Let’s face it; times are dark. You can sense the weight of the shadow hovering over you, doing its best to seduce you. The shadow has a power you can feel; it’s mysterious and alluring, and it reins you in as it softly calls you by name. It has millions of answers from which to choose.
And the light, well, you don’t feel the power of it as much. But light has only one answer, and that is the TRUTH.
As a seeker of truth, I know how challenging it can be to stand in the light when all you want to do is run and hide underneath that cloak of darkness. It is so much easier to say, “I’ve had it. I can’t do this anymore.” I know. I’ve done it. I’ve said those very words.
But I keep returning to my inner GPS, my soul, that tells me I cannot give in or give up and that I’ve worked too hard to get where I am to throw it all away. The world needs lightkeepers to lead the way out of this dark abyss into which we’ve fallen. And to be a lightkeeper, I need to embrace and love my shadow, expressly, my anger before it turns to rage.
As a Caroline Myss’s Sacred Contracts Online Course student, where you determine your archetypes and their light and shadow aspects, I have a foothold on what work is necessary. As I revisited the Wounded Child, I was asked to list three ways I expressed anger.
They were:
I stuffed it, pushing it down and internalizing it. My first memory of doing this was when my younger brother died. I was six years old, and not only did I experience a great deal of grief, but I was also angry. My parents never showed this emotion, and I didn’t know what to do with it, thinking I’d be punished if I said something. Loud voices scared me.
I would start to cry because I didn’t know what to do with the feeling. I didn’t grow up in an environment where there was arguing or anger, so I believed it would be wrong. My parents never yelled or argued; I was never privy to it if they did. I saw my mother cry – a lot. I was able to copy this behavior.
From young adulthood on, I would explode like a ticking time bomb. I never knew where this came from because my parents never modeled the behavior. It was when I heard Caroline at a seminar say, “The shadow of the Wounded Child comes out when they don’t get their way. They have temper tantrums. It’s not personal, but outbursts will always occur until they realize and accept this. Embracing this part of the archetype allows you to make the shadow your ally.”
I am identifying the areas where my anger arises. It is not hard to do considering the environment we live in today. Once I’ve finished with that, I will allow the areas to be just as they are and hold space to be experienced safely – no road rage here! And finally, I will take that fire and use it to fuel my coaching business so I can be a conduit for healing.
In what ways do you express anger? Have you identified triggers that set your anger off in an unhealthy way? If you are a woman, do you want to embrace that society says we shouldn’t show that part of you?
Do you remember a time in your life when everything was sailing smoothly along, and suddenly you ran into a wind gust that toppled your sails? It’s like life threw you a curveball from out of nowhere. Starting in March, when it was apparent that COVID-19 was not going away, I sense that most people in the world felt this way.
In the blink of an eye, everything can change. And it did.
All areas of life seemed to crumble before my eyes; my business and finances; my health and wellness; my community and social life. Here are a few of the ways I dealt with these curveballs:
Learn to adapt—part 1. As a spiritual coach and yoga instructor, I usually see clients on a one-on-one basis. That ended mid-March and left me with nowhere to go. I continued to practice Coach/Client roles on Zoom with my partners from my enrollment in CBCT (Clear Beliefs Coach Training). I upgraded to a professional account so that I could record and have unlimited time for a session. I also learned how to operate all of Zoom’s features from breakout rooms to transferring a file.
Learn to adapt—part 2. Due to the fact I now needed to depend on the internet to acquire clients, I needed to be able to have a way for them to pay. Another upgrade: Calendly to professional, where I learned to integrate PayPaloom, as well as and Notification emails and texts. I am adapting to a world I have very little knowledge or experience with, but know it is necessary.
Create something new. I knew I needed to do something that would allow me to earn money even during a pandemic (and who knows how long this will go on). I enrolled in teach-able.com to create an online course. There are many tasks I have no clue how to do; I am learning as I go. I am very excited about the new venture.
Acceptance. Since May, I learned I have a few health issues that challenge my mobility and quality of life. I am an avid gardener, and it’s where I ground myself and meditate. I am not able to do what I want to do at this time. Although part of it is temporary, one thing I know for sure: I am exactly where I am supposed to be in my life right now. I don’t like it, but I do accept it, and that does make it a little easier.
Gratitude. I am grateful for all the blessings in my life, from my home to my dogs, and my small circle of friends here and abroad, and for life itself. I am truly blessed. Little things are important to me today. I’m grateful I don’t have a hangnail today.
When life throws you a curveball, what do you do? Do you stand on the sidelines of life and worry? Do you hang in the outfield and pretend nothing’s going to happen, or it doesn’t exist? Do you stand in the batter’s box and watch it whizz by? Or do you swing and hit the ball so hard, it goes out of the park?
My hope for you is that your answer is the last question.
Many Blessings for a happy, healthy, and prosperous life!
JOURNALING: How It Can Increase Your Intuition And Creativity
Have you ever thought about journaling, but don’t know where to start?
Journaling can be as simple as recording your gut feelings, instincts, hunches, or impressions about experiences in your life in a notebook. You can also make it a daily practice to write in your journal for as little as 10 minutes. Or you can spend more time reflecting on questions or prompts given to you.
Journaling is for anyone who wants to discover their inner wisdom, the all-knowing soul source directing you in life. Even if you have no experience writing, you can journal. It is a creative and therapeutic source of self-expression.
There are numerous journaling techniques you can try, and while they all have benefits, some have greater success activating your intuition and increasing your creativity. The journaling techniques I feel help you gain insight and awareness are:
Morning Pages: The book “The Artist’s Way” by Julia Cameron explains this concept. When you wake up in the morning, you grab a journal and write for three pages straight. There is no holding back. You write without caring about mistakes or grammar, just write until you hit your three-page mark. This type of writing is called stream of consciousness writing, where you just let all your thoughts flow out, much as they run through your head.
Stream of Consciousness Writing: This technique is similar to Morning Pages, but you don’t have to do it in the morning or for three pages straight. It may be done anytime, anywhere, and for any length of time. It is the one I practice.
Daily Life and Experiences: This is the type of journaling that most people associate with diaries and journals. People automatically assume that if you journal, you have to write about what you did that day, which turns many people off from journaling because they believe it would be boring to write about daily life. Even though that is the stigma, this is what my journal consists of, and I enjoy writing about hanging out with friends, school, work, and small everyday memories.
Reflective Journal: A reflective journal (aka a reflective diary) is the perfect place to write down some of life’s most significant thoughts. In a reflective journal, you can write about a positive or negative event that you experienced, what it means, or meant to you, and what you may have learned from the experience.
A well-written journal can be an essential tool. As with any technique to get the most benefits, you need practice. It could mean forcing yourself to write, at first, but after a while, it will become like second nature.
Write down your entry as soon as possible after the event. This way, the details will still be fresh in your mind, which will help later in your analyses.
Why Journaling Improves Clarity, Creativity, and Inner Connection
Journaling slows the mind down, so you see how you think.
Journaling quickly captures our flighty thoughts on paper, enabling us to see what we think so we can learn how we think. Slowing down creates space for more in-depth and higher thoughts to emerge. A new level of awareness awakens, which supports a more focused and creative thought process.
Create a bigger picture.
When the whole becomes greater than the sum of its parts, synergy is created. When you write down numerous ideas, you begin to see the relationships and trends they have. When events can be connected, we can draw on our intuition to discover additional meaning.
Change your perspective.
New clarity and understanding are the results of seeing things in a different light. From a multitude of facts or concepts, you’re able to synthesize by reducing them to a few main points. Your change in perspective draws the most important details out.
Journal Writing Prompts
How can I get more solitude, stillness, and peace in my life?
How do I control rather than trust?
I can experience a greater sense of meaning and love in life by …
What tensions are stressing me now?
What major block needs to be resolved?
In what areas do I need more imagination?
My deepest heartfelt desires, dreams, and visions are …
What can I do to increase balance in my life?
What excuses keep me stuck?
How can I increase my overall abundance?
Journaling allows
your subconscious mind to solve problems while gaining insights about the things you are writing and learning. You also get a deeper sense of yourself, even unlocking hidden aspects and identifying beliefs that hold you back. If you haven’t yet begun to journal, I encourage you to start now. Just pick up a pen and a piece of paper or notebook and start writing. You’ll be glad you did because your entire life will change.
My Real Life Example of the Process of Manifestation
I had become more open to following my intuition, so the experience I had on my way home from the airport was surprising, but not shocking. A thought downloaded into my consciousness—the name of a yoga business: Go Within Yoga. It was perfect; too perfect, I thought, for the internet domain to be available, but the urge to investigate the possibility made it difficult to drive.
As soon as I arrived home, I ran to my office and searched for the domain. I couldn’t find it, which meant it was available. I grabbed it, then got to work. I consciously manifested Go Within Yogaby following
my intuition and working through the difficulties. Two years after my studio was opened and thriving, I read Lion’s book, Creating On Purpose. I realized that it described what I had done exactly.
My original thought, the name for the website, gowithinyoga.com (idea), came into existence (reality) as a studio, in only two months. Here’s how I moved down through the chakras:
I received the idea (Chakra seven) as a gift from the sea of infinite possibilities, and it was received by being open to my intuition and stream of consciousness. The crown chakra gives us access to higher states of awareness, beyond our personal preoccupations and thoughts.
I then began to visualize in my mind’s eye (Chakra six) what the studio and business would look like, and when it would happen. The sixth chakra is the center of intuition and foresight, and its function is driven by the principles of openness, insight, and imagination.
I began telling others (Chakra five)about my vision, which provided me feedback and support. The fifth chakra’s principles include expression and communication.
I received a great deal of support, which allowed my relationships with others (Chakra four) to flourish. Because we were working on behalf of service to
the community, many people wanted to help manifest the vision I shared with them. I received love, support, and supplies that could create beauty, which is also associated with the fourth chakra. The heart brings bright colors to our life, along with compassion and love. Driven by the principles of transformation and integration, the fourth chakra bridges earthly and spiritual aspirations.
I then moved myself and others toward my goal using my will and personal power (Chakra three). I broke my big vision down into specific tasks that needed to be accomplished. The third chakra organizes fiery energy in order to move matter. It expresses our intention and moves the world, mobilizing energies of creation.
As I began to see my yoga studio coming together, it brought me pleasure (Chakra two), which spurred me forward. Everything I wanted came together, from the turquoise furniture I loved to a painting of the Buddha that fir perfectly on the wall. The second chakra is associated with the emotional body, sensuality, and creativity. The principle of pleasure directs its function. It also represents sexuality, which is the pleasure of procreation, and pure creation.
My enthusiasm (from the Greek, en-theos, meaning, in God) and inspiration (to breathe in) brought my vision into reality step by step (Chakra one). From the crown to the ground, each step evolved fluidly and easily because I kept my system open and clear. Difficulties were not problems, just challenges to overcome. Prayer worked, as did staying centered, and doing my practices. The first chakra is the foundation upon which we build our life, the place we stand. It is where we ground ourselves into the earth, anchoring our energy into the manifested world.
As I complete all these steps, a pure thought turned into a successful business, Go Within Yoga. The entire process, from beginning to end, took only two months!
One reason it went so smoothly was that I had no beliefs, blocks, or resistance to the idea. It was what I wanted. I didn’t question, ” How will I get clients?” or “How will I make money?” Those thoughts would have caused internal resistance, and blocked me. If that were the case, I could have used the Clear Beliefs Method which may have taken longer, but I still would have been able to bring my dream into reality.
Your shadow. Let’s face it; no one wants to go there. Yet, there is an immense feeling of relief when you do. So, why are most people reluctant? I have found the number one reason is fear. FEAR. Fear of discovering all the things you don’t like about others is residing within you and your subconscious.
Maybe you’ve reacted badly to a person or situation and wondered, “What the heck just happened? I don’t know why I did that.”
What happened was a shadow aspect or a belief, was activated in your subconscious. And often, when you hear it was your shadow side, there is denial. Other things besides fear, we may find in our shadow, may include our anger, our shame, our grief, our unwillingness to take responsibility in and area of our life, or our wounded child.
Knowing your own darkness is the best method for dealing with the darkness of others. ~ Carl Jung
Whatever in ourselves we’re keeping in the dark doesn’t go away just because we don’t see, hear, or feel it. Actually, the more we deny it or push it away, the stronger it becomes, weaving its way into our everyday life. Take a few moments to complete the following sentences without thinking. Say your answers out loud and then immediately write what you just said. Later revisit your responses and add anything else that comes to you.
Looking Inside to Your Shadow
Something in me I often feel an aversion for is __________________________________________.
The emotion I’m least comfortable expressing is _________________________________________.
What I have a hard time admitting in an argument is ______________________________________.
What I’m most hesitant to express in a relationship is _____________________________________.
What I least want others to know about me is ___________________________________________.
I don’t like admitting that I am _____________________________________________________.
When I feel shame, what I usually do is _______________________________________________.
What I most readily judge others for is _______________________________________________.
I tend to give my power away when _________________________________________________.
Your responses point to things that are probably in your shadow, whether partially or fully. What matters here is that you’re turning toward your shadow, accessing some curiosity about what may be in it. Looking inside is a process of ongoing discovery; treat it as such. (Bringing Your Shadow Out of the Dark, by Robert Augustus Masters, Ph.D.)
Much, if not all, of our shadow, was indoctrinated when we were small. Our parents told us how to act, how to feel, what was right or wrong; our behavior was being conditioned or programmed into what our parents thought was an acceptable form. Then our siblings, grandparents, teachers, and religious leaders layered conditions on us. These conditions became our beliefs.
We all have beliefs,
but most of us don’t know them very well. And our shadow is packed with beliefs we haven’t examined, faced, or even brought into our consciousness. When you react negatively to something, there’s a belief you need to explore. Reactivity is the knee-jerk dramatization of activated shadow material. Some people think that if they just think positive thoughts and use affirmations, they’ll change.
They may, but not for long.
Your conditioning will always come back up, like an unwanted weed. One way of getting a handle on your reactivity is to admit to your self you’re reactive. Pause a moment. When you take time and step back from whatever it is that activated you, you begin to create space for the reactive you instead of continuing to identify with it. In a way, you are creating space for yourself as intervening in your own reactivity. As a result, you can acknowledge the shadow self and then begin the process of learning how to work with it.
It begins with awareness; then, the work follows.
Future posts will feature the following areas and more:
Facing Anger: Do you believe anger is a negative emotion and shouldn’t be expressed, especially by women? When you were a child, did you have the ability to communicate it? Does getting angry threaten your relationships with others? Do you feel vulnerable when your anger arises? Did you suffer a loss or wound and use anger to suppress it?
Facing Judgment: Do you judge others for how they look, what they wear, say, or do? Are you critical of, or do you find fault with another person, group of people, an idea, or situation? When we are unaware of our judgmental tendencies, we become angry, hateful, defensive, anxious, and isolated.
Facing Your Inner Child: Do you throw a hissy fit because you didn’t get your way? Do you feel abandoned when a friend, family member, or partner does something without you? Do you have a deep fear of change, or are you unable to let go of something? Do you need to be validated and understood?
Self-Sabotage Uncovered: Do you undermine your success in business, relationships, health, or finances? What fears have the most authority over you? Have you let creative opportunities pass by you? Do you wonder what keeps you from stepping outside your comfort zone? Do you fear a change of any type in your life?
Until next time, may you always live a life of love, joy, and happiness!
As 2019 closes to an end, and we embark on the beginning of a new decade, Go Within Spiritual Coaching would like to express our gratitude for your time, interest, and business. We look forward to working with you again in 2020 and are offering you a discount of 10% off any service. (This includes prior or existing clients; message me with the coupon code: BELIEF. The coupon expires on January 31, 2020, so don’t delay!)
UPCOMING EVENT
Mind, Body, Spirit Festival
My workshop, CLEAR BELIEFS® WORKSHOP is scheduled for 1:00 PM.
CLEAR BELIEFS® WORKSHOP Clearing Your Beliefs is Now as Easy as Changing Your Clothes.
In this 45-minute workshop, you will learn the following topics:
• What Beliefs Are
• Where Do Beliefs Come From?
• The Creation Cycle
• The Role of Resistance
• How Beliefs Function
• The Imaginal Realm
The Clear Beliefs® Process allows you to:
• Identify old beliefs and patterns of behavior you adopted in the past (either consciously or unconsciously);
• Examine them for their relevance and value to your life today (or not);
• Decide and choose to keep them—or eliminate them from your life;
• Dis-create (discard, delete) beliefs that no longer serve you; and
• Create new, empowering beliefs, attitudes and abilities that support the creation and manifestation of your ideal life.
Warning: The Clear Beliefs® Process can take you deeper into yourself and your consciousness than you can imagine. The Clear Beliefs® Process looks like a simple belief-clearing tool. It is actually a profound healing methodology.
Workshop Date/Time: January 18, 2020 1:00 – 1:45 pm
Cecil College Lifelong Learning will be hosting our 10th annual Mind, Body, & Spirit Festival on January 17th, 18th & 19th, 2020!
Come for a weekend of mindfulness, relaxation, massage, learning, and meditation. We are bringing in vendors and presenters from all over the country to provide the most fulfilling experience possible.
Please visit here often for updates on which vendors will be attending this year. We are very excited to see you in January!
LOCATION:
Cecil College Elkton Station
107 Railroad Avenue
Elkton, MD 21921
WHEN:
Friday, January 17th – 6 pm to 9 pm – Get an early entrance to see the vendors and shop!
Saturday, January 18th – 9 am to 6 pm – Vendors and workshops will be running and available all day! Free totes will be given out to all participants until we run out.
Sunday, January 19th – 10 am to 4 pm – Visit vendors, relax, de-stress and enjoy your time!
COST:
We have a new discount pricing for our 10th anniversary!
**Vendors Only: FREE All Weekend, Friday-Sunday!
**Workshops and Vendors: Only $10 this year to attend up to 6 workshops on Saturday! Participants who attend Saturday workshops will also receive a special gift!
Cash only at the door. We do have an ATM machine if needed.
*$10 includes up to 6 workshops on Saturday beginning at 10 am! Lunch will be available for purchase this year and is not included in the price of admissions.
For more info, email learning4life@cecil.edu or call Tammy at 443-907-1378.
To request vendor or sponsorship information, email learning4life@cecil.edu.
**Snow Dates are scheduled for 1/24/20-1/26/20
We hope to see you there! Until then, have a safe and happy holiday season! Don’t forget to use your coupon!
Connect with me on Facebook and ask how Clear Belief® Coaching Processes Work!
