The trees tell me they are in a constant state of total acceptance of all that is. From this place of awareness, forgiveness is unneccessary. Oh to be so free from judgement!
Life has it’s conditions, this is always the case. We have basic needs of survival, for food, shelter and protecting our children until they’re grown. We can offer a homeless person five dollars or even twenty, but we might not invite them home. Life is conditional. A mouse may choose to go on living, would rather not be a meal for someone else if he can help it, yet someday he might be that meal. We all make choices to continue living, just as what ate the mouse did. Our life is an amazing gift and we own the rights to care for it.
Acceptance takes us to another level of care. We can accept a homeless person’s right to be and choices she makes. We can offer compassion for those choices, out of respect, not guilt. We would not think of uprooting a tree growing on a windsweept cliff, judging it a poor choice of this tree. We might even admire it’s tenacity to handle such adversity. There is a randomness in nature that fits a perfect bell curve, we too are part of that.
Acceptance is a big goal. Most of the time we look at it as something we offer the external world, yet it truly begins in how we treat ourselves. Our humaness is not always easy to be with. An ideal is held in our minds eye and we strive to meet it. We fail, beat ourselves up and sometimes give up, locking into a pattern of stubborness that protects us but does not serve us. We hold up our imperfections to others and suggest that we can’t do anything about them. We wallow in being stuck, judge ourselves incapable, and deny responsiblity. We are more than this.
Today consider looking at some aspect of yourself that you don’t like. Maybe not the biggest, toughest thing. Pick something small and maybe concrete, a little habit of picking at your cuticles, or judging a particular type of person, anything really. Then hold that part of yourself as human, not perfect but okay. Hold yourself in compassion for this little fault, for this small imperfect part of you that is oh so human. Open your heart to forgiving yourself for this and allow your love to embrace it as you would a small immature child. This is a part of you, allow it. It’s okay to be an imperfect human. Allow your heart to nourish this part also, not just the parts you like.
This is how we begin to open to a new level of awareness, in just small steps as this. This is what is held in our ’shadow’ side; the parts of ourself we don’t want to see and face. You have probably tried the ‘all is love and light’ path and sensed that it’s not taking you where you want to go. Light does not exist without the darkness. They balance each other and teach humanity how to achieve balance also. Think of the darkness as moving the light forward. When we feel or see that disliked part of ourselves, we finally have the opportunity to take action.
We can choose to ignore it thus causing it to be projected outside of ourselves (hence our troubled relationships) or we can begin to befriend what we don’t like. In quantum physics the observer changes the observed. We can begin to heal ourselves by sitting in acceptance of what’s not so nice. This is challenging of course, yet now is a good time to start. In wanting our world to be filled with peace and light, we can create it by taking in vs projecting out what we don’t like. In loving what is, we absorb and transform our personal darkness into light and sadness into joy.
We have perfected the pushing away of what is not good and it hasn’t worked. Now we can begin to be present for ourselves in a new way that heals us. This builds trust and awareness, and awareness opens new dimensions of reality, allowing new depth and meaning to nourish our hearts.
Blessings,
Laurel
Showing posts with label Balance. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Balance. Show all posts
Monday, September 1, 2008
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Great Quote- Sunday, July 13, 2008
Any intelligent fool can make things bigger and more complex… It takes a touch of genius - and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction.
-- Albert Einstein
-- Albert Einstein
Direct from The Council of Trees- Friday, June 20, 2008
Looking at the evolutionary history on our Gaia, we see that many species of plants and animals have come and then gone extinct. You may be glad there are no dinosaurs nowadays yet reasonably concerned with the rumors that the bees are beginning to leave.
Please understand that every plant and animal here carries a vibrational frequency that benefits the whole. We said ‘Benefits the Whole’. Let’s leave the subject of humans until later, for as you can imagine, this is questionable.
So each polar bear, each honey bee, every plant and tree carries a frequency that allows the whole planet to stay in balance. As the planet evolved, some animals and plants left, some evolved into more complex species and some stayed the same. There is no coincidence here and there have been no mistakes. All the animals and the plants on the Earth hold the frequency of renewal and rejuvenation for each other. There is an unseen cooperative system here that happens on all levels of being: physical and energetic.
Humans have come to think of themselves as being beyond their bodies and separate from nature and their Mother. Nothing is further from the truth. Even with all the knowledge of ecology, humans tend to ‘think’ themselves separate, literally! Thinking has been very beneficial for humans for planning and executing complex tasks and creations, yet it has become the dominant way of being. Humans stay in their heads and forget their bodies and senses, distancing themselves from the very help they desperately need for health on all levels.
When birds sing creation awake in the morning, they are literally doing just that! When animals buzz, caw, huff, mew and bark they are singing their species and a frequency and partnership that all participate in. Even animals that don’t make noises that humans hear are in constant communication through the wavelength they resonate on.
Humans have stopped listening and few are resonating in partnership to benefit the whole. It’s not only that we don’t hear nature around us, it’s that we don’t hear OURSELVES. We are at war with ourselves and therefore with the whole planet. We can try to ’save’ the planet but the planet will die without us! We are inheriting the dominion of the earth now and we are to be responsible for carrying the frequency of health and cooperation for the whole planet. Let me repeat that:
We are inheriting the dominion of the earth now and we are to be responsible for carrying the frequency of health and cooperation for the whole planet.
We tend to see nature as self-regenerating and self-sufficient and come up with simple (or complex) solutions to save the planet. Yet we are the ones who are lost and we are the ones that need saving!! Denying our bodies, our feelings and our senses; the frequency we put out to the rest of the planet doesn’t support life. Sending out a meditative wave once a month or even every morning doesn’t make up for living in your mental body all day long. Thinking needs to begin to take a back seat to feeling (which can be accessed through breathing) and being present to nature’s resonance.
We know this is not easy. It is an unused skill and can seem unnecessary even. Yet the only real way to save the planet is to take this all very, very personally. Fight the war within yourself, otherwise it is projected outside of you. Be present with yourself so that nature can speak to you, commune with you and heal you. Yes, there will be painful and sad times. Take responsibility for healing yourself by being present to what is yours. Learn to love yourself and to have compassion for yourself. This simple act will do more for the total health of the planet than you can ever imagine!
Wash the thousands of lifetimes of each human on this sacred planet with forgiveness and compassion. Begin with your own. This is what will ’save’ our Mother, this is what will save us.
Blessings,
The Council
Comments:
What exactly does this mean? We are inheriting the dominion of the earth? ruling power, authority, control? This is a huge responsibility, and true. We all need to hear this and respond with gratitude, strength and the ability to persevere with great determination in all our thoughts and actions. We do need to come from our hearts in all our daily tasks and choices to give this earth a beautiful and healthy future now. Thank you for the reminder, let us wake up and shape up!!
Asia
Hi Asia,
I felt overwhelmed after this message came through. I knew there was a part of me that wanted to see the Earth as just doing fine without me so I could think I wasn’t responsible. But that’s the point of this message..it’s important to be part of the Earth, to heal ourselves and allow that new level of connection to guide us in our ecological efforts. We can’t control the Earth any more than we can control each other. We can foster health and strength through understanding and respect. We are part of the ecology of the Earth and our planet will represent our health and wisdom or our dis-ease. We choose with every conscious breath we take. Laurel
Please understand that every plant and animal here carries a vibrational frequency that benefits the whole. We said ‘Benefits the Whole’. Let’s leave the subject of humans until later, for as you can imagine, this is questionable.
So each polar bear, each honey bee, every plant and tree carries a frequency that allows the whole planet to stay in balance. As the planet evolved, some animals and plants left, some evolved into more complex species and some stayed the same. There is no coincidence here and there have been no mistakes. All the animals and the plants on the Earth hold the frequency of renewal and rejuvenation for each other. There is an unseen cooperative system here that happens on all levels of being: physical and energetic.
Humans have come to think of themselves as being beyond their bodies and separate from nature and their Mother. Nothing is further from the truth. Even with all the knowledge of ecology, humans tend to ‘think’ themselves separate, literally! Thinking has been very beneficial for humans for planning and executing complex tasks and creations, yet it has become the dominant way of being. Humans stay in their heads and forget their bodies and senses, distancing themselves from the very help they desperately need for health on all levels.
When birds sing creation awake in the morning, they are literally doing just that! When animals buzz, caw, huff, mew and bark they are singing their species and a frequency and partnership that all participate in. Even animals that don’t make noises that humans hear are in constant communication through the wavelength they resonate on.
Humans have stopped listening and few are resonating in partnership to benefit the whole. It’s not only that we don’t hear nature around us, it’s that we don’t hear OURSELVES. We are at war with ourselves and therefore with the whole planet. We can try to ’save’ the planet but the planet will die without us! We are inheriting the dominion of the earth now and we are to be responsible for carrying the frequency of health and cooperation for the whole planet. Let me repeat that:
We are inheriting the dominion of the earth now and we are to be responsible for carrying the frequency of health and cooperation for the whole planet.
We tend to see nature as self-regenerating and self-sufficient and come up with simple (or complex) solutions to save the planet. Yet we are the ones who are lost and we are the ones that need saving!! Denying our bodies, our feelings and our senses; the frequency we put out to the rest of the planet doesn’t support life. Sending out a meditative wave once a month or even every morning doesn’t make up for living in your mental body all day long. Thinking needs to begin to take a back seat to feeling (which can be accessed through breathing) and being present to nature’s resonance.
We know this is not easy. It is an unused skill and can seem unnecessary even. Yet the only real way to save the planet is to take this all very, very personally. Fight the war within yourself, otherwise it is projected outside of you. Be present with yourself so that nature can speak to you, commune with you and heal you. Yes, there will be painful and sad times. Take responsibility for healing yourself by being present to what is yours. Learn to love yourself and to have compassion for yourself. This simple act will do more for the total health of the planet than you can ever imagine!
Wash the thousands of lifetimes of each human on this sacred planet with forgiveness and compassion. Begin with your own. This is what will ’save’ our Mother, this is what will save us.
Blessings,
The Council
Comments:
What exactly does this mean? We are inheriting the dominion of the earth? ruling power, authority, control? This is a huge responsibility, and true. We all need to hear this and respond with gratitude, strength and the ability to persevere with great determination in all our thoughts and actions. We do need to come from our hearts in all our daily tasks and choices to give this earth a beautiful and healthy future now. Thank you for the reminder, let us wake up and shape up!!
Asia
Hi Asia,
I felt overwhelmed after this message came through. I knew there was a part of me that wanted to see the Earth as just doing fine without me so I could think I wasn’t responsible. But that’s the point of this message..it’s important to be part of the Earth, to heal ourselves and allow that new level of connection to guide us in our ecological efforts. We can’t control the Earth any more than we can control each other. We can foster health and strength through understanding and respect. We are part of the ecology of the Earth and our planet will represent our health and wisdom or our dis-ease. We choose with every conscious breath we take. Laurel
Moving Inside-Sunday, March 30, 2008
A few weeks back a good friend of mine, Moe, was in town with the Family Systems Research Group which grew out of the Gentle Wind Project. They make these hand held ‘healing instruments’ that work to strengthen and clear a persons energetic system. I am very grateful for all they have created and amazed at what the next step they offer is. They are now using the I Ching and Uranian astrology to create pathways for growth and clear obstacles to wholeness. They had done some of this work on me about 2 months before my encounter with the Council of Trees and I wonder now if that wasn’t what finally opened me to embrace a more expanded reality.
At this seminar, Moe talked again of the victim, rescuer and perpetrator cycle and how if we think we can help someone else, they become the victim. We act as the rescuer and they are ‘one-down’ and that opens them up to becoming a perpetrator of us or others. It creates a one-up or one-down perspective on life that is very unhealthy and breeds anger and mistrust.
What I began to understand was this as an internal cycle and how it is acted out by the different aspects of myself. The internalized critical parent used to beat me up and then I would feel like a victim and try to fix myself. The fixes were mostly external: food, sex, talk, entertainment, distractions, etc and they didn’t really work. They just appeased the dragon of discontent. Even meditation only shut up the critique for a short time. In not recognizing my wholeness, I was a victim of this life, disconnected from others and angry about it all. I was open to the perpetrators and attracted many wolves in sheep’s clothing. My anger came out in situations with other victims and I became the ‘perp’ also. So the vicious cycle can continue and is evident daily around us.
I wasn’t sure where I was going with this today but it is coming to me that so much of what is offered up right now in a spiritual way suggests that the ego is bad and we need to surrender. This comes out of the eastern traditions where there may be little of this victim, rescuer, perpetrator cycle, where there is a basic respect and acknowledgement of a persons worth. Their culture is different and I question whether what they offer will work easily for most westerners. (Maybe it is even beyond that and has more to do with the fear of the rise of the feminine in the wake of the downfall or re-balancing of the masculine. It’s as if the patriarchy has not worked so in the rise of the feminine, let’s reject the ego, because the feminine principles won’t work either.)
So many of the people I see in my work are stuck in this internal critical cycle and when they approach a spiritual path, I feel they are trying to give up what they don’t have: a strong sense of self, an ego. They try to put the cart before the horse. The goal is not to be humble, it is to be whole and feel humility in amazement of the everything that is.
Trying to be humble is not the same as knowing who you really are and having humility happen to you as an extension of that experience. Humility comes from knowing that you are the master and creator of your life and so is everyone else. You are unique but equal and an intelligence beyond this form. This is not an intellectual understanding, it is an experience that you live. Trying to be humble is a waste of time and energy. Forgiving yourself for the misperceptions you hold of who you are is valid. Taking responsibility for your thoughts, feelings and judgements helps a lot. Opening to your own wholeness and worth extracts you from the victim cycle and heads you in the right direction.
What is surrendered to when you are not experiencing wholeness? Dogma. Just a bunch of ideas like these, not the breathing in and out of a divine being living in a human body on this planet.
Blessings on this holy day,
Laurel
Comments:
Asia Guyer
I loved this insight, mostly the realization of the difference between being humble and having humility. Self worth (ego) is all too often frowned upon while on our spiritual quest, where I feel many people in this hectic day and age need to remind themselves often, how precious their individual life is to all of creation. We in our tiny parts and only all of us together make the whole. Laurel : Thank you, Asia
At this seminar, Moe talked again of the victim, rescuer and perpetrator cycle and how if we think we can help someone else, they become the victim. We act as the rescuer and they are ‘one-down’ and that opens them up to becoming a perpetrator of us or others. It creates a one-up or one-down perspective on life that is very unhealthy and breeds anger and mistrust.
What I began to understand was this as an internal cycle and how it is acted out by the different aspects of myself. The internalized critical parent used to beat me up and then I would feel like a victim and try to fix myself. The fixes were mostly external: food, sex, talk, entertainment, distractions, etc and they didn’t really work. They just appeased the dragon of discontent. Even meditation only shut up the critique for a short time. In not recognizing my wholeness, I was a victim of this life, disconnected from others and angry about it all. I was open to the perpetrators and attracted many wolves in sheep’s clothing. My anger came out in situations with other victims and I became the ‘perp’ also. So the vicious cycle can continue and is evident daily around us.
I wasn’t sure where I was going with this today but it is coming to me that so much of what is offered up right now in a spiritual way suggests that the ego is bad and we need to surrender. This comes out of the eastern traditions where there may be little of this victim, rescuer, perpetrator cycle, where there is a basic respect and acknowledgement of a persons worth. Their culture is different and I question whether what they offer will work easily for most westerners. (Maybe it is even beyond that and has more to do with the fear of the rise of the feminine in the wake of the downfall or re-balancing of the masculine. It’s as if the patriarchy has not worked so in the rise of the feminine, let’s reject the ego, because the feminine principles won’t work either.)
So many of the people I see in my work are stuck in this internal critical cycle and when they approach a spiritual path, I feel they are trying to give up what they don’t have: a strong sense of self, an ego. They try to put the cart before the horse. The goal is not to be humble, it is to be whole and feel humility in amazement of the everything that is.
Trying to be humble is not the same as knowing who you really are and having humility happen to you as an extension of that experience. Humility comes from knowing that you are the master and creator of your life and so is everyone else. You are unique but equal and an intelligence beyond this form. This is not an intellectual understanding, it is an experience that you live. Trying to be humble is a waste of time and energy. Forgiving yourself for the misperceptions you hold of who you are is valid. Taking responsibility for your thoughts, feelings and judgements helps a lot. Opening to your own wholeness and worth extracts you from the victim cycle and heads you in the right direction.
What is surrendered to when you are not experiencing wholeness? Dogma. Just a bunch of ideas like these, not the breathing in and out of a divine being living in a human body on this planet.
Blessings on this holy day,
Laurel
Comments:
Asia Guyer
I loved this insight, mostly the realization of the difference between being humble and having humility. Self worth (ego) is all too often frowned upon while on our spiritual quest, where I feel many people in this hectic day and age need to remind themselves often, how precious their individual life is to all of creation. We in our tiny parts and only all of us together make the whole. Laurel : Thank you, Asia
The Patriarchy- Sunday, January 13, 2008
Have you ever read Deborah Tanner’s “You Just Don’t Understand”? I remember what a profound impact it had on me. The book outlines how males and females in our society are socialized, perceived and supported differently. I realized that my perceptions of the inequality of how male and female children are raised are true and go beyond my own family. I have a great brother who was born 2 years before me. In our family, he could do no wrong and when he did “it was just because he’s all boy”, which meant there was something golden about him and whatever he did.
Despite all the efforts to the contrary, the equality in the way males and females are treated in our society, and often our world, has a long way to go. It feels like this disparity is in the air, so ingrained in our cultures that we don’t even see it except when it’s most glaring and then we shrug our shoulders and feel that that’s just the way things are. Is there some unwritten agreement at a cellular level that has been passed down for eons of time?
There is a rise of the feminine coming, we feel it and it may feel uncomfortable to both men and women. It’s interesting to me that many of the TV shows recently portray men to be such boobs (boy look at the use of this word!) and jerks. Is this self-effacing behavior or a carrot from the dominant paradigm? It’s all so obvious and yet insidious. The big question is: How do we heal it? What really needs to be healed?
What needs to be healed is within us. There is an imbalance of the masculine and feminine is us that is projected out into all we see and feel. This is the only place of true healing because if it’s healed within us then we won’t feel it out in the world either. First, we can hold 100% acceptance that this is our perception (those of us who have it). It’s necessary to feel the inequality within us, in our bodies and feelings. If we deny this then how can we heal it? Next we can forgive ourselves. This doesn’t mean we were responsible for creating it, but that we hold 100% responsibility for it’s truth in us. Forgiving ourselves and our perception, we bless it and let it go. Now we imagine a world of equality of value. There is a premium importance here of not making this just a mental exercise yet staying out of the drama or victim modes. Maybe you can identify a situation in your own life where this was evident and feel how you felt then and now about what happened.
This is a big gift because the imbalance of the masculine and feminine within all of us is deep and historical. Practicing this healing whenever we identify these old feelings of imbalance can begin to ameliorate the depth of this and begin to free us from roles that we never wanted in the first place.
Blessings,
Laurel
Despite all the efforts to the contrary, the equality in the way males and females are treated in our society, and often our world, has a long way to go. It feels like this disparity is in the air, so ingrained in our cultures that we don’t even see it except when it’s most glaring and then we shrug our shoulders and feel that that’s just the way things are. Is there some unwritten agreement at a cellular level that has been passed down for eons of time?
There is a rise of the feminine coming, we feel it and it may feel uncomfortable to both men and women. It’s interesting to me that many of the TV shows recently portray men to be such boobs (boy look at the use of this word!) and jerks. Is this self-effacing behavior or a carrot from the dominant paradigm? It’s all so obvious and yet insidious. The big question is: How do we heal it? What really needs to be healed?
What needs to be healed is within us. There is an imbalance of the masculine and feminine is us that is projected out into all we see and feel. This is the only place of true healing because if it’s healed within us then we won’t feel it out in the world either. First, we can hold 100% acceptance that this is our perception (those of us who have it). It’s necessary to feel the inequality within us, in our bodies and feelings. If we deny this then how can we heal it? Next we can forgive ourselves. This doesn’t mean we were responsible for creating it, but that we hold 100% responsibility for it’s truth in us. Forgiving ourselves and our perception, we bless it and let it go. Now we imagine a world of equality of value. There is a premium importance here of not making this just a mental exercise yet staying out of the drama or victim modes. Maybe you can identify a situation in your own life where this was evident and feel how you felt then and now about what happened.
This is a big gift because the imbalance of the masculine and feminine within all of us is deep and historical. Practicing this healing whenever we identify these old feelings of imbalance can begin to ameliorate the depth of this and begin to free us from roles that we never wanted in the first place.
Blessings,
Laurel
Committment- Sunday, January 6, 2008
Dear Friends,
Who is charge of our lives? It feels like a vicious circle. We stay in our heads so we are out in time(past or future), so we are not present. The past or future rules our thoughts and needs, we try to control what’s happening to us with careful planning and goal setting. Yet the present is the only place where we can be full, where we can really take care of ourselves. Not being present we search outside of ourselves for recognition and validation and distraction. We go around in a circle of neediness and unfullfillment, we are really going nowhere.
Let’s stop and take a few deep breaths and reach into our feeling bodies, into our physical bodies. We all have so much unresolved stuff that staying here is a challenge and this is where most people are, so that’s normal, right? Not knowing a way out we tell ourselves that we’re doing pretty good.
Is there something more? Yes, say the Trees. We can learn how to be with ourselves, how to be present in our lives. Yes we will forget who we are and be pulled out into time.The trees teaching gives us bridges into our present. Learning to listen to ourselves, we heal our old wounds and nourish ourselves. The present is timeless and full, here there is deep joy, simplicity and laughter. It is a committment to a new reality and the freedom we deserve.
Blessings on the New Year,
Laurel and the Trees
Who is charge of our lives? It feels like a vicious circle. We stay in our heads so we are out in time(past or future), so we are not present. The past or future rules our thoughts and needs, we try to control what’s happening to us with careful planning and goal setting. Yet the present is the only place where we can be full, where we can really take care of ourselves. Not being present we search outside of ourselves for recognition and validation and distraction. We go around in a circle of neediness and unfullfillment, we are really going nowhere.
Let’s stop and take a few deep breaths and reach into our feeling bodies, into our physical bodies. We all have so much unresolved stuff that staying here is a challenge and this is where most people are, so that’s normal, right? Not knowing a way out we tell ourselves that we’re doing pretty good.
Is there something more? Yes, say the Trees. We can learn how to be with ourselves, how to be present in our lives. Yes we will forget who we are and be pulled out into time.The trees teaching gives us bridges into our present. Learning to listen to ourselves, we heal our old wounds and nourish ourselves. The present is timeless and full, here there is deep joy, simplicity and laughter. It is a committment to a new reality and the freedom we deserve.
Blessings on the New Year,
Laurel and the Trees
Detachment- Monday, December 24, 2007
Happy holydays!
I was struck by something yesterday morning and so here I am sharing instead of working on dinner:). My son called Sunday at 8am and said the airline was offering $300 if he would take a later flight, getting here at 1:30pm. I immediately said great, take it. He called back 15 minutes later and said they didn’t need him so he’d be in at 10:15am. I had climbed back in bed between the first and second calls and just felt happy. I was going to see my son today and we’d have a week to be together.
I realized that I had no attachment to when he came in, didn’t even give it a thought (thanks to the trees). In the moment, everything is good. In my past, I would’ve been up checking the weather, which I’d heard had been bad the day before. I would’ve been sad about losing 3 hours and how that affected our plans for the day, which I would’ve made. But I hadn’t made any plans and wasn’t worried. Hallelujeh!
It is such an amazing feat to realize I am living my life from a different deeper perspective. This feels easier, lighter and more respectful of who I am. I am not trying, grasping, worried or planning. I am here, present, open to what comes, yet feeling all as an expression of me at the soul level. I am chosing my life from each breath, grounded in my earth home, and connected to my divine self too. My mind is there, in the background, churning away, part of it all. As part of my whole it has it’s place, as does my body, my heart and my divinity. In this place there is a wonder and awe at the present, which is a Present and tears come from deep gratitude for the simplicity and beauty. This is a holy day, a holy moment. Take it!
Blessings,
Laurel and The Council of Trees
I was struck by something yesterday morning and so here I am sharing instead of working on dinner:). My son called Sunday at 8am and said the airline was offering $300 if he would take a later flight, getting here at 1:30pm. I immediately said great, take it. He called back 15 minutes later and said they didn’t need him so he’d be in at 10:15am. I had climbed back in bed between the first and second calls and just felt happy. I was going to see my son today and we’d have a week to be together.
I realized that I had no attachment to when he came in, didn’t even give it a thought (thanks to the trees). In the moment, everything is good. In my past, I would’ve been up checking the weather, which I’d heard had been bad the day before. I would’ve been sad about losing 3 hours and how that affected our plans for the day, which I would’ve made. But I hadn’t made any plans and wasn’t worried. Hallelujeh!
It is such an amazing feat to realize I am living my life from a different deeper perspective. This feels easier, lighter and more respectful of who I am. I am not trying, grasping, worried or planning. I am here, present, open to what comes, yet feeling all as an expression of me at the soul level. I am chosing my life from each breath, grounded in my earth home, and connected to my divine self too. My mind is there, in the background, churning away, part of it all. As part of my whole it has it’s place, as does my body, my heart and my divinity. In this place there is a wonder and awe at the present, which is a Present and tears come from deep gratitude for the simplicity and beauty. This is a holy day, a holy moment. Take it!
Blessings,
Laurel and The Council of Trees
Balance- Sunday, December 16, 2007
Achieving balance in our lives can certainly be a challenge, especially if we live outside of ourselves. What does that mean? Living outside of ourselves means we are looking outside for our energy, our truth and what we should do. It’s training from when we were little to keep us safe and conforming. It’s a natural thing really.
Yet now we are not little anymore and we are still looking outward. Sourcing from within takes a little practice, we do it all the time but we may not stay there, especially in the presence of others. We want to be present for others in our lives, a very nice thing indeed. But where are we present for others if we are not there for ourselves? When sourced from within our lives are grounded and can contain all the wisdom from our bodies, our feelings, our intuition and our minds.
Here is balance, here we are staying in our home, here we are already full. Being clear in taking care of ourselves, we are not looking for nourishment from others, or from the drama of everyday life. Everything we need is within us and isn’t it a relief to get off the rollercoaster.
Yes, do go out and enjoy yourself! Have fun with friends and family! Just live from the inside out.
Blessings,
Laurel and the Trees
Yet now we are not little anymore and we are still looking outward. Sourcing from within takes a little practice, we do it all the time but we may not stay there, especially in the presence of others. We want to be present for others in our lives, a very nice thing indeed. But where are we present for others if we are not there for ourselves? When sourced from within our lives are grounded and can contain all the wisdom from our bodies, our feelings, our intuition and our minds.
Here is balance, here we are staying in our home, here we are already full. Being clear in taking care of ourselves, we are not looking for nourishment from others, or from the drama of everyday life. Everything we need is within us and isn’t it a relief to get off the rollercoaster.
Yes, do go out and enjoy yourself! Have fun with friends and family! Just live from the inside out.
Blessings,
Laurel and the Trees
Love Yourself First and Completely- Saturday, Novemebr 17, 2007
Dear Friends,
This is part of the 1st draft of a chapter in my book..Enjoy!
Love yourself first and completely.
This is the hardest yet most powerful thing you can ever do. You are so boxed in by your minds inherited view of who you are and what you are supposed to be that it’s very difficult to see clearly. So first I’ll talk about why, then how it’s done, because it took me a long time to really figure this one out, even though I’d heard it a number of times, as you may have also. Becoming whole means all of our parts, the ones I talked about before, have to become integrated. This is NOT something that your mind can do. The mind thinks that this is its job; to figure out what belongs where and to organize and classify everything. Trust me; this is beyond its capability because it also needs to become integrated. Our minds have taken on superior status for eons and learned to wield a lot of power on our world and personal view of life. It likes being in control and thinks it has the righteous view on everything about you. Sorry, not true. You will begin to bring back a sensitive body, emotions that are fluid and a clearer spiritual part of you that has a broader view.
The key to this comes from Aikido plus an understanding of the new physics. What you push away pushes back. What you resist persists. So in order to carry out this function of integration, you need to begin inside, by offering compassion and kindness to yourself. Take a deep breath right now and imagine whatever it is that you may be glaring at in disgust, whatever you don’t like, imagine that as a small defenseless child who needs a little love and tenderness. Sometimes you see or do something ugly that you can’t imagine loving. You are HUMAN. It’s OK.
You are a learning being. Instead of berating yourself, offer a small hug and maybe even a little laughter of compassion. You are here learning what works, and sometimes you try out things that have been done to you. If you didn’t like them, they don’t work. Maybe you loved the person that did that thing to you, so you try it anyway, trying to understand. When you’ve grown up into adults, you think you’re supposed to leave the learning process behind. Don’t we wish! You also probably think that if you punish the unwelcome parts of yourself that they will go away, that you can keep control of all the badness inside you through the unproven method of beating yourself up regularly. It doesn’t work and it makes things worse.You are too valuable and important to treat that way, no matter how anyone else has treated you in your life, no matter what society tells you of your smallness. Not true. You are the only one you really have and you will attract a life that reflects how you value yourself. This is important. No matter what you think of yourself, it’s time to stop the negativity. Now. Take a deep breath again and imagine holding yourself in a gentle embrace. You are everything and by the end of this book, I hope you’ll understand why. Love is the most powerful force in the universe and it is the sweetness that begins to stick the disjointed parts of yourself back together. You may think that if I only love the good parts of myself then the rest will go away. It doesn’t work; the mind has a hard time forgetting that punishment isn’t the cure and truthfully what is pushed away or denied only goes underground or maybe even into a parallel dimension, eager to haunt you when you feel vulnerable.
In order to become whole, you will need to begin developing a safe space, where all of you is allowed, where no part of you, no matter what you ‘think’, is pushed away. Remember thinking doesn’t hurt and you have had a trillion thoughts you’ve never acted on. Thought are just thoughts, allow yourself to be amused by the ones you may not approve of. Say “look at that thought, it’s like a silly child who may not yet know better”.Feel who you are, bigger than a thought, a feeling, an idea. You really are bigger and you can develop a safe space within yourself to be. Breathe. If you only do this one step, you will give yourself the most important gift anyone could ever give you. You will also become the most generous person to others, because you have given yourself the love that you need and therefore don’t need to figure out how to be OK to anyone else. Of course this takes time, to retrain the mind out of constant judgment and really start listening to you so you can nourish yourself. I was taught that this is selfish and self-centered and it does feel like that at first. Soon you realize you feel better and then you feel kinder toward others also. Love your neighbor as yourself. If you do not love yourself, where does the neighborly love come from? Yes, you are worth it and yes, it feels awkward to focus inward in this outwardly focused world.
Step One is the biggest, hardest and most important. Breathe.
Blessings,
Laurel
This is part of the 1st draft of a chapter in my book..Enjoy!
Love yourself first and completely.
This is the hardest yet most powerful thing you can ever do. You are so boxed in by your minds inherited view of who you are and what you are supposed to be that it’s very difficult to see clearly. So first I’ll talk about why, then how it’s done, because it took me a long time to really figure this one out, even though I’d heard it a number of times, as you may have also. Becoming whole means all of our parts, the ones I talked about before, have to become integrated. This is NOT something that your mind can do. The mind thinks that this is its job; to figure out what belongs where and to organize and classify everything. Trust me; this is beyond its capability because it also needs to become integrated. Our minds have taken on superior status for eons and learned to wield a lot of power on our world and personal view of life. It likes being in control and thinks it has the righteous view on everything about you. Sorry, not true. You will begin to bring back a sensitive body, emotions that are fluid and a clearer spiritual part of you that has a broader view.
The key to this comes from Aikido plus an understanding of the new physics. What you push away pushes back. What you resist persists. So in order to carry out this function of integration, you need to begin inside, by offering compassion and kindness to yourself. Take a deep breath right now and imagine whatever it is that you may be glaring at in disgust, whatever you don’t like, imagine that as a small defenseless child who needs a little love and tenderness. Sometimes you see or do something ugly that you can’t imagine loving. You are HUMAN. It’s OK.
You are a learning being. Instead of berating yourself, offer a small hug and maybe even a little laughter of compassion. You are here learning what works, and sometimes you try out things that have been done to you. If you didn’t like them, they don’t work. Maybe you loved the person that did that thing to you, so you try it anyway, trying to understand. When you’ve grown up into adults, you think you’re supposed to leave the learning process behind. Don’t we wish! You also probably think that if you punish the unwelcome parts of yourself that they will go away, that you can keep control of all the badness inside you through the unproven method of beating yourself up regularly. It doesn’t work and it makes things worse.You are too valuable and important to treat that way, no matter how anyone else has treated you in your life, no matter what society tells you of your smallness. Not true. You are the only one you really have and you will attract a life that reflects how you value yourself. This is important. No matter what you think of yourself, it’s time to stop the negativity. Now. Take a deep breath again and imagine holding yourself in a gentle embrace. You are everything and by the end of this book, I hope you’ll understand why. Love is the most powerful force in the universe and it is the sweetness that begins to stick the disjointed parts of yourself back together. You may think that if I only love the good parts of myself then the rest will go away. It doesn’t work; the mind has a hard time forgetting that punishment isn’t the cure and truthfully what is pushed away or denied only goes underground or maybe even into a parallel dimension, eager to haunt you when you feel vulnerable.
In order to become whole, you will need to begin developing a safe space, where all of you is allowed, where no part of you, no matter what you ‘think’, is pushed away. Remember thinking doesn’t hurt and you have had a trillion thoughts you’ve never acted on. Thought are just thoughts, allow yourself to be amused by the ones you may not approve of. Say “look at that thought, it’s like a silly child who may not yet know better”.Feel who you are, bigger than a thought, a feeling, an idea. You really are bigger and you can develop a safe space within yourself to be. Breathe. If you only do this one step, you will give yourself the most important gift anyone could ever give you. You will also become the most generous person to others, because you have given yourself the love that you need and therefore don’t need to figure out how to be OK to anyone else. Of course this takes time, to retrain the mind out of constant judgment and really start listening to you so you can nourish yourself. I was taught that this is selfish and self-centered and it does feel like that at first. Soon you realize you feel better and then you feel kinder toward others also. Love your neighbor as yourself. If you do not love yourself, where does the neighborly love come from? Yes, you are worth it and yes, it feels awkward to focus inward in this outwardly focused world.
Step One is the biggest, hardest and most important. Breathe.
Blessings,
Laurel
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