Archive for May, 2019
Memorial Day 2019
“Remember those who served before.
Remember those who are no more.
Remember those who serve today.
Remember them as we eat and play.
Remember our protectors.
Who are not home today.
Remember them all on Memorial Day.”
~Emily Torna
Blessings for your Memorial Day!
Refuge
Refuge is shelter and/or protection from danger, trouble and persecution.
There are many forms of refuge: wild-life, homeless, psycho-spiritual, behavioral, safety, retirement, educational, arts and creativity, monastic or social, altruism and tyranny, family and friends, career and vocation.
The two main forms of refuge are ‘outer’ and ‘inner’. They are not mutually exclusive, as both can be exercised simultaneously. In all of these processes, the goal is comfort and security.
As referenced above, refuge can be positive or negative. Seeking refuge in chronic helplessness, anger or self-righteousness is seeking security regardless of the dysfunctional quality, however, it can lead to alchemical transformation. Seeking refuge in nature, creativity and the pursuit of personal growth is security seeking behavior, and, it also, can be energetically positive or negatively transforming.
Refuge does not inure us from experiencing the problems and suffering coming from our ‘little’ world or from the ‘global’ world. It does provide ‘time out’; it gives us respite.
This refuge provides the opportunity to connect to the spirit of our true selves; and to the Great Spirit…inner and outer refuge…ultimate security. It is in this niche that we find the solid footing that enables us to stand against the fiercest winds of adversity and not be shaken loose.
I invite you this week to explore your personal refuges.
Blessings!
Mistake
“The greater mistake a man can make is to be afraid of making one.” This quote out of a fortune cookie inspired this week’s blog.
The definition of mistake is variously, error, omission, flaw, blunder, slip-up, oversight, miscalculation, misunderstanding, misreading, boo boo, goof, misconception, etc. These can be divided into two categories.
One acknowledges that mistakes are a normal part of human behavior and essential to the growth of the authentic self; the other reflects shame, incompetence, fear and inadequacy.
Oversight, misunderstanding, error or miscalculation are opportunities for growth. As infants we make many ‘mistakes’ learning to turn over, crawl, sit-up, walk and run. It is a trial and error process that leads to accomplishment and success. Yet, as adults, this abundance of experience is overcome by fear of appearing foolish, unprepared, inadequate, or ignorant.
Blunders, faux pas, slips, boo boos, goofs, imply incompetence and stupidity. Mistakes that create embarrassment and shame. This category reflects a societal and familial belief that mistakes are bad, creating anxiety and avoidance; the more important the decision, the greater the anxiety. Hence, we often try to avoid making decisions. There is an important distinction here. For example, a person who drives under the influence with or without tragic consequences, has not made a ‘mistake’, they have used very poor judgement.
So many platitudes about learning from our mistakes state that this learning should be quick and easy. You don’t make the same mistake twice implying that if you do there is something wrong with you. In reality we make the same mistake repeatedly, often aware that we are doing it, but not knowing why.
The path to self-actualization includes re-framing our belief and experience with mistakes. We are going to make thousands of them in a lifetime, unmemorable and significant.
Mistakes can become magnifying glasses for personal transformation, or remain symbols of personal inadequacy and failure. We have the power to choose.
Blessings!
Adjustment
There are many kinds of adjustments, both personal and collective; financial, aging, health, marriage, children, volume, chiropractic, position, social, cultural, location, dietary…the list goes on and on.
Adjustment is defined as making a small change or alteration to achieve a desired result; to make something fit or be more suitable…to have things work more smoothly. It is the process of getting used to, adapting, to a new situation.
To make an adjustment is to compromise, improve or modify a circumstance or situation to reduce cognitive dissonance, lessen stress and enable a greater sense of inner peace. To adjust is to cope with change as positively as possible.
“Getting older and adjusting to all the things that biologically happen to you is not easy to do and is a constant struggle and adjustment.” ~France McDormand
Yes, adjustment is a struggle…a little struggle like adjusting pillows for maximum comfort, or the great struggle of dealing with great personal loss.
“Life is the continuous adjustment of internal relations to external relations.” ~Herbert Spencer
As you move into your week, I invite your awareness to focus on your personal adjustment process, paying special attention to your successes and noting the presence of your authentic self and the power of your faith.
Blessings!
