One of my greatest achievements as a human being on a spiritual journey is the conscious movement from fury to compassion.
I grew up in a country where disagreements were retaliated with dreadful consequences and children were train to be insensitive militarized robots. The education system were to take our will, our personality and our humanity. I was told numerous times what a worthless piece of sh*t I was. Mistakes were punished severely and we were only shown an imperfect and intolerant world that wants to shed our blood.
As a result, most of the people I know chose quiet desperation, I moved into resistance and fury. All I heard inside of me was: HOW DARE YOU?!? My fury was fueled by criticism and helplessness.
I spent decades criticizing the world around me with the conviction that this is my job to do that. I am a creative with fresh ideas, now I have a voice and I want to used it. I don’t think that there is anything wrong with communicating a need for change. However, there is a great difference between how this need is communicated. I learnt judgement so I used criticism. And the result was upset and disconnection.
Each time I criticized someone’s ideas or actions, they got upset with me and did not want to work or be with me any more. It is not to say that I did not have the right to express my disagreement but the way I did it was so harsh and critical that people moved into resistance, exactly the same way I did when I was a severely criticized child.
It took me a long time to understand that if I wanted to generate lasting change I needed to come from a loving and accepting place within myself that gives the other person the right to do what s/he thinks best. I don’t have to agree with it, but I must respect it.
Compassion is not giving excuses but knowing that everyone at any given moment in time is trying to do their best to meet a need regardless of my opinion on how they may attempt to do that.
Compassion assumes that everyone wants to meet their needs by the means available to them. These means usually steam from the beliefs systems that they grew up with.
Moving from anger to compassion removes the judgment. My inner critic who feeds on events that appear to be unjust or not good enough is now replaced by an observer.
In compassion, the observer wants connection instead of separation. The observer wants to generate change in ‘ togetherness’ which also means that it may not be possible. This topic is for another post! 🙂
Moving from fury to compassionate understanding is actually moving from separation to connection. In this action, I released anger about the way I was treated as a child and my fear of people. At the same time, I started opening to connecting and collaborating.
Inner communication allows you to have a LIFE FULFILLED!
Can you answer the following questions?
Where did I come from?
Why am I here?
Where am I going?
Listen to this vlog
What is inner communication?
Me, Myself, and I
The three parts of the self have been described in many ways over the years. In my understanding: Me is the small-self or the inner-child that drives our actions. S/he provides us with the enthusiasm and stamina to act in the world.
As you become more like a little child you will be more connected to your inner kingdom. Remember?
And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 18:3
S/he is also the part of us that communicates with the higher-self, the I. As you connect to your basic-self – the ME-Self, you will understand the messages of the higher-self more. The Me-Self is playful, joyful, enthusiastic, and selfish (in a sweet and innocent way!). The I, the higher-self, communicates to the basic-self the ‘Divine messages’ of your true purpose and meaning, mostly through the action of Gratitude. Through Gratitude we are supported to open and allow the necessary changes to happen.
Myself, is the conscious self. The conscious self gains clarity on who ‘I truly am’ and ‘how to express that’ through the communication between the Me-self (the inner child) and the I-Self, the Higher self. With that, the conscious self will become aware of what direction to take in life. S/he gains answers to life affirming questions such as: What I really want? What direction do I want to take in my life? Why am I here?
With the awareness of all that, we can start taking greater responsibility for our happiness and living the life we meant to live.
Are you aware of the inner voices that run you life?Are these inner voices supportive of you and help you become happy or against you? It is essential that we become aware of these voices. Some of these are old voices of different relatives and people we grew up with. Some of these voices need to be turned off and dismissed so they will stop running our life into directions that is not supportive of us or our purpose in life.
The Inner Voices of Truth
These three selves described above have ‘inner voices’ that you want to become aware of. We often do not listen to their voices because we are trained as children to listened to the ‘adults’ around us. Until the age of 7, we are in touch with ourselves and able to hear and know what is happening inside of us though we may not have had the means to communicate all that to the outside world. Then we started losing this connection because we turned outside towards our environment and took on some of their views and opinions instead of ours.
As a result, other’s sometimes negative emotional voices started running our life.
In order to have a happy and purposeful life you will need to reconnect with your ‘true-selves’, hear their voices and start acting upon them.
What to do?
First of all, we must take the time to listen within, so to speak. In meditation, in silent prayer and in pracitsing mindfulness you can gain insight into the different voices or tapes that run your actions (reactions). As we go through our days we need to stop and become aware of who is talking or who is guiding our actions right now by asking the question: Who is talking to me right now? With listening we can now start distinguishing what messages work for us and what do not.
The ones that do not work for us, we must dismiss or deny them and then overrun them with positive affirmations. We will eventually stop running these tapes and the unsupportive reactions that we developed along them.
As a result of gaining insight into your inner communication, you will uncover your own voices: the Me, the Myself and the I. As the three selves within become freed from the debris of ‘others’ ideas’, they become more God-aware. You will be able to act upon the God-aligned inner voices conveyed by the ME-Self or the basic self.
Key practises
Insight and Compassion
As we listen to our inner ‘tapes’ and look at mindfully our actions, reactions, and the words we use, we start becoming insightful of how we run our life and why. It can be a painful process to see how we limit ourselves. However, as soon as we become aware, we regain control over our choices.
As we walk the road of insight, we will soon discover that the child inside, the ME-Self, wants to be LOVED unconditionally. In return, s/he will provide us with the fuel to accomplish our dreams. So, if you want to have more energy and inner support for your ideas to become reality, it is imperative that you create a loving relationship with your inner-child, the ME-Self. You must embrace her/him with loving compassion, just as s/he is. Similarly, as you become aware of the limitations that you impose on yourself by listening to voices other than yours, you need to embrace these limitations and reactions with loving care or compassion.
Affirmations and Denials
bring alignment and clarity into our life. By practising affirmations and denials you start creating for yourself with knowing of yourself and of God. With affirmations you use the power of the spoken word to bring experiences forth for yourself that is life affirming and fulfilling. Affirmations are statements or small phrases that address an issue in your life with a sense of Gratitude.
Vision Boarding or Treasure Mapping
are visual affirmations. Whereas affirmations are usually written statements, vision boards or treasure maps are visual representations of affirmative statements. Similarly to written or spoken affirmations, they enable you to bring forth fulfilling experiences.
Gratitude
is a state of mind. The attitude of Gratitude brings forth life experiences that are both positive and supportive. In Gratitude, instead of focusing on lack and misery, we focus on the learning and God’s ever present Grace in our life. Similar to compassion, in Gratitude we embrace our life as it is. With that we become open and receptive to the goodness that is ever waiting for us to tap into.
Learn more about the programs I run to support you to develop your inner communication and insight:
Today, I looked at my journey of the past 40 days. I looked at some of the posts I created and shared and saw my ups and downs. I feel so much compassion and gratitude. I feel compassion towards parts of me who was challenged, who was in pain, who shed tears, and who was angry and upset at times. I am grateful that I was encouraged to walk the journey of release and embrace. I am in awe of that part of me who was willing to show up day after day for 40 days to read the booklet, create a post, and share her journey. I am grateful for those who read the posts and responded to them by sharing their own journey with me.
THANK YOU!
GRATITUDE
Today, I invite YOU to look at your Lenten Journey with Loving eyes and see the amazing work YOU have done. See that in your commitment to creating a closer relationship with the Divine and the Loving that is so impalpable in this word, you have become a representative of God. YOU walk as an ambassador of the Light spreading Loving Kindness and Peace in the world wherever you go. God Bless You!
THANK YOU for having joined me and read the daily blogposts I created – SEE THEM HERE (CLICK) – I hope you have joined the UNITY CONNECTED FACEBOOK GROUPwhere I also shared about the contemplative questions. (click on the buttons below to join)
Picture Source Unsplash/ Featured Image: rachel-walker–unsplash
Today, we are embracing our journey and God’s Love for us.
Our Lent Booklet reminds us today that when we look at Jesus’ story we realize that the most important things was his message. Resurrection is a metaphor for renewal. Jesus was an enlightened rabbi who showed the way to abundant living. During our Lenten journey we walked the road to Enlightenment, we have transformed our lives.
We are reminded that we have the power every day to transform our live experiences and rose above the past and turn our challenges into opportunities.
Today, I invite you to contemplate the quote below. Let me know how you have transformed you life over our Lenten Journey.
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect. Romans 12:2
Today we affirm: I renew my mind with each new day.
Join me by reading the daily blogposts I create – SEE THEM HERE (CLICK) – and joining the UNITY CONNECTED FACEBOOK GROUP where I invite you to share about the contemplative questions. (click on the buttons below to join)
Picture Source Unsplash/ Featured Image: rachel-walker–unsplash
“A life without Love is of no account. Don’t ask yourself what kind of love you should seek, spiritual or material, divine or mundane, Eastern or Western. Divisions only lead to more divisions. Love has no labels, no definitions. It is what it is, pure and simple. Love is the water of life. And a lover is a soul of fire! The universe turns differently when fire loves water.“
I let go and look ahead with hope.
Today was an interesting day. All I did today was Loving myself through layers of limitations that I have uncovered over the past 40 days. I spent time in Forgiveness – I was being serious about it! – and then it occurred to me that true forgiveness is acceptance and loving what is. Forgiveness does not mean that I can force myself believing in something or doing something differently as of now. In forgiveness I compassionately embrace me with all my flaws Remember? “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” (Luke 23:34) In this famous Bible quote I see Jesus’ Love for the world regardless of its great shortcomings. So, I did the same. I counted my flaws and just Loved them with a passion (and a smile)!
“A life without Love is of no account. Don’t ask yourself what kind of love you should seek, spiritual or material, divine or mundane, Eastern or Western. Divisions only lead to more divisions. Love has no labels, no definitions. It is what it is, pure and simple. Love is the water of life. And a lover is a soul of fire! The universe turns differently when fire loves water.”*
Today, we are tuly releasing and letting go and embracing God’s Love for us.
HOLY SATURDAY
Our Lent Booklet reminds us today that in Jesus’ death we observe the death of all old ideas and outdated beliefs. Like Mary and the disciples after Jesus’ demise, we feel lost not knowing what would happen next. It is a waiting and of uncertainty.
We pause in stillness, we experience the void then let it go. In that we trust that the flame of home in our hearts will be rekindled.
Today, I invite you to contemplate on Rule No40 and the quote below. Let me know how practicing ‘truly releasing and letting go in the silence’ worked for you today.
For God alone my soul waits in silence, for my hope is from him. Psalm 62:5
Today we affirm: I let go and look ahead with hope.
Join me by reading the daily blogposts I create – SEE THEM HERE (CLICK) – and joining the UNITY CONNECTED FACEBOOK GROUP where I invite you to share about the contemplative questions. (click on the buttons below to join)
Picture Source Unsplash/ Featured Image: rachel-walker–unsplash
“While the part change, the whole always remains the same. For every thief who departs this world, a new one is born. And every decent person who passes away is replaced by a new one. In this way, not only does nothing remain the same, but also nothing ever really changes. For every Sufi who dies, another is born somewhere.“
In acceptance and trust, I practice spiritual surrender.
Today, I was contemplating the cycle of change, balance and the ultimate surrender. Life seems to be like a series of ‘two steps ahead, one step back’s. Every time I need to step back, I find myself off balance and I need to find my way back. Today, I experienced one of those setbacks. Jesus’ story reminded me today of the ultimate surrender and acceptance – of death. I am only asked to release all my attachments: all my great ideas, my solutions, my judgements and my opinions and hand them over … in practising spiritual surrender.
People around me, my life experiences, my successes and failures, the shape of my body or the colour of my hair do not define me.
I don’t know why I chose this life. Neither do I know why I chose these particular circumstances and experiences. They are mostly difficult, challenging and often lonely. And still, none of this changes the fact of who I am both as a Soul and as a person. Not even my flaws dim the essence of who I am: the fascinating and loving person that I am.
I grew up with deep seated fear and hatred around me. I learnt to believe that people are nasty and vicious because I did something wrong to hurt them. In return, naturally, they blamed me for feeling wretched. It took me 40 odd years to know that none of this has anything do with me.
I may live in (with) it but I am not of it. At all. I never have been. My experiences do not say anything about who I am, they just remind me of what I need to learn or let go of this lifetime.
In life, we are mostly judged by our appearances but I do not need to buy into that. What I am learning is that all of ‘this’ – the way the world sees me, experiences me, and reflects itself back to me – is irrelevant to who I truly am.
I spent most of my life proving myself and wanting the world to recognize me and see me for the wonderful and unique person that I am. I am now realizing that I chose the wrong crowd because my uniqueness is not of this world.
As an artist, my most precious audience is my source: the indwelling Divine power that supplies both the inspiration and the applause.
I chose a burdensome life but it does not mean that there is anything wrong with me. Actually, my life is teaching me to see what an absolute gem I am.
Featured image is by Kandinsky
This blogpost was originally published on 25 Dec 2021
“While the part change, the whole always remains the same. For every thief who departs this world, a new one is born. And every decent person who passes away is replaced by a new one. In this way, not only does nothing remain the same, but also nothing ever really changes. For every Sufi who dies, another is born somewhere.”*
Today, we are accepting our losses and embracing God’s Love for us.
GOOD FRIDAY
Our Lent Booklet reminds us today that when we experience a loss, there is no option other than to accept it. Ends are invitations to let go and behold a more enduring reality, the life beyond the death. With God it’s never really the end.
Today, I invite you to contemplate on Rule No39 and the quote below. Let me know how practicing acceptance worked for you today.
Then Jesus, crying with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.” Luke 23:46
Today we affirm: In acceptance and trust, I practice spiritual surrender.
Join me by reading the daily blogposts I create – SEE THEM HERE (CLICK) – and joining the UNITY CONNECTED FACEBOOK GROUP where I invite you to share about the contemplative questions. (click on the buttons below to join)
Picture Source Unsplash/ Featured Image: rachel-walker–unsplash
“It is never too late to ask yourself, “Am I ready to change the life I am living? Am I ready to change within?” Even if a single day in your life is the same as the day before, it surely is a pity. At every moment and with each new breath, one should be renewed and renewed again. There is only one way to be born into a new life: to die before death..“
I let go of worry.
Am I ready to change the life I am living? Am I ready to change within?
I have moved around a lot in my life. I lived in many countries. I have changed jobs and professions numerous times. Out there, my life is a ‘great change’ but have I changed inside? I am sure I have but God, aren’t I ready to change what made me run the first place!
In my experience, there is always another layer of awareness, – it is like pealing an onion – that brings me to another bit of limitation to release. During the Lenten Season I have been diligently gaining insight of and releasing whatever hindrance showed up … because I am ready!
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