Jan Ketchel channeling Jeanne Marie Ketchel
Dear Jeanne,
Today, I ask for guidance for all your readers, those we know and those we don’t know, for those who are near and those who are far, for anyone who might happen to stray upon our work in the course of searching for meaning in life. What message do you offer all of us, as we continue our journeys upon this earth?
My Dearest Ones, do not hesitate to fully embrace who you are, the inner you but also the outer you. The life long process to achieve balance and depth must include both aspects of self. To reject one aspect of self over another is to invite derision and conflict into the journey. The process of inner work involves enough conflict and derision without projecting and rejecting parts of the self. The greater process is one of acceptance, mergence, and wholeness. The ultimate journey upon that earth is one of acquiescence, for you cannot stop life’s unfolding. You cannot call a halt to the facts of your being, of your physical self or your conscious engagement in the world, but you can gain inner peace, balance, and reach a depth of study of self that will lead to detachment, acceptance and acquiescence.
If you consider the facts of your life, you will admit that they happened. Can you deny that you were born and have lived, thus far, all that you have lived? You also cannot deny that you will continue to have the process of life unfolding in your future. In some form or another your life will unfold. You will wake up each day and be presented with who you are, what you have done, and what you will do next. You will either find your process acceptable or you will fight it. Those are the two basic choices you are presented with as each day unfolds.
Your decision to fight your life process will present you with certain challenges, and your decision to accept it will present you with another set of challenges, even though the circumstances of your life will be the same. You see what I am getting at? Your life will unfold as it will. It will be the same whether you fight it or accept it, but you are fully in charge of how you decide to meet it. Do you choose to meet your next day with anger, regret, hostility, or sadness, or other such debilitating energy drains? Or do you elect to accept, learn, and move on with a new attitude about the self, firmly accepting of your inner process to lead you beyond the immediate reactions you have to your self and the events in your life?
Wow, I guess I find that statement somewhat judgmental on your part, as well as challenging, Jeanne. We have to experience all those debilitating energy drains too, don’t we?
Yes, my Dear One. As you know I have said many times that one must be where one must be, but today, I am asking you to challenge the self to try something different in order to push the limits of your abilities, to go beyond the normal process that may have become stagnant. So bear with me as we proceed on this unfolding process. Okay?
Yes, I acquiesce to this unfolding process. Keep going with your message.
You see, what I challenge you with today is to go beyond your immediate reactions to the self and others, to your circumstances and your current position in life and to accept that this is life unfolding, to accept that you cannot stop what has happened, but you can change how you react. And this is an evolutionary growth step.
To take a step forward it is often quite reasonable to first take a step back from the self, to step aside and view the self as an unfamiliar object. If you can allow the self to do this, I ask that you stand aside and look over at that self you are at this moment and note your immediate reactions. What do you feel, see, interpret, as you honestly look at the self? What are your first impressions? Write them down in one column labeled: First Level Reactions.
Next, I request that you calm your self with some heart-centered breathing. Take a few minutes to do some calming breaths and then look at the self standing over there from this softer heart-centered place. In a column titled Second Level Reactions jot down what you notice about that self now, allowing your detached heart-centered self to truthfully note feelings, reactions and truths.
Now, I ask you to go another level into the self and into detachment for self at the same time. Going deeper into calm heart-centered breathing ask the self what is needed to move beyond this moment. Ask the inner self to ask that self standing over there to tell you what you truly need in order to become acceptable so that you may choose to react to life differently. Write down what you hear being spoken in a third column called: Deeper Level Reactions.
These three columns of words are your truths of this moment, of this day, of this time in your life. They may be different tomorrow or in the future, but for this moment they are the truths of the self. Now comes the challenging part. As you look at the truths of self that you have written down, I ask that you do not attach to them as either good or bad, but simply accept them. These are things that are true, and truths are just that: the truth.
To process these truths, to accept them without judgment and without attachment, one must now decide what comes next. What must you do to change something that is keeping you from enjoying your life? What must you do to accept that truth that bothers you so much? What must you do so that your reactions to the truths of the self may be no reaction at all, except: Yes, it is so. This is my truth. I accept these facts of self without attachment to emotional reactions such as anger, sadness, regret, self-pity or horror. I accept these aspects of self.
The next step is to send out a request, an intent for help and guidance in one form or another, perhaps in this prayer: And now I desire change. I ask: Please allow me to take my journey each day, allowing me to accept who I am, and help me to challenge myself to change. Help me to detach from the old, having fully accepted the old me, knowing that in order to grow I must change. This I desire.
By setting the self on a daily path of change, with acceptance and acquiescence as part of the plan of attack, you will, undoubtedly My Dears, discover that you are fully equipped, within the self, to learn self-detachment, self-acceptance, and to teach the self how to move beyond the old self who holds you from your promise. And what is your promise? It is fully acquiescing to the fact that you are a being comprised of energy. You are deeper and more daring than you know. Until you detach from the old ideas of self, and dare to interact with the inevitable truths of the self, you will only brush up against the true promise you hold within.
Today, I dare you all, My Dear Readers, to stand apart from who you think you are. Gain a little perspective, then gain a little detachment, then gain a little insight to take you on the next step with a different attitude about the self, remaining fully aware of all that you are. You are you, and that is the truth. But now, what are you going to do with your self? You can’t stay there, can you?
Is there something still missing? That is what you seek. What is missing from your process that has not allowed you to fully embrace your wholeness, your compassionate, true self? What is keeping you from moving, every day, toward discovering your true promise?
NOTE: At three in the morning I heard two owls calling to each other. The call of the barred owl is quite distinct, eerily haunting and magical at the same time, visceral and grittily predatory while at the same time stirringly beautiful. Whenever I hear the owl calling I always feel the presence of the dark side and the light side at the same time. The call of the owl always makes me wonder: What is to come? From Animal Speak Ted Andrews writes that the owl presents us with the mystery of magic, omens, silent wisdom and vision at night. Owl symbolizes the feminine, the moon, the night. It is associated with healing, fertility, seduction. It is the bird of magic and darkness, prophecy and wisdom. Owl is able to extract secrets. With its acute vision and hearing it is related to seeing the truth. Owls have secret knowledge to share: they get to the truth. As I read through the interpretations of Owl in Animal Speak I saw the synchronicity of my nighttime visitor and Jeanne’s message today. She is asking us to be our own Owl, to use owl medicine, so to speak, to reach into our deeper darker selves and, using our clairvoyance and truth-seeking detached selves, reveal our truths and work with them. Look into our souls and face our truths. This is our challenge this week and we have the energy of Owl accompanying us. -Jan