Do you think that illness or doing nothing makes you weak? Think Again. There is enormous power in doing nothing and opening to the wisdom that flows within you.
Do you think of power as something that comes from being strong and boldly blazing forward, taking action after action and fighting demons? I used to, and then beat myself up because I never felt I was strong enough or accomplished enough.
Instead I’ve come to see a startling truth: that my power and strength don’t come from striving and trying. Life works best when I center into my true self, find my inner vision, and clear away the obstacles that are keeping it from happening. I’ve finally come to accept that the universe wants my greater good and if I just relax and open the way, it will come to me.
This month I got a refresher course, most likely because in March and September I focus on working the third gateway practices designed to cultivate my power. I had some unexpected spiritual help–I got the flu! Nothing helps me go inward faster than an illness.
Do you know what happened? During that week of being sick, energy and enthusiasm periodically rose up in me like waves. When my energy came up, I rewrote the first 50 pages of my novel and sent them off to a first novel competition. When it went back down I rested. When it went up again I gave two shamanic healing sessions. Even though I was ill for a week, I was totally “fine” during the hours I was doing the Goddess’ work.
Important things got hugely clarified during this time, and I gave up or postponed commitments that sapped too much time or energy from my life. I had no choice, with the flu. I HAD to take care of myself and conserve my energy only for the important things.
After a week of being down with the virus, I decided to give up caffeine, to stop pushing so hard. To relax and open for a while. And then an even bigger opening happened. In working with a shamanic healer I discovered a deep-rooted pattern from my childhood that has been keeping me stuck in living situations that don’t work for me. Finally I saw the pattern in my life and how it got created.
The session exhausted me, and I needed more rest. In the past I would have called this a “relapse” with the flu, but instead I see it as a blessing–more opportunity to go within to vision and create from the place of alignment.
Today I’m marveling at how strong I really am, how powerful, to have survived some of the things I lived through as a child. I used to think my trauma was insignificant because I wasn’t beaten, starved, or sexually molested. But the truth is I was neglected, shamed, and told to stay small. I lived with alcoholism and its effects in my home. My safety and my belongings were violated by family members. I came to believe that I didn’t matter, that my needs and wants weren’t important, and that I shouldn’t expect any more from life. I was harmed by people I loved and I put myself in harm’s way over and over again.
It’s taken me years to feel safe in the world, and as time has gone by, that feeling of safety has grown stronger. I feel grateful at finally unraveling this piece of my past so I can open even more to my true potential. Already safer and more nurturing living situations are being offered to me with very little effort on my part.
The message? My true power is simply in being who and what I am. My job is to be as authentic as possible with others and to take wonderfully good care of myself. To be, as a dear friend said recently, “both human and wise”.
The experience of reconnecting with my authentic self has been so powerful that I want to share it with everyone!. Here is a simple process to get you started:
- Relax. Have a hot bath or a cup of hot tea and take some deep breaths. Let every muscle in your body relax.
- Open. Let your mind drift to a situation in your life where you’ve felt stuck, blocked, or powerless.
- Receive. Ask for guidance, to be shown what is in your way. You may receive an image, a few words, or some other hint
- Breathe. Flow with the guidance and see where it takes you.
- Journal. Take a few moments to write down what happened
- Be Grateful. Offer up your thanks to Spirit for directing you
- Nurture Yourself. Practice deep self care to help process what you discovered and trust that you’ll be shown the next steps to take.
Want a shamanic healing work with me to develop your power of letting go? Start by requesting a free phone consultation.