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With the upcoming launch of Project 5000 in the works we're getting to know more and more amazing artists. This month on the Walking The Walk blog we're featuring one of them.
I remember the first time Mayra blew my mind with her words. When she gets talking about a subject she is knowledgeable and passionate about, she speaks with clarity that leaves you speechless. Just read her official bio:
Mayra Stewart is a student of the Earth living in Oakland, CA.
Her passions are reading, writing, connecting to the Earth, her family, and her ancestors.
Before becoming an author she worked as a mental health counselor for incarcerated youth.
(MIKE DROP)It reads like a poem. Short and sweet, perhaps because even though she already has accomplished so much, it's clear she is just getting started. She started writing at age 6, "I have record of my first poems from age seven." She said in the interview. "I had two imaginary friends up until I was 6 years old, she continued. They made a huge impact on me, their presence solidified within me that I am never alone. They brought me joy, and the inoculated me with feelings that I was a blessing, that I had purpose in this life.
Later in life she began to think she was “too old” to have imaginary friends. "I consciously remember the day I made the decision that I no longer wanted to be able to see them anymore. I wanted to
be “normal.” I remember that day very vividly. The last day I saw them, Jennie’s long
black hair laid over the front of her pink and orange stripped shirt, her flower belt, and
Bert’s white t-shirt, his slicked back hair. They respected my decision; I never saw them
again.
During this time, I was given the idea of starting a journal. Interestingly enough,
my relationship with my journal felt very similar to that of Bert’s and Jennie’s, but instead
of it feeling like two separate streams of consciousness, it turned into a wiser one. To
write in my journal felt like confiding in a loving, wise elder presence, further establishing
my knowingness that I am not alone, always guided, always protected.
Now that you've written and published your first book what is next for you?
I see myself expanding further into the wise woman that I am and using my unique story
to empower others. I choose to live a continuous inspired life where I continue to be
authentic, and be of service to others through my books, and business as a whole.
Living the life of an entrepreneur is no easy feat, can you talk about challenges have you faced in your career?
The biggest challenge I have faced in my life is to learn to live beyond my fear of being
deemed as “crazy” or “weird” for having the thoughts, ideas, visions, and connection to
the spirit world as I do.
I agree with you 100%! The only thing we have to fear is fear itself. What inspires you?
I am inspired by diversity of experiences in life. As a human, among many other
humans I am aware that there is essentially no difference between I and everything else
in the universe. I am inspired by the many timelines that exist simultaneously on this
planet as I breath within my own unique experience of it all. Life inspires me, for within
all the chaos, there exists the accessibility to the vastness of silence.
How is it that so many different experiences are happening simultaneously, some horrid, some blissful… yet, I have the choice in any given moment to tap into the vastness of silence where I
can exist alive beyond thought? I am inspired my ability to take glimpses into the depths
of my imagination, and bring forth from this ream new ideas, new feelings, new
revelations. Life is tremendous, and there always exists something to inspire.
What words of advice would you offer to up and coming artists?
There is a force of life coursing through you at all times. We do not have to make this
complicated. What brings you the highest joy? Do that and get lost in it for a while. It is
in the moments of upmost relaxation and joy where the veil between physical and
nonphysical thins. In this frequency, with the power of awareness, you can reach in and
bring forth new ideas into this realm.
What do you see as the future of the scene?
I see the future scene as embodying creative freedom beyond boundaries of formalities,
academics, grammar, and systems we believe have to approve of us to be valid
authors. Writing will be allowed to be a way to create and express ourselves
authentically. I envision literature as a realm that is accessible to all people beyond
race, ethnicity, gender, socio-economic status where instead of it feeling like a maze
with no finish line, instead it is welcoming, and a home for us to share our minds with
one another.
What has been the most memorable moment of your life?
Giving birth to my child was the most memorable moment in my life. Despite being
bombarded with stories of fear related to the birthing process, I chose to give birth at
home. I rejected the fear and followed my guidance. During my birth I was loved, safe,
supported, and free. I birthed my son into love, and peace because I chose to follow my
guidance. I learned the importance of trusting my guidance and living beyond fear.
Where do you hang out in your spare time?
In my spare time I love to go into the redwoods.
Was it a gradual decision or lightbulb moment to start your business?
It was a gradual process. Circumstances, situations, and events layered over each
other to create a clearer and clearer picture to where my business partner and I are
within our business.
What did your family and friends think of the idea?
I did not tell anyone about my business idea except my husband and my current
business partner. My husband supported me from the beginning. My business partner
and I have working together ever since.
What challenges have you faced so far, and what have you learned?
I have faced many challenges pertaining to systemic, legal aspects of running a
business. It took a while for me to learn and understand the “how to” start a business. I
have learned that I do not have to know everything. I have the power to ask questions
and learn from others.
What motivates you when things go wrong?
My connection to the earth motivates me. Running in nature is huge for me. I literally
feel my stress being scrubbed off by trees, and my worries cleansed. It motivates me to
know that I was given all I need from the earth to get back up and go at it again.
How do you bring ideas to life?
I imagine them. I see the possibilities within my mind. I write them out. I speak them to
myself, and a rule to myself to conjure the force of the universe to support me in
collapsing my idea into the 3-dimensional world is that I must act upon it within 48 hours
for it to capture momentum. In the act of acting upon it within 48 hours, the next logical
step will be presented to me, therefore the creation process begins. At this point, its full
manifestation lives on the other side of focus, consistency in action, and the belief that it
is becoming.
What advice would you give your younger self?
Love yourself. Who you are, and what you are going through will all make sense so
soon.
Tell us something that’s true that almost nobody agrees with you on.
We are responsible for everything that happens in our lives. Nothing exists outside of
us, and nothing can be changed outside of us unless we are willing to change our
perception of it from within first. The premise of all that exists within the 3-dimensional
reality is energy.
What is one failure you had as an entrepreneur, and how did you overcome it?
Rushing the process by going impatient over when the book would come out. I
overcame it by learning from it and making the decision to be aware of my impatience
and respond accordingly in order to execute on the project when all was really ready.
What is the best $100 you recently spent?
I spent it on a biofield tuning session, which was a blessing.
What is your favorite quote?
“I do not know, what I do not know”
I love the thought that there is so much more to life that my eyes cannot see.
Want more of Mayra? Read her interview with Caribu and follow her on Instagram.