Spirituality
The one’s that are crazy
Face Your Shadow
Today in my RSS feed was the following by Diana Harris. Those of you who follow my blog and have been reading my latest non-animal related posts (Letting it Go; An Email Between ***; and The Other Woman(?)) would probably agree that Diana’s post is befitting to what I have been going through. It looks like I need to “face my shadow” and “look within“. I would say the timing of Diana’s post is fortuitous. Wouldn’t you agree?
Read on to see what I’m talking about.
“Heroes take journeys, confront dragons, and discover the Treasure of their true Selves.” ~ Carol Pearson
This last week may have proven to be a bit intense at times due to the planetary oppositions and squares. The energy remains a wee bit erratic and volatile so be self-aware. Guard against making decisions without all of the information, not listening, and engaging in power struggles with others. The Best Use of these cosmic power surges over the next days is to face our own shadow –the place where our wounds and fears reside. Issues of self-worth; boundaries; dependence and independence; and how we see/relate to the world are in the spotlight. The tendency is to focus upon the seeming flaws of others when they rub against our differences. We may feel good temporarily but it serves no purpose. The people that we have been having issues with, been avoiding, or are generally rubbing us the wrong way are serving us now by providing us the impetus to look within and see what healing is required in our own hearts, minds, & spirits. It is not about the other. It is about us. Now is the time to look into the “world within ourselves” and heal, forgive, and love what we have hidden or denied. It is underneath those wounds that we will find our Treasure. We are both the golden treasure and the vessel (Heart) that holds it. To clear your energy and to hold more Love: Stand with your face to the Sun. It is a reminder of our origin – pure Light. Breathe in its rays. Imagine rays of Love spreading throughout your body from the crown to the heart and out into your energy field. Feel your heart expand. Ground yourself in this Light and go about your day. Do this as often as needed. You will find yourself more steady and in flow. Blessings All! You are Much Loved! ~ Diana~ SOURCE
Forgive yourself for
A message for all of humanity!!!
Spirituality vs. Religion
From Angels Art
I always struggled to define my religious views. I’ve been to different churches, read different religous texts but did not feel comfortable with any religion or church. I felt that normative religious values get often misinterpreted . I felt that religious leaders are very rigid in their views and often refuse to address important issues in the society or even condone violence. Various cultural practices also tend to ‘pollute’ true religious values.
I had my Aha! moment when I came across that image. Spirituality is definitely closer to my heart than religious dogmas.
Spirituality means something different to everyone. Some people get in touch with their spiritual side through private prayer, yoga, meditation, quiet reflection, or even long walks. For me spirituality is about finding and spreading positivity as well as striving to live the core human values such as:
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Burn
You will know you
I Am A Spiritual Person; However, I Am Not A Religious Person.
And yes there is a difference.
In the words of Eckhart Tolle:
Spirituality is not religion. You can be spiritual and not have a religious context. The opposite is true too: You can be very religious with no spiritual dimension, just doctrine.
I align myself to Tolle’s belief. I am a “Spiritual” person, not “Religious”.
Last Saturday, my therapist suggested I read Eckhart Tolle’s book: The Power of Now. I am ashamed to admit I have not yet begun to read this book. However, I have been on Tolle’s website reading through some of the free content. Today I read an interview by Oprah Winfrey and I would like to share a few excerpts from that interview with you in this post. You may read the full interview here and I highly recommend you do read it because it chock full of powerful messages.
OPRAH: You’ve often characterized thinking as a terrible affliction, even a disease, that is the greatest barrier to the power of now. But isn’t to think to be human? Isn’t that how we differ from other animals?
ECKHART: Yes, and thinking can be a powerful and wonderful tool. It only becomes an affliction if we derive our sense of who we are from this dream of thought. In that case, you’re continuously telling yourself what I call “the story of me.” For many people, it’s an unhappy story, so they’re always dwelling on the past. That’s a dysfunctional and unhappy state.
OPRAH: We live in a world where most people believe they are their story. “I was born in this family, this is where I was raised, these are the things that happened to me, and this is what I did.” If you are not your story, then who are you?
ECKHART: That’s a very good question. You cannot deny, of course, that these events exist; one’s personal history has its place, and it needs to be honored. It’s not problematic unless you become totally lost in that dimension. How do you experience your past? As memories. And what are memories? Thoughts in your head. If you’re totally identified with these thoughts in your head, then you’re trapped in your past history. So, is that all there is to who you are? Or are you more than your personal history? When you step out of identification with that and realize for the first time that you’re actually the presence behind thinking, then you’re able to use thought when it’s helpful and necessary. But you are no longer possessed by the thinking mind, which then becomes a helpful, useful servant. If you never go beyond the thinking mind and there is no sense of space, it creates continuous conflict in relationships.
OPRAH: The Power of Now has saved me many, many times. As a matter of fact, this has been one of the most hectic days. I just got back from Africa. I’m sleep deprived, and I woke up this morning thinking, Oh my God, I’m going to be so stressed. But I let that go and just thought, I will be present now. I taped four television shows today, and I was very excited about being able to talk to you, but I kept saying to myself, Don’t think about how many other things you have to do. Just be present now. And that is what has gotten me to the end of the day, in this moment.
ECKHART: That’s a continuous refocusing on what really matters—what matters most in anybody’s life, which is the present moment. People don’t realize that now is all there ever is; there is no past or future except as memory or anticipation in your mind.
OPRAH: But that’s what throws me: In The Power of Now, you say there’s no past. There has to be a past, because there are all of our memories, all these ways we defined ourselves.
ECKHART: Nobody can argue with the fact that there is such a thing as time. We used time to meet here—otherwise it would have been difficult.
OPRAH: Right. We agreed on this time, and we are here, because this is now.
ECKHART: Yes. So time is something that we cannot do without. We could even say time is what dominates this entire life that we experience here, the surface level of reality. It’s completely dominated by time, which is the past and future in the continuous stream. People look to time in expectation that it will eventually make them happy, but you cannot find true happiness by looking toward the future. It’s been said there are two ways of being unhappy: One is not getting what you want, and the other is getting what you want. If you think this, that, or the other thing is going to make you happy, when you get what you wanted, you will again be focusing on the next moment—never being in this moment, which is all we have.
OPRAH: That’s another thing that changed me when I read The Power of Now: You wrote that all of our stress is based on thinking about what happened in the past or what should be happening in the future, and that, no matter what crisis is going on in your life, if you’re able to take a deep breath and look at what is happening now, in this moment, you’re okay.
ECKHART: That’s right. Many people identify their sense of self with the problems they have, or think they have. As a reality test, I ask people, “What problem do you have at this moment? Not in an hour or tomorrow, but what problem do you have now?” Sometimes, they’ll suddenly wake up when they hear that question, because they realize that at that moment, they don’t have a problem.
Wow, right? Powerful stuff.
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Now I would like to finish this post with a quote from a book I read last year entitled: Eat, Pray, Love
Groceries, you need to learn how to select your thoughts just the same way you select what clothes you’re gonna wear every day. This is a power you can cultivate. If you want to control things in your life so bad, work on the mind. That’s the only thing you should be trying to control. Drop everything else but that. Because if you can’t learn to master your thinking, you’re in deep trouble forever. ~ Eat, Pray, Love
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I Believe in Signs. Do you?
I have been going through a bit of a rough patch these past few weeks. Overwhelmed and unable to cope, I began to meditate (again), and speak with my Higher Power. I have also been asking for a sign.
Well, it looks like I got what I asked for. A sign because the following email from Cheryl Richardson was waiting for me in my email inbox this morning.
“When you pour your heart out to someone in an email and they in turn use it against you and/or make fun of you, this reveals more about them than you.” This is what my therapist said to me during our session on Saturday.
Anyway…
If you do not believe in the power of meditation, mantras as well as speaking with your Higher Power, whoever your Higher Power may be, well then sadly, you are missing out on some pretty amazing shit. If you call on your Higher Power and ask for help, be patient, listen, and the answers will come to you in the most surprising ways.
A long time ago, a spiritual person told me to write my wants and put them out there. Write them down, no matter how trivial or how impossible they may seem, and wait to see what happens. Since that time, I have done just that and most of them have materialized in some form or another. After my therapy session on Saturday, I wrote down my list of wants to which I keep adding as more wants occur to me. That said, please don’t assume my *wants* are material objects like money, fancy jewels or the like – far from it.
I fully believe that by doing the work (meditation/prayer), as well as owning and accepting MY FAULTS and WRONG DOING, the only possible outcome is a positive one.
In light of the recent events, I have owned what is mine, but I cannot control or make the other party involved own what is theirs. The unspoken party can lay all the blame at my feet, but as my Therapist says, blame is projection and denial means “Don’t Even Know I am Lying“. Considering the web of lies and deceit the party involved has spun, I am astounded by the fact he/she is playing the role of victim. I guess it’s true what they say, “Denial. It’s not just a river in Egypt.” I don’t understand how anyone as devious as this person can claim nolo contendere. It boggles the mind. It is really sad because said party runs a greater risk of repeating his/her actions again in the future (and as my therapist says, will be better at it each time). Only those who accept their faults and admit wrong doing can welcome growth and in turn change. As for me, well I have owned the role I played in all of this, as documented by my Therapist, and now I am focusing on growth.
Do you remember that scene in The Godfather when Don Corleone says to his son Michael, “Listen, whoever comes to you with this Barzini meeting, he’s the traitor. Don’t forget that.”
Well if I may amend that a bit: Whoever screams his/her (supposed) innocence the loudest, is the guilty party. And believe you me, the other party involved is screaming!!!!
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In closing, start and end your day with a Mantra and see how you feel.
I have the following two mantras taped to my bathroom mirror. The first one I found and modified the second I created with my Therapist.
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*I love and respect myself. I honor my light and forgive my shadow. I allow myself to see myself as my Higher Power does. I am loved.*
I also have this mantra taped to my mirror:
*I am letting go of my past and am focusing on myself.*
Girl for Animal Liberation 