Even the Earth manifests healing intent… – Photo by Jan Ketchel
The body is formed and functions according to a hardwired set of autonomous rules that don’t involve consciousness. At the subconscious level of the mind these rules are activated and employed to support the daily activities of life with little conscious awareness or input.
The belief that our genetics will basically control our physical destiny is an assumption that underlies modern attitudes toward the body. This is supported by the fact that the genetic makeup of an individual is in fact preprogrammed and if left to its own devices will predictably evolve along the lines of its innate algorithms.
Consciousness has the power to break ranks with these powerfully controlling inner laws. At a simple level, a body predisposed to diabetes may have some control over the manifestation of that disease through the exercise of certain food choices. This same principle applies to many potential diseases that may not activate due to preventative behavioral choices.
At a higher more subtle mental level is the influence of belief on physical conditions. This is dramatically demonstrated with the placebo effect, where mental belief alone might cure or cause a disease. Thus, ascertaining one’s core beliefs, assessing the power of their influence, and considering suspending those beliefs in the service of manifesting a new possibility is a good practice to deepen one’s influence upon the body.
At an even more subtle dimension of the mind is the fact that thought is an energetic entity. Thoughts, in fact, have the possibility to randomly fly out of the head and enter the headspace of another person. The power of directed thought to manifest an action on the physical plane is demonstrated by the healing intent being transferred in a Reiki or Therapeutic Touch session.
At an even deeper subtle mental dimension is the fact that while in human form, that is, alive in a human body, the body serves the evolution of consciousness. Thus, if our growth requires changes in our body to support our spiritual growth, our consciousness might be able to rewrite or take charge of the rules that typically govern our physical functioning.
This level of potential change requires that we are in full acceptance of our body as is, that we can truly say we love it. If we are at war with our body we will have difficulty transcending its limitations, as the energy of change is the energy of love. Our process of change at this stage will require much attention to deep, loving acceptance of what is. The potential of what might be can only be built upon this loving foundation.
With the exercise of free will in choices, in suspending limiting beliefs, in sending positive healing thoughts and love to the body, in evolving overall consciousness, anything is possible. At least until proven otherwise!
So, you’ve made a decision. You’ve chosen a new path, a new direction, a change to strive for, an experience to gain in this New Year. Now go with the flow of it. It might not be exactly what you expected. It might not be granting exactly what you wished for. It might not be exactly to your liking. It might not be unfolding as you had anticipated, but go with the flow anyway, for once embarked upon a journey grows out of your control and your best decision then is to be fully present with what is, with what happens. Just be yourself, but also allow yourself to relax; be open and loving, and just go with the flow. It’s only then that you will truly be in alignment with your decision and prepared to meet what comes to you with purity of mind, with gentleness of heart, and without judgment. It’s only then that you will realize that everything is EXACTLY as it should be. Go with the flow and enjoy every moment, all the unexpected gifts you are challenged with, and especially the discovery that you are getting exactly what you need! Now that is truly how to travel a path with heart!
Be aware that you have all the answers inside you. You know how things will transpire and what to do to achieve your aims. At the same time your knowing is dulled and so you take one path over another, forgetting your knowing self even exists. But your knowing self does not ever forget you. Your knowing self pushes and prods you, constantly dreams you onward, waking you up on a daily basis to your other reality. But like sleep your old behaviors and forgetfulness come over you and then your troubles arise, your frustrations swell, and your anger and resentment brew. Remember your knowing self. Pluck it out of that other dream and bring it into life’s dream of now, your true companion, your knowing self who only wants to join you in dreaming what you already know. Remember!
There is one moment and it is now. Although you are comprised of all that was and all that is to be, it is only this moment that counts. What will you do with it? What decision will you make? Who will you be in this moment? Choose wisely, for this moment is the beginning of everything that is to come. This moment matters.
In breaking routine, I got to see the Tibetan prayer flags flying, spreading their messages to the world… – Photo by Jan Ketchel
Routine, both a beauty and a beast, keeps us on the straight and narrow. Even if we are not train commuters, riding the rails each morning and back again each evening, our lives can become as rigid and narrowly defined as the rails upon which the commuter trains rumble along, heading always in the same two directions, in and out of the city.
The beauty of routine is that it keeps us sane. It occupies us for most of the day with all that holds us bound to life, to work, to duty, to the security and safety of all that is and all that we expect to continue to be. It invites us to easily get up each day and go about our lives with little thought to anything else.
Routine offers the beauty of knowing who we are and where we are, at least for the moment and perhaps even for the foreseeable future. Routine allows us to exist without fear or worry, as we merrily ride along on its rails of contentment. But routine is also a beast. It confines us to that same life of contentment, which leads to complacency. It allows us to dissociate as we let life pass us by, as we are not challenged to do otherwise. It takes us where it always takes us, with little room for adventure. It controls our lives and keeps our spirits dampened with its must dos and must haves. In truth, it limits us.
The control of routine goes far beyond our outer world, controlling our inner world as well. Think of the routine things we say to ourselves all the time, the repetitive thoughts that circulate through our minds telling us the same things about ourselves over and over again, the nagging and debilitating untruths that constantly keep us stuck on the rigid rails of unfulfilling life.
Rigid ideas, judgments, expectations, and choices keep us stuck, keep us narcissistically fixated on always being right and always being safe in our routine. We can’t hear anything outside of our inner patter and we can’t accept that someone else might have something important to tell us, offering a new perspective. If we are always right then everyone else must be wrong, and that’s a really hard way to live. In breaking through the rigidities of our inner routine, we offer ourselves the opportunity to hear, see, and experience something new.
Sitting in calmness we notice other things, we feel differently… – Photo by Jan Ketchel
We recently took a week off from our routine. It was to be a week to flow with the energy of each day, seeing what arose to guide us, to entice us, to invite us into new experiences or to simply be. It was a wonderful experience; no pressure, no duty, no expectations. We woke each morning to a bubble of excitement. What will we do today? And then we waited. We waited for signs and for our mutual energy in alignment to guide us. It worked perfectly.
Some days we were active, other days we were calmly present, but always we acted from a place of knowing that there was no agenda and thus there was no compromise. Adventures presented themselves and we enjoyed them. Challenges arose and we met them. Nothing was denied; everything was acceptable. We noticed that the conscious shift away from routine did not mean there was no routine, but it meant that routine did not rule, it became a choice. It became simply a structure to engage in or not.
We let the energy of each day determine our actions along with our own sense of what felt right. We sat with feelings, emotions, desires and the energy of our physical selves and made our decisions based on sitting in calmness. Reading the energy of each day and the reality of where we were in the moment made for some interesting choices in how to use the freedom of no routine. Rather than run around like crazy with our freedom, no agenda gave us pause to investigate ourselves on a deeper level. What was most important to us? Sitting in calmness the answers came clearly. Sitting in calmness the world and its enticements dissolved.
In the midst of our week off we decided that we should break with some of our routine schedules. You may notice that our blogging schedule is going to be different, when inspiration strikes, rather than according to a plan we had set up years ago. This allows us to be more present in the moment, more spontaneous, and more in alignment with the energy of each day.
Channelings may appear more often as we deepen our exploration of all that is, both in the reality of our lives and in the exploration of other realities. We’re excited about this and our main intent is, as it has always been with this website, to freely share what we learn.
I got to experience something new today, including a glimpse of my own shadow… – Photo by Jan Ketchel
I chose to alter my own morning routine today. I spent some time in the garden. The weather was perfectly calm, the temperature perfectly comfortable, a high summer morning, the bees buzzing, the butterflies on the butterfly bush, the flowers in the garden nodding as I trimmed and admired them. Had I not altered my morning I would not have been available to rescue a fat chipmunk caught in a downspout, his mouth full of nuts. I heard something scrambling and when I poked the side of the spout I heard a petrified squeak. I disconnected the gutter and shook it. Out popped a stunned chipmunk, round and plump. He looked at me and then ran off. I gladly accepted that he was grateful for my assistance.
In volitionally changing our routines, we offer ourselves brief moments of respite from our usual feelings and patterns of behavior. We allow ourselves to just be, and when we let ourselves just be we soften. Softening allows us to feel and see things differently too, and those are the moments when new things begin to happen for us and to us. In moments of softness guidance comes, as we are more receptive, and when we are more receptive we are more naturally present to give as well.
In admiration of both the beauty and the beast,
Jan
