social media
Put Your Phone Down, And Start Living!
I was blessed to be born before the arrival of the Internet and smart phone technology. It was a time when kids were playing outside all day, and we often did not want to go home, because we were having too much fun. It was a time when people still connected with each other in person, and on a deeper level. It was a time when we lived life in a much simpler way.
Since then the rise of digital technology and the Internet seemed like it happened overnight, and everyone was instantly hooked, including myself! It was exciting, because information was now just a click away. Communication was faster and easier, and you could ‘connect’ with just about anyone, anywhere, anytime.
But then social media and smart phones came along, and before we realized what hit us, it began to gradually cripple our ability to focus, to truly connect, to be present in the moment, and to be in touch with our spiritual nature. To make matters worse, we started comparing our lives to others: friends, enemies and idols… only to diminish our sense of self-worth.
Last weekend, I was playing the board game Monopoly with my teenage son and his best friend. His friend seemed unable to put his phone down and pay attention to the game. I asked him why, and he said it was because he was addicted to knowing what others were doing, and that he didn’t want to feel “left out.”
The Challenge To Remain In The Light
What is the one area of your life that you would prefer to improve or change entirely? Mine without question would be to remain in the Light.
We live in a digital age, where we have instant access to information of all varieties… some truthful, others not so accurate. Once in a while this leads to something of value, but for the most part it is just a bombardment of noise, which is mostly designed to make us purchase and consume more products and services than we really need.
Scare tactics, for example, encourage us to buy more medication and nutritional supplements than any reputable doctor would recommend. Fearmongering convinces us to install excessive additional security for our homes. And airbrushed models tempt us into buying an endless assortment of goods that seldom add much value to our daily lives.
Meanwhile many of us have the tendency to complain about the government, the exorbitant rates charged for our monthly utility services, and the escalating cost of food and basic necessities.
The personal challenge for me is to allow myself the guilty pleasure of discussing any of these topics without vibrating into a negative state of mind. I can physically feel, in my body, the moment my energy starts to get into that negative energy frequency.
Awakening Soul To Soul
Awaken Soul to Soul, a 2012 spiritual documentary explores how the current global shift and our personal crises are an impetus to awaken to oneness. The film asks us to examine our deepest levels of connection as a solution to the problems we all face. We can’t possibly begin to solve the common ills of the world unless we realize our shared humanity and spirituality. But how to begin this journey, to awaken our own souls?
One step we can all take is to discover our own spiritual gifts and use them in constructive ways. Intuition, or ‘knowing without knowing,’ for example, is a quality we all have to some degree. Learning to listen to our intuition, or inner guidance, through practice and meditation, will connect us to our own soul, as well as that of others.
This process may involve distancing ourselves from toxicity, including people, places or things with negative energies, as well as the hectic pace and sensory onslaught of the modern world (social media, television news). The psychic part of us, like any other part of our body and soul, does not function at full effect if it is unhealthy.
Becoming aware of our own healing ability, as well as our metaphysical creativity, is also part of the awakening soul. Learning Reiki, or aura reading, for example, will develop extra-sensory gifts, while sharing them with others. Something as simple as creative journaling or free form poetry can be a spiritual release and an awakening of the subconscious.
Inspiration – A Message From My Guides
In times of division and mistrust, it is often easy to see the negative side of any given issue. Rather than letting everything pile up around you and affect your own positive mood, though, it is more helpful to try and find a little sunshine as you go about your day-to-day business.
Whenever possible, search for inspiration in even the simplest of things. If you can put your negative thoughts to one side and look elsewhere for inspiration, it can make it much easier to see the positive side of life.
Look for some good in people, even if they do not share your views. Focus on interesting and creative news stories of the day and look for inspiration in the most unexpected or mundane places.
Find joy in little everyday things and don’t take anything for granted. Imagine the myriad of components that had to fall into place in order for you to be where you are in this time and place. Be grateful for the lessons you have learned and your ability to mentor others by example.
The more you search for things that inspire and make you smile, the more examples you will find and the easier it will be to recognize that your world has many points of inspiration.
Becoming Your Best Self
Know that Spirit is always beckoning you to become your best self. Stay open for the positive to emerge and, with open arms, joyously welcome the blessings of health and wellness, inner peace and wisdom, blissful love, streams of prosperity, and all that your heart desires.
Make a huge effort to quiet the chatter in your world and listen to your inner voice. This may mean muting your television, or not checking in with social media as often. Your quiet time might also manifest through long walks in nature, or soaking in a tub of warm water scented with your favorite essential oils and surrounded by candlelight.
However you choose to silence the outside world and tune in to the sacred realm, trust that your experience will be golden as Spirit will be guiding you to become your best self ever.
Know that you have the gift and ability to visualize and actualize the life you are seeking. See your life as you would love it to be, and ask Spirit to help you define your very best self. Often we set the bar far too low for our best selves. In this manner we cheat ourselves and miss out on fulfilling the divine purpose of our lives.
Friendship And The Empath
Friends are a wonderful addition to our lives. In some cases they even take the place of family of origin, and become our chosen family. A healthy friendship is a balanced one – give and take, trust, loyalty, acceptance and truth delivered with compassion. Unfortunately, for the empath, friendship can also be treacherous territory, sometimes rife with debbie downers, energy thieves, and psychic vampires.
There are different levels of friendship, from casual social friendships to those we call ‘best friends.’ These best friends are ones with whom we feel safe sharing our deepest secrets, fears, hopes and dreams.
Social media has made it much easier in recent years to connect with friends. With a click of the keyboard a new friend can be made or an old acquaintance rekindled. Social media sites have even recognized the importance of providing the choice of putting people into the appropriate category, such as people from work or close friends. People can be also unfriended, blocked or reported if they are out of bounds, and what is seen publicly by our friends can be limited.
The Soul Self In The Age Of Technology
I used to work as a realtor for a short period of time. Most likely the short duration of that career was, even though I absolutely love people, that I sucked at the selling part.
As part of that chosen career path, I felt compelled to purchase and carry a cell phone. Customers looking for a salesperson usually will not wait long and will often just move on to the next available agent – hence the need for a phone that I had to carry with me constantly.
When I was out visiting family or friends, I had to explain immediately why I was carrying this device and my need to answer it quickly, so that I didn’t lose a potential sale. Everyone seemed to understand the situation.
If my phone rang and it was only someone wanting to chat or another type of call, I simply explained to whomever was on the other end that I was thus engaged and would call them back. However, this did not always go over well! People who call someone sometimes feel their call must be taken and followed through with a conversation.