“We should sense our body as a spiritual idea, that the flow and circulation of Life through it is complete. It is not inhibited ... not congested.”
~ Ernest Holmes (The Science of Mind Mind)
Pondering this holiday season gives me an opportunity to, again, for the 50th time or so, ‘dig in and do it differently’.
In conversation with the staff in the office, we agreed that it is so much easier to GIVE… (isn’t that what Christmas is all about?). I am an expert giver… to a fault. I know my giving isn’t serving anyone when resentment starts popping up, and lately, I am noticing that bitter voice is very close to the surface.
I have learned important information about this pattern. First, when I am giving to the point of resentment, I know my gift is loaded with expectation. (This is the very family pattern from my youth that seemed to back me into a corner every birthday and Christmas, and now there is the possibility that I have become a perpetuator of this tradition… YUCK!)
Secondly, this kind of disharmony originates with an overextension of one’s self, that is usually linked to a belief that, “It is all up to me.” Or,“If I don’t do it, nothing will get done.” Or, perhaps some form of, “Nobody is as good as me nor as capable as me, so I will just do it all.” (Holy cow… I don’t want to be THIS person!)
What to do? What to do?
Of course, in my search for wisdom around this, I opened that reliable standby, The Science of Mind, written by Ernest Holmes. I was in search of information relating to “The Law of Circulation”…. and the first quote I found was, “Freely ye have received, freely give.”
Notice the word receive came BEFORE give. The Universe is always offering you Good. Have you been consciously receiving it? Ernest Holmes also wrote, “When the law of circulation is retarded, stagnation results. It is only as we allow the Divine current to flow through us, on and out, that we really express Life.”
Think of a water hose. If either end of the hose is restricted, water cannot flow freely. Yet water, like Life, always finds its way… like the floods that have happened this year in British Columbia. We can build dykes and walls and try to control the flow, but eventually it will burst forth and find its own way… the path of least resistance. Surge it will!
Instead of choosing restriction, we can choose to be a channel for the flow of Good; open to receiving and open to giving, unobstructed. When we allow ourselves to be in this balance, we avoid the destruction that can come from old patterns of behaviour that have worn out their efficiency and effectiveness.
Inspired by this Truth, I dug through my files in order to to share with you a lesson I learned from Dr. Kathianne Lewis at the Center for Spiritual Living Seattle. (Know that I am not doing this just for you…. as I am taking this opportunity to dig in deeper to new ways of showing up this season, this provides me with a tool that I can practice with every day). Kathianne explained we are all always either in a “receptive” state of being, or an “active” state of being, and we move back and forth between the two at any given moment. Have a look at the chart below to see which words resonate with you the most.
Pick out your top three most familiar states. Is your tendency to be in an active or receptive state? No judgement… just notice.
Now pick out three unfamiliar states. Write them down to remind you to seek balance. Your handy smart phones can be awesome tools with which to set reminders. I set my alarm for every couple of hours and name the alarm the state of being I have the least relationship with (like, “relaxing”). I also include a short affirmation.
For instance, every day at 12:39 pm my alarm goes off to remind me… “Relaxing: my mind is at peace”.
When my alarm goes off, I stop what I am doing, read it, notice how I am in that moment, and I invite a shift to another way of being.
There is no right or wrong way - we can choose to be the person we desire to be in any given moment. This is the power we have in our life.
Receiving … Giving… In perfect balance. In balance with the Universe. Harmony. Peace on Earth.
This is what the holidays are all about and it begins with our own individual “ME”. I invite you to join me in opening to the Good that is wanting to flow into your life. RECEIVE. ‘Fill up your bucket’ and then notice how much easier and more natural it will be to exist in harmony with the balanced state of the Universe.
Ernest Holmes advised, “Act as though I am and I will be.” I wonder what adventures await us in 2022?
Happy Holidays and Happy New Year! Love, Jill
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