Jeanne Marie Ketchel
Channeled by Jan Ketchel

Dear Jeanne,
What guidance do you have for us today?

I am inclined to remind you to always gauge your selves within the context of a greater picture. You are important, your issues and challenges must be met in order to evolve, your work on the self must continue in order for your personal growth. These things are certain or you will not evolve, but I must remind you to occasionally pull your head up out of the water and look around you. Take in some deep breaths of fresh air and re-establish your direction by the points on your horizon, taking in how far you have come and how much you have accomplished before heading back into the waters of your unconscious. Your inner work must always be balanced by the reality of your life upon that earth.

Your practice in personal growth must include a pragmatic outlook upon your reality, for too much inner work without fresh air may keep you bound to issues that could have been resolved a long time ago. Do not be afraid to seek options, opinions, and outlooks that are not immediately comfortable to you. In asking the self to step outside of your comfort zone you offer the self an opportunity to not only shift, but to make some progress. In constantly swimming around in circles or running the same laps over and over again one may gain in strength and conviction but fail to offer the self any new ideas, fresh perspectives, or interesting points of view.

I suggest that now is a good time to introduce some changes into your routine, to do something that you have long contemplated but feared doing. It is time to push the self beyond the established and controlled practice that, though innerly focused, may not be getting you to a new level. The point of inner work is not the practice itself, but the opportunity to evolve.

I ask you all to question the progress you are making. Is it progress, or are you swimming in circles? Is it time to come up for air; to grab a towel, step out of the water and sit upon the shore for a while, determining where you have gotten to? Is it time to swim in a new direction based on the strengths gained by your hard work on the self? Is it time to seek advice from a source outside of the self?

It is time to push beyond your comforts, beyond your established routines, to do something different for the self. Even a well-established and deep inner practice can become routine, stagnant, and boringly known, a rut that does not offer any new insights though it may be a practice rooted in growth and with evolutionary potential. Push your selves beyond your limitations; let in some thing new; challenge the self in some fashion that is growth-oriented, enlightening, and non-judgmental; be open to change without bias or control. Be completely open. Flow and float awhile upon the surface of your life, sit upon the shore and see what comes along to show you what this new aspect of growth might be. Dare the self to remain open while at the same time pushing the self to act upon the right next move, based on what you know you need.

And how do you know what you need? Feel, test, and wait for more signs. They will arrive to show you that you are on the right track or that, no, this is not right. You must also question your sense of comfortability, for often being comfortable in a new situation is showing you that you are not being challenged, while uncomfortability is asking you to take on a challenge because it is so right for you. Decisions must be based on what your true challenges are, and that is where your inner work comes in to guide you. What are your most basic truths and your most basic challenges based on those truths? Fear often lies at the bottom of all issues within the self. I leave you with the suggestion to confront your fears. They will lead you where you truly do need to go next.