“For most people, their spiritual teacher is their suffering. Because eventually the suffering brings about awakening.”

~Eckhart Tolle~ 

Suffering, whether self-inflicted or the result of outside events, brings hidden aspects of our shadow self to the surface of our consciousness. Often these are things that have been previously repressed or ignored and their appearance now has great import on your path of transformation.

When you are faced with intense internal challenges, consider viewing them as teachers rather than something that needs to be eradicated or hidden. Look deeply within to the source of your conflict and then purposely surround it with love and compassion. Know that you are on the verge of an awakening.

These inner paradoxes lead us down roads we would never consciously choose to travel. They call upon us to shatter the ego-self and strip away things and ideas that no longer serve us. Intensity accelerates your spiritual growth in ways that simple study and desire cannot. The most important thing to keep in mind is that you are ready for this. Your spirit has requested movement and the fact that something new is arising indicates that you are ready to navigate your way to higher levels of consciousness.

“There is only one perpetrator of evil on the planet: human unconsciousness. That realization is true forgiveness. With forgiveness, your victim identity dissolves, and your true power emerges–the power of Presence. Instead of blaming the darkness, you bring in the light.”
~Eckhart Tolle~

When your own wounds are truly healed, you’ll be less reactive to the unconscious behavior of others.

Through the process of awakening, we come to recognize our wounds and understand what triggers our own reactivity. From this space of awareness, challenging people and situations are transformed into empowerment. As you walk consciously through the world, you’ll discover greater peace and compassion. When you witness others caught in their self-made distress, instead of joining them there, you’ll bring a sense of calmness and purpose to the present moment.

Rather than seeing yourself as a student, healer, teacher or someone who is enlightened, see yourself as Presence – the nameless, formless, infinite source of being. You are far more than the roles you play in this life. You ARE life, an ever-expending expression of the love, light and laughter of the universe.

“Each soul must awaken from the aloneness of a private dream world to greet the morning sun, view the sweet earth, apprehend the great silence, and demonstrate an appreciative thanks to everyday of life by living in a rapt state of attentive awareness.”
~Kilroy J. Oldster~

In the ever-shifting flow of life there is a constant movement of growth and change. We are forever in the process of endings and beginnings, expanding into new areas of understanding and recognizing the validity of what serves us best on the journey. Don’t fear the amazing potential that wishes to express itself through you. Underneath the layers of thought and belief lies an infinite source of life that lovingly waits to be explored.

It’s important to periodically go within and take stock of your energetic balance as well as recognizing and giving yourself credit for how far you’ve come on the journey of awakening. All the answers that you require are within you; however, because it can be challenging to see ourselves clearly, we must learn how to utilize the reflection provided by the world. Should you find yourself judging, staying in the story, blaming or replaying old events in the mind, recognize that you are distracting yourself from going within.

Observation creates awareness. Awareness creates movement… and movement creates the space for something new to be experienced.

Transformation is possible only through acceptance of the necessity of opposites. When we accept life as it is without judgment we learn how to transform challenges into light, blockages into opportunity and limitation into freedom. The power of acceptance lies in our ability to embrace what is.

In rejection, life becomes a struggle. Only by contrast do we discover the balance required to create the beauty of which we are all a part. Do not resist life. Learn how to see opposites as complementary, yet equal aspects of the whole. Be a loving witness to the Yin and Yang of experience.

This is how one can transform suffering into empowerment. Practice the art of acceptance by saying “Yes” to life, even the hard parts. Ask yourself if you are enjoying what you are creating. Are you blissful? If not, consider taking some risks and discover a new path. There is no need to repeat the things you have already mastered. You are here to learn, to expand and play in the infinite realm of possibility.