Gratitude in the Midst of Chaos

Here we are, ready to say good bye to another year. 2020 has been…well, you fill in the blank. I invite each of you to take a few moments to join me now as we look back over the last year. Become aware of the blessings, gifts and new possibilities that have emerged this year for you and let gratitude flow.

For those still focused on the chaos and confusion, this can be challenging. Who wants to be thankful for that? Perhaps you can let go of that and shift your focus, if only for a few moments. Can you recognize, honour and be grateful for all the ways in which you’ve managed to survive if not thrive? Each of us has changed, either by choice or having choice forced upon us.

A few days ago I was playing with the difference between comfortable and familiar. Familiar refers to the times when your mind recognizes certain situations or people. You’ve been with them or in that situation before.

Comfortable means you can relax into the moment, the relationship, and enjoy it…feel some measure of security, balance and peace.

Neither of these words apply to 2020 in any measure. It was a time of change. The familiar was no longer and there were precious few places to be comfortable in all the unknown. Given the situation, we looked for ways to find our balance again. We floundered, we adapted to what the world brought to us and we emerged, time and time again. And we discovered we are resilient. We survived!

I prefer to see 2020 as the divine moving in and through us to open us to new possibilities and potentials. As we shift our focus from the information and ensuing rules that forced us to let go of the familiar and comfortable, we begin to recognize the opportunities for new choices in our life. What feels better, what brings more joy? What allows you to express yourself in a way that was not available before?

The coming of a new year is considered a time of making resolutions. We decide what changes to make in our lives and then promise ourselves to make it happen. This is a mind thing and so very often leads to frustration, disappointment and self-judgment. It is challenging to let go of familiar and comfortable people and situations because of the strong emotional attachments involved.

Now is the time to begin imagining a new way of being in the world…for yourself, your family, at work, in social situations. The divine has given us these moments of quiet to become aware of who we are. We can release the old emotions that come up when we consider making a change, finding new insights and integrating the new into our life. We can choose to change the channel we are watching, to shift our focus from what was to what is now possible. Seeds of freedom and expansion have been planted. Quiet moments of reflection unveil new ways of being in relationship, of creating income, new ways of living in love, joy, peace and harmony with all of creation. Let your love flow with the smallest of dreams… The world around us will reflect the changes happening within.

Let’s use this time of upheaval to create our new lives, our new world. Imagine being in joy, having fun, loving those around you, being in gratitude for all that is happening,  Choose to live and love fully in every moment. The ‘new normal’ can be heaven on earth, moment by moment!

[avatar size=”thumbnail”]Quan Yin – goddess of mercy and compassion[/avatar]  by Eloecea

 

 

Unsubscribe here
Header image courtesy of NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope

 

Consider being a blob for a bit…

It’s that day…winter solstice…when the dark begins to leave and there’s more light in our days. If there has ever been a time when our planet needed more light, it is now. Would you consider being a blob for a bit if it brings more light for you and the planet?

I was wondering this morning what would happen if we all choose to shine light on our old ‘darkness’, fear-based thoughts, and allowed the divine to flow into that empty space. What would happen if we choose to become aware of those thoughts that keep us separate from our divine self and others? Old judgments like good/bad; right/wrong; us/them; stupid/smart; fat/skinny; rich/poor…and the list goes on.

In my experience, the mind goes into overdrive trying to explain why that’s a bad idea. How do I make decisions? How do I know if I’m good enough? How do I know who I am if I’m not all those things? How do I choose my friends?

Years ago, the Divine Mother  invited me to ‘let go of my sharp corners and hard edges’ and I began entertaining the possibility of letting go of whatever she was talking about.  I remember lying on my bed in LA after a particularly strong session of release when I was surprised by the thought “But, but, but…I’ll be a blob”. If I don’t have those identifiers or labels for myself and others, how do I think of myself? How do I be with others without ‘sizing them up’, without attaching labels? How do I know what’s good if there’s no label?

I must admit that this thought, this fear of being a blob lingered for a long time…years. My mind was so programmed to notice separation that it had great difficulty accepting this shift. It actually fought my desire to let go of the old way of thinking. My mind likes compartments. It prefers to know what’s what, where to put things, how to view people.

My mind does NOT like the unknown. I did not like thinking of myself as this unformed blob, let alone feeling the fears attached to that thought. I had to be someone, have an identity, some defining characteristics. I needed to be able to identify the situations and the people in my life, to give them labels, so I could be safe according to my mind’s perspective.

These labels are the essence of separation…they can lead to the Great Divide we are experiencing in our world today. Labels come in many shapes and sizes. Politics, religion, race, gender, sexuality, nationality, and the list goes on. It doesn’t have to be major things. Nice smile, weird clothes, neighbour, homeless are also labels that can separate us.

The defining factor in all of this is the fear or other emotional response that underlies our mind’s need to create labels. Labels are part of human nature and can be helpful. Discernment is an important tool. However, when fear attaches to our thought and sets up a judgment like good/bad, the Divide is established. Our minds love to find boxes with labels so it can feel safe. And then our minds love to collect evidence that we are right, strengthening the emotional entanglement and widening the Divide. We point fingers when the difference becomes so great that it triggers a fear reaction. ‘They’ do/think this and it scares me. Or, if I do/think this no one will like me.

What if we choose to become aware of these dark places, these thoughts that create separation and release the fear that holds them in place? We could ask the divine within each of us to shine light on the thoughts and actions that keep us separated from our divine self, from others.

What if we actually choose to pay attention to what is brought to our awareness? The mind is quite determined to keep everything status quo, to not rock the boat. That triggers fear. What if we choose to accept what the divine shows us, release any old emotional attachments, and become a ‘blob’. And then what???

And then we focus on the divine. We choose to bring in the light for our self and others. There is no separation here…there is only insight, higher perspectives from love, compassion and freedom. We allow the divine to shine light on our darkness so that we can embody the light. We focus on how we would like to be, how we would like to experience our moments, how we would like our world to be.

Awareness <–> Emotional Release <–> Insight/Wisdom <–> Integration

As I let go of those old fear-based attachments, as I allow a period of ‘blobness’, I  slowly come into more of my divine Self. I realize that there is no need to cling tightly to a label or point fingers. I am creator of my moments. I can envision from higher perspectives and fill my life with magic and miracles. As I do this, I begin to experience the world around me as my creation, a safe place to live and love because I am becoming love.

I smiled a few days ago as I remembered that period of my life. Thankfully, it’s been a long time since I’ve felt like a blob. I’m reminded again of a lump of clay waiting to be formed into something new. It’s a gradual process…releasing the emotional attachments that hold the darkness and letting the light shine in and through us in new ways. I am forever grateful that I continue to choose to let go of my mind being in control and allow the divine to source my journey into joy.

Are you willing to be a blob for a bit…to become more love within and shine in your world?

[avatar size=”thumbnail” align=”left” /]  by Eloecea

 

 

Unsubscribe here
Header image courtesy of NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope

Is It True?

Last week, there was a bit of a shake up regarding UFO’s and the presence of extraterrestrial life here on Earth. Perhaps some of you saw the following newscast from the US (video editing is not yet in my toolbox, so just watch the first 2:11):

What do you think about this? How does it feel? What emotions come up? Is it true?

From my perspective, it’s part of a very slow rolling out of a truth that has long been hidden from the public, for the very reason stated in this news clip. The U.S. government (most governments) decided to protect its citizens from mass hysteria. That was the reason given back in the 1950’s and it continues to be the reason for keeping the secret. Yes, our leaders have known about this for over 70 years.

As the latest documentary, The Phenomenon (2020), notes, it may be time to trust humanity to make their own choices. More frequent sightings have been reported. Witness testimony from highly-placed government officials (including former Senator Harry Reid of NV) have increased. And heightened public curiosity and awareness suggest this pot is about to boil over.

https://youtu.be/onEXmLX2ZZQ

So, what do you think? How do you decide what is real and what is not? What is true for you and what is ‘fake news’ or ‘false information’ or just plain B*S*? Could it be part of a reality that you have not explored or even considered? Are you willing to shake up any sense of equilibrium you’ve managed to establish in your life during the almost constant chaos of 2020?

You might remember that I come from a very black and white, right and wrong sense of truth. There is safety there…living by a set of rules given by family, religion, education, government, and culture. A sense of belonging, of not being alone. What does it take for us to leave the old “I’m living this way because XXX told me to” and step into “I am choosing to live this way?” Why do we continue to believe our happiness comes from following rules of thought and behaviour that limit us when there is so much more available as we colour outside the lines and think outside the box?

This is all about encountering the Other…the Other person, the Other faith, the Other culture, the Other truth, the Other nation, the Other intelligent civilization.  What will open us to choose to live and love fearlessly from the divine within rather than follow old beliefs and patterns we were taught from someone else? We can choose to let go of the old that limits us and no longer serves us. Why not allow new to expand our awareness, our opportunities to experience more freedom, more joy, more everything? Are you ready for more? Are you ready to choose your truth?

[avatar size=”thumbnail” align=”left”]Quan Yin – goddess of compassion and mercy[/avatar]  by Eloecea

 

 

Unsubscribe here
Header image courtesy of NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope

 

Feeling Crazy These Days?

We’ve all been there, feeling crazy at times, like you’re losing your mind. We’re living in a world where we have more information coming in than ever before. Our human ego mind is desperately trying to figure out what’s real, what’s true, what’s best. In 2020, our experience has been compounded by the appearance of COVID-19. It’s a challenge to findImage courtesy of Pixabay - the digital artist balance in a world of competing ideologies. Everyone seems to be have really good reasons (and scientific facts) to support the way they think and act.

Psychology suggests that humans have an inner drive to hold all our attitudes and behaviour in harmony and to avoid disharmony, When disharmony, or cognitive dissonance, is present, we experience stress. Our ego mind has options when a contradictory or different piece of information comes up against what we hold as true. We can ignore the new information that is creating the dissonance. We can denigrate those who choose to believe it. This kind of response will strengthen our previous belief. Or we can open to the new, feel our way through the emotions that come up, and make a choice from a higher, divine perspective.

What if the old beliefs keep us trapped in patterns of thought and action that no longer work for us or for humanity? What if it is necessary to break down and break through these old ways of being human in order to create a new world of equality, compassion, love, respect and peace?

The beliefs that we have now are just thoughts with an emotional charge. The older and more revered the belief is, the stronger the emotional attachment. You feel even crazier, out of control, when they are challenged. The more we cling to or push away from a belief the stronger the belief becomes. This is how our mind builds our ego self.

It is not just simpler to follow what our mind already thinks is real, it has been our way of survival. We have been taught to accept guidance and instruction from those we hold as leaders in our lives. Too often, we give authority figures from our religious, political, scientific, educational, familial and other traditional belief systems the power to tell us what is true, what is real and what is not. If have learned that if we follow our leaders, we experience a sense of belonging and we feel safe.

It is not easy to let go of the past, to try something new. And yet, most of us have done exactly that in many areas of our lives. We have accepted and welcomed new science, new theologies, new ways of being in relationship as a family or member of a community. Many have found freedom and peace, redefining ourselves in a different way.

What if, just as the world around us seems to be falling apart, we must allow the same process within us? What if the experience of being crazy is integral to letting go of the ego mind as our primary operating system? As we do, our heart, our divine knowing can take its rightful place. In order to make a choice from our heart, to find divine wisdom in the chaos, we must allow the emotions to rise up. Once these are released we can find our balance again as we follow our heart’s knowing, our wisdom. Wisdom, a thought without emotional charge, is available to all of us in every moment.

Wisdom is not information. It is knowing what to do with the information that comes to us. When our human mind gets involved, trying to figure things out or to find the truth, the process is mired in past experiences which are simply emotionally charged memories. This is the source of the dissonance, the confusion, feeling crazy: old emotions are involved, usually fear-based. Wisdom allows for discernment, choosing freely what you know to be loving, kind, compassionate, peaceful.

An evolution of human consciousness is beckoning to us, inviting each of us to let go of the old and allow new, higher perspectives to come through. This is the choice we have as we experience the chaos and confusion in the external world and within ourselves. Do we want to keep living in the black and white world of right/wrong, good/bad, us/them? Is it even possible to create a world of differences without blame or separation?

Letting go of the polarity by releasing the emotional entanglements leads to balance. We can then feel our way through the information and choices presented to us and realize a higher perspective. This is the the way of Unity Consciousness.

As humans, we appreciate and even need duality or contrast, just not the extremes we are experiencing today. Contrast allows for discernment, finding our preferences or what works for us. When judgments (fear-based thoughts) are in the mix, as is prevalent these days, we are operating from old emotions. Knee-jerk reactions are the norm: blaming, pushing against the Other, and fighting for the old way of being.

As creators of our own reality, we can choose to loosen the hold of these old beliefs, attitudes and behaviours. New possibilities from higher perspectives are available when we begin to let go of the old and allow new. Divine awareness flows into and through us. We can stop the blame-games, the confusion and violence we see today by becoming aware of our own thoughts, our self talk. From this awareness of what no longer serves us, we can gain insight as we release the fear-based attachments to that thought. As we put these insights into practice, we integrate a new, higher way of being within our human ego mind and into our attitudes and behaviours.

Let me say this again: We have all made these shifts in some areas already! We have changed positions on a topic or accepted some person that, in the past, we would have judged. Perhaps it was something about you that you finally allowed as your truth. Isn’t it time that we remember we are divine beings here in human form? That we can expand this willingness to allow everyone to have their stories, their truth? It doesn’t need to change who we are or how we live our life – but it can change how we are with the Other, those who are different.

We truly can create a world of peace and harmony, of love, compassion, respect and joy. It begins within each of us. Are you willing to pay attention to those moments you blame or make others wrong for having different beliefs? What about those who hold beliefs that seem to put you in unsafe situations? Or those whose reality challenges yours? We have a choice: We can create our reality from old fear-based thinking and behaviours. Or we can let go and allow our divine self to show us ways to find balance within. Then we can model this balance in the world around us.

Please, please, pay attention to this – remember Einstein:  “We can’t solve problems if we use the same kind of thinking that created them.” Are you willing to do what is necessary to create a world you would like to live in, a world in balance? Become aware, Let go of the old, Allow the new, Become the new. I know, it sounds simple, but it takes intention and attention. It can be life- and world-changing…if you take one step and then another and then another. You will find, moment by moment, more peace, more balance, more joy in yourself and your world.

[avatar size=”thumbnail” align=”left”]Quan Yin – goddess of compassion and mercy[/avatar] by Eloecea

 

 

 

Unsubscribe here
Header image courtesy of NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope

Allowing Unity Consciousness

As the Intergalactic projects begin to take form, I want to talk about the foundation of who we are in relationship to ourselves and others, the possibility of Unity Consciousness. It is imperative that each of us are open to new ways of being. Our world is changing in the midst of chaos and confusion. Are we going to choose new and different possibilities or are we going to hold on to what was? Will we be part of healing the Great Divide or will we continue to perpetuate it?

When our thoughts, beliefs, and actions are based in fear, separation is present from the first thought. It is subtle and it usually begins with thinking something or someone is wrong, ‘We’ are going to heal, support, shut down, explain to or otherwise affect change for ‘them’. It may feel compassionate, be intended as loving, but know that it creates a division.  This is true whether you are being with yourself or others. Judgment, blame, frustration, pushing against, etc. have no place in relationships based in Unity Consciousness. And, it doesn’t have to be this hard!

From a 3D or mass consciousness perspective, our planet looks like a mess. Confusion reigns as our ego minds try to figure out how to fix anything and everything with little apparent change. This is not new, it has been our way of being as humans for a very long time.  We have been trying diligently to create change within the familiar 3D paradigm for all the ‘right’ reasons, Einstein knew this doesn’t work: We can’t solve problems if we use the same kind of thinking that created them.”

We are divine beings, souls, a fragment of divine consciousness in bodies that are part of physical creation. Most of humanity, myself included for the majority of this life, believe that we are our bodies. We focus on the 3D thinking that what is external, what we can see, hear and touch, is real. The rest, sometimes even our connection with the divine, is outside our inner reality. God, Source, Allah is out there, separate from our soul self. We may hold the divine as greater than this 3D reality, but we still are caught in thinking and focusing on the external in general.

This paradigm keeps us trapped in limitation. The divine ‘out there’ is all the omni’s…omniscient, omnipresent, and omnipotent, but we, as humans, are not. Can you feel that separation, that divide? What if we choose to know, to remember, that we are souls first, divine consciousness inhabiting a body that is part of the physical world. Can you feel the shift into a closer connection with the divine?

This is the experience of Unity Consciousness, the Christ/Buddha Consciousness, the Fifth Dimension. Remembering that we are divine beings allows us to receive more of the divine in our physical vessel. We have greater awareness, more potency and more connection with others and all of creation. Love, peace, joy, abundance, compassion, safety, gratitude, health, freedom, empathy, and respect for others naturally flow in and through us as we shift our awareness. We become these attributes as we focus on our soul self as our primary identity.

Until and unless we acknowledge that we are souls first, we are trapped in the limitations and futility of humans in 3D reality, a Sisyphean task* in my experience. Hopelessness, helplessness, exhaustion, and failure are common human experiences…sound and feel familiar? It’s all coming up now that our world is on Pause, as our usual distractions are not available. We are finally feeling and experiencing what’s been hidden or stuffed down: anger, fatigue, anxiety and panic, depression. The information we receive is conflicting, adding to the cognitive dissonance in our minds. We react from fear even as we strive to create something better and it doesn’t work. The Great Divide plays out in our minds, in our homes and in our world. Now what?

Now we let go of the human ego mind thinking it’s in control, that it has to have all the answers. We choose to spend time in the quiet, connecting with our soul self, beginning to

recognize that voice, that knowing that has been there in the background all these years. We begin to pay attention to all the other voices in our head that distract, the emotional entanglements that keep us stuck and we find tools that work for us as we choose to let go.

There is no place here for self-judgment or blame, simply awareness. We choose to allow our soul to enlighten us, to show us what is ready to be released so there is more space for new possibilities, new ways of being. There is space for divine wisdom to show us the next step to unity…a step that might surprise or frighten us because it’s different. Different is what will break us free of the old. Different allows us to remember we are the divine in human form, to see the divine in others and all of creation, no matter what it looks like out there.

I have used ‘we’ throughout this writing because I’m writing for me as much as for you. When I try to write for you, to teach you or help you, I get bogged down in my mind and its emotional reactions. ‘What will they think? Will they really get it?’ ad nauseum. As I write from my own knowing, my desire to share my story just because it’s fun, the words flow and a sense of fulfillment comes even before I send it out.  This kind of awareness is becoming part of who I am, my way of being, more and more. My life continues to expand into a peaceful place filled with magical moments that are fun and satisfying and exciting.

This is why Unity Consciousness is the foundation of Intergalactic Connections. I’m tired of pushing boulders up a hill only to watch them roll back again. I enjoy experiencing serendipity and synchronicity and, yes, miracles, as they show up more and more. I love being in the divine flow of the universe and look forward to the coming years knowing all is well. It is no longer my responsibility to figure it out, just let go and allow my soul self to inspire and guide my choices. This is the foundation of Unity Consciousness, of healing the Great Divide.

Then, too, our Intergalactic visitors will not show up until we are able to receive them from a place of unity, a place of safety for all. They also know the futility of trying hard in 3D. Many off-world beings are supporting our shift even now. With us, their desire is for humanity to embody Unity Consciousness, a place where we can encounter each other in joy and celebration without fear.

Most of us have experienced Unity Consciousness from time to time…are you ready for more? What are your next steps? You already have tools…what are they? Are they working for you? What thoughts or fears get in your way? Is there something more you need?

Humans are designed for community…coming together in common-unity in our physical world. Sharing more of my own journey, releasing the emotional entanglements that kept me in limitation, brings me joy. I invite you to join me with your questions and concerns, your awarenesses and transformation…we are indeed all in this together. Each of us has the opportunity, perhaps even a divine directive from our soul, to become that which we desire for all of humanity – a divine being walking here in human form. From that place, peace and harmony flow within you, throughout our world and beyond. Thank you for being with me on this journey, however you choose to Heal the Great Divide.

* Sisyphean describes a task as seemingly endless and futile—you keep doing it but it never gets done. The word comes from the name of Sisyphus, a character in Greek mythology who was punished by being forced to continuously roll a boulder up a steep hill.

[avatar size=”thumbnail” align=”left”]Quan Yin – goddess of compassion and mercy[/avatar]   by Eloecea

 

 

Unsubscribe here
Header image courtesy of NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope

Worry as Prayer???

The other day I heard someone say, “Worry is a form of prayer”. That got my attention. I hadn’t thought of it in that way, but it is quite true when seen from a scientific or energetic perspective. “Pray without ceasing”, we are told, but how exactly are we praying?

Image courtesy of Google Images/Kindpng

If prayer, in its simplest form, is a conversation with the divine, and we know the divine is omnipresent, then wouldn’t the divine be aware of the content of all our thoughts? Unless, of course, you really believe the divine only listens when we are intentionally praying.

So, if any part of our thinking or speaking comes from a place of worry, anxiety or fear, that is also heard by the divine. From a more ingenuous perspective, we might hope the divine sorts through our thoughts and only pays attention to our specific prayers, i.e.‘the good stuff’. We might think our worry is automatically translated to a request from a place of compassion or love.

Prayer is a beautiful contemplative practice, providing a space of quiet being with the divine in its most essential form, available in every moment. We are encouraged to bring our worries and hurts to the divine in this space…but what we too often forget is to let them go and open to the presence of the divine. Too often we continue to chew on our worries.

From a scientific or energetic point of view, what you think and feel is what you get. When you’re worried, it’s easy to find many other things to worry about. Thoughts combine with emotions that then become patterns or states of being. Emotional states attract similar emotional states.

Emotions are the glue that holds our thoughts in place. Grace from the divine is the grease that softens the entanglements and emotional release can bring us out of that confusion into wisdom. Our human ego mind doesn’t have to figure it out. Divine insight comes as we let go of the old worries and provide more space for new thoughts of gratitude, joy, love, compassion, and well-being.

Gratitude and joy lift you and those around you higher. Worry triggers memories of other worries in yourself and those around you. This can lead to a ‘pity party’ or ‘worry fest’ (not to mention panic attack these days) until you become aware of what’s happening and choose something different. By all means, cry the tears, shake with terror, scream in rage in safe places. And then know you can CHOOSE what you think more and more. You can choose to dwell on the ‘good stuff’.

I wrote about this in a previous post, From Worry to Wonder. When I find myself caught in a loop of worry or stuck in imagining the worst, I choose to open to wondering how the divine is going to handle this. I shift into a lighter place of curiosity, of wonderment. I remember other times I was in this loop and how magically the situation was transformed. I wonder what gift I am to receive this time even as I remember to welcome the awareness of choice, release the emotions around the old pattern and allow divine insights to open me to my new way of being.

Change is seldom easy, but oh, so worth it when we see the shift from the old to the new! Have you experienced this? What works for you? Does this change your understanding of prayer?

[avatar size=”thumbnail” align=”left”]Quan Yin – goddess of compassion[/avatar]   by Eloecea

 

 

Unsubscribe here
Header image courtesy of NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope

Our Stories and Truths

We all have our stories and our truths. We’ve gathered them from our life experiences – what we were taught in our early years and what we have learned during this lifetime. We hold onto these experiences and learning as our truths. But what exactly is truth?

I remember my first foray into personal psychotherapy decades ago. Early on, I told Carol, a Christian psychologist, that I just wanted to know what was true. Then I could act on that, follow the rules associated with that truth, and be happy. I’d been depressed most of my life for a myriad of reasons. Nothing I’d tried, nothing I’d learned, nothing I’d done had lifted me out of the despair. Yes, there were moments of happiness, of feeling good, but underneath it all was this hopelessness and fear. So, maybe there was a truth out there that I didn’t know about, a path to happiness, that would change all that. Didn’t Jesus say “You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free” (Jn8:32)?

I really don’t remember her answer, which is strange because this was my QUESTION! This would CHANGE MY LIFE. What I do remember is a gradual shift from thinking the answer was out there somewhere to finding my truth within me. I began to let go of the layers of emotional entanglements I had formed in my life, the stuck places that kept me mired in fear. I began to trust my inner knowing, my own truth, my own divinity.

My stories are a combination of what I have experienced (situations) and the emotions I felt at the time (reactions). Until I recognized this, I continued to be stuck in emotional reactions from the past that then began to affect all of my present and future experiences.

I’ve let go of trying to find a truth out there that will bring me happiness, that will bring peace and joy to everyone. One size does not fit all…that is spurious thinking. Anyone or any belief system that suggests otherwise is false. I say this because it keeps us stuck in trying to make a limited understanding of our world the truth for everyone. What is true for me does not necessarily resonate as true for another.

Are there universal truths? Yes. I’ve written about Christ Consciousness or Unity Consciousness before…that place of wisdom that comes from letting go of what we think we know. This wisdom encompasses a higher, divine perspective of compassion, harmony, love, respect for self and others, service to others, peace and joy. Wisdom comes from clearing old emotional baggage from our thoughts and beliefs. This is a path to remembering who we are as divine beings, here in this body, having human experiences.

 Awareness –> Emotional Release –> Insight –> Integration

We become aware of some thought or behaviour that doesn’t fit with our divine Self. When asked, the divinity we know is ready to assist in making us aware of these. There is usually an emotional reaction attached. We don’t have to dig for anything…that emotion is right there waiting to be released. Just allow it to come up – often other situations with similar reactions will come up as well. Once released, we are open to new insights from a higher, divine perspective. Integration happens naturally as we allow this wisdom to permeate our new way of being.

I learned the simplicity and efficacy of sharing wisdom through stories from the Indigenous tradition of teaching. Most of us have been taught facts, theories and rules. Trying to change the thoughts and beliefs of others by challenging them in the old ways or spoon feeding them information just gives them more facts from their external world which may or may not be true for them.

Stories, once cleared of old emotional attachments, provide guidance with room for exploration of how the lesson might fit for the listener. I encourage you to give attention to your own stories, clearing them and sharing them when asked.  The possibilities of all being lifted up into Unity or Christ Consciousness increase exponentially. Generalizability is real, and it can begin within you.

[avatar size=”thumbnail” align=”left”]Quan Yin – goddess of compassion [/avatar]

 

by Eloecea

                                                 

 

                                                    Unsubscribe here
                Header image courtesy of NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope

Sticks and Stones…

I suspect we all know the old adage “sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never break me” or “names will never harm me”. Wikipedia notes that it appeared in The Christian Recorder of March 1862, a publication of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, and has since been used as a response to verbal bullying or abuse. It has also been widely debunked! A Psychology Today article from 2011 suggests another ending:

Lynn Greyling, Publicdomainpictures.net

“but words will cut me deeply”. I know we’ve all experienced this in some form. I wonder if you’re consciously aware of remnants of this pain that linger in your own conversations with yourself and others.

The words we use can be a powerful creative or destructive force. Awareness is always the first step in change…we learn how to speak and communicate with others at an early age. Our words reflect our environment during those years and are often buried deep in our subconscious. In Stuck Places, I begin a discussion of waking up to our language patterns and the possibilities of change in how we talk to ourselves and others. Here are some additional suggestions to assist you in shifting from old negative, destructive patterns into those that reflect who you consciously choose to be today:

Language Detox

Speak your Highest Truth. Our communications (spoken, written, thoughts) reflect what is within us. Is it Compassion, Love, authenticity, unique solutions? Or are we communicating anger, fear, doubt, shame, blame?

Your words are powerful reflections of your choice of reality. If your conscious choice is to become the experience of Unity and Harmony within and without:

Become aware of distortion, duality, separation or judgment in your words

Avoid self-deprecating language; honour yourself and others with supportive words

Notice negative language habits, and shift/flip the language in the moment (this is awful, I am stupid, women are, politics is, etc.)

Gently stop the conversation when it goes negative. Don’t speak ill of others, especially if they are not present.

Practice heart-based tools: Shift the topic, pay a compliment, offer supportive solutions rather than negative complaints.

Use the SO IT IS or AMEN. Say this after everything you speak, think, feel or do to become aware of what you are creating – or supporting.

Stop throwing blame around. Take responsibility for your world, it is a co-creation with the divine. Move out of blame and into positive thoughts and creative solutions.

Make the shift – override the old fear – focus on the truth of love, peace, harmony and open-hearted observation rather than judgment. Choose to become aware – wake up…make different choices as you co-create your reality from within. Write just one of these suggestions on a piece of paper and place it where you will see it frequently, and then begin the next step of change, feeling the emotional attachments around those words without self-judgment. Once released, the old patterns lose their hold and new insights are available with possibilities of creating your reality from a place of love, peace, joy, compassion and harmony…a place of Unity Consciousness.

Eloecea

Quan Yin – goddess of compassion

 

 

by Eloecea

 

                                   

                                          Unsubscribe here
Header image courtesy of NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope

 

Generalizability

Say what? Yes, generalizability. I thought I’d talk to your mind first because that seems to be where we spend most of our time. In psychology, generalizability is a measure of how useful the results of a study are for a broader group of people or situations. Also called external validity, it is an important aspect of research: If the 25 subjects in my study can find a way of being together in harmony, can I say that all people can find a way of being together in harmony?

Basically, the researcher must control as many variables as possible in order to trust the results of his/her study and generalize to larger groups. I get that…I’ve been there, done that. But science is science…scientists tend to think their way through to an answer they can trust.

However, we can also feel our way through to what we know as our truth, imagining new possibilities along the way. We can trust our inner wisdom, our knowing that the divine, spirit, consciousness moves in and through every situation and actually has more to say about the outcome than trying to control variables in research.

I’m talking about what we are seeing in the world around us: Law enforcement kneeling with protesters, government officials around the world looking at change in law enforcement, people from all walks of life, all races, ages, genders, faith traditions, cultures, etc.coming together to say “No more”!

My question is this: Are you willing to generalize, to say that this response to unjust actions can proliferate throughout our world today without trying to control anything or anyone but yourself? I believe the response to these specific unjust actions can generalize to other areas in which justice is still lacking. But what is our role in this potential tsunami of change in our backyards and on our planet?

We can begin by choosing to focus on new possibilities: They are showing up all around us right now in every moment. We can let go of trying to control all the variables, let go of the hopeless/helpless beliefs and other emotional attachments we have to the old paradigm. We can protest old patterns from this place of new possibilities and joy rather than pushing against the old and a distrust of what might replace it.

We know the divine is here, now, inviting each of us to be part of this tsunami of change. We can choose to focus on the miracles that are showing up. We can  imagine…we can generalize these new possibilities into many other areas of our lives and our world that are waiting to shift. We are creators of our moments through our choices. We can choose to be in a world of love, compassion, joy, peace and harmony.

There are many ways of speaking our truth, of advocating for change. No matter what avenue we choose, when we come from our connection with the divine, sourced in the love and compassion of spirit, grateful that change is happening, miracles become commonplace.

I know that who I am within is reflected in the world around me. Are you willing to allow the divine to transform you as a path to transforming our world? Are you ready to let go into a tsunami of love, a divine wave that is ready to change our world?

[avatar user=”admin” size=”thumbnail” align=”left”]Quan Yin – goddess of compassion[/avatar]

 

 

by Eloecea

               Unsubscribe here
                Header image courtesy of NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope

There’s Gotta Be More!

I was honoured to share parts of my journey as part of a panel on Interfaith: An Inner Journey at VST’s Inter-Religious Studies Conference. This year the (virtual) conference theme was “Religious, Spiritual, Secular: Living in a Pluralistic Society”. These are my thoughts.

(The script from which I spoke is below this video and yet I strongly encourage you to watch the video. It’s short – less than 9 minutes long. As I began to share what I know to be true from my journey thus far, an energetic burst of compassion from the divine feminine came through filling my heart. The opportunity to experience this with me even as we feel our way through the words cannot but emphasize my knowing that there is more, much more, available to all of us – awaiting our choice to let go and allow joy to flow.)

 

Hello, I’m Eloecea. I came to Vancouver from the States as a retired psychologist three years ago, led here to attend VST. The search for meaning, for fulfillment in my life has guided me into religious, spiritual and secular places.

I was raised in the Calvinist tradition of Christianity amidst a great deal of thinking and doing. I attended many services, listened to hellfire and brimstone sermons of the 1950’s, memorized catechism and Bible stories, knew the books of the Bible and verses and sang in choir…yet, something was missing. Somehow, I was empty…I rebelled against all the ‘have to’s’ and ‘don’t do’s’…and left religion behind when I left home.

After a few years of nothing but doing and thinking in college and work, I shared my misery with a friend. She suggested that the Bible spoke of love and grace from her Baptist tradition (thank you, Phyl). The Living Bible had just come out in the ‘70’s. Reading these words without the emotional baggage I had accumulated with the King James version allowed me to feel into new possibilities. I found grace in Philippians first, and then in so many other places in the Christian scriptures.

In my early 30’s, I knew I wanted to help Christians who were unhappy and troubled…so I entered the doctorate program in clinical psychology at Fuller…AND I started my own therapy for the first time. It took many months to break through the shield of defences my ego had created to survive…but finally, I realized I was trying to fit into the mold of being a good Christian woman from a good Christian family, doing good Christian work. As I opened the well of stuffed emotions, I knew I didn’t fit there – and I finally found a door that offered More…I was lesbian. I loved women. I wasn’t sourced in the usual cisgender or heterosexual manner of relationships, be they intimate or more formal. And I wasn’t sourced by a religious tradition or God that considered homosexuality a sin.

And then someone outed me to the Fuller Board of Trustees. I didn’t know if they would expel me before I finished my 5 year degree program. In the end they did let me graduate, but I was done with the limitations and judgments of Conservative Christianity.

I was introduced to liberation and feminist theologies through the Metropolitan Community Church fellowship, a church founded by and for LGBTQ+ folks. The pastor at the time, an ‘out’ Southern Baptist, gave me new information from biblical archaeology and more informed translation work. God loved me exactly as I was…it didn’t matter what other people thought, including my family. This was the first time I remember consciously choosing what I Know, what felt right to me, over what other people told me was true.

Then this community that had supported and informed my own personal shift started changing too quickly for my ego mind to accept…changing the interpretation of familiar bible stories, the language of favourite passages and the words to meaningful hymns in the name of inclusivity. Remnants of my conservative self remained. It became less emotionally fulfilling to be part of that and I left religion altogether for several years – again.

And then, in 2000, another friend (thank you, Carol) suggested that I have a personal reading with a trance channel from a New Age group she belonged to…once again my life shifted. More on that in a moment…

There are three imperatives that come from my search for More, my Journey into Joy. I encourage you to feel through how these might impact your life today:

  1. We must leave room for emotions – all of the emotions. When we preach and teach about love and compassion and joy without acknowledging the presence of fear and anger, depression and anxiety, trauma and stress, and encourage ways of releasing them, we negate the experience of those who listen. Guilt and shame come in and the open heart shuts down a bit more each time. Encouraging ourselves and others to be who and where we are, to accept who and where we are and then open to new possibilities helps that door stay open for More.
  1. We must leave room for differences – all differences. Not that we accept another’s truth or their actions as our truth, but that we appreciate and affirm that their truth serves them in their journey. For me, it was finally allowing myself to be lesbian, queer and now, non-binary (new terms I picked up here at VST). I am both masculine and feminine and everything in between – I am gender fluid. Accepting myself in that way, choosing to live from that truth, has opened a door to feeling more whole, more real and more confident in who I am and what I am about…more able to love myself and others and to receive love.
  1. And we must leave room for a bigger picture of what is going on in our reality. You know, I was frustrated and then scared when the whole idea of alternative facts started coming out – what others were saying made no sense to me. But I think of Galileo and the church, of quantum mechanics and mainstream science, and other pivotal times of change. The normal human reaction is to push against new, unfamiliar thoughts. We see that today with COVID-19, not to mention the political scene. Who do we believe? What do we believe? When do we shift what we believe? In my experience, it means releasing the emotional attachments I have to old beliefs and allowing the Divine within to guide me in my choices as I think and feel through new possibilities, allowing new wisdom.

I really faced this head on in 2000 when I was invited to open to a new world view, a universal or cosmic understanding through a New Age group I met with for five years. Channeling? Ascended Masters? Reincarnation? This was anathema in my earlier years. And yet these new truths have opened me to More.  I am no longer a human with a soul. I am a soul, a spark of the Divine, of Pure Consciousness, having experiences in this human form.

What I can tell you is that it works for me. It gives me a different perspective on why I am here and what’s up with this Great Pause or Global Reset we’re experiencing today. It feels right in all of my being and experience that I am a Creator, not a pawn or helpless human waiting for, beseeching some outside force to intervene. We are finally realizing that life will never be the old normal again – I see this as an opportunity for all to begin to create a new future with every breath we take and every thought we have. I know together we can create a world of Unity Consciousness, where Interfaith lives for me.

Are you willing to open to ‘More’? Is there a new door, a new way of being that is available in your life, offering More?

[avatar user=”admin” size=”thumbnail” align=”left”]Quan Yin – goddess of compassion[/avatar]

 

 

by Eloecea

 

Unsubscribe here
Header image courtesy of NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope