MIND-BODY-SPIRIT
with another. I related to non-humans more easily than human rela- tionships because the emotional interaction was uncomplicated. All too often what is claimed to be “love” is simply someone’s means to meet their own needs. This kind of “love” has nothing to do with real love. It is self-seeking and fraught with inconsistencies. Our yearning for connection and the tendency to project emotions on one another assuming the feelings are shared, make a fragile and faulty foundation for relationships. Like the old lyrics, we “go looking for love in all the wrong places,” further diverting attention from healthy regard of self. Embracing that life is a shared love-learning journey, shifts every- thing. Not only accepting but actually loving our imperfections is a profound game changer. Brene Brown in The Gifts of Imperfection points out “… most of us perform, please, and perfect, all the while thinking, ‘What if I can’t keep all of these balls in the air? Why isn’t everyone else working harder and living up to my expectations? What will people think if I fail or give up? When can I stop proving myself?’” We must stop trying to be someone else, or someone else’s version of us, and be ourselves. No one else can do it for us. We need to stop pretending something doesn’t hurt when it does. If we mask feelings we label as negative, we constrict our ability to fully engage in fun, laughter and celebration. Our hearts are meant to feel. Our minds are designed to experience the full gamut of emotions. Tears are there to flow in joy, laughter, and pain. We get to choose how we will partici - pate in life. We get to opt to be in the present moment, the only mo- ment in which choice and change can take place. We draw from the past rather than wallowing in it. We imagine what may be in the future flexibly, anticipating without being attached to something that may not happen. Mark Nepo in his book, Seven Thousand Ways to Listen , asks if we are willing to be involved fully in all the dilations and contractions of life — the tangling and untangling — the flow. He advises, “The aim of spiritual practice, no matter its form, is to untangle the nets that living snares us in. … a never-ending weave of becoming tangled and working to get untangled. … None of these states — being tangled or untangled, being wholehearted or half-hearted, being open or closed — is a place we can permanently stay. When we are half-hearted, we tangle the net. When we are whole-hearted, we untangle the net. But the weave of tangle never ends.” Returning to the opening question, again ask yourself: “Do I love myself enough to do unto me as I do unto others?” If someone were watching and listening to you, would they know you give yourself unconditional high regard that is never to be con- fused with egoic self-centeredness? You may ask yourself, “How can I differentiate?” One way is to check inside: is this particular act done with the same high regard you would give to your loved ones? Is the consciousness within the action that of kindness and respect? Since we are all engaged in this love-learning journey, is how you regard yourself a demonstration of true love or does it have conditions? Treating oneself as “less than” is a habit, therefore it can be changed. The adage, “Old habits die hard” is true; yet change is rath- er easily achievable if the desire to change is strong. Oriah Mountain Dreamer reminds us, “If I am exclusively caught in my identity with daily concerns and passing thoughts and feelings, I mistake constantly changing circumstances for all there is, and my sense of well-being gets batted about like a ping-pong ball depending upon moment to moment conditions within and around me, conditions that are largely beyond my control. Without the perspective of knowing my essence I will suffer, and in doing so I cannot help but spread suffering in the world.” Commit to do your part to never impose suffering.
Jeanette Rojas, MA Ed Certified Life and Hypnosis Coach
Energy Healing through Higher Consciousness Connections-Past/Parallel Life Regressions & Spiritual Life Coaching Tap into higher consciousness through healing past, parallel, and in-between life regressions and/or spiritual life coaching. For the last 30 years I have dedicated my life to learning more about and practicing energy healing work through life coaching. My healing journey has helped me understand the power of connecting with a higher consciousness that knows what is best for us. Communicating with our guides, our higher-self, and our own divine intuition can have a transformative result. Let’s work together to unlock your inner-joy and strength. Meet me on June 2, 2024 at The Pearl Wellness Spa & Boutique at 1:30 pm for a Past Life Regression Workshop! Register at www.thepearlspa.com/workshops
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PATHWAYS—Summer 24—51
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