Cutting Edge: The Calling

A few weeks ago my podiatrist shared a fascinating anecdote with me during a routine office visit.  We love to have our chats together and. on this particular day, I found myself immensely inspired by something he told me. 


It seems the doc was having a meal alone one evening in a restaurant when he was invited by an acquaintance to join him and four other friends at another table.  Now the interesting thing about this is that the five gentlemen who were sitting together were all very conservative in their beliefs and my podiatrist leans way in the other direction.  


The subjects discussed by the group during the lengthy conversation which took place  that evening were religion and politics...a red flag zone if ever I'd heard one.  But the doc told me that just as the conversation opened, he announced that he does not argue religion or politics.  He just discusses them in order to understand others' points of view.  

 
I was intrigued as I heard his no arguing stipulation and wondered how the conversation had evolved after he made that statement.  With the most delighted demeanor,  the doc informed me that the conversation that ensued (with him on one side and the five gentlemen on the other) had been enlightening and stimulating and gentlemanly in tone.  And, as the doc departed the gathering one and a half hours later, he was informed by group members that he had presented thoughts and ideas they had never considered before.  



Wow...I thought.  And WOW again!


What a profound result had occurred that day from the very sincere declaration of the doc, "I don't argue religion or politics." 

I wondered...
What if no one "argued" religion or politics...or anything else for that matter?  What if we talked to each other to learn about what others believe and why and how their beliefs have affected their lives? What if we listened to what others said without feeling threatened or intimidated?  What if we had nothing to prove and, possibly, something to learn from hearing other points of view?


The world would surely be a very different place than the way it is right now.  It would more closely resemble a gathering of curious scholars and philosophers than often being the hotbed it is of arguments and disputes that sometimes culminate in unrest, injury and violence.


Why do we have a need to compel or persuade others to "see things our way"?  Why is it so threatening to us that others reject our beliefs?  Why do we need to see OUR ideas prevail? And why are some of us sometimes willing to inflict mental, emotional or physical injury on those who do not share our views?  

Have we not come to this earthly dimension to learn, to experience, to discover for ourselves what there is to know?  And are we not gifted with the company and comradeship of other earth travelers who are also here to discover FOR THEMSELVES what there is to know? Why argue with each other when everyone has been given this same calling?  Why not stay open to learning what has been noticed, accepted, embraced and assimilated by others and try to understand what they have learned that has felt so important and appealing to them?


"I do not argue.  I discuss so I can understand."  

 
Can you imagine the wealth of sharing and mutual support that would take place if every man clearly embraced his highest calling "to understand"...perhaps one of the most powerful and needed changes that could ever occur on our planet!


                                       Marie Helena


image from pinterest.com

Masquerade

Deepak Chopra,world renowned mind-body connection guru, tells us that "All great changes are preceded by chaos."

It is only when our usual, predictable methods of handling our life problems FAIL and we are feeling LOST that we step outside the box and search for new inspiration regarding how to reframe the issues and, thereby, change our perspective, our beliefs and ultimately our feelings.  

This point in time is extremely valuable to usbecause without the turmoil and tumult...without the agitation and frustration of the chaos... we would keep doing what has always worked for us...

we would ride the high...

but we would stop growing.

And that is why we need to BLESS these moments.  The Divine Universe is sensing we are READY for the next cutting-edge change in our life.  It has upped the ante, sizing us up as capable of dealing with the distress and, even more importantly,  capable of making it work in our favor.

In Alberto Villoldo's COURAGEOUS DREAMING he gives us an inspired suggestion regarding how to change the story we are telling ourselves about the chaos.

Villoldo says we tend to see ourselves in one of three roles:  victim, rescuer or perpetrator. 

If, however, we can vacate these roles and fly instead to the spiritual level of eagle in our version of the story...we can successfully REFRAME its significance...how it affects us...and what we are able to learn about ourselves.

If the chaos we are experiencing makes us feel victimized...

if the fallout of the crisis feels personal...

know that it IS personal but it is not meant as an attack on us...

it is a personal, unique-to-us  OPPORTUNITY to reach deep inside and find the strength and resilience to transcend the experience and find within ourselves the courage...the creativity...and the conviction to see the bigger picture and to nurture a character trait that we have not yet developed.

What brings  us angst, fear, distress, frustration... ALSO brings us the very  powerful occasion for transcendence and release from that suffering.

Chaos is the ultimate MASQUERADE.  What looks like pandemonium  is, in reality, a perfect strategy.

An always-brilliant plan to help us evolve  into the Next, Grandest Version of Ourselves...from the highest state-of-the-art personal development bureau, The Divine Universe!

                                       Marie Helena

                                                                        

image from ayrerabbitry.webs.

Barking Up the Wrong Tree

ENERGY IS ABUNDANT.

All that we seek can be experienced and created from tapping into the infinite source within. 

When we forget about this we find ourselves in conflict with others as we attempt to get energy from interactions instead of THE SOURCE.  

Peace begins with each of us choosing to tap in and turn on ourselves.  Then showing up fully energized we share and amp up our collaborations and fun.

Meredith Murphy 

Ever hear the saying you're barking up the wrong tree?  That's what Meredith Murphy is talking about here and it's something we all like to do.

We go to others to get our energy amped up.  

We have some pretty high hopes and expectations regarding the experience we would like to have and when the interchange or encounter doesn't deliver what we desire, we are VERY unhappy and we feel sure that "the other guy" dropped the ball and let us down.

What's wrong with this assumption?

"The other guy" isn't here to read the lines we write for him or tell us how great we are doing.   Oh, no.  He's got his own drama going and, like us, he's smack dab in the middle of it. 

What's really happening is a conglomeration of endless dramas, many of them intersecting...each one is of primary importance to the show's principal character.  That's you and me and everyone else.  All of us.  WE are the principal character in our own drama.  It's the human condition.

And, as the principal character on this vivid earth-stage we need to ascertain the fountainhead of our own strength.  And we needn't look far.  All that we have to do is focus on the Divine, Infinite Source within us to find the juice...the power...the energy ,as Meredith Murphy says, to tap into and turn on ourselves.

And it's a tremendous relief to be our own Life Force.   There is no question about getting connected.  No waiting,  No anxiety about being left behind.

And there is no judging or blaming others.

It's a matter of recognizing and taking responsibility for what we are designed to do.  We are Divinely connected.  Our Higher Self is ever-present and is just waiting for the opportunity to guide and serve us.

THAT'S  the right tree to climb and the view is SPECTACULAR from the highest branches.   Up there we have oceans of energy for all of the adventures we have only imagined and, once we access this treasure, we can enter into all the vignettes of our life prepared for full engagement.

                       Marie Helena 

image from georgeideasandconcepts.blogspot.com

The Lotus

 

“If you can see yourself as an artist, and you can see your life as your own creation, then why not create the most beautiful story for yourself?”

don Miguel Ruiz

Take a quiet journey back in time and ponder the artist palette of your childhood.  In those moments you painted the picture of your life with bold, splashy colors and magical dreams.  Everything seemed possible, just awaiting your attention.  Even though the constraints of time have moved you into more grown up circumstances, the vibrancy and joy of your innocence still see so clearly the beautiful spirit you are.

Perhaps your image has been dusted with weariness or tarnished with unresolved pain.  But the child/spirit/artist in you knows your beauty and worth. 

So bring that sense of adventure and vibrancy into your story.  Make something beautiful in your imagination.  Visualize the exquisite LOTUS, a symbol of rebirth and transformation which blooms perfectly pristine even from the murkiest of waters.

YOU are the radiant lotus emerging so brilliantly from the complications and adversity of the world.  

                                     Marie Helena

“Every artist dips his brush in his own soul, and paints his own nature into his pictures.”

                           Henry Ward Beecher

Lotus image from pinterest

Codependency, the White Horse Syndrome and True Love

  Let's face it.  Most of us have some degree of codependency (we are mega-affected by the feelings of people around us, and, especially, by their feelings toward us).  

If we bring up an idea or express an emotion that does not sit well with someone and that person seems unsettled or disapproving, we are NOT OK.  Our state of well-being DEPENDS on what someone else thinks about us and our actions.  This state of affairs can produce in us a feeling of disappointment, of sadness and, most importantly, of powerlessness.  


And the fact is we have unknowingly GIVEN our power away.  

We do this by placing every person in our lives on a white horse...in our imagination, that is (and we all know how powerful our imaginations can be).  Everyone knows what people on white horses do...they are the heroes who say and do all the "right" things.  They are busy prancing around on their masterful white steeds bringing happiness and peace to everyone around them.

That's in our version of a "perfect world".  But what happens if the figure on the white horse does or says something that is not what we would like to hear...what we think will make us feel better about ourselves?


 
Disappointment.  That's what happens.   All because we EXPECTED white horse behavior.

 

We expected it because that's what white horse riders do...BUT we have given this assignment to others WITHOUT their knowledge or consent.  And we have assigned this task to others because we have been wounded and want and need to heal our pain.  We have experienced some dysfunction in our lives such as failing to learn to trust ourselves for the answers we seek.  We have missed the all important message that WE have the capacity to heal ourselves, that WE possess that power.  And because we have not developed that belief in ourselves, we look OUTSIDE of ourselves and expect others to heal our hurts.  


We are making a misdiagnosis here and it is something we agreed to do long ago on a soul level so that we can travel the path of discovery and find our way back to the source of our authentic power.  We may not yet believe this fact but that doesn't mean it isn't so.

 
The answer to the conundrum of the white horse syndrome lies in true love.  In the state of true love, we accept others unconditionally.  Attaining this, of course, involves a good deal of experience and learning but when we are ready and able to aspire and eventually exist in this state, we no longer expect everyone around us to take care of us by soothing us with gentle, approving, affirming statements.  We see clearly that we are all foot soldiers, embarked on our own adventures and we love all others unconditionally, regardless of their behavior toward us.  

 
And, when we give this same beautiful, unconditional caring also to ourselves, WE no longer expect to be perfectly happy, satisfied and affirmed at all times.  We accept OUR humanity, including our missteps and misperceptions and the consequences of these actions.  As fellow foot soldiers, alongside our compatriots, we know that we, too, journey through the adventure of discovering where our true power lies...in our own self-approval.  When we have done something we approve of, we do not need anyone else to affirm us.  Deep within our hearts, WE affirm ourselves. And when we look back at something we have done that has not worked well for us, we OWN that "adventure" and learn from it as a part of everyman's (and, in this case, our) journey.

 
Let us all consider adjusting our range of view from holding an expectation about our white horse saviors and, instead, moving our loving gaze to ourselves and our fellow journeymen on foot who are all in the business of recognizing and enjoying their authentic power and, therefore, their ascendancy to their true Spirit selves.


                                                                                           

                                             Marie Helena

                                                      

  image from  pinterest