Wealth Consciousness or Poverty Consciousness? Which will it be?
It's interesting to wonder about these two opposing states of consciousness. Of course you'd CHOOSE Wealth Consciousness, as in you'd like to think you have that. Maybe you do. But, in actuality, where are you now? You might be inclined to think you're somewhere in the middle. Sometimes I can feel so strongly about manifesting something or someONE that it happens and I'm not surprised. Other times, I try to talk myself into believing I CAN or I WILL HAVE and yet my body doesn't get the message.... as they say, "it's all in your head". That doesn't work. Lastly, there are times when I feel downright pathetic and I can't stop myself from believing in the limiting thoughts. Poverty. Conviction matters. I recently invested in a serious coaching program to help me create my Life Coaching business. I'd already started the seeds of this way back when but, saying I'm doing something and actually doing it are two different things. Making a truly effective business requires commitment, effort, consistency, experience, ......and a strong mindset. The part of this program I didn't realize was going to be so important for me was the mindset shifting into Wealth Consciousness. Now I know that that middle space was really not so-- I just had moments where I unintentionally thought something with conviction and, voila, I manifested. At least, I did recognize my ability to do so--- I CAN do this if I can make the consciousness shift stick. Like everything, this is a work in progress-- you find success, you find another challenge, you peel back another layer, another success, another challenge, another layer, and on and on. The best part is, with each success and each challenge that breaks through another deep-seated layer, IT GETS EASIER TO DO AND TO BELIEVE. AND..... YOU SHIFT YOUR CONSCIOUSNESS. This isn't just about money wealth (or poverty). It's about connection with others, connection with Self, growth/self-development, joyful living, time, love, etc. Notice where you are in these areas-- are you in Wealth or are you in Poverty? Notice what's working for you and what's not. Notice what you manifest. What you give attention to is what grows! Your beautiful life is waiting for you. Seek Wealth. Shift your consciousness. Don't know how? Ask me! Here's a hint: start with getting in touch with what you DesIre. Here it is, the last day of 2021. And...... it's been awhile.....
I've thought of you, dear reader. I've wondered if you've missed me. I've let myself believe you haven't. What does it matter.....any of what I share? Truth is, it's been a tough year and yet, I can still say: Life Is Good! I can still thrive in my deep knowing that I am enough and I have the answers for my fulfilled life. It's UNSHAKEABLE. Back to this later..... I can KNOW that I felt like you haven't missed me and, at the same time, I can KNOW that that is a story-- an illusion --I've made up in my head. This isn't about you and me-- it's about my need to feel seen and heard..... to not feel rejected.....to matter. Who must fulfill that for me? Me. Knowing all this gifts me with the unshakeable steadiness, even as the emotions ebb and flow sometimes wildly. Even as I don't always know how to fulfill that for myself at any given moment. The story comes from one of my longtime, emotional battles that pesters me with thoughts of "how could you possibly matter?" I've overcome much of this (--thank God!) yet what took years of conditioning doesn't just drop itself from my repertoire of triggered reactions. Consciously, I can insist on another story...... I can ask: perhaps you HAVE missed me and you've felt ABANDONED? What is my responsibility here? What does it matter.....any of what I share? There it is again-- "how could you possibly matter?", that little voice asks. Honestly, I KNOW I MATTER TO YOU. Because you are here, reading. And each of our voices matter. I know that YOU MATTER TO ME because I value your sense of peace and joy. I feel passionate about other people's and our humanity's JOY. I value the vibes we each share in this world to uplift one another. AND, I'VE MISSED YOU! There are writers and vloggers that I enjoy following for the information and peace of mind they bring me. I know, when they have not shared anything new in awhile, I feel SAD, almost a SUBTLE DESPAIR. Perhaps abandonment is too harsh. Yes, it's more subtle. EMPTY. Like i relied upon them to fill my cup. (For another writing but: It makes me realize that, as with everything in life, EXCESS of ANYTHING can be dangerous. They post day after day and sometimes within hours. You gobble up their beautiful voices. You feel a sense of solidarity. Yet, one should be wary of falling dependent upon another to fill one's cup. With GRIT and GRACE, these voices share to create connection and provoke thought. But the idea is not to overconsume....... CONSUME AND THEN DO SOMETHING. CREATE!). Coming back to this idea of UNSHAKEABLE sense of SELF-WORTH and SELF-RELIANCE. I have it. I'm thrilled and both grateful & great-full to have it. I want to share it if you are seeking it. This is why what I share matters. To anyone looking for it, Ending 2021, I am clearing out my inconsistencies and excuses to showing up regularly. I CHERISH YOU. And I cherish my own Soul. That is all we can ask of one another. I recently posted about my mindset shift to accept (as I know deep down to be true for me) that waking up at 8AM is too late for the mastery I wish to achieve. In that post, I wanted to come up with a good mantra for myself to really embody this but I just couldn't land on it at the moment. A bit later in the day, I came up with: 8 is late; 5 I'm alive. Now, I could've chosen 6AM which is the time I've been getting up lately due to this new meditation support group I've joined called the sadhana huddle (which has been seriously awesome and a godsend). I could've chosen 7AM just to ease my way into early-rising. But no, somehow intuitively I thought 5AM was right. And so the mantra has been spoken. And apparently it's been heard. Ever since I uttered those words aloud, I have been literally waking up without alarm between 4:45 and 5AM every day. It's been kind of shocking, to be honest. Here's the dig-- now I need to shift my mindset to actually be okay with GETTING UP when I wake up at 5AM. I've been lying in bed, sometimes trying to do a breath meditation lying down.....but falling asleep, and other times just trying to get myself to go back to sleep so I can wake up for my 5:45AM alarm. And now, when my alarm goes off, I'm actually more tired. So, Universe, hear me: 8 is late; 5 I'm alive.....and thrilled to get out of bed and start my day. I've got things to do, joy to share, Soul to care for immensely. **On a separate note, out of frustration with entrepreneurship the other day, I proclaimed out loud without thinking: "I need a job!" Having voiced that and feeling like I released something (-kind of like letting out an "arghhhhh!"), I mentally moved on.
MOMENTS LATER, I opened up my email and the first one to pop up was from a friend with the subject line: "Employment Opportunity". Jaw drop. It wasn't really the job for me but it reminded me that the Universe listens. And that I had better be more specific with my requests. :). I hate mornings. Picture Garfield* with his grumpy face and low eyelids. *For those who don't know, Garfield is a comic cat character created by James Jim Davis In my yoga practice with its connection to Ayurvedic practices and the Vedas, there's always mention of waking up in the peaceful, ambrosial hours between 3-6AM: Amrit Vela. I've done it before as a discipline. For a period of time, I woke up every day at 4:30AM and did my yoga practice. Did it feel good? Did it make my day better? Yes and yes. Did I continue with this practice? No. As I said, I hate mornings. Considering the positive impact it had to my days, I struggled to balance it with my feeling loathe to get up "so early". The pivot I needed, I have since realized, is to recognize that it's all about "how you feel" and "what you tell yourself". That your thoughts have a deep impact on how you feel: "I feel loathe to get up". I've always hated getting up in the morning, although by 8AM, my body feels ready to go. By that time, my mind lets go of feeling loathesome to feeling like it's time to do stuff, live life. And I generally feel happy to do that then. But 8 is late. During the school year, my kids would need to be dropped off at school by this time already. My earlybird spouse would've had a couple cups of coffee and done a ton of computer work already. My dog....well, my sleepy dog would be waiting for me, probably ready to pee. Good boy. :) "8 is late" and some other helpful thought for the magic of the early start is what I need. (I haven't yet landed on a good line to go with '8 is late'). When I was doing my 4:30AM start, I was forcing it....pushing through the blockade of negative energy and difficult thinking. No wonder I couldn't stick with it. Letting go and opening the blockade is as simple as "8 is late" and "bring on the morning magic" (ok, phrasing still not landing.... I'll let it lie for now). Removing the blocks so that, even if feeling tired, I can ease onto my yoga mat and start. That'd be one less, enormous struggle to getting there. As is often said, "mindset is everything". Changing your mind is like removing ten obstacles in your path. Its impact is huge. Struggling mind = huge obstacles. Mindset shift = clearer path. Simply by thinking it so. Keep in mind: you DO have to believe it in your body as you think it. Thinking it so without believing it is just seeing/intellectualizing the shift without "physically" making the shift. 8 is late. So it is. PS. This is my story, not a judgment of your story or wake-up time. What mindset shift are you needing in your day? REIMAGINING. Imagine. Image. -ing. re-. Imagine what could be. Imagine the impossible being possible. Imagine with creative abandon. Imagine with passion. Imagine Love. Expressed. Image of darkness. Image of light. Image of whatever is right in front of you. What do you see? What is in your vision? What vision does your mind create? What if you hone that vision to see clearly? What if you expand that vision with a -nation, the image your mind sees? Image expands to imagination. Do-ING, Be-ING, Live-ING, Imagine-ING. Create-ING. Go forth with -ing like zing with wings. Sing. Re-do. Re-be. Re-live. Re-imagine. Re-create. Re-birth. A vision was seeded, spread, nurtured and created. Does that vision fit the change of times? Does that vision continue to meet our needs? The needs of who? Is there Love and Compassion and Integrity for all in that vision? Must we re-imagine, re-image, re-seed, re-visit, re-create, re-birth? A nation, a people, a culture, our very own Souls? We inside are deeply perfect, just as we are. Yet some of us have yet to meet the Soul of perfection that we are. Re-engage. With Self. As you had done in utero and at birth. Re-ignite the wisdom of that spark of light that is You. And each of us together can imagine and set in motion a re-evolution of the systems that oppress and hold us back. We can re-imagine a world of Love, Compassion, and Integrity so that each of us will know Joy. Re-joice. Re-imagine. Everything. A PRACTICE. In reimagining, draw on your visions (literally and figuratively). Practice exercising your eyes to stretch, lubricate, and relax the six muscles around each of your eyes. Connect your movements with breath, keeping yourself aware and connected with your practice. Here's a beautiful daily practice by Nathan Oxenfeld you can try. As you practice, notice your breath and also be consciously aware of any resistance that greets you. Meet the resistance with curiosity and wonder. Feel how it touches you internally-- what emotions come up, where in your body does it go? Embrace it, acknowledge it, and affirm its truth for you. And then, let it go. Repeat this noticing, acknowledging and letting go throughout the rest of the practice. Do a few warm-up stretches for your body: your neck (head rolls, which also stimulate your thoracic nerves), your pelvis (pelvic rolls, standing, which also stimulates your sacral nerves), your hamstrings and spine (stretching up and folding into a forward hang, always leading the downward motion with your naval center), the flexibility of your spine (standing or floor cat-cow), and shoulder drops (to release tension in the neck and shoulders). Stay attuned and in rhythm with your breath throughout these stretches. A yoga and meditation practice. There are so many to choose from. The point is to allow for movement of your physical and energetic bodies in order to balance, circulate, and nourish every part of your body. I like to practice kundalini yoga and meditation. Ask me if you are looking to practice this with me. Here is one you can try meanwhile: Surya Kriya. This kriya ends with a deep, self-healing meditation in silence, following the breath. If meditation is new for you, ask me and I can share a meditation great for beginners. Stay connected with your breath throughout your day and drink plenty of water to stay hydrated and clear. And take hold of your own reimaginings. Invite others - you don't have to do this alone. In fact, it often requires the support and spirit of community to ignite positive change. Imagine and re-imagine. You are Love, Light, Compassion and Integrity in the perfect Soul that is you. Thich Nhat Hanh's shares: There is a well-known Zen story about a man on a galloping horse. Someone watching him ride by shouts to him, "Where are you going?" The rider turns and yells, "I don't know, ask the horse".
He goes on to share that the galloping horse is called "habit energy". Habit energy pushes us and decides everything for us and we go along with it. This energy may have been passed down from parents or earlier generations, or it could be one you've created on your own as a way to manage or cope. It is important for us to become aware of this habit energy and not let it push us around. Thich Nhat Hanh encourages us to engage with this "habit horse" like this: "Hello there, my habit energy, I know you are there". And begin the connection and conversation from there. I often like to think of us humans as trees. Moving trees with a brain. If you consider the wisdom of the tree with its far-reaching, nourishment-attaining, stabilizing roots; heart-centered, strengthening trunk; and expanding, generative branches with life-giving leaves, shade, beauty and fruits or flowers, you can consider in what ways we all have these qualities and how we develop from seed to our fullest potential as a matter of course. Of course along with the trees and plants, there are the other kingdoms of minerals and animals, of which our body contains as well. Innately. Each living in their wisdom and be-ing just as they are. As humans we have this additional aspect that is our brain. Beyond the animal survival instincts of what's known as our "old brain", we have a "new brain" evolved for higher cognitive functioning. But consider this: the kingdoms of mineral, plant and animal have existed before the evolution into human. The first humans learned to live amongst nature, with nature. Grounding, surviving, creating to survive and to understand the nature of creation and our life in it. As humans evolved further using "big brain", as my 11-year old likes to call it, we've brought ingenuity and innovation into existence and marveled at our own capacities. Indeed, it is a marvel! This "big brain" however is the least evolved of our entire existence. As we use this advanced function of mind to discover and unlock through science all the mysteries of nature, we become so enamored by what we can prove and what we can experience with our 5 physical senses that we lose sight of our inner nature--the parts with the most wisdom. It's like we've pulled our deep roots (connected to the truth of our relation to all) out of the Earth and walked too far, shortsightedly allowing our connections to shrivel up to the soles of our feet. We need to root down regularly and be in touch with our deepest wisdoms. High-speed advancement in place of our innate, inner wisdoms destroy our life-supporting connection with earth, minerals, plants, animals, fellow humans and the Universe which we so desperately need. Advancements in pace with and rooted to the deep connections we have with all existence is not only a responsibility but a means for survival. This means we would be advancing with consciousness and integrity, in alignment with our natural world. Indeed, evolving our "big brains" to understand this deep-rooted, tree-like connection to all life is THE marvel. Like a pendulum having swung so far from the start of human existence, it's time to come back to a more balanced and rooted connection and understanding of life. All life. Where are you on this pendulum? How conscientiously connected are you with your inner world that aligns with the rest of the natural world? AWARENESS: Our "big brains" are the least evolved aspect of our existence in this world of mineral, plant, animal and human. Honor the magic of our mind's clever workings without losing sight of and connection with our more evolved and wise inner wisdoms. Check your roots.
When you're ready, you're ready. When you're not, you're just not. There's an idea from child development that helps me illustrate this in a similar way. We offer young children stories that help them learn right from wrong, good and evil, usually in the form of fairy tales. Like some of the classic Grimm's fairy tales (not the watered-down Disney version), it can be somewhat graphic or vicious. But the child, in her infinite wisdom, will process such stories only to the amount she can handle and with her own imagination. What we might envision from a matter-of-fact slicing off a toe (Cinderella) could be bloody, painful and gruesome. What a child pictures in her mind from her own experience will not be so extreme yet impactful all the same. NOTE: showing a child the visual representations so that she cannot control her own imagination and threshold is NOT the same. Read aloud these stories without so much dramatic effect and she'll take in what she wants to take in.
She'll take in what she's ready for. How many helpful health tips have you heard that truly rang true to you? How many of them have you implemented sustainably? I accept that I have heard and wholeheartedly agreed with concepts from Ayurvedic lifestyles which make sense. When the daily practice of such health tips feel foreign to you or simply are so opposite of what you're used to, making change can be hard. And when it makes sense from a point of study but you haven't yet internalized the concept, it becomes simply an exercise that takes work because you must think it through each time. Well, you have to start somewhere. Sometimes it is this way and you must hear it over and over or try it over and over. And then it fades away. Then makes a comeback a month, a year, or many years later. Just be aware, challenge yourself (for growth!) and have self-compassion. When you are ready, you are ready. And then, it'll stick. NOTICE: every attempt, even failed ones, are steps needed in the process.
Indeed, some of us don't know how to let go and let loose. It is very uncomfortable. But just as the polarity is, we mull in the dismal or constraint and we lose balance in life. We teeter into, dare I say, darkness.
So for those of you who are on the proverbial "dark side" of fun, let's start by acknowledging this. Awareness is the first step to all healing. Let's start to breathe-- l o o o o o o o o o n g, deeeeeeeeep breaths. Inhaling and exhaling through our nostrils. Feeling the breath press the diaphragm muscle down with each inhale, bringing that air deep into our bellies and then up to our chest and shoulders. With each exhale, allowing the chest to fall, drawing our navel towards the spine, pulling that diaphragm up for a complete breath out. And continue with this breath until you feel calm. Now keep breathing and ask yourself what's bugging you? Let's call whatever holds you back "fear". Be it actual fear of something or someone or an idea or negative self-talk or shame or guilt or anger or frustration, confusion, neediness or depression or some trauma or trigger that perhaps you cannot even pinpoint-- or maybe you can. Let's call it all "fear" for now. After that beautiful, calming breathing you've done (which you can continue for as long as you like), think about this "fear" from this safe space. Do be sure you are in a safe space! Keep breathing, bring the fear to your awareness and begin to notice the sensations and feelings that come up. What does it feel like? Where do you feel it? Can you name this feeling? Is it stress? Is it grief? Low self-worth? Imposter syndrome? Stay with this until you can get a good sense of what it is you're feeling. Ask this feeling, why are you here? What do you need me to know? What are you trying to protect me from? What happens if I don't listen to you? I know this doesn't sound like having fun but stay with me here..... Now, consider what the opposite of this feeling would be? The opposite of the negative feeling. What would it look like? Allow yourself to feel it as if it is happening. What sensations arise? Where do you feel it in your body? Cherish it. Believe in it. Hold on to this feeling. Stay here until you've embodied the feeling-- meaning you are getting all those juicy, positive vibes from this feeling you created with your thoughts. This is a little more fun, right? Now ask yourself, what do I need to do to get to here? Listen in the silent space for your answer. Allow it to come from your gut, your heart, your feelings..... in other words your Soul. The language of your Soul is emotions. If it feels like you are in your headspace (the realm of the logical ego), go back to your feelings and then ask again. What do I need to do? Oftentimes these answers will come instantly. And oftentimes your logical mind might voice its opposing opinion. Try to stay with those initial, instinctual responses. The ones from your depth of heart and soul. Alot of times, you are already starting to feel better and lighter, even before the solutions step. You may need to stay with these first steps for a bit or revisit them again before you can continue. The important healing has started: you are stopping to take notice. Your Soul needed you to listen and, feeling heard, you will begin to feel better. But let's finish this..... (If you need to do this multiple times to get past certain steps, it's totally alright!) Now, your beautiful mind gets to help with this last step. Take action. Heed the answers your Soul brought to light and figure out how to make it happen. Have compassion for yourself. Know that sometimes you might not take your Soul's advice but, if you do that, acknowledge that you are purposely choosing not to do that. Again, awareness is key. You might act against your answers because a) you're not ready, you're feeling fear again--maybe another aspect of fear or b) you feel better just from the earlier steps and so you no longer feel the need to act. Either way, know that this "fear" voice will persistently come to you until you listen and act. It may take another form, in another situation, at a different time, but heed its needs you must, at some point. You want to not only feel better at the moment; you want to completely heal. Now we're having fun. It's from this space of self-awareness, self-compassion, and self-healing that you build a strong sense of self-love. And from self-love --true love of yourself-- you can let go and have fun! You can strike the right balance in life because you don't actually want extreme highs and extreme lows. In your self-aware state, you can enjoy life on your terms, for your whole Self. And isn't that fun? Yes. It is. |
AuthorI am the Essential Soul Mama. I am a mama, a soulful-spiritual teacher, an intentional storyteller, and a lover of stories of all kinds, in all forms. I write about emotions, parenting, natural health options, mind-body-soul connections, and anything that elevates our lives. Archives
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