Tag Archives: Self Acceptance
Acceptance is key…
I spent the weekend pondering on what topic to write about. I kept picking up my computer and then just putting it down. I ask for guidance and the word that kept popping up in my head was “Acceptance”.
Michelle and I filmed Video 4 in our Clairvoyant Living Series this weekend (watch for the post) and while we were preparing to film, we started talking and lo and behold the discussion of acceptance came up, there too.
Now acceptance is a really big word. When you hear the word what do you think of?
Do you think of accepting others, acceptance of gifts, compliments and possibly acceptance of another’s point of view. How many think of you think of it, in relation to ones self???
Let me start at the beginning…
For many of us our collective purpose is that of growth and healing. We seek guidance and advice, spend much of our life contemplating what we learn and reveal about ourselves. All this in the search for enlightenment. We see our faults and set out to change or correct them. We become focused on becoming a “better” person. We embark on a journey of change and dissection.
We dissect our personalities, categorizing our faults and our attributes into sections to be evaluated. Many times we will see areas that need to be enhances, supported or tamed down. Sometimes we even find things we don’t want to find. These things, these character flaws or errors of omissions we try to look over and not shed any real light on, are there. We think we should fix them…find out why we do what we do, why they are there. We try to unearth the wrong in our life that created this bleep in our path. We struggle with the dark that we find and try to overcompensate with extra good.
All this is part of the process that each one us encounter along our path of personal growth…or personal enlightenment. Many will spend their entire life trying to correct or fix things that they uncover that they feel do not meet the criteria of being the person they think they should be.
So…acceptance…where am I going with this? There comes a point in all of our lives that we need to stop what we are doing and accept who we are. All of who we are. Accept the beauty that is you.
Acceptance does not mean we are no longer working on improvement… rather it allows us the permission to be who we are. When we can love the person we are today in this very moment, this moment is the moment that true change and growth can actual begin to happen. Accepting ourselves our beauty, our faults, this is the biggest step forward we can ever take.
When we stop comparing ourselves to someone else or some other ideal and accept who we are and where we have been, then we can really look at the things we have not liked to look at. Look at them with a clearer view of what those attributes and traits were put into place for. Were they for survival? Wer they for defense, was put into place to prevent us from making a mistake we made once before in our past (current or past life)? We cannot change what was or has already been done…we can however look at the situation or experiences for what they were, the purpose… and know that this trait or attribute no longer serves us. We can then accept the past for what it was… knowing full well that it has helped to create the person you are today. Move forward with love and acceptance of yourself, this will enable you to let go of that which no longer fits your plan or your path. Sometimes experience is the best lesson in life…we learn from that which we personally experience and walk through. The key is knowing when and what you can let go of and leave behind you going forward.
Acceptance…is the key to love…unconditional love. To have it and to give it you must take the first step in accepting yourself.
Happy Monday.
Namaste~
Video 3 in the Clairvoyant Living Series – Meditation
The fool….
April 1st, known as April fools day or All fools day.
I feel that for the most of my life I have tried to stay away from being the fool or being considered the fool. Just the word “fool” seemed to hold such negative connotations for me. After looking at what my perception of the “fool” has been growing up and then now looking at the purpose and meaning of the “fool’ in the tarot my opinion has greatly shifted. Let me share with you what would be known as the traditional meaning of the word fool, as well as it’s meaning and representation in my favorite Tarot deck Shadowscapes.
To begin I will once again reference the good old Merriam Webster dictionary…
Fool
Definition of FOOL
- those fools who ride motorcycles without wearing helmets
- Only a fool would ask such a silly question.
- You’d be a fool to believe what he tells you.
- You’re making yourself look like a fool.
To start off I like the thought of being one that is lacking in judgement or prudence. Doesn’t say I have none… just lacking and I think we could all do a little better with removing “Certain” judgemental behaviors (I will keep the good ones like discernment). The rest of them sound created out of fear. Fear of seeing someone doing something that seems to them as making no sense. The label of fool easily becomes negative, since no one wants to be labeled a victim. The words common powers of understanding screams someone who is thinking outside the norm! And then they throw in examples like…a dancing fool…what is wrong with dancing? Lets just cut through the PC tape and say what we mean Merriam Webster… A fool is someone who we (the collective) are confused by. They do not follow the common train of thought. They are wildly unpredictable and seem to really enjoy being their own person. We are afraid of the lack of control the fool seems to exhibit. The fool does not fear the unknown…he does not fear anything.
Now…here is the Shadowscape definition of the Fool in the Tarot deck.
Meaning: The Fool is a symbol for new beginnings and adventures, pleasure, passion, thoughtless and rash. Like the Fool, you may stand upon the precipice gazing out into the unknown; and there is either an oblivious foolishness to the terrible plunge you may experience, or else a wild spirit of adventure and great faith and knowledge in that which can and will bear you up and guide through the times to come. There are unlimited possibilities opening up for the seeker.
I long to be the fool….
To take that infamous step and have faith that all is right. Today I am going to channel my inner fool. We all have one in there! In honor of All fools day I will be but a fool, even if it is for one day. One day may lead to two…two..to three. Today I will remove the layers of programing (or at least attempt to let them fall) I will let my heart and my spirit lead me throughout the day.
I do find it interesting that the Fool (all fools day) occurs during the Aries sun sign. Both represent the beginning… All beginnings require faith and trust…to be the first there has to be some sense of wild adventure and belief in the universe as well as oneself and a higher power.
Happy April fools day… embrace your inner child today, you know the one that allows you to be fool hearty and fearless!
Namaste~
Are you in control of your emotions… or are your emotions in control of you?
Thump…thump…thump…thump…
I hear it…do you?
The pumping…thumping…pounding
beating rhythm of a heart…my heart.
Edgar Allen Poe is running through my thoughts right now…
He was always a favorite poet and story-teller of mine, when I was younger. He seemed to be able to describe in such great detail the depth of pain a heart could cause or hold.
Think about it…an organ, a magnificent body organ that works in harmony with our brain to keep us alive.
That is all it is right…an organ.
But is it? I am afraid not. Even though it is an organ, this beautiful construction has the capacity to make us feel,and hold emotions. Some that are in the moment and many that no longer serve us.
Even a simple rhythm in a song can trigger and recreates an emotional reaction…
a longing in the heart. Just as the tempo shifts our thoughts and feelings begin to change as well. We react like the strings attached to a marionette.
Are you in control of your emotions…or are your emotions in control of you?
What emotion do you lead with? In your daily life…your exchanges, are you leading with your heart? What does this mean to you? Are you able to tell the difference between the two? Can you tell if you are leading or being lead? Do you see the potential difference?
I have fond myself at times in a an emotional circle… Where I have experienced something that left a very strong emotional reaction/impact on my heart… Instead of working through it and looking for the lesson…breaking down the experience, and removing judgment of self and others…I wallow.
Let me say for a minute here that there is a great difference between , feeling an emotion, letting it run its course and wallowing. It is really important to feel the emotion and move through it. Coming out on the other side is important. If you don’t process it…it can become you.
Leading with emotion is not always bad…as with pretty much anything I write about it is about balance. I find it hard to fixate on a black and white type of answer or society. everything happens for a reason and everything that needs to happen will. It is how we come at things… what emotion or stance we hold going into a situation can give it a completely different outcome. It all goes back to the fact that we have choices and lessons in this life time… how we get to our destination is determined by us. Some choices and lessons will take faster than others and some will move slower. How you get there is up to you. We need to learn to look within ourselves and see what our motivation or agenda is at any given time.
Some will say that they do not live from agenda and that they have reached the highest of vibrations… Great… I don’t necessarily believe that this happens very often. This physical life of ours is full of twists and turns. We live equally in ego and spirit… to do this we encounter the effects of both. All I want for all of us is to open our minds and our hearts to our intentions. Understand ourselves and why we chose left and not right. Learn from our choices and our reactions. Don’t just be a game piece in your life, live it, be an active participant of the internal life as well as your external.
It is possible to coast through and let ourselves be led through the experiences in our current life time…but why? Why wouldn’t we want to be an active participant in our choices? Relish in the beauty of it, the joy…sure there is pain as well…but through the pain we always have the potential for growth. Expansion…in awareness of who we are and who we were meant to be.
So as we embark on this confusing spring season (yes confusing) engage your heart and chose neutrality in most all your outward interactions. Why do I say confusing? I seem to be getting the message that each season this year holds a year of seasons within it. Each primary season magnified by its matching season within it, but also having traits and mirroring all the other seasons as well. 2013 is proving to be very unique, fast and exciting all at the same time. Again I compare it to a time warp… a worm hole in the universe, providing an express lane to the next lesson.
The biggest reminder is to live from your heart, that incrediable organ holds the key to your continued growth. This chakra has been preparing for a very long time to help take on the power needed to infuse the rest of your energy centers. All you need to do is open it up, air it out, let the blood pump through and trust that this is the new direction for all.
Hold on and enjoy the ride. Happy spring.
Namaste~
Time to learn to swim with the current, not against it…
I think what I am learning that right now…is we need to really dig into the old wounds. Peel back the scab that avoidance has formed and really dig at the root of the issue.
Just the thought of it is painful, uncomfortable and downright unpleasant. Yes…I know it’s a disgusting image. This imagery is in place to keep us away. We want to avoid and that avoidance lets the scab form. Contrary to what we have been told about picking scabs…in this instance picking at the scab will not leave a scare. Quite the opposite. Finding the cause will remove the cover up as well as the potential scare tissue and help us move forward.
I feel pretty confident that now is the time to move forward. Unearthing the issue we have avoided or let “scab” over will help us to see clearer the direction we are meant to go….the direction however that we go in will not be as easy as it could be when we carry our untreated wounds. Doing this will feel like you are going up hill instead of traveling forward on a level plain. Why is it important? Just think of all the energy we will or would have if we didn’t need to carry all the scars with us. We would be able to focus and manifest that much the clearer and faster.
In the spirit of the Pisces new moon, lets swim with the current not against it right now. If you feel like it is nothing but currents and you’re not getting where you are want to be…maybe you are dragging too much with you. Are you even aware of what you are holding on to? Are you holding on out of habit? Does it serve you or even matter anymore?
Much of the internal resistance we are feeling right now is in conjunction with mercury being in retrograde…it seems to be having more of an internal effect on us this time, instead as much externally. As we near the 17th of March, the fog will start to clear…things will begin to make more sense again. Now is the perfect time to just sit with your thoughts.
Take time in the next few days to show appreciation for your perseverance. Applaud yourself for what you have accomplished…how far you have come. This has been a new time…a fast time. Energetically things are shifting quicker than ever before. In all the haste of change we need to be reminded to stop and show ourselves appreciation (no matter how small) it is VERY important. I am reminded of a song from The Rocky Horror Picture Show…Time warp…the thing is…we are all doing the time warp right now. Everything is moving, quickly. The saying “Thoughts become things”…takes on a new importance…as it becomes a more urgent reminder to focus on the positive.
So how are we to pick off the scabs and remain positive you ask? Remain NEUTRAL, this is the key. Some of those old wounds have been festering for a very long time, so it’s not always easy to do this. The energetic charge we are all carrying right now tells me that we have the power, right now, to take this stand. It is what is necessary and all that’s standing in our way is the shadow of fear. Fear from our past attempts…and the events themselves. Just remember that spirit does not lead us to something that it thinks we are not equip to handle.
The time right now, is to center ourselves and run our energy…
Pull in a a beautiful light of spirit…a white iridescent glow that is rich in love, warmth, wisdom and strength.
Trust this light. Let it fill you.
Fill you with the strength and courage you need to rip the “bandage” off and air out what we have kept covered. Then Breathe deeply, and with each breath know that you are not alone, you are never alone and
Release..release…and release.
Then fill in with all that you desire…no doubts how it will all be achieved… Just believe.
Trust that the picture is bigger than you could ever imagine.
Know that love is the ultimate goal.
Remove self judgement and allow things to unfold.
Step into your light body, and allow yourself to feel the warmth. Bask in it.
Breathe in the inspiration that surrounds you.
The task at hand is more about exposing the wound… Acknowledging it. Thanking it in a sense for the lessons you have learned from it, and then letting it know that it is no longer serving you. It’s original purpose is no longer needed…the protection or reminder has been replaced with a new understanding. An understanding of who you are and why. Love now fills the space where the scab once was. Love will replace the void, the regret, the pain. If this were a card game Love would ultimately heal and trump all. Play the love card on you self.
The beauty of love is that once you give it, you release it…you are automatically filled with more. The more you give the more you recieve…it is endless.
Remember Love =more love….
Namaste~
Patience + Acceptance + Balance = Harmony
I have been thinking a lot about patience and acceptance lately.
The practice of patience is truly all about balance and practice, and practice makes perfect…right? Perfection can be quite a tall order. An aspiration I actually don’t think I wish to obtain.
The challenge of accepting where we are at currently in the big scope of our lives requires patience. So often we are overly focused on what we believe to be “needs” like; what needs to be done, what we need to complete, what we need to say, where we need to be. We lose focus on the beauty of what is. Some would say that it is best to live life to the fullest each and every day….others would say that a life in that direction is a wasted life, and others yet would say we should never lose sight of what was, and learn from our mistakes.
Well…Let’s see… A recent conversation in one of my workshops kind of addresses this. We were talking about being aware, learning to understand things that come up within our introspection. The conversation shifted on the discussing the importance of balancing our past our present and our future. We talked about how important it is to come to the understanding that the acceptance of all three is critical, for we cannot have one without the other. You also cannot live solely out the perspective of just one of them.
Let me see if some examples will help.
Dwellers of the past
Tend to be regretful, remorseful, and long for what was. Constantly tell stories of how things used to be. Have a really hard time accepting change as well as technology. Their minds tend to be set on predetermined or based off of pre-lived experiences only. Dwellers of the past are not always fun to be around because they tend to be slightly pessimistic and can seem stuck in life (as if they are not moving forward). Living solely from this frame of mind and you will not move forward, life will stay where it is.
Dwellers of the present
Tend to live just in the now. They can sometimes seem the life of the party, always having fun, taking nothing serious. they are fun to be around for periods of time. They can at times lead reckless lives. Never plan for anything. Eventually this focus will either keep them on the proverbial treadmill of life always in motion but really never going anywhere or staying just where they are. Living solely from this frame of mind you will eventually put yourself in the past. To stand steadfast in one place will eventually put you in the past and no longer in the present. Nothing living stands still, stops moving or growing.
Dwellers of the Future
Tend to be living always for tomorrow. Constantly focused on what can be. Focused on what will happen when… They can appear dreamy and unrealistic. They are often caught thinking about the what if’s in life. Coming up with ideas only to come up with a new one or another one. Always wanting to share the latest and greatest plan. Dreamers and visionaries, they are very inspiring people. They believe anything is possible, however they are always planning and never really seem to accomplish what they set out to accomplish (for the plan is always changing, before they even start it). Living with your site always on whats ahead of you, doesn’t allow you to enjoy what you have, or what you learn. To constantly think of a new way or better way forces you to never step forward in the physical form ( and that is what we are a physical of energy).
The goal I am sure you can already see is to find balance. To live with the past and in the present to create a new future. We need to be patient with our growth, our lives, and where we are along our path of life. Within the patience we need acceptance. We need to accept where we are, as well as all that is that makes us different. It is a constant focus this balance of acceptance of our past self, present self as well as the future self. Each essence as important as the other. Understanding that any one alone in excess would be dangerous.
Ultimately the key is balance, not shutting out or off a facet of ourselves. Everything in our life is about balance. Patience is no different…the key to patience is balance as well. Knowing when too much turns in to apathy and indifference and when not enough invokes arrogance and righteousness.
Eventually, acceptance of what is and patience in what is to be, creates harmony. Harmony within our spirits and our souls. We become active participants in our lives, we no longer focus on the past or blame others. We learn to assume ownership in our growth, our successes, failures and our enrichment.
What comes to you when you think of patience and acceptance?
I would love to hear!
Namaste~