Climbing Out, Looking Up

Are you a gritty inner-self explorer like I am? Well, some days I just want to say a big, fat, “UGH” to that! Looking 'inside' at my shit can feel crappy. There are days when I will do just about anything to avoid the pain I feel from the sad, sad stories I tell myself. Sound familiar? When I look around, I see that I am not the only one, so I get it. Sometimes, I would rather eat more, tune out with Instagram, or binge on another Netflix series than face myself. All that is a temporary fix, however, after which I inevitably will fall deeper into despair until I get to a point where I feel like I can’t handle it any more. Finally, when that rock bottom finally becomes far too uncomfortable, you will find me clawing to get up and out; bruised and desperate. YIKES!

Years ago, I learned that it is possible to be proactive in order to avoid the bottom of the pit. I can do "the work' before I wind up there. Even so, there can still be a pull within me to run from my experience of anxiety - to wish it would just go away. Experience has taught me that the only way 'out' is through facing my fears, though. In the end, fears are always based on a bloated picture of whatever it is I am encountering - a picture that is not based in Truth. Now, having navigated many storms in my life, here I am - ready and willing to navigate the next.

I understand the desire to avoid. Our feelings are real, even if the stories we are telling that trigger them aren't. At  times life can feel weird and off-balance, for sure. I am reading The Nightingale, right now. It is a book by Kristin Hannah that takes a deep dive into France during WW II. It is putting some things into perspective for me. As I face each new day, my basic needs are secure. I have attained a relative balance between work and leisure in my life, with abundant opportunities to take part in daily activities that enhance my joy. I am not hiding from an enemy, strategizing on how to survive a battle, or enduring another winter without proper warmth and nutrition. Instead, as I write this article, I sigh with gratitude and take another nibble of my $7 chocolate bar!

Yet, does it serve me to belittle unpleasant feelings that I may be having, even though I am not in mortal danger? Anxiety is anxiety no matter what the storm may be that conjures it. My responses to my life are relative to the life I have encountered so far. We live in a dualistic culture. So, no matter how our individual lives unfold, we all get to feel into an array of opposites: good and bad, joy and fear, love and hate, etc. This is what the human experience is.

I marvel at Humanity’s will to survive. Historic accounts reveal our adaptability across diverse circumstances. I may have a low day or week, maybe even a month, but, in the end, I have learned that I can trust in the natural flow and expansion of Good to prevail, even when things may look uncertain. I use this belief as a powerful anchor. (I am, for the record, an eternal optimist).

This newsletter is for you if you are feeling the pressures of Life. If you feel like you have fallen down, scraped your knee, and can’t find a bandaid. I am here to tell you that you are not alone. We have each other - we are in this thing called Life together. I believe in the work I do at the Centre for Inspired Living. I believe in the power of my faith that we are all unified as, and within, something bigger than ourselves. When I first began learning the spiritual principles I follow, I didn’t believe that my life could get better. My teacher believed it, though, and I found that I could trust his belief. I held onto that as I found my way out of my pit of despair. Today, I don’t fall so far into that pit, and I have honed tools that I use to prevent myself from sinking farther. One of those tools is a practice of affirmative meditation (otherwise known as "treatment").  Here is one of those affirmative meditations for you, and for all of us who could use a little extra boost today:

I know there is just One Energy - Life. It exists in this instant, right here and now. In this moment, Life is complete. Any memory or dream I may see that appears to say otherwise is only a thought. It holds no power over the Infinite Unlimited Power that always exists - in this moment, and in the next.

So, I lean into this Truth, knowing I am immersed in this Powerful Life Force. I am never separate from It. I am a perfect, individualized expression of It. I am complete and whole, just the way I am. My life continues to unfold within The Mystery; never denying what I witness today, yet always believing in a bright future. I always have opportunities to 'make a difference'; to do something good. I choose to discover this more fully throughout my days, knowing that I am safe, and I allow the wave of expansion to carry me forward. Looking back, seeing how far I have come, I know that Life always unfolds in brilliant and surprising ways. I rise, up and up. What I focus on expands, so I focus on Good and I see it everywhere.

I am so grateful for these true and powerful words. I’m so grateful to be sitting here, sharing my insights, and pouring my heart into this treatment; knowing it is right and timely for each and every one of us. I am grateful to know that when I look up, I naturally build a better world, as do you.

And so, I surrender and release all that has been said - into the wisdom of the One Life. I do not need to do anything for these words to become a felt experience. The Universe 'has my back'. My words are powerful, and Life says, “Yes.”

And so it is.