inner strength
Maybe It’s Time To Laugh At Your Irrational Fears!
Oh, how we resist changing our position. No matter the intricately noxious weaving and interlocking difficulties involved to keep our doomed boat afloat, we will often go to great lengths to preserve an illusion – most especially a cherished one.
It might be one that reeks of putrid sourness for miles on land, light years on sea, but we will do just about anything in our mortal power to remain nestled in bed with our lofty, pre-fabricated ideas we want to hold onto. Why? Because if we changed our thoughts we would have to move from our position.
Far be it from me to shout, “That ain’t gonna happen in this particular dispensation of time and space.” Needless to say, it’s impossible to teach those who need to be taught. We refuse to be shown that which will cause us to admit we are wrong! Oh, Heaven forbid the malice that befalls the messenger who would dare bring us the unwanted, uninvited tidings of intrusive release!
Furthermore, we hardly ever forgive the person who tries to disturb our lofty mansions of fragile emotional splendor, in any way. We want to remain in our idolized pink castles of inner turmoil… much to our own detriment. You know the old adage: “I can talk about how bad it is, but you better not mention a word of it to me, or anyone else.”
Yet, someday something happens. The world turns on its axis and wobbles just a wee bit, in your head. You realize, for the first time, that there are at least 100 billion stars in our galaxy, while the Milky Way is just one of 100 billion galaxies in the observable universe. Notice, the key word ‘observable’ – not to mention what lies beyond the undetectable.
The Importance Of Self-Trust
Of all the relationships in our life, none is more complicated or important than the one we have with self. And the cornerstone of this relationship is self-trust. Unfortunately, it is easy to damage the trust we place in ourselves. Why? Because all of us have or will make choices and decisions that don’t produce the desired outcome.
A relationship fails and we blame or question ourselves; a job opportunity eludes us; or a friendship fractures beyond repair. We lose self-trust when we don’t achieve a goal, whatever that goal may be. Then we may begin to question our own abilities, our dreams, and our worthiness to have them manifest in our life.
Every time we replay an event we label a failure the doubt in our own judgment and our self-worth increases. Self-confidence stems from self-trust, so the cycle can be a vicious one.
So, how can we repair self-trust? First, decide to give yourself a break. You made what you believed to be the best decision or choice in the moment. If you are saying, “No, I didn’t, I know I should have done…,” then stop and choose to forgive yourself for not trusting your instincts in that moment. Holding a grudge against yourself only assures that the pattern will repeat.
Next, decide to honor your emotions. If you have made choices and decisions that you perceive as a failure, then the tendency is to begin to substitute the opinions of others over our own intuition, desires and dreams. This pattern can lead to co-dependency, confusion and fear. Self-trust is harnessed when we follow our sacred wisdom, instead of looking outside ourselves to provide inner peace.
Spiritual Healing
Healing from a serious or chronic illness may happen under different circumstances, and it some cases it can appear fully spontaneous. Behind every healing option there is a complex process which we never fully understand.
Our mindset is however an important player in how things unfold. But it is more than just having a positive attitude—it has many facets. And since the term ‘mind’ is a more modern concept, I prefer to refer to ‘spirit,’ which encompasses the mind in all its complex depth, along with emotions and sensations.
Spiritual healing can be defined in many ways, through many traditions. It seems to me useful to talk about the effect on the person, and understand it from that point of view. An experience of any kind may be a spiritual healing process, whenever a breakthrough takes place, or a release of inner pain occurs to make room for acceptance.
This might not be a painless process, otherwise it would happen much more easily, but it is a necessary step, because it allows us to abandon a repeating loop focused on pain. As an example, I can think of someone in a dysfunctional marriage, into which much work has been invested, including some counseling or therapy, but the only thing still keeping it together is the desire to ‘not fail.’
You Could Choose Peace Instead
It is the natural order for seasons to change. This is true on a macro scale in weather systems, and on a micro scale on our soul’s journey. Life is a constant ebb and flow, and it is useless to fight against the tides. Spirit often reminds us, when we are in a difficult season, that it is simply a part of the process of change and growth.
I read the Tarot, a divination system based on universal archetypes, which can be used to see the momentum of a person’s life. The Tarot consists of many archetypes that are challenging and even represent the darker aspects of the human experience. However, these experiences are not ‘bad’ or ‘wrong.’
Too often people will get a challenging message from the Tarot and they will immediately freak out. However, all of life is meant to be embraced and we all have the ability to transcend even the most challenging of obstacles.
There are two primary factors that decrease the severity of the challenges we face in life. The first is acceptance and the second is responsibility.
Becoming ‘stressed out’ over our circumstances cannot resolve the challenges we are facing. We must accept where we are and understand that we cannot change the past. We have no power over the things that led us to this moment, or to these challenges. The only thing we can do is accept the circumstances and understand that we are the only ones that have the power to make changes in our life.
Learning To Trust The Universe
Maybe you have heard someone say you need to trust in the Universe. However, this is not always easy and learning to trust really is an art and a practice, particularly if you are going through a somewhat challenging time. Nevertheless, if you really work on your ability to do this, the results can be so rewarding. It can really benefit you to put your faith in the Universe, and here is how you do it
Surrender To The Flow
Believe in the power of Universal Love. Yes, the Universe really is unconditionally loving and indeed does have your back. Fully taking this on board, will help you to gently surrender to the Universal flow.
Adopt a daily mantra to affirm to yourself, such as, “The Universe totally supports and loves me unconditionally.” By doing so, you will be working with the Universe, to help you attract all that what you need in order to enjoy a full and abundant life, and also place yourself in a position where you can help others do the same.
The Universe should not be seen, however, as a mechanical dispensing system that dishes out a person’s wants and needs to satisfy their every whim. However, it is perfectly okay to work with the Universe to improve your life, as well as help other people do the same.
My ‘Tough Love’ Parents Raised A Strong Woman
I can remember when I was in my 20s and just starting out in life. I strived to be an adult my parents would be proud to say they raised. For some reason, my parents approval was very important to me.
I aimed to follow in my parents footsteps by getting a ‘good job’ that would support the lifestyle I wanted for myself. I also got married, bought a house, and pretty much walked the same path my parents had done.
I was raised by parents who helped us financially when they could, but never to the extreme, and only when I proved to them that I was not being wasteful with funds. They were always willing to help whenever something came up that I could not afford on my own.
I can remember being a tad jealous of my high school friends, who I still had communication with, when their parents would hand them thousands of dollars simply because they wanted a new car, or wished to go on a trip. I would watch as those friends lives were so much less stressful than mine. They had the safety net of their parents financially, as well as in many other aspects of their everyday life.
As I grew older, and my parents’ ability to support their children decreased, and eventually became non-existent when they passed, I noticed a distinct difference in myself and my friends who had parents that supported them through much of their adult life. Those friends who seemed to have everything so easy, and didn’t have to struggle as I had to, did not seem to be able to weather the storms that life sometimes throws at us.
Free Yourself With The Power Of Forgiveness
How can we possibly reconcile the feelings of anger and betrayal with a need to forgive? Are we compromising our integrity in doing so?
Forgiveness can seem like an impossibility… but it doesn’t have to be. It’s really one of the few things in life that really matters, whether it means forgiving ourselves, or someone else. It is said that allowing someone to continuously upset you, is to allow them to ‘live rent-free inside your mind.’
Others hurt us all the time. Holding on to this hurt for long periods of time can damage us physically and psychologically. And then there are those ‘little things’… like someone cutting you off in traffic, or forgetting an important date.
One thing forgiveness does not do, is make us forget the source of the pain. What it does is allow a reconciliation with what happened, and allows us to move on in a productive way. When you were a child, perhaps you got hurt with a hot stove burner or electrical outlet. You didn’t (hopefully) spend the rest of your life being angry at stoves or electrical outlets! This is basically how forgiveness also works. We can acknowledge that someone or something caused us to hurt, and be aware of how that happened, but still move past it and get on with our lives.
Holding on to anger and bitterness will color all your relationships, until you learn to forgive and let go. If, for example, you ended a toxic relationship and decided to start dating again, you might not be able to fully trust, because of the possibility of reliving that pain. A truly intimate relationship will never happen without forgiveness.