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Conscious Conflict Resolution
Dealing with tension and conflict is one of the most challenging dynamics in friendships and relationships. We have all found ourselves in a shouting match with someone we love, or concluding an argument feeling awful and unresolved.
Getting to the root of an issue without all the drama sometimes feels impossible. But conflict resolution is a skill, and one that can be honed with practice and patience.
The following strategies are helpful in shifting from overreaction to consciously seeking resolution when faced with difficult conversations or conflict scenarios.
Pause For Self-Awareness
Pause and identify what you are feeling. Step back from the feeling and merely observe it, as well as any thoughts that come along with the feeling.
Recognize that ‘you’ are not the feeling; it is a simply a sensation you are experiencing. Often people will say they are ‘angry,’ but words are powerful and this indicates that you have identified with the anger. You are actually saying: ‘I am anger.’
Do not choose to ‘be anger.’ You are merely experiencing anger. Shifting this mindset can help to separate your rational mind, from the emotional sensation of anger (or hurt, or whatever feeling you may be experiencing).
Once you are able to observe your emotions and thoughts in this way, it becomes much easier to avoid reacting from them. By not reacting, you give yourself the opportunity to think about your response first, and consciously choose your course of action.
Will A Time Machine Change Our Perspectives Forever?
A well-known television news show recently featured an astrophysicist talking about a project she was working on to turn back time and venture into the past. I was fascinated, but somewhat skeptical as to the potential success of such a mission.
She went on to explain that although we are currently experiencing the present moment, we are continuing to also look back into the past, while being in the present.
How does this work in our everyday reality? Imagine looking up at the sun. It takes as much as eight minutes for the sunlight to reach us, which means we are actually looking into the past.
The same applies when we are gazing up at the stars at night. Depending on a star’s location it can take starlight anything from four years to as much as fifteen billion years to reach Earth! So, once again we are in fact looking into the past.
I must admit it took me some time to wrap my head around this. However, once the concept made sense, I was able to grasp onto the meaning of all this.
She has been working diligently as part of a team for a number of years on a ‘time travel machine,’ for lack of a better term, that might have the capability of traveling so far back into the past, their hope is it could reach the exact time when the planet came into being! The time machine is set to stay in space for at least five years and hopefully reach a ten year time span.
Not only would its success afford humanity the privilege to see as far back as the beginning of time, but the machine also has the capability to go to other planets and determine whether there is for example, water, air, and any life forms existing on those planets.
Dealing With ‘Unawakened’ Friends And Family
Spiritual awakening is a profound shift in our perception that forever alters the way we experience life. But after we have made the shift it can be difficult to relate to less spiritually aware friends and relatives and leave one feeling lonely and deeply isolated.
The following strategies can be helpful in cultivating more harmony between yourself and ‘unconscious’ people without compromising your own energy vibration.
COMPASSION AND EMPATHY
At one time you were also not awakened. Think back to what that was like. What kind of thoughts dominated your mind? How did you feel about your life? How did you feel in general? The truth is, although you’ve gone through a spiritual awakening, you can still relate to those who have not. You have a point of reference for this.
Someone who is unconscious typically doesn’t have a pleasant inner world, because they aren’t intentionally governing it. Think back to what your life and most importantly – your relationship with yourself and your mind – looked like before your awakening. What did your own resistance look like? At some point your perspective shifted. But prior to that point – how receptive were you to changing your views and ideas? Especially when a family member came to you and said, “Hey, you’re doing it wrong.”
Put yourself in their shoes. Now that you’ve awakened you have the pleasure to start putting it to use in a way that serves the highest and best good of all. Remember that every soul is a spiritual being, and just because you have awakened to this fact, does not make you ‘better than’ anyone else. This is a trap that the ego likes to throw up early, and often along the spiritual path.
The ego is something we must constantly be mindful of. You are not more spiritual because you are vegan, or because you meditate, or because you do Yoga. If you are living in judgment of others through these practices, you are trapped in ego. Be mindful of yourself and come back to a state of compassion and empathy. Allow people to awaken in their own time.
Astrological Forecast February 22 – 28, 2021
It wouldn’t hurt to keep a low profile this week, as we’ll be under the influence of a waxing Virgo Full Moon. People tend to be critical or nitpick at this time, and there’s always the danger that if you point out to someone else what they are doing wrong, three other people will point out what you are doing wrong! So, lay low, keep your opinions to yourself and just glide along on the quiet and peaceful Pisces energy in the air.
You won’t get much done on Monday or Tuesday as the Moon wades through Cancer, but don’t worry, as you can make up for lost time at the end of the week.
The Leo Moon on Wednesday and Thursday will inspire you to take better care of yourself put yourself first and stay alert to emotional imbalances.
Venus will move into Pisces on Thursday, adding an even more ethereal tone to your days. The Virgo Full Moon on Saturday, also known as the Snow Moon, will call for a release of principles and ideal that no longer serve us.
Based on what we’ve been through over the last 12 months, it’s inevitable that we are now on the threshold of new visions, new ideas, and new realities. But, it also means we’re on the threshold of new possibilities and new potentials.
Open-Minded Curiosity Is The Key To A Happy, Healthy Life
A client asked the other day how I keep my immunity up during these challenging times, and if there is anything special one can do to stay mentally healthy. My answer was simple. You simply need to keep an open mind, and have passion for life.
Working with spirit has taught me over the years to live my life wholeheartedly, with daily gratitude, and with an open mind and a healthy curiosity. I am always eager to learn and experience new things. We are not meant to be constantly stuck in a rut, nor spend our lives in mediocre stagnation.
Just the other day, a friend told me that she thought I am the most imaginative and adventurous person she has ever met. I am always so optimistic and upbeat, she said, and she gets energy from me just by spending time with me.
She has also witnessed how positive things happen in my life through my spiritual practices. For example, I use certain crystals, visualizations and affirmations to bring about real change in my life – not only for myself, but also for others.
The more we are open-minded to explore new horizons, and learn new things, the more we allow positive, creative new energies to enter our reality, empowering us to achieve things that we otherwise wouldn’t – especially when we just sit around doing nothing.