 As we approach this New Year, we are being asked to take some quiet time and do some inner reflection. Are we being kind to others despite feeling overwhelmed with all that is happening in the world? So many of us are so busy, our “to do” lists seem never ending… during this busy holiday season we are being asked to take time and be kind to one another, to pay it forward, but do we treat ourselves the way we treat others?
In the Northern hemisphere we are moving into the winter months, a time of dormancy, a time of quiet inner reflection. This can prove very challenging for those of us who are type A personalities or for those who were taught from a young age that “idle hands are the devil’s workshop”. Many of us were told that we must have something tangible to show for our time. We were only ever able to be “still” if we were sick. Because so many of us were raised with judgement and criticism, we have internalized those adult voices and they have become a predominant part of our own internal dialogue. So much so that we aren’t even consciously aware of how we speak to ourselves. We would NEVER speak to another the way we speak to ourselves. We berate ourselves and belittle ourselves. We are constantly judging our own behavior and letting ourselves know how “bad”/” terrible”/” wrong” we are. We become filled with shame and self-loathing. Now, of course we judge and criticize others too, but not anywhere near as harshly as we judge ourselves. When I was growing up my own inner guidance let me know that if I were to only learn one lesson in this lifetime it would be The Golden Rule. We all know The Golden Rule: “do unto others as you would have them do unto you”. In other words, treat people the way you wish to be treated. In my opinion, there is a part that is still missing and that is: “treat yourself the way you wish others would treat you”. Kindness begins INSIDE! It’s an inside job! This is where compassion and caring really take root. We can only find PEACE within, and if we are at war with ourselves, and treating ourselves unkindly, we will never find the peace that we are seeking. So, as the song goes, “Let there be Peace on Earth and let it begin with me” is the mantra for 2019! This is my prayer for each of us and for the World this coming New Year! May we each find the inner peace that we have been seeking and may it then be reflected throughout the World. Many Blessings to ALL! May each of our Hearts open fully in unconditional LOVE!
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 As we move through these times of great change we are being asked to slow way down and be still. As the fires were raging outside, we were being asked to let those fires burn within as well. We are going through a GREAT purification now. All that no longer serves is being burned away creating nourishing ash from which the new is being born. Witness the Phoenix rising from the ashes. I now live in the heart of the fires in Redding, CA. Fortunately, the rains have come, and the fires are out.
We are being asked to walk the razor’s edge now. In order to make this walk fuller, and more beneficial, we are to take our time and become more fully present with each step. Notice the polarized states of consciousness still being held within the mind. Are we feeling victimized or feeling a deep sense of grief as our own shadow and the World’s shadow come more fully into the light? See if it would be okay to allow these polarized states to move through you. Let yourself fully feel whatever emotions are arising right now. If we identify with these polarized states of consciousness, we make them real and then feel hopeless and helpless. We are being asked to be in the present moment, so we do not fall off the razor’s edge into one side of the polarity or the other. When we fall, we abandon ourselves and forget the Truth of Who We Really Are! It is during these times that we need to strengthen the Witness. Back in 2004 I took a trip to the South of France with a Spiritual group of like-minded friends. We visited the ruins of the Cathars (*see definition below) at the top of a mountain. The Cathars did not believe in organized religion with priests and churches but rather believed in everyone (both men and women) having the ability to go God Direct. The Roman Catholic Empire gave the Cathars an option of either joining Christianity or being burned to death for heresy. We meditated in the Cathar ruins at the top of the mountain where they were held hostage and not allowed food until they made up their minds whether they would convert or die. After several weeks of “fasting” and meditating it was unanimously decided that they would stand (die) for what they believed in. I could “feel” the choice that the Cathars made in every cell in my body as I meditated amidst the ruins. As we began walking back down the path, I could hear the chanting of the Cathars as they marched to their death. It was not a wale of grief but a song of joy as they knew that they would be going Home! At the bottom of the mountain were fields where, during the time of the Cathars, large fires were burning. As the “story” goes, the Cathars did not need to be pushed into the fires by the Christian Crusaders but willingly threw themselves into the fires to return Home to the Divine. Perhaps there are many of us now who are either descended from or reincarnated as Cathars. As we stand on the Razor’s Edge in the Neutral Witness/Observer we are being asked to remember that we can go God Direct and know that we are all Divine! When we can be The Witness, we can come into reconciliation with all polar-opposites while standing on the Razor’s Edge. It is my great joy to assist in guiding you into strengthening the Witness through reconciliation of opposites. Our beloved teacher Leslie Temple-Thurston once asked us, “what are you willing to die for?” The Cathars knew the answer and ultimately, so do we! *(“The Cathars were a religious group who appeared in Europe in the eleventh century, their origins something of a mystery though there is reason to believe their ideas came from Persia or the Byzantine Empire, by way of the Balkans and Northern Italy. Records from the Roman Catholic Church mention them under various names and in various places. Catholic theologians debated with themselves for centuries whether Cathars were Christian heretics or whether they were not Christians at all. The question is apparently still open. Roman Catholics still refer to Cathar belief as "the Great Heresy" though the official Catholic position is that Catharism is not Christian at all.”) quote from www.cathar.info Copyright (c) 2018 Barbara Sawicki * All Rights Reserved * You may copy and distribute this material as long as you do not alter it in any way, the content remains complete and you include this copyright notice. Please feel free to share...  Are you feeling pushed to the edge? Pushed out of your comfort zone? Pushed to the breaking point? And, at the same time, feeling pulled to return to what's familiar?
Caught between the two? Wanting to move forward and break out of old patterns and at the same time afraid of change? What will it take to let go and take a leap of faith? If you're feeling ready to make a change but feel like there's some part of you that wants to cling to the familiar...perhaps Focusing or the Squares Processing technique can help... (both of these techniques are described on the Bridge to Transformation website) I too am ready to take a Leap of Faith...being pulled to step up and speak out...to offer a kind and gentle hand to guide whoever feels called, to step onto the Bridge of Transformation! Lovingly, Barbara Copyright (c) 2018 Barbara Sawicki * All Rights Reserved * You may copy and distribute this material as long as you do not alter it in any way, the content remains complete and you include this copyright notice. |