I am so glad you decided to continue along the path of this amazing journey incorporating the Marian traditions to assist you after reading Part I of this blog series.
This path is a shift in consciousness. It will raise your awareness and lift you out of the false reality you have accepted as truth for far too long. It is dimensional, layered with deeper understandings as you evolve and progress. It is a way of looking at life and the experiences within it in an entirely new light. Of course it is not new, it is not a mystical nor ancient secret. It is your inner wisdom returned to you, guiding you and assisting you while you are on this journey. Take your time, embrace the process and simply breathe. Here we go.
Most likely it is the sorrowful heart that has lead you to this door. That sorrow can feel like anxiety, panic, depression, fear, grief, abandonment, isolation, betrayal, anger or any other of the many sorrowful emotions we as humans experience. It could have been a desire to make a shift in awareness and consciousness. That desire could have been prompted by a feeling of spiritual emptiness, disconnection, or maybe a feeling of general discontent.
You might be surrounded by a loving family and good friends while living in a beautiful home with all the accessories and still feel empty, lost. It is through these feelings that we will once again feel alive and connected, part of something greater than ourselves. It is through these feelings and this sorrow that the light will enter healing and transforming you.
Believe it, embrace it, allow it. It is time.
Right now in this moment I want you sit still. Notice your physical sensations. Try to stay out of your head and go deeply into your body.
What are you feeling?
What are the sensations you feel?
This might be a bit of a challenge as most of us try to keep as busy as possible to avoid these sensations. I want you to go straight in, open up, take a deep belly breath and feel your body's response to life! It could be shear panic or that chronic undertone of anxiety and sadness. It could be seething anger or grief beyond imagination.
Allow it, feel it, bring it front and center. Let your body tremble with the flood of emotion, collapse, scream, cry, run. Embrace it, welcome it while you allow our body to respond in the present moment. These aren't simply words or casual advice. This is a requirement. Without doing this you will not be able to make the spiritual connections you will need to proceed beyond this pain for the full experience of pure joy and true transformation. You are your most valued guide. You know your body, your mind and your heart as well as your limitations. There are those who cannot and should not attempt this process alone or without the encouragement and support of a professional. If you know this would be an overwhelming task then don't do it! You deserve to heal without further devastation. Hold off and seek a guide to accompany you on this journey. You may need to knock on more than one door to find the loving witness you deserve. Patient perseverance! This process can be a journey in itself. Trust that you will find the one who was destined to help you.
Traditionally in the presence of this level of suffering and pain we run, we hide, we numb, we do anything and everything not to feel it. We drink, smoke, take prescriptions, gamble, shop – anything to get through the day and many times to get through the darkness of night.
I am not an advocate of suffering! There are times when we have fallen so far into the hole that we need help getting out. Sometimes that help is a prescription – take it! If you are not functioning, if your pain is pushing you to the outer limits of your tolerance then take it.
For others it is in the presence of this suffering and pain where we draw upon our spiritual connections and anchors. A suffering heart can therefore lead us directly to our spiritual beginnings.
Follow! Connect!
When you are in this abyss of pain there is a portal that is opened. A portal to our spiritual guides. I often wonder if this is the purpose of pain and suffering. How often do we think about our guides, our spiritual beginnings, our Creator when life is sweet? Do we stop in the side of the road or take a moment from our daily tasks to sit in the stillness of wonder and amazement? We may visit our Temple, Church or Mosque weekly but are we truly present in the moment, are we truly connected? Or are we fulfilling an obligation, a religious requirement, a social expectation? It is typically in the depths of pain and despair that spiritual connection is strongest. Was this the plan all along – create a wound, an entry way for transformation and illumination? Is there no other path leading us there?
It does seem that there are relatively few people walking on this planet that have been able to reach transformation and illumination without pain and suffering. I am not one of them.
It is only when I am in my darkest hour that I reach for my prayer beads or turn to prayerful meditation in my silent scream for spiritual assistance and connection.
Once there I am able to open my suffering heart and embrace my pain and despair, connect to my ancestors, to the saints and to the angels. I find the love and comfort of God here in this pit, this desperate emptiness bringing me to the place of light and illumination. I don't often like what I am shown here.
When reality is illuminated we are faced with painful choices. It isn't over because we have connected but rather it has just begun. Those people who are able to maintain this consciousness on a daily basis without the presence of pain and suffering have evolved to a place of highly developed spiritual maturity. This is not to imply that they don't have the experience of pain and suffering – they do. But the decisions they make are based in illuminated truth and not in the darkness of fear.
They see life from the roof of the building and not the first floor. This perspective allows them to avoid pain and suffering with self discipline and self imposed deprivation. Not masochistic deprivation but rather a mature postponement. This postponement is guided by an internal wisdom of truth and knowing. How often have we made decisions knowing we are settling, we are lowering our standards, we are acquiescing all to avoid negative feelings? There are those who know this will only bring us pain and suffering in the future. They opt for a mild discomfort in the moment to avoid a potentially catastrophic situation in the future. And when the choice is not theirs, when permission is not granted for pain yet life intrudes with tragedy they rest in the arms of truth, of wisdom and knowing that there is a plan here greater than themselves. They know they are faced with this not only for their growth and benefit but also for the growth and benefit of those in their lives that will witness their experience and therefore be impacted by it.
By walking in the light of truth and wisdom they are able to transform their pain and suffering, transcend it and experience it with the support of Spirit.
This comfort and transnational energy is available to us as well! All that is required is a request. We simply need to sit still and ask. We can open our sorrowful heart to the light of an illuminated heart through daily spiritual connection anchoring ourselves to our spiritual beginnings.
In this process we can reach a higher level of consciousness, an awareness that we are not simply housing a soul in our bodies but rather that our soul is housing a body. Let that sink in for a moment. We are not a body with a small soul hidden somewhere deep inside. We do not possess a contained soul with a dry erase board on it adding black marks each time we commit an infraction against our fellow journeyman. Our souls are too vast to be contained. Our souls extend out well beyond our bodies connecting us to higher levels of awareness and being. This is the awareness of the glorious heart. This is the awareness of God. This is the shift in consciousness. In this shift we become a vessel of love and light. Our focus shifts to truth, beauty and goodness. The more frequently we practice this consciousness the more we want to live it, be it and share it!
I am a big fan of Gary Craig. He talks about this energy as the Unseen Therapist. Who is the unseen therapist … God … the spiritual healer that lives inside all of us. Again, this does not imply you will not require the assistance of a therapist or coach, or that prescriptions, herbs or supplements, acupuncture or the like will be unnecessary, or that surgery will be avoided as your appendix is bursting. What it does imply is that within each of us is access to spiritual wisdom, insight and strength. Accessing it is uncomfortable and following it's guidance can be even more so. Yet doing so will illuminate these wounds and allow connection, guidance, acceptance and healing.
We may not initially embrace what is discovered. It may actually take years to illuminate and embrace this pain and distress. Doing so will lead us to the glorious heart. This heart is witness to miracles and to those events and outcomes we cannot explain. It can only do so in an illuminated state. It is here where hope, trust and faith thrive. So take the time to sit still.
This can be accomplished alone, with a partner, with a therapist, with a coach, in a group, through yoga, meditation, mindfulness, prayer or in simple stillness. The answers you seek, the guidance you desire are already there. You already have the answer, the ability to heal. It is more often the abandonment of strength and courage that holds us back. Fear, shame or disbelief create havoc and inner conflict casting doubt and shadows over truth and wisdom. Hope, trust and faith are often the first to be hidden in these shadows. This is a critical point in the healing process and more often than not requires a loving witness, someone to validate not only your experience but also your truth. Reach out for that witness. The validation will ground you, give you a sense of support and reinforce your worth, value and being. By being I mean your right to exist, your right to be connected to both your spiritual family as well as your earthly family, your right to the full experience of this journey.
This process will open the portal to the joyful heart. Little by little that door will open. You will once again hear the whisper of the angels, you will enjoy gentle breezes, warm sun rays, the laughter of children, and the presence of others.
Here gratitude is abundant and judgment is non-existent. You have been to the dark side of your human experience and have become aware of just how fragile life is. It is not possible to take anything for granted once you have been through the darkness. It is not possible to judge yourself or others once through those doors. T
There is a realization that each and every one of us has had or will have the experience of darkness. This realization humbles us and connects us. We start to experience oneness.
The real mystery lies in this oneness. Our pain is no longer our own, we are no longer desensitized to the pain of others. Our fear is no longer our own, we are no longer desensitized to the fear of others. Our joy is no longer our own, we become joyous hearing of the joy of others. Jealousy, envy, resentment, revenge, anger and the like wash away with the tide. You will more than likely feel them but you will not act on them nor will you allow them to visit for long. These feelings will be viewed for what they are, messages and indicators of work to be done. At this stage the work is less of a struggle and more of a familiar process. Even at this level of development guides are important and many times necessary to keep us grounded and on our path of spirituality.
This is a life long process, not simply a tool or strategy used to survive a temporary crisis.
Everyday we need to remind ourselves that we are spiritual beings having a human experience. We need to connect to that spirituality everyday not only when we are in the depths of despair. Opening up our sorrowful heart by allowing ourselves to feel the physical and emotional sensations they bring with them will allow for illumination. This illumination is a guide post for healing energies. When Gary Craig talks about the Unseen Therapist this is where that energy reveals itself. It is already within us. We are already aware of the answers, the direction we need to go. Trusting just enough to go where we are lead will open us up to the spiritual joy we are seeking. Open your heart, find your guide, listen to the whispers of the angels.
Wishing you peace and joy eternal!
Contact me today to start your journey!
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