Inner Peace | Awakening to the Dance

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TRANSFORMING THE FEAR OF CHANGE

Posted on September 14, 2011 | 8 comments

“People can’t live with change if there’s not a changeless core inside them. The key to the ability to change is a changeless sense of who you are, what you are about and what you value.” Stephen R. Covey

Fearing Change

We always have more than one choice in life. Will we give into our fears in a situation or will we find that core within us that will give us the strength and guidance to go beyond the negative choices that fear dictates? Carlos Castaneda said about difficulties, “We either make ourselves miserable, or we make ourselves strong. The amount of work is the same.”

We live in a time of enormous change and fear. The Universe, our lives, the structures of nature and government are changing and evolving. Even Facebook has just made some changes. Every time I go to the grocery store, I have to hunt for a product I have bought for years because its container has been redesigned. Our DNA is changing. Everything is evolving toward an experience of Oneness that will create a new and more cooperative world, but it sure is a pain sometimes.

At our best, we just give up and flow with what we can’t change. At our worst, we fight the change every inch of the way building a wall of useless resistance. We wonder if we will survive this. We fear the consequences because the unknown is always a scary place, unless….

Finding the Spiritual Gift of Change

How often do you consider the possibility that the changes in your life may be good? When I had to give up being a dancer, I thought, “Who am I, if not a dancer? As the years passed and I looked at who I was more deeply, I realized what a narrow definition I had given myself. I was much more than a dancer. Now, if you ask me who, I will say, “I’m a creative and spiritual person.” These aspects are part of my core.

When we choose to feel miserable about the changes in our lives, we choose to be less and see ourselves as the victim without any power. Although this may seem like the easy way out, it isn’t. Our most powerful strength is not the strength we use to fight against change; that will only defeat us. What we resist, persists. The strength that we need to develop in these changing times is unrelated to the exterior.

Awakening to the Strength of Our Spiritual Core

When we meditate or sit with Nature and escape from the external worries of our lives, we find that quiet, centered place where we connect with Spirit and our own soul, for they are One. When life is raging around us, being able to stand in a place that is peaceful allows us to make wise choices. From this place, we can release our fears, separate ourselves from the outer discord, and look within our hearts and souls for the best answers. When we choose to stand in our own inner power, we empower ourselves.

While I can’t say change never bothers me, I have learned not to fear most of it. Many times I don’t know the answer to my most current challenge, but I know that if I stay in touch with who I really am, I will find the answer. I know there are lessons in all experiences, and I know a significant experience may appear out of nowhere. I have learned to see life as a wonderful mystery and I’m willing to take the ride, even when it gets bumpy. I have had many challenging experiences in life, but whenever I have chosen to be strong rather than miserable, amazing opportunities and lessons have appeared.

What path do you choose today? What do you think about Castaneda’s comment?

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Posted in Inspirational Posts

Tagged Change, Dance of Life, Flexible Thinking, Inner Peace, Inner Strength, Release Fear, Spirituality, Transformation

AWAKENING TO THE PEACE AND WHOLENESS BEYOND FEAR

Posted on September 7, 2011 | 7 comments

Release Fear and Awaken to the Dance

Beneath every negative emotion is fear.

Every psychological fear blocks us in some way from receiving the guidance we need to find peace and know the best action to take. Without fear, we can stop saying, “What’s wrong with me?” and begin to say, “What can I learn from this experience?” Self-judgment has no value. Without it, we can reflect on a situation and gain insight and inspiration.

We all have moments when we feel we are not good enough or have handled a situation badly. Our inner critic recites the long list of our deficiencies, blaming us for every experience that did not manifest in the way we wished. We may be, in fact, very compassionate in our interactions with others, but forget to offer ourselves the same kind of consideration. To awaken to the dance of life completely, we must have this compassion for ourselves.

Wholeness, the Gift of Accepting Who We Are

One of the most profound ideas I have ever read comes from Oneness by Rasha. “Those moments when you judge yourself most harshly and in which you feel you let yourself down are the moments most deeply yearned for as a soul. For, in the moments you look back upon with regret—the ones that conjure up within you the most profound humiliation in your own eyes—are the moments for which you chose a human incarnation.” (p. 237) “And in your embracing of all that you Are—and in your acceptance of all that you are not…is the unconditional gift of wholeness that awaits you.”(p. 238)

We do not have to be perfect to be whole. If we had reached a level of consciousness where we no longer needed to learn lessons, we would not be on this earthly plain. It is our ego’s pain and feeling of lack that feeds the fear that we are not good enough. Through the fears that surface, we glimpse the shadow, that darker side of our unconscious, and we are able to see the issues we need to address.

How To Release Self-Judgment

Last week I tried to communicate with a friend by email. It was clear he had misunderstood something I said and he seemed to be avoiding the issue. I was frustrated, thinking, “What have I done wrong here?” After pacing the floor a bit, I released my fear that I had offended him and asked, “How can I best bring peace to this situation?” I felt calmer, and in a moment, a positive, light energy rose in my body, and I knew I needed to call him and arrange to talk face to face. When I called, he eagerly suggested we meet for lunch. As a result, we had a wonderful, open talk and parted with peaceful feelings toward one another.

When we find ourselves in these self-critical modes, we need to look beneath the surface issue and ask, “What is it I fear?” Then, we need to release the fear, so that our minds are not busy coping with the fear. Once we have released the fear, the mind feels clear and we can ask, “What is the best way to solve this problem?” or “How can I create peace out of this discord?”

When we do this, we shine light on our darkness. We become open to identifying the lesson we need to learn. Inner guidance will appear to guide us in the best direction. Free of fear, we are able to let go of self-judgment.

Finding Inner Peace Beneath the Fear

Evaluating and revising is a helpful learning process. We all have to explore and experiment in order to learn. Sometimes we will find the right answer; sometimes we won’t, but being afraid to try a new approach blocks our ability to learn. With these fears released, we can find solutions and awaken to the peace that lies beneath our fears. When we are able to accept all these parts of ourselves, we will experience wholeness.

What fears do you need to release? How do you find peace?

If you are interested in my upcoming “Release Your Fear” workshop on September 18 when I teach a specific technique for releasing your fear, see my Workshop page. Advanced registration is not required. All are welcome.

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