal and intergenerational trauma, dynamics of power, oppression and colonization, chronic illness, and addiction recovery.

I am an Ashkenazi Jew and a person in recovery. My pronouns are he / him. My family and I live and work on unceded Dena’ina land.

For further details on my work and credentials please see link in bio, and feel free to message me for any inquiries.

09/21/2022

Happy equinox!