Category Archives: Transformation

Ascension: Then and Now (Part Two)

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That was then, and this is now…

For me, today, ascension is all about home. Some call it waking up or becoming conscious. Some refer to Unity or Christ Consciousness as a higher perspective, a way of bringing heaven to or being heaven here on earth. This is my path, my passion; it is simple and it’s an inside job…it begins with who I am:

     1. Waking Up

Most of my beliefs, thoughts, behaviours are unconscious until I become aware of what my ego mind is saying, or my body is doing. We all know about self-talk, that murmuring (or sometimes shouting) inside our heads that never seems to stop. These words and the accompanying emotion is the underlying truth of who I am. When I am quiet, I might hear critical, judgmental, or harsh words…or I might hear gentle, loving and supportive words. We learned this, of course, which means we can unlearn in and shift into another way of being. But it starts with a choice…a choice to become aware and a desire to change. It starts with waking up.

     2. Letting Go

Once I am aware of a thought, belief or behaviour that doesn’t reflect who I want to be, there are many tools available to begin to shift from the old and open to the new. You can find some of these here. We all know that change is hard – dislodging old patterns brings up old emotions associated with what was. Emotions become entangled energetically with our thoughts and act like glue which hardens over time. Letting go refers to releasing the old emotions to create room for new experiences, new thoughts and behaviours. Much of this part of ascension consists of grieving what is lost even as we shift to what we desire. So we can expect cycles of shock, denial, anger, bargaining, depression, testing and acceptance or letting go.

     3. Refocusing and Allowing the Divine

The ego mind doesn’t want to let go because it loses the control it had. It has no idea what comes next because it only knows the past. The unknown can be frightening. This is where our faith comes in again. In Part One, we’ve noted that most faith traditions tell of a higher way of being, offer guidance on thoughts and behaviours that are based in love rather than fear.

This is where we place our focus – on the most loving, compassionate and peaceful thoughts and behaviours we desire to have. In the Christian tradition this might be called becoming more Christ-like. We imagine what it will look like, how it will feel. We bring the full experience of what we desire into our conscious awareness, into our reality. And then we let go, knowing the Divine, the Universe will assist us in this transformation, in this ascension step, as we continue to consciously create a new way of being.

Ascension is possible today

You can see and feel the possibilities…You can begin to speak encouragement and love to yourself, to choose behaviours that are in harmony with who you choose to be. You can also hear and feel the push back from the old patterns. ‘This will never work’, etc. Just let that be and continue to let go, refocus and allow the Divine to do its work.

Who you are within is reflected in your external world. It’s not somebody or some situation out there that’s making you do or think or say anything, it’s within you – it’s your choice. The more we accept this and choose to shift our perspectives, the more miracles we begin to see around us until miracles become common place. This is living from a higher perspective. This is living in Unity or the Christ Consciousness.

What Might Ascension Look Like Today?

For me, I see change happening in me and my life that I never thought possible. Not in the areas my mind thinks it should change (which are many), but in who I am within as it’s reflected back to me in my external reality. This is the evidence, the proof for my ego mind that this works. I am happier, more fulfilled, more at peace with myself and the world than ever before. I feel as though my life is just beginning…a new life grounded in knowing all is well because nothing is as it seems while everything is as it should be. My ego mind doesn’t have to figure anything out because the Divine within me knows and I am choosing to allow the Divine, my SoulSelf, to be my new primary operating system.

It’s an exciting adventure, this path of ascension…one that my ego mind could not have predicted because it only knows the past and that is rooted in survival. But the Divine, Pure Consciousness holds new possibilities and potentials that come to each of us on our own path in perfect timing.

There’s a wealth of information available to assist us on our ascension journey – from our own faith tradition as well as that of others, from psychology and more and more from science as it explores the realm of consciousness. My search for ‘more’ spiritually has shifted from intellectual understanding in my earlier years to life experiences of the divine, moments of feeling that love and compassion and hope. There’s a balance, I know. I invite you to allow this balance to come to you today.

Your Reflection on Ascension Today

So far, this was a lot of words, a lot of thinking. Please take a few moments to feel into all that’s been written and all that’s come up for you. Relax into your body wherever you are. Breathe deeply a few times, letting your mind, your heart and your body open and expand. Then allow yourself to reflect for a few moments on what ascension means to you today. Let your mind go loose and allow the Divine to show you new possibilities…

I would love to hear from you – what came up for you? Let’s have a discussion in the comment section below.

Quan Yin, goddess of compassion

 

by Eloecea

 

 

 

 

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Header image courtesy of NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope

 

From worry to wonder

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Our ego mind loves to chew on things, to think, to figure out, to fix. In The How and Why of Rewiring Your Brain, we learned that the human brain only knows the past. It stores our memories.

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is worry-pix-thedigitalartist-e1551805543732.jpg
Image courtesy of Pixabay/TheDigitalArtist

When one of the stuck places in our mind is a loop that is trying to figure something out, there are no new possibilities available, only old thoughts. You know what it’s like when your computer freezes, when that cursor just keeps spinning, or even when it spins for a long time before resolving the connection. This is your brain. It is a computer trying to complete an operation with glue in the operating system. All these old emotional attachments (the glue) slow or freeze the thinking process.

Stop for a few moments and just breathe. Your mind will not want to let go of its old pattern, but you have a choice now to shift your focus to your breath. Pay attention to your slow inhale and allow your mind to go loose as you exhale. Inhale…exhale…allowing your mind and body to relax. This simple shift may create enough space for something new to come to you, a new way to perceive the situation or a new possibility for change. Other contemplative practices can also serve as ways to shift your attention. Walking, listening to music or dancing may be your preferred way of letting go and allowing. If you are new to this, you will be starting the process of creating a new neural pathway, of rewiring the brain.

There are many emotional strings attached to your thoughts that keep you in fear, in the worry-mode of being. Shifting your focus from the mind’s loop to your breath is a good beginning. However, at times, awareness of your Self Talk, emotional release and a rewiring meditation will provide additional support in the process of gradually dissolving the loops your mind creates, the old pattern of worry. Dissolving the old magnetic attachments (the glue) to your thoughts can free up your mind to operate more smoothly. In today’s language, this can give your mind greater bandwidth. The more emotional attachments you release, the more space you are creating to receive higher perspectives.

These days, when I realize that my mind is chewing on something, stuck in a loop, I change my thought to “I wonder…”, an opportunity to open my awareness to something else. I wonder what the Divine can create from this stuck place. I wonder how this stuck situation will unfold. I wonder what it will be like once the problem is resolved. I bring in a new emotional experience of hope, faith, joy, excitement, or fun as I let go of my mind’s loop and allow joy to flow again. I feel the difference between trying to figure something out and allowing myself to be curious and open.

Allow yourself to let go of the old pattern of worry and open to something new, a world of possibilities in which you create your moments. Gradually you will come to realize moments you’re in a stuck place, a loop, and remember to shift your awareness to your breathing. As your mind and body relax with the breath, emotions may come up for release or you might find a higher perspective on your situation. Eventually, you will remember to go into “I wonder…” and enjoy the lighter experiences of curiosity and fun. And then you might remember to let it all go, knowing you have created a new neural pathway, a way of being where joy can flow.

Header Image courtesy of pixabay/spiral-jplenio

A Path of Transformation

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As a guide to this website, a rather simple path of change may help bring the means of transformation into focus:

Awareness —> Emotional Release —> Insight —> Integration

Contemplative Practices provide a container for the process of transformation. They invite you into the quiet and offer ways to calm the ego mind. Practices present the opportunity to experience awareness and insight, to release old emotions and allow for integration of the new you.

Stuck Places invites you into self-awareness. When you find yourself in a situation you don’t like, tempted to blame someone or something else, choose to look within. When thoughts come up or you do something that brings shame, look within. Awareness is a necessary first step that means letting go of old patterns of looking outside for either blame or rescue.

Emotional Entanglements speaks to your ego mind from a scientific and logical perspective. Information allows the mind to go loose, releasing the need to figure something out or protect. This provides greater access to the thoughts and behaviours you are transforming. Emotional Release suggests the why and how of dissolving the glue, the emotional piece of stuck places.

It is important to understand that transformation is not a linear process as suggested in the diagram above. The areas contributing to transformation are there, but your journey may bring them to you in a different order. The process is more of a spiral staircase as in the header image. Each step leads to a new awareness or a higher perspective or an emotional release which then integrates and continues into the next step and the next. You might revisit the same thought or behaviour often as you circle ever upward, opening the flow of joy in every moment.

Also, it is unlikely that any area of change will happen all at once. As much as you might like the idea of ‘RIGHT NOW’, change happens gradually. Most of our old thoughts, beliefs and behaviours have been in place for years. Anticipate and celebrate gradual changes in yourself. The good news is that as you focus on one area of change, you are creating a strong new neural pathway of change that will be in place as you begin to focus on shifting other old thoughts, attitudes and behaviours.

Header Image courtesy of pixabay/spiral-jplenio