Understanding What Drives You & Learning to Shift

A lot of awakening people tend to struggle with the guilt of emotions.  There is a misconception of "perfection" that itself is merely an illusion and tied to fears.  Many believe that to be enlightened or spiritually awake means you never get angry, never say something dumb, or have fears that you struggle with etc. 

If you are "enlightened" suddenly you should be a perfect being who never grapples with the lower end of the emotional spectrum.  This is simply not true.  What awakened people do is look for the underlying reasons behind the undesirable emotions and then shift accordingly. 

As humans there are times when we all feel angry, afraid, overwhelmed, sorrowful.  These emotions are all great, they serve a higher purpose so long as they are not allowed to take over and fester and grow into something truly damaging (anger into violence, or anxiety into crippling fears for example). 

Learning to Shift 

One of the quickest ways to shift your energy from the lower vibrations (anger, fear, depression) to the higher vibrations that help you manifest what you truly desire - is to stare your "demons" straight in the face. 

The natural human response is to avoid or push aside or ignore negative emotions. We are taught to push aside or ignore anger and sadness.  We believe that if we avoid these emotions they will simply "go away", but what actually happens is they build up gradually and fester like an infection that will eventually take over. 

Those who are going through a process of awakening find that suddenly all the garbage they thought they had cast aside comes back up to be cleared away.  Purification of the spirit is some of the hardest work we do because we have to face our pain with honesty.  We have to look at it and then muster up the courage to finally walk through it to free ourselves.  This process, although healing and cleansing, can bring up some very unpleasant experiences and emotions. 

The key to further expansion is to not run away - recognizing that the only way to enlightenment is a willingness to walk through the darkness, eyes open and aware.  When someone angers you and you feel impatient (think traffic jams for instance) we often justify this anger with "I have important things to do I'm going to be late" etc.  What you are really angry about though is feeling powerless - suddenly your destiny is not in your hands (seemingly) and that feels bad.  Getting mad is actually easier to feel and deal with than feeling like you have no control... Chances are at other points in your life you also felt others were in control of your destiny and you didn't like it.  Perhaps it's not just the traffic - but you still feel that you are not in control, that your voice is lost in the sea of other voices and that you are not "heard" etc. 

This goes back to separation and duality - not recognizing that you are a powerful being.  No one wants to feel powerless - it churns up other deeper emotions and feelings so we just get pissed off in the moment because it feels better than the deeper feelings that anger is likely pointing to on a deeper level.  A lot of "chronically late" people are actually rebelling against feelings of powerlessness ;) They don't mean disrespect etc. they are exerting their power (whether they realize it or not) by doing things on their own time - but in a way that is more self-sabotaging than helpful.

To deal with the pitfalls in life - you have to be willing to take the fall... really look at what is bothering you.  Typically we vent frustration at things that don't truly matter to avoid facing what really does.

What you do to avoid pain now will cause greater pain later - shift your perspective and empower your life!

That "path of least resistance" allure is actually what tends to lead us to deeper pain ultimately.  Have you ever noticed how often times great growth comes as the result of deep pain? People will often resist change until it is foisted upon them through a painful experience, simply because we are masters of avoidance.  The irony  - what we are avoiding is usually less painful to deal with head on than the circumstances that pop up later on to force us to change.

An example in my own life I can share.  I had my heart broken by my first real love many years ago and I swore I would never date a scum like that again, I was going to find a nice guy that would appreciate me etc.  Fast forward 3 years and I met and married a very nice man.  We married quickly, both for the wrong reasons, had a child and quickly learned that marrying the wrong person (even if they are nice) is a bad choice.

Well we had a child so we kept ignoring the larger problems that were brewing.  Eventually after nearly 8 years it reached a breaking point and we divorced with a lot of initial hard feelings and resentments... These didn't last however and we became what we should have been all along - fantastic friends who both love and share a wonderful child.

Eventually when the pain was too great that it exploded in our faces, we could no longer push aside or avoid what needed to be done.  After the pain of divorce though we both went on to find our ideal partners and so ultimately it worked out for the good of all, however in the interim we spent many years in a painful situation that we could have empowered ourselves to end all along, but we always had excuses.  We didn't want to hurt our son (but our constant fighting was what was hurting him, he was happier when we split) We didn't have the money to live separate lives, we didn't know if we could make it etc. so we kept living a lie trying to "make it fit" .. ignoring the emotions that were telling us constantly 'you're making the wrong choices"...

In life, your fears, anger, and hurt are gauges that are telling you something.  You can ignore and push aside and target your anger/fears onto "smaller targets", but that will never fix the larger problems until you face them with honesty. 

You don't need (and shouldn't) push aside anger, fear, sorrow etc. they are a beautiful part of human expression and knowledge.  Learning to control emotions doesn't mean beating them into submission - it means working with them and trusting them as the barometer to your truth that they are. 

Often what we do to make life "easier" - leads to more of the very thing we are trying to avoid.  It isn't enlightened or spiritual to demonize and push aside your emotions - love them and honor them (ALL of them) and allow them to teach you how to shift your thinking. 

I'm right - so you must be wrong... or not?

Duality and separation are funny things.  As humans we tend to identify with what we deem as "right" at the expense of all other ideas/opinions, which by default of course must be "wrong".  It happens all the time - in politics, religion etc. especially.  That polarizing "with us or against us" theme that so many feel the need to partake in. 

This is where I love the Buddhist teachings of "the middle road" and learning to be in the world but not of it.  In a universe so vast - we don't need to be "right" at the expense of everyone else.  I believe in the possibility and always have that "many roads lead to the Truth" and we are all having the experience we are having to learn something more about that truth.  Ultimately we are all a part of the same source - regardless of who we are, what we believe etc. 

  We come from the same source that created everything (The law of Divine Oneness) and duality and separation are illusions that we continue to engage in that are so limiting.  Open your mind to the vast possibilities and you soon see that there is no need to be "right" or "wrong" - you are here to just be.  

Imagine a world where we allowed one another to truly be individuals - and respected them for their differences?  Would we not evolve so much faster as a species? It takes a lot of energy to fight all these battles of "right and wrong" and when we get too caught up in that we lose the ability to be open-minded. 

I have been told often, by many people of different belief systems why I am "wrong" - I'm sure in life not one of us ever goes without hearing from someone why what we are doing, believe etc is "wrong" in their opinion.  Perhaps my way is wrong for some and that's fine - so long as they respect my path and I respect theirs.  If no one is being harmed - then what difference does it truly make?

In the vast universe of possibilities - all things are possible - hard to be "wrong" in a universe where all things are possible now isn't it?  Duality and opposition are an illusion.  If "God" or "The Universe" is behind all creation - then truly anything we've created has some basis in reality.  What if there are many "realities", what if "reality" is as infinite as the stars? What if "God" has many faces because it was by design?

There is no judge/jury save your higher self and your source - you are the power of the universe made manifest and you are larger than you think you are.  You have the right to be here and the right to live your own truth so long as it doesn't harm others or yourself.  Those who live according to the Universal laws understand that to harm another is to harm yourself.

Don't put off being who you truly are to please others or to keep others from fearing your beliefs etc.  Live authentically - it's the only way to find "God" anything else is an illusion.  Why do you think so many people feel lost and uncertain? Because they spend so much time trying to make their life make sense according to the constructs of others - and not their own experience.  We are taught to conform from a very young age and as we age it becomes harder to break free from that conditioning and seek our source - which leads of course then to more duality and separation... and a deeper descent into illusion that separates us even further from the truth we seek.

You are here to be who you are and to live authentically as an expression of the one creative power - whatever you deem  him/her/it to be.  Many people are tied to faith based and other belief systems that engage in strong fear based thought of "eternal punishment" and "God vs Satan" etc. The truth is there is light and darkness in each of us - and we must learn to embrace the whole of existence.  What we resist, persists so to "battle darkness" or deny its existence is to further indulge and empower that energy.  Viewing God as some distant, external Deity who is separate from us keeps us perpetually small and struggling.

Through acceptance lie the keys to understanding and with understanding comes wisdom and clarity.  You cannot achieve these things when mired in fear.  Fear itself is not a bad thing - it is a protection mechanism that tells you to protect yourself from danger etc. It has a higher functioning purpose, but when fear is cultivated through centuries of misguided thoughts or perceptions it becomes the very demon itself.  Fear needs to be kept in its proper perspective and not allowed to fester and grow into the very monster one is trying to avoid. 

Namaste... (I bow to you) It is a Sanskrit word and sign of respect that says I acknowledge the place in you where the light of God abides. 

If we can create our own reality - why do I experience negative things?

This is a very common question and one that has a simple, yet complex answer.  Most of us do not consciously create our own experiences at all times, in fact most people run on "autopilot" directing most of their energy to wherever their minds go and whatever they perceive to be experiencing.  A mind left to its own devices can be a dangerous thing.  Most of us let our minds control us - rather than learning to control the mind and that leads to a lot more struggle in life.

Most people will say "I would never create illness, poverty, etc." and my response to that is yes - you might.  No one likes to hear that.  No one wants to believe that their thoughts/actions can attract "bad" things.  The truth of the matter though is that where thoughts go energy flows.  Also important to note is that all experience is necessary - learn that illness makes you appreciate health, lean times make you appreciate abundance etc.  If you focus on turning your challenges into stepping stones rather than stumbling blocks you'll find the Universe truly opens up to you.

Some examples....

If you are ill - chances are you spend a lot of energy thinking about how bad you feel, how much you hurt etc.  If you have become ill the best way to heal and work with your body is not to focus on how bad you feel, but focus on how happy you are that your body is working to heal.  Focus on gratitude for the chance to rest.  Focus on anything positive and not on "woe is me"... If you focus on pain, discomfort, illness etc. it will continue to manifest.  Can you speed healing by redirecting your energy? Yes when applied properly.  This is the force in play with many "unexplainable" medical miracles.

Here is another example, some scientific studies on prayer showed that ill people who had others praying for them - whether they were believers or not and without knowing they were being prayed for - still healed faster than others.  Why? Because positive energy and healing manifesting energy was being directed towards that person and the individual was open to receiving that energy.  So it follows then, if you want to heal, you need to direct positive energy towards your healthy body as you work with your doctor of course ;).  Say thank you for healing body! Express gratitude for the opportunity to better appreciate a healthy body.  Meditate and visualize the healing light moving through you and all around you. 

To maintain good health, take time to appreciate your body and all it goes through to sustain you every day.  The body is an AMAZING piece of machinery and face it - most of us severely neglect, abuse, and take it for granted.  I highly recommend visiting a "Body worlds" exhibit if one ever comes to your area - WOW. 

Example Two

Another common example of a negative people don't realize they attract is debt/lack of money.  People tend to focus a great deal of their energy onto lacking money or fearing the loss of money.  What many fail to realize is A) What you focus on manifests and B) What you resist will persist. 

Many people tie some of their greatest fears onto money and what they are really afraid of is not "money" but loss of security, feeling powerless, what others will think of them etc.  SO many fears are attached to "money" and fear is a very powerful energy - if you live your daily life chronically afraid of loss, expecting that you are limited to your current job/income,  and feeling overwhelmed by debt, ...  well guess what is going to continue to manifest in your life? Not only are you creating what you expect to see - you are resisting what you are afraid of - double whammy! 

Want more money? Work on managing (not eliminating) your fears and FOCUS on abundance... focus on giving to others, focus on gratitude, focus on the opposite end of the spectrum - instead of fear, loss, lack etc. direct your energy towards prosperity, fulfillment, freedom, etc.
See also "What are you afraid of?" & "What do you really want"?