Aloha and Good Morning,
You know, I’ve been thinking about how we experience life. I’ve been taught that I have control over my own experience, that I create and manifest it. I believe that’s true and yet sometimes I find myself less than perfectly peaceful, less than perfectly happy. In fact, doesn’t the stress of our daily lives sometimes feel like the whole world has formed itself into a huge hammer and decided that you’re its nail? I’m reminded of a story told during my Firewalk Instructor training in San Francisco.
Once there lived a village of creatures along the bottom of a great crystal river. The current of the river swept silently over them all, young and old, rich and poor, good and evil, the current going its own way, knowing only its own crystal self.
Each creature in its own manner clung tightly to the twigs and rocks of the river bottom, for clinging was their way of life, and resisting the current what each had learned from birth. But one creature said at last, “I am tired of clinging, though I cannot see it with my eyes, I trust that the current knows where it is going. Or, if nothing else, at least it is going somewhere other than here. I shall let go and let it take me where it will. Clinging, I shall die of boredom.”
The other creatures laughed and said, “Fool! Let go and that current you worship will throw you tumbled and smashed across the rocks and you will die quicker than boredom.”
But the one heeded them not, and taking a breath did let go, and at once was tumbled and smashed by the current across the rocks. Yet in time, as the creature refused to cling again, the current lifted him free from the bottom, and he was bruised and hurt no more. The creatures downstream, to whom he was a stranger, cried, “See a miracle! A creature like ourselves, yet he flies! See the messiah, come to save us all!”
The one carried in the current said, “I am no more Messiah than you. The river delights to lift us free, if only we dare let go. Our true work is this voyage, this adventure!”
To take control of your experience, you must be willing to perceive and to experience life differently, to let go of the rocks we cling to that no longer serve us, like the rock of emotional reaction patterns that reinforce feelings of hurt and discountedness. Not only is it no fun to feel that way, but the energy of our feelings flow out from us and create more of the same in ourselves and in the people around us. The more time we spend in any one emotion, the more we begin to draw people and situations into our lives that reflect that same feeling back to us. Think about that!
Negative emotions – like a huge, hoary beast that feeds upon itself and grows stronger, have a certain weight and momentum. They are self-reinforcing. It requires a willing and active awareness, a strong and determined intention to break the escalating cycle of negative feeling and negative emotions. You must actively and passionately proclaim your freedom from negativity. Once you sign that declaration of independence, be prepared for the revolutionary battles that follow.
The other creatures laughed and said, “Fool! Let go and that current you worship will throw you tumbled and smashed across the rocks and you will die quicker than boredom.”
But the one heeded them not, and taking a breath did let go, and at once was tumbled and smashed by the current across the rocks. Yet in time, as the creature refused to cling again, the current lifted him free from the bottom, and he was bruised and hurt no more. The creatures downstream, to whom he was a stranger, cried, “See a miracle! A creature like ourselves, yet he flies! See the messiah, come to save us all!”
The one carried in the current said, “I am no more Messiah than you. The river delights to lift us free, if only we dare let go. Our true work is this voyage, this adventure!”
To take control of your experience, you must be willing to perceive and to experience life differently, to let go of the rocks we cling to that no longer serve us, like the rock of emotional reaction patterns that reinforce feelings of hurt and discountedness. Not only is it no fun to feel that way, but the energy of our feelings flow out from us and create more of the same in ourselves and in the people around us. The more time we spend in any one emotion, the more we begin to draw people and situations into our lives that reflect that same feeling back to us. Think about that!
Negative emotions – like a huge, hoary beast that feeds upon itself and grows stronger, have a certain weight and momentum. They are self-reinforcing. It requires a willing and active awareness, a strong and determined intention to break the escalating cycle of negative feeling and negative emotions. You must actively and passionately proclaim your freedom from negativity. Once you sign that declaration of independence, be prepared for the revolutionary battles that follow.
One’s resolve to evolve is always tested. Yet not really. What really happens is more like this – once you’ve decided to put a stop to the cycle of negative reaction patterns and habitually negative thought cycles, the universe responds with a divine gift: the Opportunity to practice and master your new intention. Then She wonders why we complain about her gifts. Perspective! It’s all about our perspectives.
It comes down to a personal commitment; a willingness to embrace the battle, to be the hero of our own experience, to take responsibility for all that unfolds around us and for all that enters into our personal space. Regardless of the exact multitudinous mechanism that controls manifestation for the millions of human beings on this planet, such an attitude of personal, conscious responsibility is a helpful and empowering stance to adopt. It forces one to reflect and to take responsibility for what we project.
So, for today, I resolve to a deep commitment to my own inner well-being, my own inner peace. I will do this by consciously “letting go of the rock,” and entering into the current. I will do this with my deep intention to breathe, breathe, breathe and to shift focus from the negative to the positive the moment I become aware of that hoary beast intruding upon my space. I will let it go and let it pass through. The beast, if left unfed, will seek its sustenance elsewhere and I’ll gladly let it leave. I hope each of us can create the same commitment. Our lives will change and our souls will grow. Plus, our beloveds will thank us and their souls will grow as well in this new perspective and environment of peace, laughter and love.
Thank for spending this moment with me.
Love and Aloha,
It comes down to a personal commitment; a willingness to embrace the battle, to be the hero of our own experience, to take responsibility for all that unfolds around us and for all that enters into our personal space. Regardless of the exact multitudinous mechanism that controls manifestation for the millions of human beings on this planet, such an attitude of personal, conscious responsibility is a helpful and empowering stance to adopt. It forces one to reflect and to take responsibility for what we project.
So, for today, I resolve to a deep commitment to my own inner well-being, my own inner peace. I will do this by consciously “letting go of the rock,” and entering into the current. I will do this with my deep intention to breathe, breathe, breathe and to shift focus from the negative to the positive the moment I become aware of that hoary beast intruding upon my space. I will let it go and let it pass through. The beast, if left unfed, will seek its sustenance elsewhere and I’ll gladly let it leave. I hope each of us can create the same commitment. Our lives will change and our souls will grow. Plus, our beloveds will thank us and their souls will grow as well in this new perspective and environment of peace, laughter and love.
Thank for spending this moment with me.
Love and Aloha,
Holman
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