The Change in Truth

Someone once told me that change happens when we sit with our truth openly and publicly and universally. If we can live our truth without comparison, shame, judgment or denial, then we can begin to change and grow and evolve. We sometimes hide from our truth. It can be for a wide number of reasons. Some hide from truth because they are afraid of how big they can be. Some run from the truth out of fear of the pain. There are those who judge themselves so harshly that when they begin to step into a puddle of truth they recoil. It is important for us to know ourselves fully. When and how do you cover up or hide from your truth.

Once you have a better understanding of what you do, then you may be able to explore why. Let’s face it, the better we understand our selves, our reactions, our needs and our faltherings…the stronger we then can become. Learning to accept that we are not perfect beings, that we have stories, or that we hold onto fears and pain can only free us in the long run. The acceptance of these facts and the embracing of them as part of our unique qualities is the key to our way of unlocking our authenticity. We do not need to pretend to be someone we are not. We do not need to stuff down feelings. We do not need to be so harsh on ourselves.

It is not easy to be this transparent. It takes time and practice. It means asking tough questions and waiting on the answers. It can also mean having a support person to help you as you uncover your truths. As a spiritual life coach, I spend a good deal of my time with my clients offering this exact kind of support. Everything that the client needs to be their fullest and brightest self is already within them. They just may need support in discovering it and revealing it. They also may need help in becoming comfortable with their truth.

Once this process has begun, it seems to often takes on a force of its own. The truth bubbles to the surface more freely. The heart and mind accept it more willingly. The human in us embodies it more gracefully and our awareness and consideration grow so that we can hold others in their truth more compassionately. Like many things of spirit, the beauty lies in the simplicity of it. We do not need to complicate it. If we learn to just be with it and not try to explain it, resolve it, rate it or whatever else we tend to do…but to just be with it and allow the gentle unfolding occur; that is when our connection to source is at its strongest and the brilliance of our personal truth shines brightly.

Blessings ~ Lisa

©COPYRIGHT 2012 Lisa Meade

Opportunities For Change

I think I have always had a soul that asked questions. I like to put the pieces of my life together like a beautiful puzzle and look at how they were unique to me, what they mean in regards to my purpose in life and how I live. My spirituality matches this fact. I have looked at the way Spirit resonates within me. I have released old wounds and patterns. I have embraced traditions, awakenings and lessons. I have shape shifted into who I am today, morphing and merging into what feels comfortable for me, while still allowing room for me to stretch, grow, and rest. Learning to live consciously and in the moment does not mean that life does not stir things up within me like a brisk autumn breeze from time to time; old memories, thoughts and feelings reeling and swirling about. I have learned to be present, not to create story around these questions and theories and with time they settle themselves down, quietly into a stillness that life affords us if we wait for it. I have learned to not need to be reactionary in every moment. Instead peace and calm sit beside me and it is a place that feels true to my soul and supportive to my whole being.

As big as our world feels we are really walking our paths together. When you suffer, I feel it, on some level. When there is war or hardship across the seas, my spirit aches for the unknown and the loss that is resulting from the violence and brutality. I do not pretend that my soul does not pick up on the reverberating energies of suffering that are in the lives of so many. Likewise, I am blessed daily with the celebrations of life, the opportunities of abundance and the goodness that lives in so many hearts.

So how do I bring my spiritual connection out and put it on the table to become effective and powerful? How do I put it to use for the good of all, not just myself? If we are truly all connected, every breath I take, every thought I hold, every blessing I cherish matters.

I cannot sit by, day by day, without leaning in and getting my hands dirty. I cannot help but feel stronger and more whole as I bring all of my self to the day. I bring my conscious living, I call forth healing energies, I send supportive prayers of compassion and kindness, I put action to my words, and I listen closely to what the world needs. I cannot live any other way. If I don’t do this, what is living? If I do not participate fully, what part of me is showing up? If not today…then when?

Blessings ~ Lisa

©COPYRIGHT 2012 Lisa Meade

Me and My Shadow

I recently re-read Debbie Ford’s The Dark Side of the Light Chasers for the third time. To say I love this book is an understatement. Each and every time I read it I learn more. I seem to go deeper into the pages, to the words, to the theory and to the process. Debbie Ford teaches us how to understand what the shadow is. She explains that working with shadow allows us to reach the darker side of ourselves where our small self resides. It also allows us to embrace our highest self in all its brilliance. If you wish to be free of shame and blame, if you wish to experience self-love and acceptance, then shadow work is for you. You will need to bring your tool belt with the tools of honesty, compassion and bravery at the ready. You will need to show up and be present. So what is your shadow? Think of the different parts of yourself you often don’t like to own up to. What are the parts of you that you are prone to denying or hiding from others? Those are your shadow sides. If you have ever felt you were lazy, mean spirited, fearful, or selfish…those would be aspects of shadow. Other aspects could be silliness, awkwardness, clumsy or dull. Get the picture?

Until we make peace with our shadow side and accept it, we live a life of battle with our wholeness. We give so much of our power away when we do not have this alignment. We create an inner struggle and we do not fully embrace all of ourselves. According to Ford, “The whole world is a mirror of our own consciousness, and when we make peace with the disowned aspects of ourselves, we make peace with the world.” So take a look at the people and the situations of our life. How are things being mirrored back to you? If you don’t like what you see, then there may be some shadow work that needs to be done.

Debbie Fords shadow work shows a way of embracing the shadow side of ourselves. Instead of running away from shadow or rejecting it, we view our shadows as our teachers. When we open up to the lessons and gifts we then see our hurts and wounds become transformed into wisdom we can take to our life’s path. Our shadow side is not something to be resolved or healed…it is something to dig into, to go deeper and deeper still, harvesting a rich and abundant life! We face what we have feared, love what we have hated and embrace what we have denied. We become fuller and more powerful. It is a process that changes everything.

Blessings ~ Lisa

©COPYRIGHT 2012 Lisa Meade

It Is A Good Morning

It is 4 am and I am wide awake. My day is about to begin and I am thinking of what the new beginnings will look like for me today. It is a Friday, what some hold as the end of their week, the beginning of their weekend. For me it is a day perfect for a fresh start. I can leave behind any baggage from yesterday, any unresolved expectations. I can bring fresh new energy into the day and take on any unfinished business with a clean slate, a beautiful new beginning and breathe new life into it. Being conscious means we are in a constant flow of change. Every moment affords us that choice. We can choose how we relate to a person in our life, a situation at our workplace or even our feelings over a task at hand. When I live like this it gives me the chance to let go, to release and to replace and renew. This is important to me. It means I don’t let drama fill my moments. It means I don’t have to be stuck. It means I have choices in life even in things beyond my control.

If I believe that I am a constantly evolving person, which I do, then it is important that I live this way. How can I evolve if I keep holding on to feelings, beliefs or reactions to yesterday’s news? I have to start fresh and leave room for the change of who I am and who I am becoming. My soul needs the room to grow. I need the space within my heart to expand and contract as needed.

I began today with a ritual I often do. I stood before my altar, a sacred place I have created for my personal connection to Spirit, and I visualize myself putting any unresolved or unnecessary parts of the past that I may be holding onto into a bowl of water I have on the altar. Whatever is not going to serve me here in this moment goes in the bowl. I trust that Spirit will point out to me things I need to keep close, that are still works in progress, things I need to address to move forward, but the rest go in the bowl. In the water they are cleansed, they are safe for the time being, for when I am instructed to go back and take another look, but I don’t have the burden of carrying them around with me. I can use my energies elsewhere!

This morning in a journey one of my spirit guides showed me a tiny seed from a flower, it had a bit of fluff attached that helped it to be carried in the breeze. The flower had released it, let it go, without worry. This seed may land somewhere and take root, it may be eaten up by a bird, or it may be lost in the wind and never reach the rich soil it needs. The flower does not hold onto this worry. It does not spend any energy towards that part of the process. It has sat in the sun and bloomed, soaked up the rain and grew, and when the time was right, released the seed…which no longer served it and trusted that part of the process. Life will take it from there.

SO whether it be a seed or a burden, I begin each day letting go, making room, with a clean slate and a fresh start. New beginnings flourish here. Newness is added to my world this way. Sometimes it takes courage, sometimes it takes effort to let go, other times it is with great relief. But always, it creates possibilities for the greatest potential. What a magnificent way to start a day!

Blessings ~ Lisa

©COPYRIGHT 2012 Lisa Meade