What value does anger serve? In the past, anger was part of the Fight or Flight mechanism that protected us from real, physical threats. But today, things we don’t like tend to get us in an uproar. Perhaps we cannot discriminate between things that can actually do us harm and things that, for example, hurt our feelings. Rather than feeling the hurt, because the other person is important to us, we tend to allow ourselves to become angry, which then lengthens the time before we acknowledge what is truly going on with us.
When anger becomes the modus operendi of our lives, we end up with a perpetual chip on our shoulders. We burn up our emotional energy, raise our anxiety levels, and increase our fears of most situations. It makes it difficult to connect with others. We may become suspicious, jealous, fearful and so on, as we try to deal with the overwhelming levels of anger that we feel. In this respect, anger is a symptom.
Overcoming the anger is not an easy thing. It tends to cover up what we are really experiencing so that we don’t have to acknowledge what we may feel are weaknesses in our protective armor. Having a safe place to share feelings, whether with a close friend or family member, can help reduce the anger and keep us from acting out. We can acknowledge that we are angry, without having to act on it.
From a spiritual perspective, anger is never a way to resolve matters. Loving those with whom we come into contact is important. While that love is not intended to put us on a pedestal, it does allow us to provide a positive example for others and helps us to resolve matters with a level head. In this case, love provides the basis for listening to others with compassion. It allows us to give of ourselves to help raise others up in the world. It allows us to see the good in others, perhaps to allow them to see it, as well. Where there is love, anger doesn’t have much of a chance.
May you be richly blessed!
Monday, June 24, 2013
Monday, June 17, 2013
Which Way to Go?
Which Way to Go?
Many individuals are in a kind of transition right now. They have set goals of some kind to accomplish things in a more natural line of work, often, some kind of healing work, whether it is Reiki, therapeutic massage, acupuncture, any of a variety of therapies or New Age teaching, and so on. They take the classes, get certified, look for professional space to perform their work, and then....nothing. They are confused because they believed they were following the will of the Universe to make this change, but when the Universe doesn’t make good on the promise of allowing them to make a living wage, or the time involved in supporting their labors is excessive, there is disappointment and a feeling of being betrayed. Why does this happen?
The problem with following the dictates of the Universe is that the “how” is often left up to us. If we feel we are following our dreams, that we truly want to go into some form of healing work, the time it takes to set up a new business and the personal investment that it requires, we don’t get as upset as we otherwise might. The problem comes in when we feel that the Universe has directed us into this new line of work. We may have the expectation that our lives should move forward as they normally did. We want to be the high rollers of the healing world. If we feel we have been directed to write a book, we expect to be at the top of the New York Times Best-Seller List. So it is our expectations that are causing the difficulty.
When we expect that we will be highly-paid for what is a gift-related, giving field, as healing is, no matter what area we actually practice, we are not being realistic. Yes, there will be some practitioners who have a great deal of business savvy, and can sell their abilities, books, treatments, classes for others, and so on. But most of us don’t have the kind of know-how or energy to reach out and broaden our scope of expertise and sales in this way. Does this mean that the Universe sucker-punched you? No.
Often, those of us who choose to make the change from a lifetime career to something that fills the bill of our duty, what we’re supposed to do, are stressed, tired of the grind, and looking to move on to something better, more natural and more emotionally fulfilling. When we put this kind of energy out there for the Universe to play with, it sends back the message to do something more natural, something that serves others. Maybe the next step is to get a reading, to narrow down the field. A reader may pick up on your desires for something that is less stressful than, say, a corporate job. So you get sent in the direction of writing a book or studying Reiki. That doesn’t make it a mandate, just because a reader said so. You still have to consider your aptitude, your wishes, your own personal inclinations. Without that, you are heading toward a great deal more stress. So how do you know what life and the Universe really want from you? What are you destined to do, fated to become?
First, take off the rose-colored glasses and recognize that you are probably not destined for greatness. Be real. Next, think back to your childhood, when you first had a notion that you were meant to do something with your life. What did you want to be when you grew up? Some of us knew early on what we would do with our lives. Often, some form of the Arts was on the agenda.
As I speak with people about their lives and careers, it amazes me that the majority of people who are dissatisfied with their jobs and their lives are often gifted artists in some form, whether that is painting, singing, making jewelry, taking photographs, writing poetry, playing a musical instrument.....you get the idea. And perhaps we come back to the same old problem of money, because unless you are so talented that the world cannot help but put you on a pedestal, you are not going to be rich and famous. But you can still practice your craft and you can still get by. Once again, it all comes down to expectations. And that brings us to Life Lessons.
This is something that we all need to be aware of in this lifetime, because our society values success to such a great degree, and we have believed that a large, attractive home, a boat, nice vehicles, and all the other trappings of wealth are the things that make life worthwhile. Yet our service to our fellow travelers is not valued. So it becomes a matter of perspective, that we must learn to value helping others: enriching life with Art, and growing spiritually by focusing outside of ourselves rather than inside. Does it limit the experiences that we may have, for example, travel, gambling, parties? Perhaps, but think about the ways that you can still accomplish these things without having to have a great deal of money. A simple life can be just as rich as an opulent one.
Understanding that it is probably the high expectations that you have which may be causing the blockage toward you accomplishing the goals that you seek, will help to relieve some of the stress that you feel, that feeling that you are not successful in your spiritual progress, and that you are getting mixed signals from the Universe. Cleanse all of that away, empty yourself of expectations and past failures, and start anew with fresh goals based upon what you want, what you can reasonably accomplish, and go from there.
May you be richly blessed.
Many individuals are in a kind of transition right now. They have set goals of some kind to accomplish things in a more natural line of work, often, some kind of healing work, whether it is Reiki, therapeutic massage, acupuncture, any of a variety of therapies or New Age teaching, and so on. They take the classes, get certified, look for professional space to perform their work, and then....nothing. They are confused because they believed they were following the will of the Universe to make this change, but when the Universe doesn’t make good on the promise of allowing them to make a living wage, or the time involved in supporting their labors is excessive, there is disappointment and a feeling of being betrayed. Why does this happen?
The problem with following the dictates of the Universe is that the “how” is often left up to us. If we feel we are following our dreams, that we truly want to go into some form of healing work, the time it takes to set up a new business and the personal investment that it requires, we don’t get as upset as we otherwise might. The problem comes in when we feel that the Universe has directed us into this new line of work. We may have the expectation that our lives should move forward as they normally did. We want to be the high rollers of the healing world. If we feel we have been directed to write a book, we expect to be at the top of the New York Times Best-Seller List. So it is our expectations that are causing the difficulty.
When we expect that we will be highly-paid for what is a gift-related, giving field, as healing is, no matter what area we actually practice, we are not being realistic. Yes, there will be some practitioners who have a great deal of business savvy, and can sell their abilities, books, treatments, classes for others, and so on. But most of us don’t have the kind of know-how or energy to reach out and broaden our scope of expertise and sales in this way. Does this mean that the Universe sucker-punched you? No.
Often, those of us who choose to make the change from a lifetime career to something that fills the bill of our duty, what we’re supposed to do, are stressed, tired of the grind, and looking to move on to something better, more natural and more emotionally fulfilling. When we put this kind of energy out there for the Universe to play with, it sends back the message to do something more natural, something that serves others. Maybe the next step is to get a reading, to narrow down the field. A reader may pick up on your desires for something that is less stressful than, say, a corporate job. So you get sent in the direction of writing a book or studying Reiki. That doesn’t make it a mandate, just because a reader said so. You still have to consider your aptitude, your wishes, your own personal inclinations. Without that, you are heading toward a great deal more stress. So how do you know what life and the Universe really want from you? What are you destined to do, fated to become?
First, take off the rose-colored glasses and recognize that you are probably not destined for greatness. Be real. Next, think back to your childhood, when you first had a notion that you were meant to do something with your life. What did you want to be when you grew up? Some of us knew early on what we would do with our lives. Often, some form of the Arts was on the agenda.
As I speak with people about their lives and careers, it amazes me that the majority of people who are dissatisfied with their jobs and their lives are often gifted artists in some form, whether that is painting, singing, making jewelry, taking photographs, writing poetry, playing a musical instrument.....you get the idea. And perhaps we come back to the same old problem of money, because unless you are so talented that the world cannot help but put you on a pedestal, you are not going to be rich and famous. But you can still practice your craft and you can still get by. Once again, it all comes down to expectations. And that brings us to Life Lessons.
This is something that we all need to be aware of in this lifetime, because our society values success to such a great degree, and we have believed that a large, attractive home, a boat, nice vehicles, and all the other trappings of wealth are the things that make life worthwhile. Yet our service to our fellow travelers is not valued. So it becomes a matter of perspective, that we must learn to value helping others: enriching life with Art, and growing spiritually by focusing outside of ourselves rather than inside. Does it limit the experiences that we may have, for example, travel, gambling, parties? Perhaps, but think about the ways that you can still accomplish these things without having to have a great deal of money. A simple life can be just as rich as an opulent one.
Understanding that it is probably the high expectations that you have which may be causing the blockage toward you accomplishing the goals that you seek, will help to relieve some of the stress that you feel, that feeling that you are not successful in your spiritual progress, and that you are getting mixed signals from the Universe. Cleanse all of that away, empty yourself of expectations and past failures, and start anew with fresh goals based upon what you want, what you can reasonably accomplish, and go from there.
May you be richly blessed.
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
Politics
The political arena is one hotbed of name-calling, false
accusations, intentionally misleading the public, and attempting to destroy the
People’s trust in their governing bodies.
Why does this become a spiritual issue?
This, in part, is because so many people who are spiritually-inclined,
thus, leaders, are vocalizing the evils that incite people’s fears. I find this irresponsible. So much of the rhetoric is based upon the
fear that these leaders have regarding other religions, other races, and their
own attempts to widen their pocketbooks by creating fear in others, thus
getting greater attention and financial support to broaden their loudspeakers
full of hate.
Virtually every religion claims to love and support the
poor. Yet, our political views of the
day are based on selfishness and greed and hate. If someone is not like me,
they are undeserving of the good of the land.
What faith believes this? It is
only a faith that upholds one person being better than another. If this is what you believe, perhaps you may
want to seek out that faith, because none of the religions around the world
support this kind of thinking. And this
needs to be attacked from our pulpits.
Kindness, decency, caring for others, making sure that each
person’s needs are fulfilled, whether those needs are for food, clothing,
shelter, healing, companionship, or spirituality, these are the domain of
faith. This is what we should be talking about when it comes to our spirituality. Not politics.
Not fear. Love.
May you be richly blessed.
Tuesday, June 4, 2013
Enjoying Nature
We have had some very changeable weather the last couple of years and we can expect that it will continue for some time. This makes it all the more wonderful to take advantage of the temperate days, and the days that provide sunshine. Not only are these days healthy for us, as we are able to absorb the extra vitamin D, but the fresh air helps to revitalize all of our systems.
If you are able to take a bike ride, go for a hike, sit at the beach, or have a picnic, you are helping to recharge your internal batteries and will feel much better for it. There is no greater place to be in touch with the Universal Divine than when you are out of doors in the lap of nature. There are so many things that you can do outdoors and nothing, no disability, no negative frame of mind, should keep you from this type of healing.
I have recently been ill and feeling paralyzed, but even an hour outdoors helps me to feel so much more alive and gives me a positive mind set. It is a wonderful way to stave off depression and accept that whatever negativity you are going through is not the fault of your mind, rather there is something physiological which can respond to nature, if you let it.
Perhaps you feel that rainy days are wasteful and troublesome, emotionally. There is nothing like meditating to the sound of gentle rain tapping on the windowsill. You can turn even the difficult days around if you will accept that there is much change with regard to the weather, and therefore, life in general. Going with the flow and deciding to have an activity chosen no matter what the weather, will bring you peace within.
May you be richly blessed!
If you are able to take a bike ride, go for a hike, sit at the beach, or have a picnic, you are helping to recharge your internal batteries and will feel much better for it. There is no greater place to be in touch with the Universal Divine than when you are out of doors in the lap of nature. There are so many things that you can do outdoors and nothing, no disability, no negative frame of mind, should keep you from this type of healing.
I have recently been ill and feeling paralyzed, but even an hour outdoors helps me to feel so much more alive and gives me a positive mind set. It is a wonderful way to stave off depression and accept that whatever negativity you are going through is not the fault of your mind, rather there is something physiological which can respond to nature, if you let it.
Perhaps you feel that rainy days are wasteful and troublesome, emotionally. There is nothing like meditating to the sound of gentle rain tapping on the windowsill. You can turn even the difficult days around if you will accept that there is much change with regard to the weather, and therefore, life in general. Going with the flow and deciding to have an activity chosen no matter what the weather, will bring you peace within.
May you be richly blessed!
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