Day 9 - A Year of Spiritual Awakening - Teaching Each Other

Lesson 9: We are here to teach each other...

Today we have another lesson in soul growth and karmic crossings. Every person in our path is there to give us a much needed lesson, even if we aren't ready to see, or hear the message. It's a nice sentiment to know that we are all here to teach and learn from each other. I know I learn a lot from my soul circle, my family, acquaintances that leave profounding marks through words. I believe nothing happens by chance - whether is it experiences or meeting people, there's always a lesson you can take away to gain perspective in your life.

So the lesson today was to reassess with whom we have karma with. Has there been anyone that you've learned your lesson from and your karma is now complete? Has there been anyone you have yet to still learn from? I feel like this can easily be an essay but I won't make it so considering I'm only day 9 and there will be heavy days of writing to come. I'll go with the major turn around lessons in my life.

One of the most significant karmic lessons was what I learned from my ex-boyfriend. When you're young and in love, you tend to turn a blind eye to a lot of things, because you just want to please your partner with no bounds - well that's the thought I got in my head. My ex wanted me to be his idea of a "perfect" woman that was attentive to his needs. I changed my personality just to be with him because I so desperately wanted to be loved. That feeling to be wanted, needed and love far exceeded any common sense. If I went back to meet 18 year old me, I don't think I would have recognised who I was because I wasn't myself. And yet, this on and off relationship stayed prominently in my life because I just couldn't let it go. It wasn't until I met a friend who had a condition that could be well fatal at any time without warning. She taught me that life is precious and to live it to the fullest. Not only was I learning this karmic lesson from my friend: to be myself and just live, but it also opened my eyes at what I didn't want in my relationship with my ex. The karmic lesson from my ex is that I shouldn't let people suppress the real me - that I should be able to shine my own light and no one should have the power to dim it. I needed to learn that accepting myself is okay and if people don't like it, then that's their problem.

I want to mention my friend Ben. The major karmic lesson I've learned from Ben is to always place yourself in the other person's shoes. Sometimes when we're angry and seeing only the colour red, we tend not to take on the other perspective as to why someone acts the way they do, or make decisions that goes against your own. I feel like Ben always brings that perspective. This has made major impact in my life because I never used to think that way. It seems so obvious and a simple notion but it definitely lacked in my life. I now can take a step back and just take on another's perspective. I have gained a lot of understanding and reasoning by taking on this approach in life.

Would it be cheating to say I've learned a karmic lesson from the universe? I believe that I got an answer about having a larger purpose. When I was at my lowest, sick on a beach at Maldives watching the sun rise, I was so angry and empty after my abortion and I asked angrily to the universe something along the lines of "If there is something bigger out there than prove it because I don't believe in anything right now. If you're real show me a sign that there's something bigger than me" and I got told! Two angel fish came and swam around me. I cried and cried and cried, not only was I answered but it was a beautiful moment I shared with a higher power. My karmic lesson was that I mattered, that I served a purpose, that I can overcome anything with faith and that you might not always have an answer but you're being looked after.

I have feel that I have so much to learn from my soul circle, close friends as well as the new people I meet every other day on the same journey as myself. I could list all the lessons I have yet to learn but that would drag on for days. I think if anything profound comes, i'll blog about it on my online journal or along this course. For now, these are the lessons I've learned so far that have really resonated and enhanced my life and there is no doubt so much more to go.
 

Day 9 - A Year to Clear - Clearing is Not What You Think?

Lesson 9: Clearing is Not What You Think

Got to admit that I honestly thought clearing was about reducing physical mess and reducing noise in your head. Stephanie mentions "It is all about how you relate to the experience." I wouldn't have even fathomed that idea. I guess my immediate thought wouldn't have been to focus on what I was feeling, all I could think of was more about, what I could get rid of and overcome. I personally wanted to clear out a physical mess that I created from years of hoarding and I wanted to clear my head along the way to create more mental space. 

We are left to contemplate on this notion. Clearing is supposed to be "the space between the issue and the desired outcome". I personally feel like I would be reset and refreshed from the experience, like a burden will be lifted bit by bit. I think I won't be so bounded by my own entrapment. Not only will I be able to see more clearly, giving myself clarity but shaping myself into more of the person I want to become. It'll be interesting to see how the layers get stripped and what is revealed. 

Day 8 - A Year of Spiritual Awakening - Open Your Closed Heart

Lesson 8: We grow by opening our closed heart...

Today's lesson focuses on opening the heart which leads to a lot personal and spiritual growth. We gain connection within ourselves, other beings and then the Divine. Like I mentioned in my last post, I would love to be that open one day. This lesson talks about there being 4 openings to our heart that leads to this growth - one that leads into another. How this happens, I'm not sure. Nothing was mentioned about how one goes into the next though it's a natural progression. The exercise today was to close your eyes and breath deep in through the nose and out through the mouth until you feel relaxed. I had to imagine my human heart and think about how open or closed it is, how open would I like it to be and if I could allow it to be more open today. 

I visualised divine light shining upon me, opened my chakras and rooted myself to the earth. What I did visualise is my heart pumping and seeing the blood circulate in my body. From there I focused on light entering my heart and my heart shining bright. I allowed the light to circulate through my body as if it was my own blood. With every pump of my heart, more light got pumped around my body.

What I want to be a purely good person. To not be overwhelmed with worry and trust in the universe's plan. There is one for me. There is one for you. I want to have a more open heart to that. I know there is something bigger for me to do and I need to be released of what closes my heart. I am slowly, but surely doing this. I'm finding my true self and I'm happy with that.

 

Day 8 - A Year to Clear - Awareness Changes Everything

Lesson 8: Awareness Changes Everything

This week changes to the theme of “Inviting Awareness”. We are invited to simply reflect on the words “Awareness changes everything”. It’s a simple statement, yet holds so much power and truth to it. If you’d met me over 2 years ago, I was definitely an oblivious drone to my surroundings, environment, self, the world …. The list really goes on and on. I was very much a person who needed to buy everything and anything to make me happy, I wanted to impress people I didn’t care about, had no environmental impact awareness, didn’t recognise my own shortcomings and had a massive lack of action in my life.

There were 2 instances in which I came to be self aware. It wasn’t until I interacted with a work mate that talked about how self-aware he was and also reading a book “Conversations with God” by Neale Donald Walsch, that I really came to know the concept of self-awareness. Both instances opened me up to self-reflection. Interesting concept when you've never been exposed to the very idea of it. My work mate showed me that anyone can become self aware if you're willing to try really. It's about looking at your characteristics and personality which allows you to understand yourself better. You start to recognise your bad & good habits, thoughts, emotions, reactions, strengths and weaknesses. It's about embracing you, faults aand all as well as working towards helping change parts of yourself that you may feel you need to alter. Its about having the power of you, that drives your openness but also helps you to understand others. When you're in control of your thoughts and actions, you know what will help you towards living a better life for you, reducing destructive behaviour.

Although the book was based on a man of Christian faith, the whole message was about connecting with your self. That all the answers you hold is within you - that you already know. It talked about the power within and you can achieve anything by really digging deep within you, visualising who you want to be and working towards being that person. Neale wrote that book when he was at the lowest of lows. He questioned God and got answers by writing the answers down. When I read the book, it seemed like automatic writing and didn't see it as God but some higher power that exists within us - whether that be the universe or your own higher consciousness. The book did go over recognising what needs to change within you and your habits in order to be the person you want to be. Recognise what needs work, embrace it but also work towards a positive solution.

I've been self aware for a couple of years now and it's been helpful to getting me out of situations that have brought me down. It's telling yourself that you can do it. I know that with some life experiences I've been made aware of more issues that are global than just my immediate environment. I feel like the media is one big farce. We seem to be saturated with celebrity news that shouldn't really impact our lives also. The media has the power to control what we see but we aren't exposed to the issues that really matter. More and more I learn the of the Earth really suffering but we're not really doing enough to save it. We are driven so much by consumerism and it's actually destroying the world at the same time. We take things for granted without really knowing. Global warming will have serious impacts, our food chains will suffer, people are forced out of their homes due to rising sea levels, there are plastic islands polluting the oceans that in turn poison our sea life, we popluating the earth at rapid levels that will cause strain on resources, we produce more food to feed the animals people consume rather than feeding starving humans, and our animals are slowly becoming extinct which impacts our food chain. These are just topics that gains some light on the subject but not enough - even I was a overly potent consumer, never knew my environmental impact and changed my ways because of a series of occurences exposed me to wanting to do more for the planet. I had no awareness of these topics but not anymore. I just wish more there was more awareness by our very own news channels.

So that's about where I'm at with my awareness at the moment and I know there is so much more to be done. Without my awareness, I wouldn't be able to drive the change in my life.

Day 7 - A Year of Spiritual Awakening - Our soul is infinitely complete

Lesson 7: Our soul is infinitely complete...

I realise that I'm running a day behind which is something I need to work on around time management more than anything. Weekend plans can really take up all of my time but I don't want to place pressure on myself to have to rush to post. I truly want to write with a genuine touch. So here we go...

Lesson Seven: Your soul is infinitely complete; it is your Divine container. We are always soul, one with One. Yet in earth life, in the human experience, we exist in human container. This includes the body, the sensations, emotions, and most importantly.... the heart. In the human experience, the heart is the way in which we grow.

Exercise: Do you feel your heart is open today, or closed? Close your eyes, breathe, and ask your heart to tell you.

I feel that my heart has been closed for some time and I am only just realising that I need to open up. I know I got this way after a series of let downs from other people, a series of unfortunate events that happened in my life and then I wanted to focus on just getting my life in check. I don't want to go into major detail but I know I closed myself off. I guess it's a defense mechanism to avoid disappointment, to close off from being hurt and placing a guard up was easy in order to protect myself. I know now, by closing off, it means I'm not really experiencing everything fully. All the emotions through experience should be lived in order to learn and gain perspective. Sometimes I just didn't want to feel.

As I started my spiritual journey (after a major connection to the universe), I told people that I want to live with pure love in my heart. That was the mission I set for myself. Let me tell you, it's the hardest accomplishment to achieve. I try to live to be more tolerant and understanding of others. There are times when you really question why another human does something to another which is hurtful and wrong. I am opening pieces of my heart to the world. It's working progress and I feel that I am slowly changing as a person by embracing this path. I want to give out this love for every being in order to receive it in return. If I don't achieve pure love in my heart then I want to at least try to be more open to it.