Yesterday, I received a message from within to create a Circle of Grace. What exactly is a circle of grace, I wondered. This is how I decided to define it (with the help of Carolyn Myss);
A Circle of Grace is formed when a group of soul companions joins' together in support of one anothers connection to Source, to inspire creativity, courageous decision making, and living life on purpose. Through prayer, meditation, and channeling Higher Self Guidance we offer each other the gift of grace for healing and ascension. It is through grace that we come to recognize the Wisdom Within that was there waiting for us and its revelation in Divine Time.
As I further reflected I realized I already have several circles in my life simply waiting for me to name them and utilize them as such. I wonder how many circles of grace are waiting for you in your life. I encourage you to look around and to begin formulating your own circle. Your soul is counting on you. While ego's may do well traveling alone on the journey of life, the Soul is a seeker of community and flourishes in cooperation. It is time to take our spirituality out of the closet and share it with our friends.
If you need help in formulating a circle or would like to become part of my Circle of Grace contact me at info@sixthsensejourneys.com
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Are you becoming conscious or spiritual?
I'd like to take this time to clear up any confusion about the human consciousness movement and spirituality. They are not necessarily the same.
The human consciousness movement is more supported by psychotherapy and a desire to understand ones motivations, limitations, etc. It is a movement to become more aware of what lies beneath the surface of ones psyche. Yes it is an inward journey, but for the most part remains in the head as we delve into understanding our history and how it affects the present moment.
Spirituality on the other hand is a an inward search for The Source within us. It is a movement away from the head and into the heart space. It is understanding on an ethereal level our true nature. When we come into direct contact with The Source, there are no words, simply a Knowing that is only known after the event has occurred. The experience is soul changing and therefore life changing.
As one moves into deeper consciousness and begins to have an awareness of self as an ego based entity the souls desire often begins to blossom into consciousness. The Soul helps us to ask questions such as; What is the meaning of my life? And what is my life purpose here? As we come into consciousness of our different aspects and acknowledge them as self and soul (lower self and Higher Self, Ego and Spirit) the search for the God or Source may stem from increased consciousness especially when we come to see the disparity between the desires of the two. But until then, until we come to search for The Source that exists within our hearts surrendering the thinking and logical mind, we have not begun our Spiritual Journey.
The human consciousness movement is more supported by psychotherapy and a desire to understand ones motivations, limitations, etc. It is a movement to become more aware of what lies beneath the surface of ones psyche. Yes it is an inward journey, but for the most part remains in the head as we delve into understanding our history and how it affects the present moment.
Spirituality on the other hand is a an inward search for The Source within us. It is a movement away from the head and into the heart space. It is understanding on an ethereal level our true nature. When we come into direct contact with The Source, there are no words, simply a Knowing that is only known after the event has occurred. The experience is soul changing and therefore life changing.
As one moves into deeper consciousness and begins to have an awareness of self as an ego based entity the souls desire often begins to blossom into consciousness. The Soul helps us to ask questions such as; What is the meaning of my life? And what is my life purpose here? As we come into consciousness of our different aspects and acknowledge them as self and soul (lower self and Higher Self, Ego and Spirit) the search for the God or Source may stem from increased consciousness especially when we come to see the disparity between the desires of the two. But until then, until we come to search for The Source that exists within our hearts surrendering the thinking and logical mind, we have not begun our Spiritual Journey.
Cocooning
Transformation of the soul has often been likened to the transformation of a caterpillar to a butterfly. While butterflies only take that walk once in their life cycle, humans are called again and again into transformation. The process is never easy, not for the caterpillar, not for humans.
As we progress through the stages, we all end up needing to cocoon before we emerge anew. This cocooning phase is one of vulnerability to the soul. You may recognize it by an acknowledgement of aspects of your life or your being that must come to an end. Release of old ways of being in the world. There is a letting go process and a moving inward that occurs. You may feel less social than your usual self. Intolerant to noise and distractions that wouldn't typically get to you. Your soul needs silence at this time. Your body needs rest. Your emotions must flow and your mind must surrender into faith and trust.
Notice if there are natural ending occurring. Don't force yourself to know what the next thing is by taking action just for actions sake. This is a time of waiting and no one can know how long the waiting will take. Will it be a week, a month, or months? Be gentle with yourself at this time, move deeper into your spiritual practice of prayer, self reflection, contemplation and meditation, for there is little else you can do at this time. The universe will help you and support you to be quiet if you allow it to. Notice the circumstances that it offers you do you fight them or embrace them. Trust and faith in the process of the divine is crucial. Seek nothing at this time but to soften yourself and allow. For soon you will begin to emerge from your cocoon and see the Source not only in everything around you but in your newly defined self/soul.
As we progress through the stages, we all end up needing to cocoon before we emerge anew. This cocooning phase is one of vulnerability to the soul. You may recognize it by an acknowledgement of aspects of your life or your being that must come to an end. Release of old ways of being in the world. There is a letting go process and a moving inward that occurs. You may feel less social than your usual self. Intolerant to noise and distractions that wouldn't typically get to you. Your soul needs silence at this time. Your body needs rest. Your emotions must flow and your mind must surrender into faith and trust.
Notice if there are natural ending occurring. Don't force yourself to know what the next thing is by taking action just for actions sake. This is a time of waiting and no one can know how long the waiting will take. Will it be a week, a month, or months? Be gentle with yourself at this time, move deeper into your spiritual practice of prayer, self reflection, contemplation and meditation, for there is little else you can do at this time. The universe will help you and support you to be quiet if you allow it to. Notice the circumstances that it offers you do you fight them or embrace them. Trust and faith in the process of the divine is crucial. Seek nothing at this time but to soften yourself and allow. For soon you will begin to emerge from your cocoon and see the Source not only in everything around you but in your newly defined self/soul.
Monday, May 18, 2009
"2012"
I have been asked many times what my thoughts are about the coming of December 21, 2012...It is complicated and elicits fear from many. I feel sorry about this and because of that will respond to this question in the following way...
First, I'd like to say, I have no "insider information" on "2012"
There have been a multitude of predictions over the years and innumerable people speculating on the subject. Because of this, my preference is to keep my comments simple, to the point and practical.
Whether the end of the world is coming or not (and I don't believe it is) there is nothing we can directly do about it. The Mayan calendar is ending, however, that does not mean the end of the world. It means the end of an era. There is scientific evidence showing us the magnetic poles of the earth are shifting. Many native tribes have been doing ceremonies to support this shift all over the world. Because of how the earth has been damaged over the years, this has been a difficult task for Gaia. The shifts are causing natural disasters, changes to our environment, etc. These changes sometimes are confused with the effects of "global warming." There are healing groups supporting these shifts energetically as well as other Spiritual Entities. Some say these shifts in the earth are going to allow female energy to rule the planet come 2012. If that is true, I take that to mean, a gentler more nurturing energy is coming in to play.
For those who want to believe the end of the world is coming as "The Rapture" the Bible speaks of, I hear they will have plenty of evidence it is coming. (This is not my belief)
Lots of speculation, but on an individual level, what can we do with all of this? We can do what we were supposed to do all along. Live our best life. That is all.
Raise consciousness, slow down, reflect, heal utilizing your emotions, know the Truth of who you are, have Faith, be kind to each other and the earth, and spread Love.
That is what we are here to do, that is what will get you through to 2012 and beyond, nothing more, nothing less. We can not control anything else, so why try, why worry? If we are meant to go home and be at peace, we will go, if we are meant to live on after 2012 and ring in an era of peace here on earth as humans we will do that.
Live your best life now, stop putting off for tomorrow what can be done today. Release Fear, Meditate Daily, Pray, Share your Talents. Live life for today, there is only this moment. Live life in Love with honesty, honor, and integrity. Have compassion for yourself and others, have mercy and gratitude. Live life conservatively, fostering a sense of balance and equanimity for you will need endurance for the long haul. The Spiritual Journey is a long one and takes fortitude, for it is only through your steadfastness and commitment to the life of a Spiritual Warrior that you will truly heal and connect with the Grand Intelligence.
This is what needs to be done whether the world is ending or not. Do your work, Live in Light.
First, I'd like to say, I have no "insider information" on "2012"
There have been a multitude of predictions over the years and innumerable people speculating on the subject. Because of this, my preference is to keep my comments simple, to the point and practical.
Whether the end of the world is coming or not (and I don't believe it is) there is nothing we can directly do about it. The Mayan calendar is ending, however, that does not mean the end of the world. It means the end of an era. There is scientific evidence showing us the magnetic poles of the earth are shifting. Many native tribes have been doing ceremonies to support this shift all over the world. Because of how the earth has been damaged over the years, this has been a difficult task for Gaia. The shifts are causing natural disasters, changes to our environment, etc. These changes sometimes are confused with the effects of "global warming." There are healing groups supporting these shifts energetically as well as other Spiritual Entities. Some say these shifts in the earth are going to allow female energy to rule the planet come 2012. If that is true, I take that to mean, a gentler more nurturing energy is coming in to play.
For those who want to believe the end of the world is coming as "The Rapture" the Bible speaks of, I hear they will have plenty of evidence it is coming. (This is not my belief)
Lots of speculation, but on an individual level, what can we do with all of this? We can do what we were supposed to do all along. Live our best life. That is all.
Raise consciousness, slow down, reflect, heal utilizing your emotions, know the Truth of who you are, have Faith, be kind to each other and the earth, and spread Love.
That is what we are here to do, that is what will get you through to 2012 and beyond, nothing more, nothing less. We can not control anything else, so why try, why worry? If we are meant to go home and be at peace, we will go, if we are meant to live on after 2012 and ring in an era of peace here on earth as humans we will do that.
Live your best life now, stop putting off for tomorrow what can be done today. Release Fear, Meditate Daily, Pray, Share your Talents. Live life for today, there is only this moment. Live life in Love with honesty, honor, and integrity. Have compassion for yourself and others, have mercy and gratitude. Live life conservatively, fostering a sense of balance and equanimity for you will need endurance for the long haul. The Spiritual Journey is a long one and takes fortitude, for it is only through your steadfastness and commitment to the life of a Spiritual Warrior that you will truly heal and connect with the Grand Intelligence.
This is what needs to be done whether the world is ending or not. Do your work, Live in Light.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
A Story of Mourning
I recently sat with a woman who was going through a difficult time, including her Dad's health failing due to dementia, diabetes, and heart disease as well as a friend passing over and plans for a structural addition to their home being denied by their town board. In the midst of all of this she had faith that all was happening for a reason. But despite this it was hard to sit with. On a separate note, she mentioned that her asthma had flared up significantly over the past week.
When she was finished telling her story, I suggested that perhaps her physical symptoms had to do with her un-mourned grief. With that, she was able to take a step back. She was already aware of the association of the lungs to grief both in Chinese and Ayurvedic Medicine. She began to contemplate this possibility, had she not completely grieved?
This question specifically began to plague her surrounding her father, especially since she had already done so much grieving around this issue. She felt she was in acceptance. She accepted that through his own choices he was destroying his life and new well, there was little she could do about it. At that, I suggested that perhaps that was just a belief, and with that belief she would continually mourn the destruction of his life. In suggesting the possibility of a deeper truth, a new view was able to emerge.
I suggested the possibility that his life was exactly as it was meant to be. That we have choice to live life using Light Teachers and Lessons born of Light or Dark Teachers and Lessons born from our greatest Darknesses of fear, anger, resentment, and destruction. It is our choice when we come here to the Earth School and all choices are held within the Light and supported by the Divine, even when we choose darkness. Nothing exists outside of the Light, but within the Light, we often times experience dual forces. As this woman began to contemplate the possibility that all this time her fathers life was perfect just as it was, she began to find a new sense of ease and a new perspective to view her father within. One that truly embraced acceptance and the Divinity of his life. She had begun to release judgement. Only time will tell whether he asthma clears or not. But I can tell you by the time I left her, she had stopped coughing.
________
Updating: A day later, I received a phone call from this woman thanking me for our conversation. She shared with me he gratitude and what an impact this conversation had had on her ability to view and deal with her asthma. She is coping better and more at peace.
When she was finished telling her story, I suggested that perhaps her physical symptoms had to do with her un-mourned grief. With that, she was able to take a step back. She was already aware of the association of the lungs to grief both in Chinese and Ayurvedic Medicine. She began to contemplate this possibility, had she not completely grieved?
This question specifically began to plague her surrounding her father, especially since she had already done so much grieving around this issue. She felt she was in acceptance. She accepted that through his own choices he was destroying his life and new well, there was little she could do about it. At that, I suggested that perhaps that was just a belief, and with that belief she would continually mourn the destruction of his life. In suggesting the possibility of a deeper truth, a new view was able to emerge.
I suggested the possibility that his life was exactly as it was meant to be. That we have choice to live life using Light Teachers and Lessons born of Light or Dark Teachers and Lessons born from our greatest Darknesses of fear, anger, resentment, and destruction. It is our choice when we come here to the Earth School and all choices are held within the Light and supported by the Divine, even when we choose darkness. Nothing exists outside of the Light, but within the Light, we often times experience dual forces. As this woman began to contemplate the possibility that all this time her fathers life was perfect just as it was, she began to find a new sense of ease and a new perspective to view her father within. One that truly embraced acceptance and the Divinity of his life. She had begun to release judgement. Only time will tell whether he asthma clears or not. But I can tell you by the time I left her, she had stopped coughing.
________
Updating: A day later, I received a phone call from this woman thanking me for our conversation. She shared with me he gratitude and what an impact this conversation had had on her ability to view and deal with her asthma. She is coping better and more at peace.
The Guesthouse
This being human is a guest house. Every morning a new arrival. A joy, a depression, a meanness, some momentary awareness comes as an unexpected visitor. Welcome and entertain them all! Even if they're a crowd of sorrows, who violently sweep your house empty of its furniture, still, treat each guest honorably. He may be clearing you out for some new delight. The dark thought, the shame, the malice, meet them at the door laughing, and invite them in. Be grateful for whoever comes, because each has been sent as a guide from beyond.
~ Rumi ~
~ Rumi ~
Letting Go of the Story
Sometimes, it is our story that makes us sick.
What stories do you tell yourself?
I'm not good enough, I'm fat, I'm too old, I'm shy, I'm stupid, I'm a substance abuser, I'm an adult child of an alcoholic, I'm a survivor, I have cancer, I'm only comfortable around people I know...The list could go on and on.
Yes, no doubt these stories make up your history, however, they are not who you are. In order to grow and to thrive rather than just survive we must let go of the self-imposed limits we place on ourselves and dare to expand and one day remove the box in which we exist in so that we may truly live.
Today, challenge the stories you tell yourself, let them live as only part of your past, today, create a new story, one that is expansive, full of potential and freeing. Make choices based on this new story. Or better yet, release the story all together and let your infinite heart potential that arises each moment define you just for that moment.
What stories do you tell yourself?
I'm not good enough, I'm fat, I'm too old, I'm shy, I'm stupid, I'm a substance abuser, I'm an adult child of an alcoholic, I'm a survivor, I have cancer, I'm only comfortable around people I know...The list could go on and on.
Yes, no doubt these stories make up your history, however, they are not who you are. In order to grow and to thrive rather than just survive we must let go of the self-imposed limits we place on ourselves and dare to expand and one day remove the box in which we exist in so that we may truly live.
Today, challenge the stories you tell yourself, let them live as only part of your past, today, create a new story, one that is expansive, full of potential and freeing. Make choices based on this new story. Or better yet, release the story all together and let your infinite heart potential that arises each moment define you just for that moment.
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Digestive Troubles?
Have you bit off more than you can chew?
Has something left a sour taste in your mouth?
Is an experience you are digesting leaving you with some toxic, noxious feelings?
Something got you fired up, causing heartburn, fear?
Are you gulping down life only to belch it up later?
Are you experiencing life backing up causing you bad breath?
Are you effectively able to release the waste after processing life?
Do you frantically stuff and purge your self hatred?
Do you repeatedly deny yourself and thus withhold food?
Having gut level reactions that you are not paying attention to or unable to assimilate new ideas that are causing you indigestion?
Has something got you gummed up, clogging the process of elimination, causing inflammation (colitis)and mucus in the colon?
Constipated, what are you holding on to, having difficulty releasing from the past?
Got Diarrhea, what are you rejecting, what's running off? Are you running off?
Abdominal cramps, what are you cramping down on (or tightening around)out of fear?
Hemorrhoids, afraid of deadlines, letting go, feeling burdened?
The list goes on and on...
Don't take life so literally and miss out on the symbolism of the body...It speaks volumes we just need to know its language...Get creative with your symptoms and let the unfolding begin...What story is your body telling?
Has something left a sour taste in your mouth?
Is an experience you are digesting leaving you with some toxic, noxious feelings?
Something got you fired up, causing heartburn, fear?
Are you gulping down life only to belch it up later?
Are you experiencing life backing up causing you bad breath?
Are you effectively able to release the waste after processing life?
Do you frantically stuff and purge your self hatred?
Do you repeatedly deny yourself and thus withhold food?
Having gut level reactions that you are not paying attention to or unable to assimilate new ideas that are causing you indigestion?
Has something got you gummed up, clogging the process of elimination, causing inflammation (colitis)and mucus in the colon?
Constipated, what are you holding on to, having difficulty releasing from the past?
Got Diarrhea, what are you rejecting, what's running off? Are you running off?
Abdominal cramps, what are you cramping down on (or tightening around)out of fear?
Hemorrhoids, afraid of deadlines, letting go, feeling burdened?
The list goes on and on...
Don't take life so literally and miss out on the symbolism of the body...It speaks volumes we just need to know its language...Get creative with your symptoms and let the unfolding begin...What story is your body telling?
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Belief or Knowing
What is the difference between a belief and a Knowing?
Belief is something that we have faith in, a construct of the mind that makes some sense to us either because of our own intellect or because it was taught to us by people with a strong influence in our lives, such as our parents, teachers or ministers. Because of this connection, we trust it even though we have not yet experienced it fully. A belief is an idea of the way we would like something to be but may or may not be based in Truth. For the purpose of our growth, a belief is something to be challenged pr questioned until it either dissolves or re-frames itself into an experience that becomes Known.
Knowing comes from a place of embodiment. Through experience we come to know the Truth about something. Through experience the cells of our being respond and realign themselves to embody this information, this is an internal shift that happens on all levels of our being, not only in thought, belief or mind. Knowing something is a much deeper experience than a belief, it is more grounded in our reality and is usually a Truth based in or stemming from a Universal Principle or Law. Once something is Known, it cannot be unknown, for it has been a result of growth, healing, and ascension, a lesson learned. This sense of Knowing, however, can expand and evolve to encompass a greater reality.
This process of belief shifting to Knowing, is a part of the Journey of the Peaceful Warrior. It comes about through the willingness to grow through experience and introspection. it comes about through our willingness to be in our body, in our heart in exchange for living from the head or the intellect.
Belief is something that we have faith in, a construct of the mind that makes some sense to us either because of our own intellect or because it was taught to us by people with a strong influence in our lives, such as our parents, teachers or ministers. Because of this connection, we trust it even though we have not yet experienced it fully. A belief is an idea of the way we would like something to be but may or may not be based in Truth. For the purpose of our growth, a belief is something to be challenged pr questioned until it either dissolves or re-frames itself into an experience that becomes Known.
Knowing comes from a place of embodiment. Through experience we come to know the Truth about something. Through experience the cells of our being respond and realign themselves to embody this information, this is an internal shift that happens on all levels of our being, not only in thought, belief or mind. Knowing something is a much deeper experience than a belief, it is more grounded in our reality and is usually a Truth based in or stemming from a Universal Principle or Law. Once something is Known, it cannot be unknown, for it has been a result of growth, healing, and ascension, a lesson learned. This sense of Knowing, however, can expand and evolve to encompass a greater reality.
This process of belief shifting to Knowing, is a part of the Journey of the Peaceful Warrior. It comes about through the willingness to grow through experience and introspection. it comes about through our willingness to be in our body, in our heart in exchange for living from the head or the intellect.
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Horse Races?
In a vision during my meditation today, I saw a jockey begin to fall off of his horse. Perhaps I witnessed something in real time...Perhaps it is a metaphor for something in my own life...Or, simply a teaching I envisioned to share with others...As I sit here at my computer I bring that image to my heart and ask my Higher Self for guidance on the meaning behind the image...
Our minds run like Wild Horses, who is the jockey that is going to manage and tame it, and ride with it? You can not tame a wild horse by letting it run free with other wild horses. In other words, you can not tame the mind in the mind or with the mind...No thought you have is going to manage the unmanageable... Another approach must be found, one that goes beyond the thinking mind. In order for the jockey to stay on the horse, to manage and to tame it to become one with it and make it useful, the jockey must not be of the same mind as the horse, or together they will both run off course.
The jockey must come from a pure place, from a place of devotion, from a place of discipline, from a place of understanding and respect. The goal of the jockey is not to break the horse or create a demise of the mind but simply to work with it and elevate it into a champion. The jockey lies in our own heart and emanates Love.
Let the jockey guide the horse, let the heart guide the mind. You will notice and elevation of your thoughts. Just as the jockey and the horse become a team your heart will team up with the mind and there will be no need to eradicate mind, for it will only mirror and obey the heart.
Our minds run like Wild Horses, who is the jockey that is going to manage and tame it, and ride with it? You can not tame a wild horse by letting it run free with other wild horses. In other words, you can not tame the mind in the mind or with the mind...No thought you have is going to manage the unmanageable... Another approach must be found, one that goes beyond the thinking mind. In order for the jockey to stay on the horse, to manage and to tame it to become one with it and make it useful, the jockey must not be of the same mind as the horse, or together they will both run off course.
The jockey must come from a pure place, from a place of devotion, from a place of discipline, from a place of understanding and respect. The goal of the jockey is not to break the horse or create a demise of the mind but simply to work with it and elevate it into a champion. The jockey lies in our own heart and emanates Love.
Let the jockey guide the horse, let the heart guide the mind. You will notice and elevation of your thoughts. Just as the jockey and the horse become a team your heart will team up with the mind and there will be no need to eradicate mind, for it will only mirror and obey the heart.
Monday, May 4, 2009
Meditate
Meditate today on Love. Go ahead, what does it take for you to create that feeling within?
Stop reading, Stop everything until you find it.
How long can you sustain it? What takes you from that state of being? Can you bring it back? Can you offer everything you do and say today from that soft and gentle place in your heart?
Practice this often, this meditation of Love.
Set up reminders in your home, your office, your car, set up reminders for yourself to be Loving, to Live from a Place of Love, to Express from a Place of Love, to Receive from a Place of Love, to think from a Place of Love, to Act from a Place of Love. Love knows no anger or insult, hurt or fear. Love knows no greed or selfishness, desire or repulsion. Love knows only one thing, Love.
Stop reading, Stop everything until you find it.
How long can you sustain it? What takes you from that state of being? Can you bring it back? Can you offer everything you do and say today from that soft and gentle place in your heart?
Practice this often, this meditation of Love.
Set up reminders in your home, your office, your car, set up reminders for yourself to be Loving, to Live from a Place of Love, to Express from a Place of Love, to Receive from a Place of Love, to think from a Place of Love, to Act from a Place of Love. Love knows no anger or insult, hurt or fear. Love knows no greed or selfishness, desire or repulsion. Love knows only one thing, Love.
Friday, May 1, 2009
Illness and the Spiritual Warrior
Most people don't want to hear or acknowledge this, but we make our own dis-ease. Our physical bodies are the densest part of our being, but there are more subtle aspects to our being that are inseparable from us and our energy system, commonly known as an aura. Our aura is a layered complex system in which emotion and thought travel via energy pathways throughout the body. When we have unresolved emotions and negative thoughts that arise, they become part of our energy system. Unless they are healed, they begin to have a negative effect on the energy system and eventually manifest in the physical body as dis-ease. From muscular tightness/tension to cancer, we create our own dis-ease.
Yes, there can be effects from our environment, but the body is self-healing and will typically manage those conditions quite well if we are living our lives on purpose and with purpose. Healthy choices are a must, enough sleep, organically grown whole foods, exercise, clean and chemical free water, as well as other preventive health practices.
In order to prevent dis-eases caused by our own emotional states and negative thoughts/beliefs self-awareness, aself-inquiry tprocess that offers us the time and the space to challenge and overcome limiting beliefs, a willingness to feel deeply and process completely our emotions, and regular natural healing practices including meditation, contemplation and prayer are all necessary.
As we come to take more responsibility for ourselves, we come to see that all that disturbs us comes from within Mastering ourselves is the path of the Spiritual Warrior.
Yes, there can be effects from our environment, but the body is self-healing and will typically manage those conditions quite well if we are living our lives on purpose and with purpose. Healthy choices are a must, enough sleep, organically grown whole foods, exercise, clean and chemical free water, as well as other preventive health practices.
In order to prevent dis-eases caused by our own emotional states and negative thoughts/beliefs self-awareness, aself-inquiry tprocess that offers us the time and the space to challenge and overcome limiting beliefs, a willingness to feel deeply and process completely our emotions, and regular natural healing practices including meditation, contemplation and prayer are all necessary.
As we come to take more responsibility for ourselves, we come to see that all that disturbs us comes from within Mastering ourselves is the path of the Spiritual Warrior.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Courage
Step outside the box, try something you wouldn't normally try. It's fun, it's practice, it builds courage, you will see. Your heart doesn't steer you wrong. If it feels like a calling or a longing, try it. Courage is the ability to step through fear. The other side of Courage is Inertia. Affirm to yourself "I move forward." Each day take a step toward your goal, no matter how large or small, the small steps add up over time.
Courage builds like a snowball on a hill, momentum helps, practice courageous acts daily. You define them from within, it is as simple as one small step out of your comfort zone toward something your heart longs for. Do it for your Souls survival, it is shrinking, the light is dimming. Courageous acts light the flame of your own Soul. Brighten your flame each day by reaching out to the world around you, share your gifts, your talents, your desires to learn and grow. You will find happiness in this expanded you and joy will fill your heart.
Courage builds like a snowball on a hill, momentum helps, practice courageous acts daily. You define them from within, it is as simple as one small step out of your comfort zone toward something your heart longs for. Do it for your Souls survival, it is shrinking, the light is dimming. Courageous acts light the flame of your own Soul. Brighten your flame each day by reaching out to the world around you, share your gifts, your talents, your desires to learn and grow. You will find happiness in this expanded you and joy will fill your heart.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Fear
Fear, that feeling that creeps up inside causing us to...shake in our boots...get butterflies in our stomach...experience contraction in our muscles. Yes, you know that feeling, the one that makes our hands cold and clammy, creates a bead of sweat when its not hot in the room, and causes us to feel tired even when we've had enough sleep. It could be fear of failure, fear of success, fear of the unknown, fear of change, fear of things remaining the same, it doesn't matter, in a way, it's all the same. Fear is a construct of the ego, the emotion that keeps us small.
Fear is the memory of pain from the past that gives rise to dislikes of the ego in the present that are then projected into the future. Fear is a core emotion that calls us toward healing the past. Fear can not be healed simply by avoiding what it is outside of us that seems to be creating the feeling within us. That is just another trap of the ego. Fear is created within and must be healed from within. To heal, go within, understand what it is that has given rise to the fear, challenge it, come to understand what is at the core of it. Challenge it. Move forward by bringing that information and the feelings to your own heart to be burned in the fire of love. When we surround our fears with love, fears dissolve enabling us to detach from them. As we detach and find unconditional love, we will begin to see fear as our greatest teacher.
Fear is the memory of pain from the past that gives rise to dislikes of the ego in the present that are then projected into the future. Fear is a core emotion that calls us toward healing the past. Fear can not be healed simply by avoiding what it is outside of us that seems to be creating the feeling within us. That is just another trap of the ego. Fear is created within and must be healed from within. To heal, go within, understand what it is that has given rise to the fear, challenge it, come to understand what is at the core of it. Challenge it. Move forward by bringing that information and the feelings to your own heart to be burned in the fire of love. When we surround our fears with love, fears dissolve enabling us to detach from them. As we detach and find unconditional love, we will begin to see fear as our greatest teacher.
Acceptance
When we are fully in the moment with the Truth of who we are, our life situations, and what we are being shown/given in the present moment without judgement, criticism or the uncomfortable need (anxiety) to change it, we are in acceptance. We must be in acceptance before we can successfully begin to shift or change out of the current circumstances in our lives. Acceptance is the energetic spring-board for our growth. It is what gives us the ability and freedom to move forward in our lives with ease and grace. If we have not come into acceptance and attempt to move forward without it, we will feel resistance and somehow get caught up in other energies that bring us back to the circumstances that we wish to get out of. This is the Universes way of supporting our Spirit in resolving the issue at hand through learning and soul growth. Acceptance is not resignation or in any way a decision to settle for less. We can want more for ourselves and be in acceptance of what is today. Acceptance comes at the end of the struggle to learn a lesson, it means you have been able to get real and have been able to lay all the cards out on the table for viewing. You have been able to look at the hand that has been dealt and be at peace inside, for you have already processed all of the emotions the circumstance triggered...When you can want more for yourself from this place, you know you have finally come into acceptance and will surely attract more of what you are looking for.
To reach acceptance one must do the necessary self-inquiry and emotional work (surrender to what is and feel the feelings, letting the emotions flow) that precedes this state of grace, acceptance. It must be remembered that the energy of acceptance, like all things in the universe, is dynamic and we may move into and out of this state many times before we completely move beyond the experience at hand. As the nuances of the learning unfold each piece of the unfolding may bring us face to face with emotions that must be worked through before the next phase of acceptance can ensue. This seeming dance should not be taken as failure, but instead as part of the natural process and unfolding of life. It is to be remembered that it is only denial and resistance to feeling and being with the full experience of the moment that prevents shifting into surrender and finally into acceptance. As with all things, acceptance comes in Divine Time.
To reach acceptance one must do the necessary self-inquiry and emotional work (surrender to what is and feel the feelings, letting the emotions flow) that precedes this state of grace, acceptance. It must be remembered that the energy of acceptance, like all things in the universe, is dynamic and we may move into and out of this state many times before we completely move beyond the experience at hand. As the nuances of the learning unfold each piece of the unfolding may bring us face to face with emotions that must be worked through before the next phase of acceptance can ensue. This seeming dance should not be taken as failure, but instead as part of the natural process and unfolding of life. It is to be remembered that it is only denial and resistance to feeling and being with the full experience of the moment that prevents shifting into surrender and finally into acceptance. As with all things, acceptance comes in Divine Time.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Heart Song
Today, my heart sings a song of sadness and if I am not watchful, I might begin to judge it, for the sadness is for myself as I come to terms with a dear friends' cancer(ing). I remind myself to let them be, to recognize these are my (own) feelings and by nature are simply self-ish. As I experience my disappointment for all that may not be, I come to realize and acknowledge all of the unspoken expectations I had on thee.
What a gift I begin to unwrap, as layer by layer, I begin to let go of our future. Reeled back in from making plans and pretending to be something we are not and may never have time to be. I am reminded to be in the moment and let life be lived by letting it unfold, to find joy in the moment and be grateful for life's little things.
How interesting it is to watch the shifts that surrender brings and the emotions that become exposed. Already, my heart feels lighter now just for having acknowledged its song. I am reminded now, this is how we stay centered in ourselves through life's changing times simply by acknowledging.
I am committed to compassion toward others but am committed to my own self too. My heart has a song to sing and I know it won't stop just because my friend is cancering.
The melody may change all in a day...but, life will go on...And I will share my tune.
What a gift I begin to unwrap, as layer by layer, I begin to let go of our future. Reeled back in from making plans and pretending to be something we are not and may never have time to be. I am reminded to be in the moment and let life be lived by letting it unfold, to find joy in the moment and be grateful for life's little things.
How interesting it is to watch the shifts that surrender brings and the emotions that become exposed. Already, my heart feels lighter now just for having acknowledged its song. I am reminded now, this is how we stay centered in ourselves through life's changing times simply by acknowledging.
I am committed to compassion toward others but am committed to my own self too. My heart has a song to sing and I know it won't stop just because my friend is cancering.
The melody may change all in a day...but, life will go on...And I will share my tune.
Thursday, April 9, 2009
What's in the Cards for You?
So, what if you were given two hands of playing cards for a game of black jack (yes, it's a little bit different than the usual kids version where you only get one hand dealt)...One hand holds a "ten of hearts" and the other a "jack of spades"...You know that the next card is a "king." You can choose either hand, which hand do you choose to pair the king with for a total of 20?....This was the scene in my meditation yesterday offered to me by my card playing (dead) grandmother....
What is she trying to tell me?...The message for all of us here is that no matter what we choose in life, we are here to play a hand of cards. We can make some choices, this or that....
But no matter what, we never really fall off the path, because no matter what we choose (the cards may look different) we end up with the same thing when we sum it all up.
What did that do for me? It helped me let go of the worry about my choices (not that I now choose irresponsibly or without care - there is still a difference between a "ten" and a "jack") but it helped put in perspective that no matter what I choose, I will arrive at the same place...and pretty close to "twenty one."
I guess my next lesson here could be about risk...Should I ask for a third card?
What is she trying to tell me?...The message for all of us here is that no matter what we choose in life, we are here to play a hand of cards. We can make some choices, this or that....
But no matter what, we never really fall off the path, because no matter what we choose (the cards may look different) we end up with the same thing when we sum it all up.
What did that do for me? It helped me let go of the worry about my choices (not that I now choose irresponsibly or without care - there is still a difference between a "ten" and a "jack") but it helped put in perspective that no matter what I choose, I will arrive at the same place...and pretty close to "twenty one."
I guess my next lesson here could be about risk...Should I ask for a third card?
Thursday, March 5, 2009
The Gift of One Small Step
Someone recently said to me in reference to the last phase of Integration (Taking Inspired Action) that they were getting tired of taking "Baby Steps," as they expressed their frustration with themselves. Hmmm, I thought, I know I have felt that way myself before. But today, I guess I look at the baby steps as a blessing and a way of staying more deeply in the moment and connected to others.
I have found that when I take too big a step it is often because of anxious feelings in the moment about the situation and "want to get 'there' already (wherever 'there' is). Usually what it means is, I am uncomfortable and want the uncomfortableness to end as quickly as possible without learning all I can about myself. In other words, just hurry and get it over with. However, the problems is when I have done that, I either make more of a mess of the situation or end up in a similar situation again dealing with the same issues I did not want to deal with the first time around (and usually the universe has turned up the volume a bit the second - or third- time around). By making assumptions, taking wrong action, or out of anger, frustration and fear, I end up hurting either myself or someone I care about because I have felt uncomfortable.
One of my favorite small steps at the first sign of conflict...Before I jump to conclusions, react, and take action based on my own assumptions or hurt feelings...is to stop, take a breath and "check in" with the other person to be sure what they said is what they meant, that I heard them right, and qualify what the energy (intention behind) of the statement was vs. what it felt like.
The gift of the small step is that it keeps us in the moment a little bit longer, helping us gather more information about what is really going on at deep level. It offers us more opportunity to clarify and make adjustments in our view and attitude so that we can adjust future behavior according to the new information.
I have found that when I take too big a step it is often because of anxious feelings in the moment about the situation and "want to get 'there' already (wherever 'there' is). Usually what it means is, I am uncomfortable and want the uncomfortableness to end as quickly as possible without learning all I can about myself. In other words, just hurry and get it over with. However, the problems is when I have done that, I either make more of a mess of the situation or end up in a similar situation again dealing with the same issues I did not want to deal with the first time around (and usually the universe has turned up the volume a bit the second - or third- time around). By making assumptions, taking wrong action, or out of anger, frustration and fear, I end up hurting either myself or someone I care about because I have felt uncomfortable.
One of my favorite small steps at the first sign of conflict...Before I jump to conclusions, react, and take action based on my own assumptions or hurt feelings...is to stop, take a breath and "check in" with the other person to be sure what they said is what they meant, that I heard them right, and qualify what the energy (intention behind) of the statement was vs. what it felt like.
The gift of the small step is that it keeps us in the moment a little bit longer, helping us gather more information about what is really going on at deep level. It offers us more opportunity to clarify and make adjustments in our view and attitude so that we can adjust future behavior according to the new information.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Completing the Learning Process in the Earth School
We all have varying degrees of awareness at different times. But we've all, at one time or another, had an Insight into ourselves, or noticed things about ourselves that we'd like to change; patterns of behavior, emotional triggers, personality traits, repetitive thoughts, negative thinking, etc. And we all have from time to time Inspired Thoughts; thoughts that are truly brilliant and creative and inspired by our Highest Self to take us into a new level of being, to expand our sense of Self, to increase our Light and our Vibration.
What we do after we have the Insight or the Inspired Thought can make or break us on our path to Self Fulfillment. Are you Integrating the information that you receive about yourself?
Integration is a process by which we make what we know conscious, ask our Highest Self for guidance about it, affirm it and then take Inspired Action based on this information. Time and again, I have seen my clients get lost in this process failing to put to good use what they learn. Integration is the only way to truly evolve here on earth. The Earth School is about Action and Experiencing. When we use the Integration Process to help us decide what actions to take, we often need to take less action to get where/what we want. This is because as we actively and consciously engage in the process of Integration we tap into our Highest Self and our Highest Self always knows what is best for us in any given moment.
Integration can be used to assess a specific conversation, situation, day or phase/aspect of life. We just need to know and be willing to be in the process. The following is a brief summary of the phases of integration.
1.) Come to understand through writing, speaking or thought what stands out the most about what you want to assess. For example, you may have noticed that you have a co-worker who complains alot and although you have been friendly over the years, you find when you are with hem/her, you also tend to get negative and find it brings your energy and spirits down and have decided you just don't like it anymore. This low energy is bringing about laziness and disorganization.
2.) Quiet yourself and ask for Heart Centered or Highest Self Guidance. Remain quiet until a spontaneous positive and inspiring thought or image arises. Again, this can be in the form of the writ en word, speaking or thought. Trust whatever comes, even if at first it doesn't make sense. Higher Self Guidance on this may be, for example, "outer organization reflect inner organization just as outer freedom reflects inner freedom and vice verse"
3. Turn whatever you receive in #2 into an affirmative statement about yourself.
4.Commit to one small action step that stems from this Inspired Statement. For example, if your affirmative statement was "I am organized, efficient, and free to make my own choices." In this stage, the thought process might be, what does a person who is organized and free to make their own choices behave or look like? Your answer to that might be....they have a detailed filing system that they use regularly with a scheduled time for filing and they reward themselves with not only play time but allow for spontaneity and choices that work for them even if it means disappointing others. In realizing this, your action step might be to spend 15 minutes filing papers tomorrow morning before you leave for work that have been piling up and instead of meeting that coworker that complains alot after work for a drink tomorrow you will go to the park and play Frisbee with your dog instead, which you both enjoy.
Integration (and therefore elevation of our personal energy vibration) is not complete until we have taken Inspired Action. In other words, we have not truly learned the lesson until we fully Integrate it through new and inspired action in our lives.
What we do after we have the Insight or the Inspired Thought can make or break us on our path to Self Fulfillment. Are you Integrating the information that you receive about yourself?
Integration is a process by which we make what we know conscious, ask our Highest Self for guidance about it, affirm it and then take Inspired Action based on this information. Time and again, I have seen my clients get lost in this process failing to put to good use what they learn. Integration is the only way to truly evolve here on earth. The Earth School is about Action and Experiencing. When we use the Integration Process to help us decide what actions to take, we often need to take less action to get where/what we want. This is because as we actively and consciously engage in the process of Integration we tap into our Highest Self and our Highest Self always knows what is best for us in any given moment.
Integration can be used to assess a specific conversation, situation, day or phase/aspect of life. We just need to know and be willing to be in the process. The following is a brief summary of the phases of integration.
1.) Come to understand through writing, speaking or thought what stands out the most about what you want to assess. For example, you may have noticed that you have a co-worker who complains alot and although you have been friendly over the years, you find when you are with hem/her, you also tend to get negative and find it brings your energy and spirits down and have decided you just don't like it anymore. This low energy is bringing about laziness and disorganization.
2.) Quiet yourself and ask for Heart Centered or Highest Self Guidance. Remain quiet until a spontaneous positive and inspiring thought or image arises. Again, this can be in the form of the writ en word, speaking or thought. Trust whatever comes, even if at first it doesn't make sense. Higher Self Guidance on this may be, for example, "outer organization reflect inner organization just as outer freedom reflects inner freedom and vice verse"
3. Turn whatever you receive in #2 into an affirmative statement about yourself.
4.Commit to one small action step that stems from this Inspired Statement. For example, if your affirmative statement was "I am organized, efficient, and free to make my own choices." In this stage, the thought process might be, what does a person who is organized and free to make their own choices behave or look like? Your answer to that might be....they have a detailed filing system that they use regularly with a scheduled time for filing and they reward themselves with not only play time but allow for spontaneity and choices that work for them even if it means disappointing others. In realizing this, your action step might be to spend 15 minutes filing papers tomorrow morning before you leave for work that have been piling up and instead of meeting that coworker that complains alot after work for a drink tomorrow you will go to the park and play Frisbee with your dog instead, which you both enjoy.
Integration (and therefore elevation of our personal energy vibration) is not complete until we have taken Inspired Action. In other words, we have not truly learned the lesson until we fully Integrate it through new and inspired action in our lives.
Monday, February 23, 2009
How Can We Get More Out Of Life?
Experience is the key. When we surrender our need to control we open ourselves to simply having an experience. When we let go of our judgement of the experience, we simply can have the experience for experiences sake. This allows us to fall more deeply into the moment simply by allowing the experience without expectation or trying to get something in particular out of it. When we can let go of our need to impress and vie for position or status and let go of our own wanting and desire, we free ourselves and others to just be. At first we may not see the value or benefits of this behavior that stems from a place of equanimity, but it can only help us in maintaining and finding further equanimity and balance in our lives. Being in the moment with what is, does not preclude the notion of asking the universe for what we want and setting a course in our lives for attaining it. One does not have to choose between these two seemingly divergent paths, we can do both. We do it each time we ask, act, and surrender.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
How Can We Heal?
Through a variety of methods we can promote physical, mental and emotional healing. As we heal these aspects of ourselves we come more into alignment with who we are thereby strengthening the Light of the Soul/Spirit of our being. Regardless of the method, there needs to be a willingness to be truthful with ourselves and look at our lives without judgement or criticism.
Just for a moment pretend you have been hired as an outside contractor to assess your life. A contractor has no personal investment in what is being evaluated and therefore has no bias or judgement. The contractor comes in assesses and leaves no trace, just facts on a piece of paper. So, take some time to reflect in that way about your physical health, how you take care of yourself on a daily basis, choices you have made and are currently making about your your life, the state of your emotions, etc. Don't be afraid to dig below the surface, a good contractor will want to know all of the details about a project so a fair and complete estimate/appraisal can be given.
Once a truthful and unbiased assessment has been made it is easier to understand where healing still is needed.
Just for a moment pretend you have been hired as an outside contractor to assess your life. A contractor has no personal investment in what is being evaluated and therefore has no bias or judgement. The contractor comes in assesses and leaves no trace, just facts on a piece of paper. So, take some time to reflect in that way about your physical health, how you take care of yourself on a daily basis, choices you have made and are currently making about your your life, the state of your emotions, etc. Don't be afraid to dig below the surface, a good contractor will want to know all of the details about a project so a fair and complete estimate/appraisal can be given.
Once a truthful and unbiased assessment has been made it is easier to understand where healing still is needed.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Back To Basics
What is the Spiritual Movement?
In summary, it is the collective movement of our bodies, minds, emotions, and souls to a higher frequency of vibration.
How do we join the movement?
1.) Through self awareness/self observation/self witnessing
2.) Shifting from thinking to feeling so that energy moves from the head/intellect into the feeling/emotional body, making us more complete beings as we integrate our emotional lives
3.) Tapping into, trusting and following our intuition and gut level awareness, which can be done using automatic writing for example
4.) Protecting and maintaining our natural vibrational frequency so that others' are unable to lower our vibration
5.) Use the cues of our bodies, mind, emotions, and daily experiences to raise our vibrational energy frequency in our personal process of expansion
Do we need to be New Agers to be part of the movement or can level headed down to earth people also be part of the movement?
Anyone can be part of the movement. However, one must have a willingness to be open to experience and change. Many people think they are part of the movement because they speak a spiritual language (they talk the talk) or "like or believe in angels" etc. And all of that is a start, but not necessary. In reality you must be willing to be deeply and reflectively in the process of your own life. You must be an emotional being, not "feeling all over the place," but aware of your emotions allowing them to rise up, be able to move through them, resolve them and learn from them. You need to take daily experience and trust it is for the good of your Soul and rise up from it, learning new skills and adapting to what is, accepting what is happening today in this moment.
In summary, it is the collective movement of our bodies, minds, emotions, and souls to a higher frequency of vibration.
How do we join the movement?
1.) Through self awareness/self observation/self witnessing
2.) Shifting from thinking to feeling so that energy moves from the head/intellect into the feeling/emotional body, making us more complete beings as we integrate our emotional lives
3.) Tapping into, trusting and following our intuition and gut level awareness, which can be done using automatic writing for example
4.) Protecting and maintaining our natural vibrational frequency so that others' are unable to lower our vibration
5.) Use the cues of our bodies, mind, emotions, and daily experiences to raise our vibrational energy frequency in our personal process of expansion
Do we need to be New Agers to be part of the movement or can level headed down to earth people also be part of the movement?
Anyone can be part of the movement. However, one must have a willingness to be open to experience and change. Many people think they are part of the movement because they speak a spiritual language (they talk the talk) or "like or believe in angels" etc. And all of that is a start, but not necessary. In reality you must be willing to be deeply and reflectively in the process of your own life. You must be an emotional being, not "feeling all over the place," but aware of your emotions allowing them to rise up, be able to move through them, resolve them and learn from them. You need to take daily experience and trust it is for the good of your Soul and rise up from it, learning new skills and adapting to what is, accepting what is happening today in this moment.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Overcoming Fear
I was with a group of spiritual people tonight in which a common theme among them was fear. I learned as they talked that there was both fear of living and of dying. There was fear that in life (living) bad things might happen. And of course then the ultimate bad thing, death.
Don't hear my observation of this as criticism, I recognized it, because I once lived it. As a matter of fact, I feel experiencing fear has been part of my life purpose here. And boy have I experienced fear. Enough so that I literally became frozen in it as a child and it manifested in me waking up one day literally unable to walk. I share this not for sympathy, but so we are clear, I have lived in fear.
As my evening began to wind down I had the opportunity to reflect on how my perspective had come to change so much, how I had come to fear so little and simply live so much. I began to realize, first, that fear was instilled in me, it was not my nature. Then, I began to recall how meditation affected my perspective on death. I learned I was more than just my body and my mind. And that even when I left those things behind in meditation, I still existed and more than that, felt freer and more alive than ever. When I came to Know that, the fear just began to melt away. Suddenly I looked forward to life beyond this. Suddenly I came to embody the idea that I truly was a Soul simply inhabiting a human body. Fear still popped up on occasion but it was much more in perspective. As I embraced death as just another event like any other and began to experience the connection to the other side, death and life just seemed to be opposite sides of the same coin.
As I continued to reflect further I also recalled how I spent time challenging my fears, confronting them. Were my perceptions really true? Of course not, that's why they are called fear. I also came to understand that I was uncomfortable with the unknown. but eventually that changed too as I began to see the unknown as that place of potentiality. The place where all things were possible rather than impossible.
I guess mostly what I have come to learn about my fear is that it was all in my head. And for a while, while I still believed my own stories, I began to choose to tell myself good stories about my life rather than stories that escalated my fear. Eventually, I came to know I was safest when my mind was quiet, I lived in the moment, and told no more stories and just accepted whatever came to me. Just as Rumi talks about in "The Guesthouse." Through my meditations I began to connect with another aspect of myself that I had not been in touch with previously. The part of me that was capable of traveling in the present moment to far off places only to come back knowing I had traveled to the distant past and to the future right here in the now. I came to know the part of me that conversed with the ancient sages/yogis and yes, even Jesus himself. Mostly though, through my meditations I came to know the part of me that feels timeless and expansive beyond any words. The part of me that is silence itself but beyond that too. The part of me that is the ever present witness to everything and beyond even that. These meditation experiences helped me to Know that I am not my body, I am not my mind and through the limitations of the human form I guess I would say I have come to know well only what I am not. I have come to Know that I am so much more or so much less, depending on how you look at it, than what is obvious to my eye and my human perception.
Don't hear my observation of this as criticism, I recognized it, because I once lived it. As a matter of fact, I feel experiencing fear has been part of my life purpose here. And boy have I experienced fear. Enough so that I literally became frozen in it as a child and it manifested in me waking up one day literally unable to walk. I share this not for sympathy, but so we are clear, I have lived in fear.
As my evening began to wind down I had the opportunity to reflect on how my perspective had come to change so much, how I had come to fear so little and simply live so much. I began to realize, first, that fear was instilled in me, it was not my nature. Then, I began to recall how meditation affected my perspective on death. I learned I was more than just my body and my mind. And that even when I left those things behind in meditation, I still existed and more than that, felt freer and more alive than ever. When I came to Know that, the fear just began to melt away. Suddenly I looked forward to life beyond this. Suddenly I came to embody the idea that I truly was a Soul simply inhabiting a human body. Fear still popped up on occasion but it was much more in perspective. As I embraced death as just another event like any other and began to experience the connection to the other side, death and life just seemed to be opposite sides of the same coin.
As I continued to reflect further I also recalled how I spent time challenging my fears, confronting them. Were my perceptions really true? Of course not, that's why they are called fear. I also came to understand that I was uncomfortable with the unknown. but eventually that changed too as I began to see the unknown as that place of potentiality. The place where all things were possible rather than impossible.
I guess mostly what I have come to learn about my fear is that it was all in my head. And for a while, while I still believed my own stories, I began to choose to tell myself good stories about my life rather than stories that escalated my fear. Eventually, I came to know I was safest when my mind was quiet, I lived in the moment, and told no more stories and just accepted whatever came to me. Just as Rumi talks about in "The Guesthouse." Through my meditations I began to connect with another aspect of myself that I had not been in touch with previously. The part of me that was capable of traveling in the present moment to far off places only to come back knowing I had traveled to the distant past and to the future right here in the now. I came to know the part of me that conversed with the ancient sages/yogis and yes, even Jesus himself. Mostly though, through my meditations I came to know the part of me that feels timeless and expansive beyond any words. The part of me that is silence itself but beyond that too. The part of me that is the ever present witness to everything and beyond even that. These meditation experiences helped me to Know that I am not my body, I am not my mind and through the limitations of the human form I guess I would say I have come to know well only what I am not. I have come to Know that I am so much more or so much less, depending on how you look at it, than what is obvious to my eye and my human perception.
The Gift of Snow
Did you ever look at something without thought and just Know? As the snow fell last night and left a beautiful layer of white on the grass and trees I just knew it was our gift. The universe so pleased with itself that it had produced snow. No, it wasn’t exactly happy with itself that it had made snow, it just was. And with that state of being, peace. Simply at peace that it was snow and it was beautiful. The universe was not worried what the commute would be like, or if it would create a shoveling extravaganza, it was snow and that was it. It was at peace with itself and I in turn at peace with it. How did I get there? I simply came deeply into the moment with it, no mind, just being. When we approach life in this way, it can all be beautiful. Present moment being.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
The Flu as Food For Thought
Interesting how an illness transforms you. Just a simple bout with the flu is all it took me to see how the body heals. There was one point in the beginning as the flu was coming on, I assume the fever must have just started to spike when my body ached everywhere. Interesting how you become aware of the most intricate of places within, places you hadn't really paid much attention to before, the recesses of even the smallest joints became noticeable. Even sensing my skin became an easy task as it too suddenly seemed to ache with pain. What a gift it was to remember all of these so taken for granted parts. And then the tears began to roll, I just seemed to feel like crying. Was it the physical pain, some attached memory of past illness? Who knows, but that's what healing is, letting what is, be. And that's just what I did, I hadn't the energy to do anything more, but surrender.
And then there was the sweats, how I smiled when my 103* body gave way to a seemingly unending cascade of sweat that even the most intense exercise bout in the mountains of Sedona in August won't do to me. How I laughed inside at the site. I didn't make a sound though, as I was still too tired, my head still in too much pain to utter any sound above a whisper. But inside I smiled knowing that despite what I looked like on the outside my body was still hard at work on the inside taking care of business for itself. I trusted it, like a well oiled machine to get me through to the other side.
As these symptoms raced their way through my body, I was gracious, yes for the help I had to warm the chicken soup, but also for my body that I knew was so capable of taking care of itself. From the fire of the fever, to the cough to clear my lungs, I smiled in amazement and wonder. Don't let me fool you, I got cranky, I watched myself through that too, remembering my younger days when I felt so sick and was still sent off to school. There was no mercy back in those days. And now, I could choose, would I serve or would I lie still and be served. I did it differently for myself this time and I believe my body appreciated it. No drugs, just herbs and some Kosher chicken soup. In 24 hours I got passed the aches and chills and fever. Two days of rest after that and I hope to be back to a light schedule of work for tomorrow. The cough still lingers as a reminder of what my body has gone through...A massive cleansing of sorts. Intuitively I knew that was what was called for at this time and I simply stepped aside and let it happen. And happen it did, why fight with what is? I (en)joyed it as much as I could and when I say that what I mean is, I just did what I always do, be the ever present observer without judgement or criticism or a plan for how I expect it to go. Yes quickly would be nice in this case, but in complete acceptance of what is.
And then there was the sweats, how I smiled when my 103* body gave way to a seemingly unending cascade of sweat that even the most intense exercise bout in the mountains of Sedona in August won't do to me. How I laughed inside at the site. I didn't make a sound though, as I was still too tired, my head still in too much pain to utter any sound above a whisper. But inside I smiled knowing that despite what I looked like on the outside my body was still hard at work on the inside taking care of business for itself. I trusted it, like a well oiled machine to get me through to the other side.
As these symptoms raced their way through my body, I was gracious, yes for the help I had to warm the chicken soup, but also for my body that I knew was so capable of taking care of itself. From the fire of the fever, to the cough to clear my lungs, I smiled in amazement and wonder. Don't let me fool you, I got cranky, I watched myself through that too, remembering my younger days when I felt so sick and was still sent off to school. There was no mercy back in those days. And now, I could choose, would I serve or would I lie still and be served. I did it differently for myself this time and I believe my body appreciated it. No drugs, just herbs and some Kosher chicken soup. In 24 hours I got passed the aches and chills and fever. Two days of rest after that and I hope to be back to a light schedule of work for tomorrow. The cough still lingers as a reminder of what my body has gone through...A massive cleansing of sorts. Intuitively I knew that was what was called for at this time and I simply stepped aside and let it happen. And happen it did, why fight with what is? I (en)joyed it as much as I could and when I say that what I mean is, I just did what I always do, be the ever present observer without judgement or criticism or a plan for how I expect it to go. Yes quickly would be nice in this case, but in complete acceptance of what is.
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