Well, here we are, and what a situation it is! And, so, the story goes...
We beings of Love, are anchored to our origins, our Source, by an invisible umbilical cord we cannot see or touch. A connection we can only feel, first clearly, and then, not so much at all. Without a warning or a 'detour ahead' that we could take, we are born, head first, into a reality whose only truth is that it is a lie. But no one knows, so no one's talking.
The 'cover story' is a grand and almost seamless series of round-about steps and sleight of hand movements, beginning with the notion that Fear, as an energy, would ever extend a welcoming embrace to a being of Love. Our parents, teeming with Fear and so unaware of its ill-effects, have invited Fear in, as a family friend. Often seeking its guidance and counsel on important family matters, such as meting out discipline and deciding on the course of a child's life. The parents have long forgotten their first encounter with this shadowy friend. But, their own child within, and the new little ones coming in, can feel the treachery of Fear's design. They shut down and bury the treasures of the heart for safekeeping. And so, without the light of Love to see it, the spirit of the child prays that one day, someone will free it.
The decision to awaken, to heal, to transform, and to love the self alters our total experience of ourselves and our lives. The change is radical, profound, and irreversible. We usually come to this place of choice in a state of upheaval. Our minds can no longer bear the responsibility of navigating our lives. The need to honor our feelings becomes a critical one. The soul stirs up a storm of truth, this time too powerful to go unnoticed or to be ignored. The sign at this crossroad reads: 'As You Were,' or 'As You Will Be.' The first leads to the places we've always been (a rather circular route), and the other to the places we have yet to be.
On another level, as our clarity sharpens, and our desperation pushes us to edgy bravery, we allow ourselves to take the stairway down to the ground floor of our existence. There, the greater choice facing us is the choice between Love and Fear. To realize the depth and the magnitude of such a choice, we must first admit that, as far back as we can remember in this life, we have been afraid. Fear has been at the very core of our existence and has influenced every action we have ever taken in our lives.
When we move towards happiness, it is out of the fear of being unhappy. When we move towards abundance, it is out of the fear of lack. When we move towards peace, it is out of the fear of war. In contrast, in Love, we choose happiness because it pleases us. We choose relationships to share. We choose abundance because it fulfills us. And, we choose peace because we thrive in harmony.
Without judging either 'good' or 'bad,' what is essential is acknowledging—with stark awareness—there is a difference between Love and Fear. There is a choice to be made. To choose, we must feel the truth of who we are in our hearts; we must walk the truth of who we are from our souls.
We have arrived at a plateau in our journey through Love Yourself 101. The child within has been awakened and is aware that imminent change could be on the horizon. When we walk people (whom we refer to as 'Allies') to this place on The Path, called Spiritual Newborns, the conscious self must make one decision and two choices. The decision is whether or not to continue on their journey, allowing The Path and its guidance to support them in their healing. The first choice is to recognize that their pain, confusion, doubt, and disassociation from themselves is just Fear. The second choice is to accept and embrace Love as the energy they both need and desire to unfold and become who they really are.
Up until this point, the Allies have been given the opportunity to tell the story of their lives. Through the child's eyes, they can see exactly how they perceived, thought, and felt their way through it. We guide, but we don't direct. The beginning of Newborns is a time of self-discovery, a rare occasion, when one gets to be the center of attention, and share the story of one's experience, without contrast or contradiction.
In our Love Yourself 101 series, our first three episodes mirrored the Newborn's journey. And, thus, we have arrived here in the very same place. Those of us who have decided to take this Love Yourself 101 journey, and explore the possibility of loving ourselves, must now call forth the 'conscious self' to make a decision and choose where to go next. It's a shift from being immersed in our story to stepping outside of it, seeing the truth of it, and saying, "Yes, I need, and I intend to heal."
As we move forward on this path to Love, we are somewhat shaken, but very certain that our direction is clear. Separating from the emotional attachment to who we became in Fear, and refraining from the dramatic retelling and reliving of our injured and lost, or angry and enraged stories will be our biggest challenge. We must remember that the 'conscious self' is not the Fear-ridden mind, nor the hurt and heavy heart, but it is the higher voice of soul-induced reason, that is indeed the power source in every human being. Our 'conscious self' must now take the lead and make the wise decisions necessary to fulfill our need, desire, and choice to heal.
Listen to the audio version at 'Let's Get Inspired!.'