IN IT TOGETHER
FEBRUARY 2015
Hello Everyone...
First, let me say that we hope Dixie will be writing a combination January/February newsletter in the next week or so, as well as getting the February calendar finished. She had every hope and intention of being able to write her newsletter for January and work on the February calendar, but two things came along to cancel out THAT plan: she ended up with lung congestion and shortly after recovering from that, she was hospitalized for surgery. She is now home and recuperating nicely - we’re hoping the surgery will go a long way toward improving her health!
As the energy of these times intensifies and intensifies and intensifies, once again it has been interesting (to say the least) to witness people who normally are “cool, calm and collected” literally freak out over something that seems so monumental to them as to be insurmountable. They are so caught up in the moment that they can’t hear anyone’s reassurances that all will be fine, that this too shall pass. It has been frustrating for ME, at times, to know my words (which of course are wise – LOL) are falling on deaf ears. I have to remind myself that when we are in the midst of incredible fear or intensified grief, we are certain that life will never be different than it is in that moment and we can’t help but be closed off to anyone’s attempts to be of aid to us; and so I don’t personalize it…..though as I said, I DO feel some frustration. That’s obviously MY lesson, because assuredly, we all have ongoing lessons…..and the closer we get to “graduating”, the more we are tested.
Anything for which we have an attachment is being challenged. We’re being forced to come to understand that another’s lesson is just that – it’s THEIR lesson. We can’t fix things for another. We can’t ease their way for long because eventually, whatever we’ve been doing to try to ease another’s lessons will literally come to an end. For example, if we’ve been emotionally supporting someone to the point where they’ve become used to having us get them through tough situations, of COURSE there’ll come a time when we end up flat on our backs and in bed, unable to give any advice, let alone a damn, because we’re too ill to think of anyone but ourselves. Or perhaps we’ve been financially supporting another and we keep putting ourselves in our own little financial hole until finally, we have NO money to help them because we’re financially struggling ourselves. There are countless ways in which Spirit will find a way to stop US from keeping another from learning their life lessons; and of course, we are given the opportunity when we’re stopped to see what WE have been attached to and what WE need to face and release in our own Beings.
I’ll never forget my friend Ava asking me years ago what kind of ego did I HAVE to believe that I could save another from the consequences of their own experiences. That one really hit me as one of those Truths that I was forced to face and examine. I’ve thought of it many, many times over the years…..it’s a worthy question to ask ourselves every time we think WE know better than another. Granted – sometimes we can see another’s situation far easier than they can see it because we’re not in the deep emotions of it like they are……but that STILL doesn’t give us the right to tell another what they could do to make their lives easier…..UNLESS they ask us specifically what we would do, of course. Seeing someone else’s situation and resisting wading in and taking charge of their life for them is every bit as strong a lesson for US as whatever lesson is going on for them.
I’ve also been greatly reminded lately of the Truth that Dixie has uttered countless times, and that is that the lesson is never in the experience/event, but ALWAYS in our reaction to it. There are so many dramas being played out right now. As I said above, we can become immersed in fear or grief over some seemingly insurmountable “problem” in a heartbeat, that’s how quickly life is coming at us these days…..and in the rapidly changing moments of each day, reactive energy (either in ourselves or coming from another) is pretty much a guarantee. Unexpected explosive energy can broadside us without an inkling that there’s a problem. One “wrong” word and BAM, someone’s going off on a rant or is crumbling into abject despair and helpless tears. Whether that “someone” is US or another person, after the emotional storm has passed, guilt or shame for exhibiting such strong emotions is likely to enter into the picture. We ALL know that one. We’re horrified that something that strong was in us and came out with such force so as to seem like an attack, or made us appear to be “weak” for displaying our broken hearts so dramatically.
Kindness……now is when we get to work on practicing Kindness……whether it be for ourselves or for another. We are ALL human and likely to “go off” from time to time. It’s a GOOD thing to do so – we’re getting things we’ve stuffed up and out of us and into the Light of day so that we’ve cleared out a little bit more in our Beings. That’s what these intensifications are about – to “agitate” us until we’re forced to erupt and release. The very LAST thing we should be doing to ourselves or to another is adding guilt or shame to the mix. Of course, we may need to apologize to someone for our actions or words, and we can help clear out the last of any lingering hurt by laughing together as soon as possible, or laughing at ourselves if that’s appropriate, because laughter always helps to heal any situation……but to load up on guilt and shame after a major emotional release is defeating the purpose!!!
When we catch ourselves “going off” on a situation or a person, we’re being given an opportunity to step back and ask ourselves why we reacted as we did and what that reaction says about US. It’s a chance for us to shed the illusions we have IF we pay attention to our reactions and process them all the way through. We can no longer afford to automatically just “rant and rave” without delving into the layers beneath our psyche that made us need to rant and rave in the first place. We can no longer afford to automatically ignore some of our deep hurts that we’ve accumulated in life. It’s time to release the underlying pain we’ve been experiencing and trying mightily to ignore or hide (which takes tremendous energy, by the way). The longer we go on, ignoring our reactions and the underlying cause of them, the more intense our lessons will be in our lives…..that’s Spirit’s guaranteed Gift to us, because they KNOW it’s ultimately for our own good. (AND of course, having said that, there are many, many people in this world who have no desire to take responsibility for their pain but instead, need and WANT to inflict rage and pain onto another. As Dixie has cautioned in her January calendar, be very careful about challenging angry people.)
We can only truly live in Partnership with Spirit when we’ve shed all the illusions in us that keep us from knowing our own beautiful Perfection. That’s an irrefutable Truth!
May the month of February (and not just February 14th) be a month of Great Love for you and yours…..
Hold on to your Spirit...
Marty
