Day 19 - A Year to Clear - Change It Up

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Lesson 19: Change It Up

Today’s lesson has me picking out something that will make me feel really good and in effect make everyone else feel good.  Today I wore an Alphonse Mucha printed dress by Black Milk Clothing. It’s a hot day of 42 degrees (107.6 in Fahrenheit) and I am wearing this bright blue dress because it’s summery. It’s vibrant, it’s artwork and it’s fun. I have been complemented on this dress in the past and it fits well with the hot day. Although I’m feeling tired, I think my dress expresses some level of high energy and spirit. I took a pic of me in the lift at work and provided a stock pic from Black Milk’s website for more detail.

What was good is that I never really noticed the print on this dress. There is a zodiac wheel surrounding this crystal queen. This was widely printed in 1896, except I feel like the lady, is very much futuristic from that time period. I wish I could walk around with the head dress all the time but that wouldn’t be practical. This lesson has taught me to be more observant because I’ve had this dress for years and never noticed the finer details and in turn I appreciate this dress more.

Day 19 - A Year of Spiritual Awakening - Romantic Love

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Lesson 19: Romantic love is one of the greatest delights...

“Lesson 19: Romantic love is one of the greatest delights of this lifetime. Those who experience the tantra of Divine union with another know God in this act; each becomes God at a level of transcendence, and the union also becomes God.”

— Sara Wiseman

First off, I do not believe in God so I can only put this lesson in the context of what I believe, that being the Universe, the Universe being Divine, the Universe encompassing us all. I have had one major romantic love in my life, in which, I cannot say that I have experienced the tantra of the Divine. I hope that you aren’t reading this, thinking tantric sex as this Divine union, although that act can be a part of it. I understand tantra to be the ultimate enlightenment involving collective consciousness, spiritual transcendence, inner peace, soul vibration as well as all that intersects and binds us together. It’s a level of spirituality that seeks from within, to expand one’s self through the connection to the Divine, to the point that you too, can become the Divine. Everyone has their own interpretation and definition so really, I think if you get the gist of what tantra is trying to teach, it evolves your definition.

I cannot say that I experienced anything close to the Divine in this romantic union that I’ve had. I am still learning on my spiritual path, so for me, I feel like I will reach that level of transcendence when I fully achieve tantra. I can see how any sort of romantic relationship/union can transcend physical and emotional connection, though I feel like I haven’t reached this stage. The only relationship that I feel may transcend time and space is that I have with my mother. I have not had the pleasure of reaching any sort of level with another individual person, who would be my partner, to transcend in this way. I hadn’t even really thought about it in this way until this exercise. Quite interesting and makes you think more about you as an individual, what you want out of life, but also the type of connection you want to have with the person you want to spend the rest of your days with. 

Day 18 - A Year to Clear - Throw Off

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Lesson 18: Throw Off

Today's lesson to me is about some visualisation. We are to imagine at the end of the day, taking off our clothes as if this is a skin that we're shedding. When we jump into our PJs or nightwear, that is to be us becoming a new person.

I can say that I already do this in different ways. When I shower, I visualise the water washing away negativity and filling me with light. The other method I use when meditating is visualising light coming from above and showering over me, as I inhale, I take a deep breath of that light and when I exhale, I breathe out black negative energy. It's like a new me every time as I feel lighter, happier and ready to go!

I guess the only difference is that I don't always do this every day. So if I were to shed away the skin of today and rest a bit lighter, it'll mean I wake up with that rejuvenated feeling. I'll try it out tonight and see how I go.

Day 18 - A Year of Spiritual Awakening - Forgiveness is a Cultural Idea

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Lesson 18: Forgiveness is a cultural idea...

“Lesson 18: Forgiveness is a cultural idea, and it is not of use to you. This may be confusing, to some of you. But consider: there is only energy, and energy is either light or dark, hot or cold, gathering or releasing, or in point of change—in process of moving between these two states.”

— Sara Wiseman

OK, WTF. When I read this lesson, I honestly was confused by it. I did the exercise and that was to make a list of all the people you should have forgiven by now, take that list and rip it up, go about your day and see what happens. My day was like any other normal day. I didn't think about those people at all, I'm not sure that it really released any stuck energy - literally my day was the same.

So the only way I know how to try and tackle this lesson is to break it down. Forgiveness is a cultural idea - yes, I can see that's a construct we hold by morals and values and when those are broken by another, we may hold a grudge, a dislike, a bad memory of that person so we tend to let them vacate our lives. Forgiveness is of no use to me? Well, I don't think I've ever forgiven anyone to the magnitude of the people on my list. If it has no use to me, does that mean it shouldn't impact me? Does the mere act itself not really do anything? To me, I feel like to give forgiveness is to let go of a feeling you had stuck with a certain person. When they have wronged you and you finally get over it, or grow beyond that wrongdoing, it's a release of stuck energy. I can't be the only one who feels this?

So, we already know I believe in energy, light and dark etc etc. But in the space of forgiveness, is this lesson to teach, there are always good and bad energy roaming on this Earth, including the relationships we hold dear, so technically is forgiveness just another action flow of good and bad energy cycling around? We don't really need to do anything with it, if we let it go to the universe and let it unfold on it's own? I'm really stuck on this one but feel like I'll gain more insight as I grow along this course.

Day 17 - A Year to Clear - A-Wear-ness Process

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Lesson 17: A-Wear-ness Process

Today is about taking one item of clothing from your closet that you don’t currently use, or it doesn’t look or feel good to wear. We are to reflect on the feeling that item brings us to feel any sense of needing to get rid of it or still have the urge to hold onto it. I’m not necessarily meant to get rid of the item but note the feelings that come as to why I hold on. The idea is to “notice the thoughts and feelings that are keeping you from letting it go.”

I have these red Mary Jane shoes with a slight heel. I haven’t worn them in a while but I do enjoy them. They are cute and go with the outfits I have that involve red. They are one of the very few red pair of shoes that I have but the last time I wore them, they gave me blisters. Never gave me blisters before though I believe because I put on weight, they didn’t fit like they used to. The reason why I keep them is mainly because they go with my outfits not necessarily for practical reasons. Most of the time, I have felt good in them so I don’t see why I should get rid of them unless they fall apart. In this instance, I have nothing but good thoughts about these shoes.

Upon reflecting on that experience, I’m not sure that I released any stuck energy. If that was the point, I didn’t feel it. This simple process taught by going through items one by one, I can easily release a lot more that I hold. Just because this particular item didn’t see me release, I can see the effectiveness of this method of clearing items - that it did serve a purpose some time ago but may no longer serve me now. I can see by adopting this practise how it can flow into other aspects in my life. If anything does not bring me joy, why am I holding onto it?