Tag Archives: emotional release

Gratitude in the Midst of Chaos

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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

 

 

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Header image courtesy of NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope

 

Consider being a blob for a bit…

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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

 

 

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Header image courtesy of NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope

Feeling Crazy These Days?

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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

 

 

 

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Header image courtesy of NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope

Allowing Unity Consciousness

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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

 

 

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Header image courtesy of NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope

Our Stories and Truths

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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

                                                 

 

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Generalizability

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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

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There’s Gotta Be More!

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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

 

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Header image courtesy of NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope

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

 

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