Many thanks to my friend Chris Graham, The Story Reading Ape, for once again hosting me on his supportive and informative blog ❤
Visit Chris’ blog HERE. He has so much to offer.
The opportunity to learn presents itself more often than most of us recognize. We ignore or do not hear the knock on the door to our hearts and minds. We become outraged or sickened when engaging with or reacting to someone whose behavior strikes fear in us. We allow our attention to divert to the trivial when facing something that makes us uneasy. Yet everyone and everything we encounter is a mirror, a reflection of ourselves.
I have been off line for most of the past six weeks, coping with a flareup of fibromyalgia/chronic fatigue. When homebound and at times bedridden, it is a challenge to feel connected to the outside world and not slip into depression. I constantly have to remind myself that I am not alone. My shaman teacher told me this early on:
The first lesson of power is that we are alone.
The last lesson of power is that we are one.
Recognizing and engaging with the numerous mirrors always before us requires mindful awareness. Any emotion that disrupts inner peace and union with The Divine provides an opportunity to grow. This could be a personal encounter, a memory, a TV program, a disquieting sound or smell, a visual image…
While in the throes of pain and fatigue, it can be difficult to focus one’s intention. Yet the most exacting circumstances offer the most potential for growth. Remaining aware of this, I have learned many things from chronic illness.
Growth occurs in stages. When we find ourselves in a recurrent situation and feeling frustrated/angry/disgusted, it is important to remember that we merely are peeling away another layer of the onion, the façade we believe to be our true nature. But we must not stop at this realization. We must dive deep and search for the cause, knowing full well we might encounter more illusions along the way. However, with each diving and resurfacing, we discover a piece of the Self we are dying to know. And yes, we are dying. We are shedding the relative–the illusion–and being reborn, moving closer to the absolute.
We move in and out of emotion until we reach
enlightenment . . .
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