Enjoy the dark just as you enjoy the light. Most of us don't resist the 'positive' experiences in life because they feel good. But when we are faced with challenges and 'negative' emotions we often want to run away from our experience. We want to change it. We want to make it go away. And the more we resist, the more it persists.
When we allow ourselves to relax into the emotion we are experiencing and really feel it, it is also possible to enjoy challenges and discomforts in life too, knowing that they are just as valid. After all, if we felt comfortable and happy all the time we wouldn't have as much opportunity for growth. So let yourself feel sad. Let yourself feel lonely. Let yourself feel heartbroken. Let yourself feel scared. It's ok to feel this way. These emotions don't make you any less of a person. Allow yourself to feel what you're feeling. No more resistance. No more pushing. No more trying to escape. No more trying to fix everything. No more struggling. Simply relax. Breathe. Bring your attention here now. And allow yourself to feel. Feel the hurt. Feel the pain. Feel the discomfort. Dive into it and surrender. You aren't broken. You're human. And this is a valid human experience. When you resist what is you add unnecessary suffering to your experience but when you allow yourself to be fully present, the stress surrounding the experience dissolves and as you fully meet your emotions, you fully meet yourself on a deeper level. In giving yourself permission to be as you are, and to feel what you feel, you validate your experience and you validate yourself. You accept yourself fully and this acceptance is a form of unconditional self-love, which can be very soothing and healing. You may notice that as you sink deeper into the sadness, the grief, the loneliness, the despair, the anger, the fear, or whatever other emotion is present, a subtle underlying sweetness to the experience arises. This is the deep peace within which never leaves you regardless of outer circumstances. It can be accessed when resistance is removed. This is your true nature which goes beyond any feeling or emotion. This eternal stillness transcends both the light and the dark and allows us to embrace and enjoy life fully, whether the moment presents itself as bitter or sweet. ~ Louise When you validate your feelings you embrace a deeper aspect of your self. Whatever it is that you are feeling right now is ok. Relax. Sink into it. Allow it. It is ok to feel this way. Most of us don't have an issue with feelings when we're experiencing happiness or bliss, but the moment we experience more unpleasant emotions, such as anger or sadness many of us turn on ourselves at the time when we actually need self-love the most. Don't judge unpleasant feelings. Don't try to push them away. They're here for a reason, and they are perfect, just as you are.
If we're tensed up and trying to escape from our experience we miss an opportunity for deeper healing. But when we relax and allow our feelings without resistance or judgement we create more space within ourselves and from this space we can see and understand our experience more clearly. We can reflect with a clear mind on what it is these emotions want to tell us and what lessons we can learn from them and in doing so we allow wisdom surrounding our situation to flow to us with ease. This state allows the energy of the emotion to flow freely through our system in a healthy way and release, rather than getting repressed and trapped. So when you're feeling down, don't beat yourself up for feeling that way. Love yourself even more deeply and as you do so you will embrace deeper aspects of your being and allow deep healing to take place. We all have darkness and shadows within ourselves and when we meet these aspects with love, we embrace more and more of who we truly are, allowing ourselves to fully shine in the light of truth. ~ Louise The source of all knowledge resides within each and every living being. There is an infinite intelligence underlying the whole of creation. It is sometimes referred to as God, the creator, the universe, the divine, love or truth .... but actually this energy cannot be labelled because any kind of label is a form of limitation and this energy cannot be confined to a description or a word. This energy holds all the knowledge and wisdom of the totality of creation. It is like an information bank which is constantly feeding back information to itself through expression in the physical realm. We experience the expression of this energy in a myriad of ways as it explores and plays through physical manifestation, from the power and majesty it bestows upon us in nature, to the darkness and horrors played out in war. We can see its infinite capacity to create diversity in every face, flower, cloud we see, all unique and different in this ever-changing world of manifested form.
But there is much more to our world than the outer experience. Residing beneath this ever-changing physical illusion is a constant: an unchanging stillness, which makes up half of existence. Form cannot exist without space, matter cannot exist without void and the physical cannot exist without the non-physical. When we turn our attention inwards we can connect with the source of creation, this stillness, and access its infinite pool of vast wisdom. It's always there, within every living being, waiting for us to embrace it. ~ Louise Deep feeling brings divine healing. Children are masters of feeling. They fully feel and express every emotion without holding back. But as we get older we take on conditionings and belief systems from society which can prevent us from expressing ourselves in this natural way.
Boys in particular are often taught that it is unacceptable to express emotion and are bombarded with expressions like, "don't be a cry baby," and "man up!" The repression of these emotions leads to an inner numbing. We forget how to deeply feel and express emotions because we stop doing it. Like everything, these emotions are energy, and energy must flow somewhere so if it doesn't have a healthy outlet it flows into our bodies where it remains trapped. Layer upon layer of repressed feelings are pushed down, until eventually it becomes too much for the system to contain and they either explode like a pressure bomb in the form of a breakdown or create so much havoc within the body that a disease manifests. We can get in touch with these repressed emotions by holding a loving, non-judgemental space for them and fully allowing them. It doesn't make us any less of a person if we experience anger, sadness or even hatred. They are simply energies which want to be felt. They don't belong to us and they don't define who we are. They are simply an experience. When we embrace this experience with consciousness it can become a way to connect more deeply with ourselves. So how best to do this on a practical level? When the emotion arises, go to a quiet place, lie down, breathe, notice how the energy feels in the body, and sink deeply into the experience. Surrender to it without trying to run from it or push it away, because in truth there is no escape. Embrace and allow the emotion, holding it with unconditional love. Allow the body to move in whatever way it wants - shake, yell, scream. The body has an innate intelligence and when we release control, the body's intelligence can take over. It may release the energy in spasms, yawns, twitches, laughter, tears....simply allow whatever comes. It can also help to talk to the emotion as you would talk to a small child in pain, telling it, "I love you. I'm here for you." This opens up a spaciousness around the experience which allows divine energy to enter the body, like a healing light penetrating every cell. It is in this space that we reconnect to our true nature and healing occurs. ~ Louise You can be of greater service to people around you by being of greater service to yourself. Many of us have a strong desire to be of service to others and to be good, kind, spiritual people. This is a beautiful thing, and while there is nothing inherently bad or wrong with it, we may unwittingly be contributing to the collective pain of humanity, depending on the source of our intention.
Every action we take comes either from an inner distortion / contraction / emotional wound which are all in fact re-actions, or it comes from a place of clarity, truth and pure excitement: actions aligned with our higher-self. So how can we recognize if our actions are coming from truth or distortion? By tuning into ourselves and reflecting on our feelings and beliefs. This requires a commitment to honesty and deep introspection because often times when we do this, what we discover about ourselves is not what we want to see. It could be that underlying our seemingly selfless actions of service to others, is a desire to be recognised and seen, which comes from a wound of lack of self-worth. It could be that we have a sub-conscious false belief that pleasing others equates to goodness and purity. Recognising such distortions is part of a beautiful, healing process because it brings them into the light of consciousness where they naturally fall away and allow more of the truth of our being to radiantly shine through. When we love ourself first and follow what is truly most exciting for us, instead of doing what we think we ought to do, we are naturally and effortlessly of great service to every person we come into contact with because we emanate the radiance of the divine. This is the most healing energy in the universe. When we are so fulfilled in our own life, so full of love and joy, our cup naturally overflows to everyone around us. But when we have not first satisfied our own needs and we try to give to others, we simply expend energy which we do not have and it leaves us feeling drained. Love yourself first, serve yourself first, with integrity, and follow that which is truly exciting for you and you will be of the greatest possible service to yourself and all others participating in this grand illusion of separation ~ Louise 💚 To discover yourself is to discover the meaning of life. There is an inherent desire in all humans to find meaning and fulfillment in life. We search for it in career, in family, in relationships, in sports, in travel, the list goes on.
But none of these things ever brings lasting satisfaction. We are always left looking for the next hit, the next thing that can bring a sense of meaning and purpose to our short lives and quieten the subtle niggling feeling within that there must be something more. We can spend our whole lives searching for that something more, thinking, analysing, trying to find answers in books, from teachers. The endless search. It almost all seems like a grand cosmic joke, because when we finally give up and stop searching for meaning, that is when meaning finds us. There is a universal energy at play, choreographing every detail of life from the realm of the unmanifest. When we are tensed up in a state of seeking, we block this energy from communing with us. We try to take control of life, forcing, pushing, exerting effort in all directions, draining ourselves of the vital life force we so desperately seek. But when we relax, when we cease the endless grasping, drop the masks and walls we have built for protection and allow our constructed personalities to naturally fall away, we finally dissipate into the depths of the vast unknown where all that remains is stillness, pure consciousness, the truth of our being. From this space we can open to the divine and allow it to play and express itself through us with ease and grace as it magnificently weaves meaning into our every action. We become a radiant beam of light, attracting to ourselves all that we need. We become one with the higher intelligence and together we create an effortless dance of grace, allowing the magic of true meaning to enter our lives. ~ Louise 💚 Choose thoughts which feel like they serve your highest purpose. You will know which thoughts are serving you based on how you feel in the body. Our thoughts do not control us. They do not belong to us and we are not our thoughts. If we are able to notice thoughts coming and going in the mind then clearly they are separate from us. There is the one that notices the thought and there is the thought.
This understanding begins the process of dis-identification with thought which then allows us to recognise that many of our thoughts are not actually true, but are beliefs that we have picked up from family and society. As our awareness expands in this way there is the realisation that we can actually choose our thoughts. When we experience negative oriented thoughts such as 'I'm a failure,' we can choose not to agree, and can consciously switch them to more positive thoughts such as, 'I'm a success.' We can also pay attention to how our thoughts feel. Our bodies are constantly communicating with us and if we tune in and pay attention to how we're feeling we can more easily identify which thoughts are in alignment with our truth. Experiment with this: choose some thoughts, both positive and negative and as you think them pay attention to how your body feels. Are the thoughts bringing you down or raising you up? As we become attuned to this practice it becomes a natural process and we can easily recognise when a thought or action is out of alignment with our highest truth. Choose thoughts which serve you and live from your true power! ~ Louise 💚 You can see everyone's true being if you look with the right eyes. Every single person is pure-hearted and divine in essence because that is our true nature. Of course this truth is sometimes easier to recognise in some than others, depending on the amount of inner pain that the person is experiencing and projecting, and the extent to which they are identified with that pain.
Some have so much unresolved inner conflict that it is spilling over into the world, while others are overflowing with love. Remember that everyone is always doing the absolute best that they are capable of in every moment and in every situation they are experiencing. Recognising this allows us to feel compassion and love towards others, rather than react to their pain expression and add more fuel to the fire. When we interact with people who are disconnected from the truth of their being and acting out their pain, we can choose to see through this mask to the divinity in their heart and soul and consciously interact with that aspect of them. Very often when we do this, the person will shift into the version of themselves that we see, especially if we are interacting with them from a place of unconditionality without wanting, needing or expecting them to change. Ultimately, the more we are able to love ourselves, the easier it is to recognise the love in others. Live love, live truth ~ Louise ❤️ Pay close attention to what you are feeling. The relationship we have with our feelings determines the quality of our life experience. When we judge and label our feelings as wrong or bad we create a violent, hostile inner environment where we try to push away and reject an aspect of our experience.
This resistance to what IS creates tension and contraction in the body and the feelings, which are ultimately energy, do not have space to move freely and become trapped. With nowhere to go this energy is repressed and over time builds up until eventually the body can no longer handle it and it becomes dis-ease. When we recognise this unhealthy behavioural pattern we can consciously choose to experience our feelings differently. We can meet them as internal guidance signals, grateful to each one for the message it is conveying to us. The feelings which are pleasant are communicating that we are on track in life, and the unpleasant ones are communicating that something is amiss. They are trying to bring our attention to something which is out of alignment in life, be it a thought, a belief or an action we are taking. We can recognise all feelings as being equally valid and allow ourselves to fully experience each one for what it is, without trying to escape from inner discomfort by numbing ourselves. When we work in harmony with our feelings we can see more clearly what it is that they are communicating to us and there is no longer a need to reject or repress, creating a much healthier inner environment ~ Louise 💚 Reactions come from contractions. When we react to a situation we are not acting from truth, we are reacting from a contraction. The outcome will reflect this back to us, usually in a form which is unpleasant for us to experience. We manifest in our lives people and situations which trigger our contractions because on a deeper level we want to get in touch with these dense, blocked energies and wounds within ourselves in order to release and heal them. The frequency and intensity of the triggers we experience in the outer world is directly proportionate to the amount of pain we harbour within.
As we become more conscious and clear on the inside, we react less to the outside triggers and experience less drama in life. When we recognise that something has triggered us and there is the impulse to react, there is usually a very short window between the noticing and the reaction. With awareness, we can use this small window to consciously choose not to react. Instead, we focus on the breath. This slows down the emotions and brings the attention inward. If possible, it is most beneficial to move to a quiet space and sit or lie down. Then bring awareness into the body and notice exactly where the contraction is located. Don't try to push it away or get rid of it, simply notice it and breathe. At this point thoughts in the mind will most probably try to grab your attention, replaying the trigger situation, telling you why you were right/wrong or what you should/shouldn't have done. Do not give any power to these thoughts. Simply notice them too. Don't follow them because they will pull you into the mind and away from the contraction. Bring all of the attention into the body. Continue to feel the contraction more and more deeply while breathing. This will allow the energy to process in the system. It will give space to the energy and allow it to release. When the system is once again calm, go back to the situation and respond. Most likely you will see it differently, with a wider perspective and the outcome will be a reflection of your calm, clear energy. ~ Louise 💜 |
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