There comes a time in every life when there is no other choice but to let go of that which has been most important and to shift into a new phase of life, because there is no other option. Whether change happens by known circumstance or by sudden happenstance does not matter. What does matter is how you choose to deal with this inevitable choiceless change. You can refuse it, but to no avail, or you can accept it to your advantage. Inevitable change is natural, inherently positive in its intent, and invariably will lead to some kind of new life, new energy, new direction. Embrace your own inevitable change with passion, love, and heart centeredness so that your journey may proceed with balance, eagerness, and joy. It’s never too late to renew a love for life, to exude a vigor for what it offers, and to enter a blissful state, for your spirit is always young and eager for you to enjoy life to the fullest. Don’t be afraid. You really have nothing to lose and everything to gain, for life, in all its forms, only wishes you the very best.
Find resolution in knowing that your life’s journey is one of transformation and that change is natural, that aging, loss, and eventual death of the human form are the normal road to transcendence. And yet also remember that the spirit is eternal, always young, always alive, and so keep in mind that to lose the human form again and again in nightly dreaming is practice for how to use the eternal spirit effectively; it is preparation for using it in life as well as preparation for the definitive journey all must eventually take. Prepare the human self for a sturdy life, accepting the minor changes that present each day in physical life, but prepare the spirit for the great change at the end of life by learning what it is fully capable of now. Ask it to show you its secrets, to guide you to full awareness of its capabilities, to show you all that you are. With loving kindness and compassion, ask it to guide you, day and night, so that you may experience its fullness and its eternal beauty all the time.
You may not be doing exactly what you should be doing. You may not be saying exactly what you should be saying, to yourself or to others. You may not be catching all the signs that come to guide you, or noticing how infinity, the universe, tries to teach you, for you can bet that you have missed and continue to miss many calls that seek to lead you onto your path of heart. But don’t worry! There is still time for a course correction! It’s never too late! Turn off the voices in your head, that incessant internal dialogue that does you no good, and instead tune into the quiet of your heart. Sit there in its silence and wait for guidance to come, for the truth to be clearly spoken, for the right action to be revealed. It will all come, and much more.
When change approaches, greet it like a new friend, embrace it and accept its offerings, for it will not cease to shower you with more. Once change has arrived its permanency will soon become apparent. Stop a moment. Breathe. Then walk a short way down the new road that change has shown you. Pretty soon you will be used to it; the new road will become familiar and change will be like an old friend who never left you. Until something new comes along, that is, until another momentous moment of change arrives, another shift on your most important journey through life. But that’s what life is all about, the constant opportunity to fully embrace change. Do it with all the love and enthusiasm you can muster and you will never be disappointed. Everything matters.
What we wish for is right there, beyond the boundaries we surround ourselves with… – Photo by Jan Ketchel
To make room for the new, we must clear out the old. The challenge, in letting go, is the depth of our attachment to the familiar. The identity we have forged secures us within the safety of the known.
The known identity is often heavily laden with negative and limiting beliefs, which become the boundaries of the self. To find the self in new ways, we must venture beyond the comfort of the chrysalis that has provided stability, darting past the limitations it has imposed upon the unfolding of our fuller selves.
The internal dialogue, specifically, the words we say to ourselves and others, powerfully determines the self we know. St. John begins his Gospel: “en arche en o logos” (in the beginning was the word). And that spoken word became the flesh. Or, as the Shamans of Ancient Mexico put it: words are directly linked to intent, the key to manifestation. As Descartes put it, “I think therefore I am.”
Norman Vincent Peale highlighted The Power of Positive Thinking, as a practice to suspend the power of judging words to forestall the unfolding self. We are all programmable beings, much like the Artificial Intelligence (AI) of Siri and Alexa.
Our subconscious awaits commands in the form of the words we tell it we are. Those words manifest in the behavioral patterns, moods, and beliefs that we program ourselves to automatically enact. Change the words, change the mood and the outlook.
Would, of course, that change were so simple. And yet, in many ways it is that simple. Observe the power of a charismatic leader whose words galvanize the mood of the world. This is the action of mass hypnosis, and, at some level, we are all hypnotic subjects. Why not give ourselves positive, supportive, and encouraging messages?
Always forgive the self, for everything and anything. Rather than bemoan one’s weaknesses and limitations, validate the willingness to face the full truth, and move forward unburdened with negativity.
Observe and interrupt automatic conclusions about one’s abilities, such as, “I am a terrible writer.” Reframe it with, “I am a being learning to write.”
Treat words as power objects capable of casting spells. Cast only positive spells upon the self.
Try, “I am a being open to the magic and mystery of life.”
Or, “I am a caring being open to sharing myself with a compatible other.”
Beyond the words that we consciously state are experiences we may store unconsciously, beyond our awareness, that hold their own powerful words of influence. These are made known to us through the triggers of everyday life that suddenly transport us to dark, frozen places.
To neutralize the spells these triggers cast, we must take the journey of recapitulation. In recapitulation we relive and fully retrieve our lost selves, as we open to full acceptance of every aspect of life lived. With acceptance comes love. With love comes the energy to open to new life, with all our vulnerabilities.
Finding self is the journey of a lifetime. Carefully chosen, supportive words and ongoing recapitulation are the tools to achieve this wholeness of self. Exercise these tools! See what happens!
