Go confidently in the direction of your dreams! Live the life you’ve imagined. As you simplify your life, the laws of the universe will be simpler. – Henry David Thoreau, 1817-1862
This has been one of my favorite quotes for as long as I can remember. I’ve used it to raise my children, to inspire change in myself and in others and to spur me to action when I feel stagnant.
There is something about the word ‘dream’ that fills us with hope. In a dream we can believe the seemingly impossible. We slay the most fearsome of dragons, we freely entertain the craziest visions of ourselves and our world, and we win. In a dream we become aware of our vast potential and unfettered promise. In the dream we know ourselves as we can be and we valiantly, demurely and joyfully become our best selves. Yes, in a dream we win, loss and failure are concepts not remotely relevant to the dream.
We can experience a dream in our sleep, quietly sanction one in our imagination, covet one in a silent selfish manner and never bring it to the light of day or to the criticisms of others if we like. But the power of a dream is ignited when we say the word ‘dream’ to others. Suddenly what we hold becomes visionary and prophetic. While people may critically assess another’s goals and ambitions they can accept another’s dream for the future. In the sharing of a dream we become united. We dare to dream the same dream. We are willing to entertain the possibility of another’s dream because we understand that world to exist beyond this one that we are obliged to walk everyday. In the dream everything is possible; my dreams and your dreams.
In the sharing of a dream we become hopeful and inspired. The conflicts of the ‘real’ world fade and give way to a world where the rules are simple, good prevails and the universe becomes eagerly complicit.
Dream; a magical word that bridges the abyss between realities. Even in waking a vivid dream will linger in this realm, inviting us to manifest it. Our actions, thoughts and words are directed and governed by the dream as long as we succeed at holding it in our front mind consciousness. Through this our dream moves closer to our living reality. A dream of yourself can be made manifest if you hold it in mind and heart, govern yourself appropriately to the dream, releasing what doesn’t serve the dream, and breathing it through your soul with mindful intention, thereby grounding it into this realm.
A dream does not manifest over night. The nebulous realm of no time dream time has to find a resonant symbiotic groove of energy in this realm of linear structured ‘real’ time before it can materialize. Our physical world of action and opposites and tension is governed by laws of universal understanding that must be allowed if we are to manifest within it. But as Thoreau suggested the Laws will become simpler, bending to your needs as you hold your dream with confidence.
So go confidently in the direction of your dreams! Live the life you have imagined! And before you know it you’ll have crossed the bridge and will find yourself waking up in your dream!
The Future In the Direction of Your Dreams
How Beautiful Are The Feet
My daughter is studying classical music. She’s a budding gifted soprano following her bliss. Her bliss has opened many doors and windows to my own bliss. This spring she had to learn an oratorio by Handel called “How Beautiful are the Feet” for one of her many auditions. The piece was produced for “Messiah” and was to celebrate the peacemakers.
The words – like in most important messages are very simple:
How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and
bring glad tidings of good things. (Isaiah 52:7)
This message is as potent for us today in our time as it was in the time it was written. It teaches us the value of the spoken word and to be mindful that those words further the attitudes of peace and positive intentions.
Walk today with beautiful feet and if you get a chance find Handel’s music and listen to it, just for a little musical reminder.
Have a blessedly peaceful day!
Tiny Drops – Giant Ripples
Whenever I start talking about environmental sustainability I have found that many people immediately hit the immensity of the problem with their smallness. We hate feeling small and ineffectual. When we feel we can’t make a difference we tend to avoid the issue. We turn back to our moderate lifestyles and try not to be part of the problem. We might not actively be part of the solution but we try to minimize our role in creating more problems. At least for a time, eventually old habits slip back in. Unfortunately, once we know something we can’t un-know it. We can try to forget it, stuff our new knowledge back into the furthest darkest corners of our consciousness, drowned it in consumer based habits, or turn to other indulgences. It seems that people hate rocking boats and that they resist any change that may upset their comfy cozy existence. This may be true on some obvious superficial level but underneath I choose to hopefully believe that people are boggled over the immensity of their problems and a pervasive societal based low self-esteem prevents them from believing that they can do anything worthwhile anyway so why bother. We need to ‘bother’ because tiny drops create giant ripples!
I live in a beautiful little town in south-eastern Ontario. Our town is divided by a notable water canal system and there is a pretty bridge with iron railings, ornate lamp posts, we have a ban on pesticide and herbicide use, tons of green space and trees, we even have a white gazebos in the park where we have local musicians perform every Wednesday. Many of our stores have window boxes, there are flowering hanging baskets, even trees have been planted down the main streets. You see the pride of the residents and store owners as you drive through town. People are generally friendly and courteous when you meet on the street. We have had a couple of homeless people here – we knew them by name. Sounds very Norman Rockwall-ish doesn’t it? And sure we have crap, every community does, we just don’t seem to spread it around. It is strikingly orderly and clean here. We have the same community resource as other towns, but we also have another secret asset that perhaps other towns don’t have.
A Secret Asset
Over the years that I’ve lived here we have had 3 individuals that walk with garbage bags. You’ll see them if you get up early enough. They walk the streets and pick up litter. They are self-appointed volunteers that have taken it upon themselves to keep our town tidy. I’m not talking about big garbage, I’m talking about cigarette butts, gum wrappers, occasional coffee cups and water bottles, stray scrap paper and plastic that blew out of the garbage truck. Stuff that you would never even notice as you drove through town. But you notice the effect of their blessed work. They don’t do this for praise, they do it because they care.
This summer, if you were paying attention you would have noticed a small little miracle happen.
We have in our town a character who would customarily hang around the main intersections of town (we have 3 with lights) day after day, staggering around with obviously too much alcohol in his system and seemingly no other direction or purpose for his life. He would try to stay out of people’s way and was fairly quiet but still, as you came in over the bridge you would notice this fellow invariably staggering about, holding himself up on building or railings, or slouched over in the park in a stupor. It seems though that one day early this spring he must have noticed the other gentleman who walked the streets around the canal with his recyclable bag and garbage picker-upper-thingy because ‘our character’ started walking with him. For a few days they walked together, you never saw them talk much, but what do I know, they may have been solving all the problems of the world. Then one day ‘our character’ brought along a white pail and walked down the other side of the street. Together these two have been wandering around town now all spring and summer tidying up. If he drinks anymore, he does it privately, and I never see him just hanging around anymore, he walks with purpose, interest and liveliness, head held high.
The miracle part is that a small (perhaps even huge) though clear expansion of personal self-esteem happened through the tiniest measure of service to a greater whole. In service to our community, in picking up tiny scraps of garbage he found a purpose and ‘our character’ found – maybe re-found – his truest character. I appreciate him for his effort. I am grateful for his daily routine. I hope it continues to satisfy him for the good of us all and if it doesn’t I hope he finds something else that nurtures his self-esteem and makes him feel his worthiness. He has made me more self-aware! I am grateful for that too.
A Ripple Effect of Service
There is nothing that can take away from a soul that feels dedicated and worthy in his purpose no matter how insignificant it may initially seem to be. When we have found a way to serve others we establish value, self-esteem and purpose. When we find our own value, self-esteem and purpose we feel empowered. In that empowerment we know that even the tiniest actions can make huge differences to the whole. In empowerment we know when to join others for greater and greater effect. All of a sudden we stop being small. The ripple effect is incredible. Mind you if you do anything for praise and accolades of approval I fear you will be sorely disappointed. If your motivation comes from outside approval you will stay forever vulnerable to the loss of it. You will exhaust yourself trying to maintain it and you will not feel the intense satisfaction of knowing your own true ego less value.
I’ve been accused of not giving enough praise, of not satisfying others ego with effusive approval. It’s true. It’s not my way. It’s not that I don’t appreciate talent, excellence and effort, I sure do, it’s that I’m very aware that talent, excellence and effort has to be self-generating. I don’t want anyone seeking my approval to do anything. I want them to do their thing for themselves not me.
Empowerment must come from within. Empowerment comes from knowing your self-worth and being able to make choices that benefit yourself, your loved ones and your community just because your know in your heart it is the right thing to do.
Give Praise to the Dreamers…Become One if you Dare!
I’ve been meeting some truly amazing people lately whose acquaintance fill me with hope and renewed energy to keep moving forward on my sometimes twisty convoluted path.
I’m concerned about the plight of our planet, the condition of our species and our prospects of survival. I meet many people in a day whose primary concern is their failing health and difficult life situations. As humanitarian I acknowledge and empathize with their pain and fear. As healer my job is to hold a torch of light that allows them to see the way out of their grief. This can be challenging at times.
The torch I choose to bear is not one I’ve personally created. The light I try to hold is the light that has been created over time by the healers, visionaries, wisdom keepers, peace makers, and builders of the past. Of course these people don’t go by these titles, they’re builders, architects, scientists, leaders, poets, artists, musicians, and dreamers of all descriptions. They are people who have been so profoundly moved by the potential of our possibility that they see beyond the limitations presented by our reality. They dream us forward, one vision at a time.
I like to align myself with the highest energies available in every moment, it’s why I practice Reiki daily – it’s my spiritual practice. But on a physical level it’s the great brilliant adventurers of our past and present. It’s the people who walk their talk. The ones who do something different out of the norm. The ones who aren’t afraid to stare down the demons of complacency and conformance. The ones who dare to blow the sides out of the boxes of uniformity. The dreamers can be a pretty motley crew on first glance but I assure you this is where the action is. Many of these powerful visionaries weren’t respected and appreciated in their own time for their path took them out of their current reality into ours of the future. They were often criticized, ridiculed, even jailed, hung and assassinated for their beliefs. While the masses may desperately cling to the ways of the present by their fingertips and dig their heals into the bedrock of popular society the dreamers take flight, sailing and free-falling into the shadowy realms of possibility. This is just plain too risky for most.
These dreamers dare to plunge into the vast unknown and surrender to the ebbs and flows of unformed consciousness. They bring back to us a dream, a vision for our possibility, that can manifest if we dare but follow with our own little bit. Every new dream allows the rest of us to experience and create a new manifestation of power. We have the chance to create with the tools of our respective trades a special something, that is uniquely our own yet symbiotic to the whole. And so history is reshaped, evolved into ever greater potentials.
The effect of the individual dreams is cumulative. Each one builds on another. Each dreamer is motivated by a unique combination of stimuli and the results reflect in the circle of influence of the dreamer. While each of us has our own circle of influence the circles connect in intricate magical designs and patterns that continue to form more and more dreams. The themes of expression, although unique in design all reflect the same values; love, freedom, creativity, equality, sustainability, harmony and peace.
Today is the day to give way to a dream. Don’t be afraid of failure. Don’t hesitate at the doorway that leads your mind to freedom. Step out and dare to be guided by a light that shines for you. The heart yearns to engage passionately with life.
When you dream be aware that many great people have gone before you and still cast tremendous light through the darkness of the unknown. Let their visions and accomplishments guide you. I walk in good company when I travel with the dreamers of our world. I hope to see you there – in a dream for the future.
Personal Sustainability = Global Sustainability
Last weekend I attended an “Awakening the Dreamer” Symposium. To say I walked out of there feeling hopeful and inspired is an understatement. I was deeply and profoundly moved and re-motivated to keep on talking and writing whenever and where ever I get a chance. The symposium focused around the ideas and information available on the subject of life sustainability on this planet.The question was posed, obviously, “what are you going to do about it?”
There are fortunately great people with great minds doing great things in our world, looking after us all, trying to shift mountains to re-create a sustainable world. People are asking me plaintively “but what can I do?” Well you can recycle, reduce, reuse, in fact we must all do these things, but we already know this and do this on some level. To truly create a sustainable world we must feel the personal value for it. Most of us live reasonably comfortable lives but then again we are not one of the 55% of plants and animals species currently facing extinction. In the past 30 years, 1/3 of the total number of mammals, reptiles, birds, fish and amphibians living in the world have been lost primarily to loss of habitat and changes in their eco-environments. It is a very human trait to not see any problems until they start to happen within the walls of your own home. Unfortunately we can’t wait for that to happen. We have to make different choices now. It is time to grasp that if we want a sustainable future for our earth we must create one within our own psyche. We must come into an understanding that a sustainable future lies with an attitude of personal sustainability.
The accepted definition for environmental sustainability is that the needs of the present are met without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. The definition implies an attitude of stewardship for our earth for future generations. In order for this to become a feasible reality we need to shift our own attitudes for personal sustainability. We need to become more aware of the spiritual, mental, emotional, and physical legacy we are endowing to our children. What habits are we teaching, what are they learning from us? Do they have faith, hope, joy, confidence in their future?
It all comes down to our own attitude in life. Every day I see people feeling hurt, undermined and disrespected. They speak in negative terms, without hope and without vision. They conduct their lives in a negligent, derisive and irresponsible manner. They hoard, withhold and lock away their stuff, reluctant to share and be generous. Consumerism, gluttony and indulgence of every description are leading to the erosion of life as we know it, on a physical level as well as on a spiritual level.
So how do you cultivate an attitude of sustainability?
i) be grateful: expressing and feeling gratitude allows one to become open to new opportunities for happiness.
ii) express yourself in positive terms: avoid negative words, slants, criticisms, judgments, and excuses. Before very long you will find yourself focusing on all that you can do instead of all you can’t do.
iii) realize that you are enough just as you are: excessive consumerism, gluttony and indulgence are signs that you think there isn’t enough in this world for you and that you aren’t enough. Assess your needs and wants. What do you really desire in life – is it really more stuff? Do what makes you happy, whatever it is, but be aware of your excessive consumption for things that mean nothing to you and just suck up your resources, ie. money, energy, health, time etc. As you deplete yourself you deplete the world around you.
iv) become fully accountable for yourself and come to realize that you are not alone: all of your actions, words, thoughts have consequences, nothing goes unnoticed. Everything you do matters to the whole – always. Separation is an illusion. There is no us and them. There is only us. We are all joined in consciousness, all connected in our holiness. We have one future; we either survive together or we perish together. My children’s lives and future depend on your actions as do your children on mine.
v) respect one another regardless of race, creed or culture. Diversity is the key to survival. We will never survive as clones of each other. Our diversity will ensure our growth, development and ever budding potential.
It is our collective ignorance that allows the raping of the earth to continue. Eventually we won’t be able to move away from the devastation, we won’t be able to ignore what is happening all around us as it encroaches ever closer to our own homes and into our lifestyles by then however it will be too late to create a change that will allow us to survive. Sustainable living begins with a sustainable attitude; and that begins with you.
Let’s Build an Enlightened Dream!
I’ve been getting a lot of emails to join prayer groups for the healing of the oceans, the forests, the earth; and just when it seems to me that people are starting to actually wake up, I get other emails that say ‘the gods are angry’, ‘the earth is angry’, ‘these catastrophes are happening in areas where people have been evil for too long and god is teaching a lesson’. They reek of judgment, fear, and projection. If we want to help our earth and ourselves people it’s time wake up and get real! These mind-boggling catastrophes are caused by human error, negligent practices, unbridled greed and lack of foresight. The earth changes are part of the earth’s journey through the stars. There is no mystery. The earth is not angry (though I wouldn’t blame her) and the gods? Well… no comment!
Let’s try to look at things a little differently. We’ve been asleep, not because we haven’t been serious about the escalating level of crisis in our world, but in the ways we have been dealing with all these issues. We blame, we hate, we rage, we sign petitions, we engage in war. We’re expressing powerful emotions of anger that aren’t doing anything except perpetuating more powerful expressions of anger, fear and rage and sadly killing millions of species of life on our planet every minute in the process. The global fear and outrage is part of the nightmare we currently find ourselves in. Remember like begets like.
So wake up!! The nightmare can still end, it must or we will all be trapped in it. It’s imperative that we learn to focus all our collective energy towards the dream we have for ourselves and our children.
The clock is ticking and we are quickly approaching the end of a massive time cycle. This is a natural course of events, nothing unusual at all. We have already gone through 4 of these 5,125 year cycles, we are currently ending the 5th and heading into the 6th. It is part of what is known as the “precession of the equinoxes”. It is the journey Earth traveling through the heavens as marked by the placement of the constellations of the zodiac. We are leaving the Piscean Age and beginning the Aquarian Age. Each age is marked by a key development which had significant influence over that time. The Piscean age was marked by the event of Christianity and has 2 fishes facing opposite directions as it’s symbol. It’s been an age of dualism, opposites, ownership and conquering. The Aquarian age however, is an age of oneness, unity and holism. And this clearly presents the task ahead of us now.
We can no longer assign blame and point fingers for the problems at hand. What happens to one, happens to all. We are one mind, one consciousness and we have one future. We need now to get together and practice patience, tolerance, respect, love and acceptance. The possibility to heal our world lies within our ability to heal ourselves and ultimately, how well we will be able to release ourselves from fear and the limiting, debilitating effects it has over our free thinking minds and henceforth our ability to solve problems.
As our Earth travels its elliptical path around the sun and now reaches its furthest point away from the center of its orbit, the magnetic pull on the earth is at its weakest creating a wobble in its axis. The earth has been steadily shifting on its axis and it is being predicted that a complete polar magnetic flip may happen. All these planetary changes seem to mirror the madness happening to the people on earth. Wobbly intentions, lack of direction and commitment, lack of meaningful relationships.
People…it is time to dig our feet into the soil and get grounded, make a strong commitment to Earth and life on earth, and start developing a focused relationship based in love and compassion for one another, all life, and the earth. We are one. Don’t Pray for the earth as though you are worried for her survival, your own life and the life of your children, pray instead by communicating and holding glorious visions of beauty, health, wisdom, balance, peace, light and faith in her and our potential. In love there is the possibility for new understanding and true problem solving. When fear and blame are abolished solutions can arise that were previously hidden. Only then can we hope for a new light filled beginning. The solutions for a new world rest in your hands, in the visions you hold in your mind, and the love that is born of your heart.
Spirit Guides Come in All Different Skins!
Some people have angels as spiritual guides, I have Snakes.
This is no huge surprise, I have a love for the earth, her plants and her animal species. I love the myths of dragons and transformation. I love the philosophies of death and rebirth, of what goes around, comes around, of the renewal and evolution of life, fertility and egg symbolism. Serpent is the keeper of all of these ancient wisdoms. That said, it still took me a long time to see snake as a spiritual guide.
Many, many moons ago I took part in my first Shamanic workshop, it was an experience I’ll never forget. It was during that first workshop I met Snake in a very personal creepy way.
We were on a quest to meet our power animals. The first couple of times we journeyed I had trouble seeing anything. I was very jammed up in my linear mind. I hated looking stupid or falling for stupid things. So until I was crystal clear, I wasn’t willing to acknowledge anything. I was afraid of knowing what there was to know. I very much wanted to control the information that I received. My ego was also always getting in my way. If I had my choice I would have wished Eagle into my vision, or an Elk or even a Hummingbird, something pleasant, regal and easily accepted. So when I went on my journey and didn’t see any of these likable animals I apparently didn’t want to see anything. So the teacher lined me up with another classmate and we went on a journey to find my power animal together. In about 30 seconds flat I was covered in writhing, squirming snakes of various sizes and colors. Yuck…but I figured I could still be wrong, it could just be a hyper active imagination. When we came back from our journey and I was asked what I saw, I said “Nothing.” My teacher was astounded.
Down we went again. This time one very large fat white snake cuddled up next to me – have you ever been cuddled by a snake? It wasn’t my idea of fun! We were quickly summoned back to the room by the drum and this time the teacher didn’t even ask me, and turned to my partner instead “well?” he inquired. Jody answered simply and matter of factly, “Snake.” The teacher turned to me with an inquisitive look on his face for some sign of my concurrence. I shuddered and confirmed Jody’s experience. That was more than 15 years ago. Today snake and I meet regularly for journeys, meditations and conversations. And no I’m not nuts!
Snake and I have an agreement. If I’m jammed up and trapped in my linear mind and can’t see something I need to be noticing, or if there is something I need to be paying special attention to, or if there is something I need to go through and I’m blind to it, He will show up in my path somehow. Now I know that when I see, feel or even just think of Snake I have to open my eyes, ears and other senses; something important is afoot. The rap on the knuckles is the same; get out of your head, ground, and pay attention.
It has been an interesting coincidence that almost all of my Reiki and metaphysics students also have a relationship with snake, not all of them friendly I might add, but they’re learning. I strongly encourage them to build a solid kind appreciative relationship with Snake. Snake teaches us to be flexible, on guard, on patience and on being quiet. He teaches us the value of shedding old skins of belief systems as we grow and learn. As we out grow our old way of being in the world to easily let go and move on.
Today Snake is once again making a very big appearance in my life. My cats keep dropping big garter snakes on my doorstep. Snake has appeared in my dreams, through the stories of my clients, through references in the books I’m reading and while working in the garden. So I’m paying attention. I notice the growth and letting go that is happening in my own life. I see how differently I cope with life around me compared to how I used to. These days I am happy to see Snake appear. I know that I am progressing through change. I am grateful for all my friends that also have snake as their totem, we’re a clan of a specific vibration.
What ever your special affinity with any animal is, make friends with it, build your relationship, embrace your ally. Recognize that this is a spiritual relationship to help you through your transitions. Not all spirit guides are beautiful angels with iridescent wings from ethereal realms, some are right in front of our noses with all the reality of earth-bound living.
Eye on the Future
My father died almost 6 years ago. It’s hard to remember this. His presence is still very strong. Every day I see remnants of his being growing in new ways through the legacy of family he left behind him. His son becomes more like him every day, his 5 grandsons, each in their own way, exhibit some random piece of him without any awareness of it having been present 2 generations previous to them. His 7 grand-daughters will spontaneously recall an experience with him, a story, a joke or a lesson that they share whenever possible. Every time you meet a member of our family you meet my Dad. His influence was strong in life and still flavors each of our lives. And so life continues. Aboriginal tribes know this. We are influenced by 7 generations behind us and continue to influence 7 generations before us.
With this awareness we feel a special onus to behave responsibly because we know that everything we think and do affects the future. It’s important that we recall the roots from whence we sprang. History must not be repeated. We must learn to consciously cultivate, nurture and grow the best of who we are and compost the rest, mulching it back into the soil of our consciousness to allow better future growth. Come to understand the person you are today, bearing in mind what you have learned from your forefathers. You are not a lone isolated being. You come through a family tree, your roots run deep. There are inherent traits, strengths and weaknesses with which you have to work. Come to know what they are that you may utilize them to their maximum potential. Evolving consciousness depends on what we each bring forward from our own family roots. We can blindly repeat, and make the same mistakes, or we can learn, make new better choices, fostering the best.
In the art of Bonsai, the external nature of the tree is altered to conform to extreme conditions and inherent species strengths and potential. Roots are ruthlessly clipped back, keeping only what is important and necessary for continued growth, branches are manipulated into unnatural positions of maximum flexibility, and foliage is pruned and forced to a new diminutive expression of perfection. No human being can be made to conform to these extremes, for generations though, our governments and militia have tried. There is a certain strength that comes with surviving conformity, rules and extreme conditions but in the end we strive to be ourselves. In the end, what we believe in the most of ourselves will dictate our futures.
When the Bonsai is left once again to its own nature, even after decades of shaping and molding, it will attempt to revert back to its own genetic DNA patterning. As the internal natural wisdom tries to reveal itself once again it risks it’s life. Some make it, some don’t. As we struggle to free our selves from outside dogmas and rules and conventional structures of recognized power – some of us will make it and some of us won’t. It is imperative that you come to understand and love the truest nature of yourself as we move into the ending years of this cycle we are in before we head into the new cycle.
My Dad mastered the Art of Bonsai, leaving approximately 40 of them for the rest of us to try to keep nurturing along. Some have made it, most haven’t. When I look upon his creations I remember him; his spirit, his vision, and how his heart would not conform. He lived his whole 69 years trying to live free, thinking for himself and questing into every possibility of himself.
Not many (if any) of his little trees will survive the next 7 generations – but my Dad will!
Wheels of Change
The cosmic wheels of change are turning. Of course they do every day for many people, but there are times when the really big wheels tu
rn for many, many people all at once. These are times of transition for the masses. I know when these times are because personally I get really quiet and still. I shift in to waiting, watching and listening mode. I also know when we are in these times because I start seeing people going through the same issues at the same time, they say the same things to me, their stories are eerily similar even though the people themselves often feel isolated and alone in their pain. The other sign post that tells me that we are in one of these big transitions is that I have an overwhelming need to sit in my garden, touch the earth and be immersed in Nature’s order and harmony.
So I’ve been sitting there amongst my hostas, day lillies and herbs listening to the wheels of change turning. Actually, to put it a little more accurately, lately it’s been the sound of wheels grinding to a halt. I’m hearing stories of people wanting to make some significant change but stepping back into their reliable – even if painful – routines. Afraid. Confused. Depressed. Avoiding making any change, fearful of making the wrong changes. Fair enough, but it is a dodge, stall and hedge tactic. And the soul knows it and feels deeply unhappy. I feel compelled to remind folks to breathe deeply and keep it simple.
It seems to be our way to confuse issues, adding in too many considerations, too many responsibilities. Bottom line, there are 2 ways to make change just as there are 2 ways to live your life. You can choose to fight your way through, dealing with obstacle after obstacle, resistance after resistance or rather choose to shift along peacefully, rightfully, respectfully and in good timing. One way is really hard and one isn’t. In the first way you are pushing the river, in the other you are going with the flow. In the first way you are in a survival based mode, fight or flight, strategies and manipulations, the other is harmony based, right time, right place, present in the moment with vision for the highest good of all.
It can be difficult to shift from a reactive to a proactive way of being. We are conditioned to believe that it is easier to change things from a reactive stance in that we wait for the situation to unfold before us and simply respond to it. From a reactive position we know very clearly what is expected of us, and we simply have to respond accordingly. It also gives us a way out and the opportunity to shirk responsibility with statements like “what could I do?” or “I had no choice”. Everyone gets it because everyone’s been there. But it’s miserable all the same. You feel disempowered, cheated and diminished. In a proactive situation you make choices before you’re painted into a corner. You decide ahead of the demands, choosing an option that is more aligned with your own intention and thus your own happiness.
You’ll find it easier to manage through difficult times if you just wait patiently and quietly for the right moment, when the force of the universe is behind you to steadily and consistently make the changes you need to be making. Life after all, is all about making choices and changes. The more you resist change the more difficult life will get. You’ll recognize the right time when you feel gratitude and respect and happiness oozing up through the muck.
Cultivating a High Tolerance for Happiness
A friend and I were discussing yesterday how attached humanity is to living life through the relative experience of pain. Our culture is full of euphemisms that reflect this idea. “No pain, no gain”, “The straw that broke the camel’s back”, “We wouldn’t recognize the good without the bad”, “Good things come to those who wait”, “survival of the fittest”. There is an unspoken heroism built into identification with suffering that needs to be abolished from our consciousness if we ever want to experience evolvement into love and freedom. We have come to equate a high pain tolerance with being brave and strong.
Quantum mechanics have proven that we are only able to focus on one thing at a time. There is only one reality that exists with certainty and that is determined by where we put our focus. The magical beauty of our world is that we each have the right and responsibility to create our own reality that serves our needs and intertwines with others’ realities as it further serves the whole. In metaphysics we come to understand that where attention goes energy flows and that where energy flows – that’s what grows. When we continuously turn our focus and attention to what is painful in our lives we further stimulate and encourage the growth of pain, not freedom from it. When we consistently push our buttons to stimulate a painful response and reaction we create the tolerance for pain in the present moment. When we continuously relive past hurts and transgressions we bring them to life in the now. When we engage in repetitive painful emotions and situations we foster the growth of more of the same. Pain begets pain. Like attracts likes.
So many people are waiting for the last straw before they feel they would be able to make the changes they need to make. There is no successful ending possible to this story line. This ‘last straw’ scenario is actually a training program for enduring more pain. In weight training or resistance training you learn how to create strength in your body by adding incremental amounts of weight that you learn to counter balance. In time you become stronger, being able to resist more and more burden. In our day-to-day life the more pain and abuse we learn to live with the stronger we become in carrying and surviving it, and the less willing we become in changing it. We lose our natural bearings. By the time the proverbial last straw is placed we are already damaged. The healing from a ‘broken back’ is very difficult and requires significant time and a mountain of physiotherapy. The damage created in the last straw situation won’t be healed just by walking away from the problem, in fact, you won’t be able to walk away at all, you will crawl away all broken and twisted.
The only way to heal pain is to not tolerate it; by not giving space to pain we won’t allow it to control one more minute of our lives. Pain is actually a powerful efficient teacher for when we’ve gone too far in the wrong direction. Pain should indicate that a change is needed. We must make a pledge to ourselves to live with happiness and love, not anger or resentment, not sadness and grief. We must vow to do what ever we can to step towards joy and freedom and not drag the heavy burdens of yesterday’s pain into our future. Never engage in any task unless you can find the way to do so happily. Never commit to any deed unless can do it with full heartedness.
Please don’t wait for the last straw, shake off your burden of pain today, learn to feel the weight of a single stem of straw, learn to act on your best behalf. Don’t settle for relative happiness; believe in experiencing bliss. No good comes out of having a high pain tolerance, only more pain. Build your pride instead on having a zero pain tolerance and start cultivating the growth of a high joy tolerance instead!
Andrea Thiel Connell 