Learning Through Emotion

As a creature who is at ease in the water, duck teaches us to be comfortable with our emotions. The highs and lows of emotional responses are the epitome of our human experience.

Many people struggle due to their repressed emotions. No matter what type of baggage someone may carry, it often seems to get triggered by the most innocuous of interactions. After a sudden storm of emotional reaction and intensity, both parties are left wondering just what happened.

When we involve others in our expressions of anger, we risk triggering their wounds and compounding the situation. If you happen to express emotion with an enlightened person, they will help you process in a healthy way. It’s best to cultivate the ability to observe, feel, process and release whatever arises within us. Otherwise, the absorbed energy knocks the body out of balance and we manifest physical issues that help us to understand where the blockage is.

Ducks, after a squabble, will briefly shake their bodies, flap their wings and then swim away calmly. This teaches us the power of releasing negative energy. Feelings appear, often unexpectedly and we should honor them as sacred. Observe the thoughts that arise. You may discover something that is ready to be healed and released.

Expansion Through Contrast

It is love that allows us to expand. It transforms our vision and interpretation of experience. It awakens the ability to heal or to hold space for another. When faced with hatred or fear, love can shine through inspiring hope in its wake. The power of connection is often learned through contrast. It doesn’t matter what you believe, or from where you receive inspiration. All that matters is your level of consciousness in this moment.

The human condition is a plethora of contradiction. Our multi-faceted experiences keep the journey full of surprises and possibility. No matter what one seeks to experience, they have the ability to create it. It often seems that things are getting both worse and better; however, I would imagine that every culture and era has felt the same. When I read ancient writings, they seem to speak directly to our current challenges. Others have left behind gifts of wisdom in their words, art, music and oral traditions.

Always, some actively seek enlightenment while others are completely resistant to change. The drama of the world continues with billions of unique stories playing out simultaneously and the overload of information is sometimes overwhelming. With so many in pain, how can we immerse ourselves in love? That is the paradox of experience. If you seek to expand consciousness, bring love to all that you do. Create a filter through which you can interpret what you see and let that perception guide your actions. With love, we can rise above.

Ego and Gossip

If you propose to speak, always ask yourself, is it true, is it necessary, is it kind?”

~Buddha~

Observe how the ego reacts when you find yourself immersed in a story that is unfolding. Likely, the voice of ego will be clamoring to share it with someone. Why? It’s interesting to watch how the mind reacts when you consciously choose to say nothing or remain neutral in situations while others are lost in comparison, blame or schadenfreude.

Keep in mind that triggers or emotional reactivity are typically a result of some sort of reflection, deflection or projection. When one is lost in gossip or accusation, their words often speak volumes about their own struggles and wounds. Focusing energy outward is a powerful distraction. As long as the ego can see something “wrong” in another, it is too busy to look within to do the work of healing.

Presence calls upon us to be mindful. Pay attention to what you choose to say today. Is it helpful, uplifting or supportive? The light of your awareness is transformative and will help you to see through the mechanisms of the mind with greater clarity. Once you remove gossip and opinion from your own narrative, you will enter the realm of empowered presence. It is there that peacefulness resides.

A Higher Perspective

“If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.”
~Wayne Dyer~

Something magical happens when we view life from a higher perspective. Beyond the mechanisms of the mind – thoughts, opinions, confusion, stories, histories and other facades – there is great potential and power; however, the ego often distracts us from seeing clearly.

You have the ability to interpret life from many different perspectives. As your vibration increases, new viewpoints become available. Periodically bring your awareness to your own state of consciousness. Are you fully present? Can you purposely shift your thoughts in ways that are empowering? How often do you show yourself love and compassion?

Consciousness is the journey of expansion into all dimensions, the discovery of broader perspectives and the integration of all that we have learned. It seeks to express itself through our interactions and provides an opportunity to see life differently.

Life is a tapestry of dark and light, a blending of dimensions from the depths of lower consciousness to the heights of love and communion. They exist together and when we cultivate the understanding that all are required in this dance of awakening, we begin to have a very different perspective of the world.

Healing in Moonlight

“Let the magical night sky with beautiful music be your backdrop. Make the moon and stars your friends because they know your secrets.”
~Hiral Nagda~

Working with full moon energy is a powerful way to process through old wounds while setting intentions for the next phase of your experience. Full moon in Libra supports the reexamination of recent emotional lessons and helps to create balance while one gently works with the intensity surrounding those issues. Awareness sets the stage for change.

Make friends with the moon. Let her gentle, reflective light enhance your interpretation of the past. The receptive side of your nature is ready to receive insight and inspiration. Honor the path of your awakening by recognizing the perfection of your journey. Activate conscious awareness through art, yoga, music, chanting, or meditation.

Moonlight is reflective; therefore, prepare for insights to be revealed. You may consider writing as you commune with the night. Hold space, be open and receptive and take whatever time is required for you to process through any information you receive. Act from the heart, create healthy boundaries and make make your emotional balance a priority. This very personal journey into the shadows will illuminate your soul.

Your Sacred Space

A day of gratitude, expansion, healing and growth begins the moment you awaken. If you haven’t properly tended to the energy in the household, layers of emotional sludge begin to build up and it can be challenging to begin the day with a clear heart and mind.

Everything in the home space has a definitive impact upon you. Clutter, broken objects, unfinished projects and unpaid bills emit vibrations that keep you off balance and feeling like you’ll never catch up.

Create a home that is a sacred space of peace, power, growth and transformation. Fill it with loving energy and see it as a place that nurtures your soul. Consider setting an intention that the entryway brings a sense of grace to all who walk through.

Quiet moments tending your garden, reading in the sunshine, doing yoga, playing music, preparing food, meditation, prayer, journaling, residing in conscious breath… anything that soothes your soul is a doorway to peace.

You are the conduit through which the Divine experiences itself in the world of form. With this in mind, look upon life through eyes of wonder, mystery and delight and it will become a sanctuary where your conscious experiences can be honored.

Yes

“The magic in this world seems to work in whispers and small kindnesses.”
~Charles de Lint~

Yesterday I stepped outside into a gentle rain. Breathing slowly, I attuned myself to the world around me – birds singing, the scent of jasmine, dogs playing and the sound of cars in the distance. In that moment all time seemed to stop. I felt loved and supported by mother earth and grateful for the ability to tap into that healing energy whenever I need a moment to recharge.

Periodically savor the peace of the present moment. Even in the midst of movement and chaos, it is there waiting for you. The easiest point of access is conscious breath. You are right where you need to be. In Presence, celebrate all the miracles that surround you.

Joy is your true nature and awakening is your purpose. The key is to focus upon creating a life filled with small moments of happiness and fulfillment. When we release attachment to the “hows” we create space in which transformation can occur. Typically, there is no great fanfare at the beginning of new ideas or dreams, just a desire to move and a quiet wisdom that simply says yes.

Soul Healing

“Where we stopped dancing, singing, being enchanted by stories, or finding comfort in silence is where we have experienced the loss of soul. Dancing, singing, storytelling, and silence are the four universal healing salves.”
~Gabrielle Roth~

There are times when we must go inward, feel deeply and allow healing to begin.

The most profound spiritual work is often done alone. It’s helpful to enter the stillness of the present moment, step away from the input of others, feel deeply and undergo a cleansing. Getting near water can be helpful with this process – visit the ocean, step into a stream, immerse yourself in a lake or even use your shower as a conscious place of healing.

In times of uncertainly and re-evaluation, allow the element of water to inspire a free flow of feelings. This cleansing process begins to heal old wounds while creating a space where clarity can emerge. Tears are powerful. They come when we need emotional release as well as being  spontaneous indicators of the flow of love from the Divine in times of breakthrough and joy.

Give yourself freedom to cleanse mind, body and spirit. Honor your tears as sacred for they indicate the depth of your openness and willingness to grow.

Integration and Wholeness

So love is the recognition of oneness in a world of duality. This is the birth of God into the world of form. Love makes the world less worldly, less dense, more transparent to the divine dimension, the light of consciousness itself.
~Eckhart Tolle~

Acceptance brings about the integration of apparent opposites. Night doesn’t oppose day, dark doesn’t suppress the light; rather, they work together to create a balance of contrast that represents wholeness.

Seek to integrate the various aspects of your personality. Like myriad facets of a beautiful diamond, your energy shimmers with power which reflects the light of the Divine. The mystical union of opposites of what Gurdieff called “the crystallization of being” – integration that leads to balance, understanding and joy.

You are so much more than the sum of your experiences and beliefs. Beyond the physical, radiant layers of energy emanate from you sending waves of love and information throughout the Universe.

Compassion is the natural response when we reach levels of higher consciousness. We seek to heal, to release judgment, to share our gifts and relax into our deepest truth. You can choose to live beyond the illusion and reside here as a conscious, loving witness.

 

Anger

“If you understand it, the world is a great device to make you more conscious. Your enemy is your friend, and the curses are blessings, and the misfortunes can be turned into fortunes. It depends only on one thing: if you know the key of awareness.”
~Osho~

Anger can be a transformational tool of enlightenment. It shows us where we have attached to an outcome and is the exact opposite of ego-driven happiness. Suppressing anger is unhealthy because it will often manifest later as physical illness, depression, passive/aggression or uncontrollable rage. Justifying anger is the ego’s way of getting you to believe the thoughts about a situation, with the attachment to being right. Anger disrupts the ability to be at peace in the present moment.

So when anger arises, feel it. Sit with it and be still. Know that by focusing your attention to the energy while becoming aware of the feelings and the thoughts which drive it, you can free yourself from its constricting embrace.

In every moment we have a choice – to accept what is or to reject what is. Enlightenment calls upon us to view each situation as if we had consciously created it for our souls growth, for indeed on a higher level, we have. Everything offers an opportunity to awaken.