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What is Past Life Regression and How It Helps Us

Life

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November 3, 2015

What is Past Life Regression and How It Helps Us

“If you don’t make peace with your past it will keep showing up in your present.” ~ Wayne Dyer

Past life regression (PLR) is a healing technique that uses hypnosis to recover what practitioners believe are memories of past lives or incarnations. The core practice of past life is about traveling through various planes while in the physical body.

In a hypnotic state, where through progressive relaxation, the practitioner transcends the boundaries of the physical world and enters his own subconscious mind and experiences various incidents from past lives.

Eric J. Christopher in his research paper – Exploring The Effectiveness of Past-Life Therapy – mentioned that people who have experienced this state describe it as “Powerful, dramatic, spiritual, sacred, profound, transforming and exceptionally effective.”

During my past life regression, I laid there with my eyes closed to this reality, but experienced a whole new world of different realities. An Arabic girl, an old woman, a cruel African villager who was head of the clan, an old man carrying people’s luggage in deserts, an Egyptian lady in the kingdom, a young carefree girl, I saw myself life after life, meandering through various planes in different sessions only to come back with information that transformed my life.

Past life regression therapy acted as a blessing, I now see my past troubles as a response to my actions and freed myself of the burdens I carried for years. Also it brought about mental peace, release from victim attitude and experienced a heightened state of intuitive awareness.

How Past Life Regression works

Based solely on the belief of reincarnation, PLR takes the practitioner back to the source where it all started. In order to initiate the process the therapist with the help of progressive relaxation techniques calms the whole body and enhances our connection to the subconscious mind with focused awareness.

It is then upon the practitioner to pick up what comes to him/her and witness it like it is happening right now.

Christopher mentioned, “One way PLT commonly works is that the therapist may simply ask a client to go back to the source of his or her problem. If in a deep enough trance, the client may likely begin to envision himself or herself (in either gender) in a vivid past-life scene that relates to his or her present problem. The image is often so clear, lifelike and vivid that the client feels as though he or she is actually reliving the scene, and may express the appropriate emotions as if it were so.”

A cathartic process, although science finds it difficult to explain the real reason behind it and often the issue becomes a matter of debate among people who don’t believe in its healing power, but only those who experience the regression but only those who experience the regression can talk on the truth of the matter.

Apart from hypnosis, suggestion techniques are also used by the therapist, which allows the practitioner to recall the incidents of the past. Also, bridging technique is used where the incidents or problems of the present lives are used to form a bridge to the past life memories so that they can be brought to conscious awareness for helping the patient.

Signs of having a past life

While all of us whether we believe in the concept or not are enticed by the efficiency of it by testing it. But the soul world works on the principle of what is the age of your soul, which translates into how many lifetimes have you had.

Once, in a group PLR session, we were asked what was the purpose of our life? If everything else was constant & could not hinder, what will we like to do with our lives.

Some said, I want a big house, some said fame, some said to help people, money etc. Based on our answers we were told whether we are an old soul or a new one. Those with desires pertaining to material world were considered new souls, who were still learning, while others with deeper aspirations were the older ones, gradually overcoming the material desires.

Here are some of the signs you have had past lives

Any kind of phobia or fear, for instance, fear of heights, confined places, darkness, water etc. usually relates to a situation in the past that has led to the fear. If you did not experience anything in this life related to your fear, but you remember having it from your childhood days, it is most likely one of your past life incidents as the point of origin.
The feeling of Déjà vu is yet another indication that you have had past lives. Some of us have déjà vu more than others and this could be because we have many old lifetimes to relate to. Dr. Brian Weiss, author of Many Master Many Lives said, “one of the most common signs of a past life is déjà vu—the sensation that you have met a person before or have visited someplace previously. Sometimes, this déjà vu feeling is a sign of a past life with a particular person or in a specific place.”
The feeling of experiencing dreams likes true incidents, where every detail of the situation is crystal clear. We travel across time and space when we sleep and usually encounter incidences from our past lives.
A certain pull or push from places/situations/people/subjects/jobs etc. without any real reason occurs when we have our previous lifetimes’ memories at work. Many of us are born with certain talents, attractions or tastes while our current family backgrounds do not match with these talents or skills, and this is again a sign.
PLR often addresses the issues of being attached to certain people or a person. Dr. Brian Weiss insists that we all have soul groups traveling together in different lifetimes, coming into each others’ lives for lessons, help, guidance, love etc. Soul Mates, Soul Family, Karmic Teacher etc. falls in this category. Relationships between two or more souls may vary in different lifetimes, but are there to resolve or create karmic patterns to reach the ultimate goal of nirvana.

Benefits of Past Life Regression

I had many questions in my mind when I visited my therapist. With the past life regression therapy, I could resolve issues and know the reasons for the circumstances I was facing in my life. In one of my sessions, I visited a life where my friend cursed me for letting the lion shred her to pieces and not helping her when I could have.

The curse traveled with me, acting as an obstacle in my life. When we got closer, the curse turned into signs (crescent-shaped moon) and was printed on my whole body. We lifted the curse and replaced the symbol with unconditional love that made me feel whole and complete.

“PLT has been described as a method that can offer a glimpse of the mind’s enormous capabilities in a variety of ways. This mode of treatment has demonstrated that beneath the levels of consciousness within individuals lies profound wisdom, astonishing abilities, and above all, the power to heal oneself and/or empower one to improve life circumstances.” (Hickman, 1983).

Regression is considered to be a good exercise as it allows us to re-energize ourselves and also go into deep meditative states. Accessing deeper levels of consciousness helps us to understand the power that lies within us and gain self-confidence.

Fear and phobias can be overcome in just one or two sessions and many of us get answers to life problems, leading to catharsis and eventually a stress free life.

Doubts and skepticism about the therapy still prevail. While some might find themselves arguing that it is a figment of imagination others like Dr. Brian Weiss said, “When symptoms disappear, that’s usually not from imagination or something like that. It’s usually from the real memory, the experience. Imagination doesn’t cure symptoms.” Experiencing it yourself is the only way to be certain.

Image Source

Past life regression
Past life
Hafiz Quote
Deja vu

Rabbit holes, Wormholes, & Poking Holes

Life

Gary Z McGee

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November 3, 2015

7

“Suddenly you’re ripped into being alive. And life is pain, and life is suffering, and life is horror, but my god you’re alive and it’s spectacular.” ~ Joseph Campbell

Questing holds a sacred function. When we become too comfortable and content. When we’ve stopped growing. When our worlds feel like wastelands. It is time to hit the road.

Our sojourn is over. It is time to continue the quest. As Shimon Edelmen said, “The seeker after happiness returns home, only to become restless and eventually succumb to the lure of a new journey…When fishing for happiness, catch and release.” Indeed.

We catch the precious sojourn, appreciate it for what it has taught us, and then we release it, thus falling back into the sacred journey.

Because we are an aspect of the cosmos, our will and our good at the deepest level are part of the unfolding of the cosmos. Sometimes all we have to do in order to face our fears is to do like Christ did, who simply said, “take up your bed and walk.” The journey restores the balance between nature & psyche and we are transformed by it.

With that said, allow me to take you on a soul-bending, spirit-twisting, mind-jousting voyage down the rabbit hole, through the wormhole, and into a heightened state of awareness where you’re able to poke holes in all things.

Do not doubt the immense power of your imagination. The only thing faster than the speed of light is imagination. You can imagine yourself orbiting the North Star considerably faster than the North Star’s light takes to reach you. Nothing is too small or too big for your imagination.

Nothing is too finite or too infinite. Like Walt Whitman said, “I believe a leaf of grass is no less than the journey-work of the stars; and the pismire is equally perfect.” Down the rabbit hole we go. Let’s begin.

Rabbit holes

“The journey between what you once were and who you are now becoming is where the dance of life really takes place.” ~ Barbara Deangelis

You’re not Alice. You’re not Neo. You’re not even a rabbit. You’re all three combined. In fact, in this particular journey, you’re the rabbit hole itself.

Can you feel it? The broken compasses floating by? The spinning bifocals? The alarm clocks blaring “wakeup call!” all in unison? The buckling bones of descent? God’s debris? It’s all there, completely incomplete in this terribly beautiful fall through nothingness.

But wait. Nothingness is where all things come from. Nothingness is the birth pangs of somethingness. Who you once were is a tiny white dot above you. Who you are now becoming is an infinite rabbit hole below you.

Your thoughts race: “What about my job?” “What about my bills?” “What about my faith?” “What about all my precious things things things?” But there’s no time for such thoughts. Like Eckhart Tolle suggested, “Here is a new spiritual practice: Don’t take your thoughts too seriously.” Indeed. This is a rabbit hole.

There’s not even time for Time. And, really, time doesn’t exist anyway, whether in the real world or in a rabbit hole. The rabbit hole just happens to put the illusion of time into better perspective. Here, seriousness is sacrificed to authenticity.

You’re between worlds, after all. You’re all worlds and none. You’ll never be freer than you are here. Each inhale is an exhale. Each exhale is an inhale. Life is death. Death is life. So what it’s all just a temporary altered state of consciousness induced by the fall? So what, it’s a transcendent state relative to the “ordinary” “sober” “reality?”

Everything is especially brilliant and intense for a reason. You’re spiraling out. You needed this. You needed new eyes –Over Eyes. You needed this sacred fall through the interconnection of all things in order to correct faulty perception and unlearn wrong habits and opinions. In order to see how everything is connected to everything else. In order to tap the cornerstone.

Can you feel it? The jutting roots of the Absolute? The ancient wound? The rich, blacker-than-black darkness surrounding you. The primordial womb? Fall, sweet Alice. Fall, darling Neo. There are Wonderlands and Deserts of the Real to be explored. There are banal realities to transcend. There’s vital adventure to be had.

Wormholes

“Every act of perception, is to some degree an act of creation, and every act of memory is to some degree an act of imagination.” ~ Gerald M. Edelman

At the “bottom” of your fall there is a door. In order to continue the journey you’ll need to open this door which leads into the mysterium tremendum et fascinans (the awe-inspiring, mesmerizing mystery). Upon opening the door, you are sucked into a soul-stretching wormhole.

Here, there is magic –big magic, ancient magic, new magic. There’s unbounded imagination. There’s buckling infinities and burgeoning finitudes. There’s broken clocks the size of moons. There’s eclipses casting shadows into Planck lengths larger than Time. There’s you perceiving yourself perceiving yourself perceiving yourself… ad infinitum. It’s a glorious expansion.

This is the multiversal asterism of all passageways; the Tao of all gateways; the threshing of all thresholds; the path of infinite crux; the eternal entrance to the zone of magnified power. Here, you are the mighty Zyzygy, splitting the multiverse between universes.

Where Time eats Time. Where all finite rabbit holes become infinite Rabbit Wholes. Where the space between the forethought of Moon is juxtaposed with the afterthought of Sun. Where hard stars are worn down by soft gravity.

You’re Einstein on a photon breaching cosmos. It’s all passing by at the speed of light squared. It’s all magic. It’s all yours to wield like a macroscopic-maestro manipulating operatic music. It’s your symphony, your song and dance, your assonance and dissonance. So dance.

Surf the soul-stream. Pierce the veil. Slice open the underbellies of stars and swim through the crucible of star guts. Suck the marrow straight out of the Big Bang. Master it all with the over-eyes you gained from the rabbit hole, and bare witness as the eye with which you perceive God, is the same eye with which God perceives you (Eckhart).

Poking holes

“The true transformation in the journey comes when you see the amazing beauty of the place in which you are trapped. This is the vision of the vision quest. You embrace the pain, discard your concerns about death, and then the world opens up to you.” ~ Laurence Gonzales

You burst forth from out of the wormhole and into the “real world.” Your breath catches in your throat. Rabbit hole memories are like medicine in your heart.

Wormhole memories are like a magic red pill in your head. You’ve plucked the great mystery. You’ve stolen fire from the gods and now your Promethean heart is overflowing. What to do now?

Now it’s time to sidestep all pigeonholes. Now it’s time to poke holes. After descending through the rabbit hole and tapping the cornerstone, after ascending through the wormhole and touching the philosopher’s stone; now it’s time to make damn sure your magic doesn’t become pigeonholed.

And the best way to do that is to poke holes despite authority and in spite of the so called powers that be.

Like Chuck Palahniuk said, “Big Brother isn’t watching. He’s singing and dancing. He’s pulling rabbits out of a hat… He’s making sure you’re always distracted. He’s making sure you’re fully absorbed. He’s making sure your imagination withers. Until it’s as useful as your appendix… With everyone’s imagination atrophied, no one will ever be a threat to the world.”

Don’t allow the powers that be to hold your attention so much that your imagination atrophies. Laugh at them instead. Mock them instead. With your imagination in full-flame and your sense of humor in full-flutter.

Turn the tables. Poke holes into their pigeonholes of power. Poke holes until power leaks out like rain. Keep poking holes until it floods the world. And then teach people how to swim.

This is the way it has been done since time immemorial. We’ve just forgotten what time had to teach us. Power wills itself. Power magnifies itself. And, as Lord Acton warned, “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”

That is, unless there are those who have the capacity to keep power in check. To teach power how to expiate itself. You have that power. You’ve tapped the cornerstone! You’ve touched the philosopher’s stone!

You survived the rabbit hole. You survived the wormhole. Now it’s your absolute responsibility to dodge all pigeonholes and to poke holes in all constructs of power; to include, especially, your own.

Image source:

Sky hole
Follow the white rabbit
Wormhole

How to Stay Present with your Children in the Midst of Technology

Ester Eckhaus

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November 2, 2015

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How to Stay Present with your Children in the Midst of Technology

“At the end of the day, the most overwhelming key to a child’s success is the positive involvement of parents.” ~ Jane D. Hull

Here’s the thing: you can never spoil your kids with attention. Spoiled children are created when parents substitute attention with toys and video games. A trip to Disney World, instead of an intimate trip to the park. Children are not spoiled by love.

They are spoiled when parents think that love is shown by gifts, and all the latest technological toys. Love is shown with time, and a special presence in our child’s life. A child can have extremely hard-working and busy parents, and still feel loved, if their parents are conscious to be fully present in their child’s life.

Why this is important, especially now

There’s been another major shift between generations. As we all know, this young generation is deeply affected by the boom in technology and social media. They are taught to dress as the popular stars, sing along to the explicit songs, and above all, like, share, and post, on all the available streams of social media.

Alone, this would not be such a problem. Every generation felt they had to keep up with the changing social expectations. But now we’re all in a different world. Parents are on their computers, while their children are on their Iphones that can give them access to anything, anywhere.

A child in this generation can access pornography before they have even hit puberty, and sing horrifying lyrics to explicit songs before they even know what it’s talking about. Twelve year old girls are now at the level of a fifteen year old, and the fifteen year olds are going on twenty.

After all this access and premature experiences, what do children do with all this information? How do they process? Who do they go to with questions?

They go to you. Or they don’t, and remain with the illusions that all this information brings.
The parents and teachers of this generation have a huge responsibility. In this age of constantly being plugged in, this is the time when we most need to be paying attention and participating in important dialogue with our children.
A child’s first sex education cannot be from pornography. And we don’t save them from this by blocking more sites or breathing down their necks. We do this by being the first source of information for our children. We do this by being honest and unafraid of the open questions that children ask us.

We do this, by not creating shame around these subjects, but by treating them with care and wisdom. We do this by being fully there for our children, by showing them that we can talk to them without judgment. We do this by having a presence in our child’s life.
This is especially crucial when children are still young, and you are building your relationships foundation with them.

Here’s How You Can Stay Present with your Children in the Midst of Technology

“We live in an age in which telecommunication is very sophisticated, but communication between parents and children is suffering. We have lost the capacity to listen to each other, to talk to each other in the language of understanding. The practice of mindfulness can help us go back to ourselves, to calm ourselves, to look deeply in order to transform.” ~ Thich Nhat Hanh

Put the phone down

When you and your child are interacting, whether they have sat down to talk, or whether you are just telling them to clean their room, your interactions should be free of your phone, or other distractions.

Just spend those few minutes focusing only on this interaction. It’s not enough to just turn the screen off. Put your phone face-down on the table or completely out of sight.

This will give a message to the child that what he/she is saying is important, and that it is a time just for you two, and no other distractions are taking away from it.

This sets a better environment for a child to open up, and a better environment for the parent to listen with their full attention. This also gives a message to the child for his future: that interactions are more important than what’s going on in his screen.

Spend quality time

Set aside a certain time a week or even a day to spend quality time (again, without technology or distractions). This can be playing a game with them, or taking them out to the park for a picnic. Find your mutual interests and activities, and plan a day to explore them together.

Each child should feel that they have a special time with their Mom or Dad, when they are only focusing on them and their relationship. So, although it’s great to do things as a family there should also be separate time for each child.

Make space for open conversations

Another good way to spend quality time is to open up space for an ongoing, and open dialogue. Even if we are busy the whole day, and really can’t give our full attention, you can start paying attention at night when things have settled down.

Ask your child before bed if they have anything they had wanted to tell you during the day, but couldn’t; or even if they just have a question, or tidbit about their day. Most likely they will, and they’ll be grateful for the chance to talk a little bit.

Respect your child

When speaking to your child, remind yourself that they are capable and wise. Although every child needs guidance, we need to acknowledge that each child is on his/her own journey, and we should treat them that way.

This means, no “because I said so’s”. If a child is unhappy with a decision that you made, or a situation in their home or school, ask them to explain why it is they are upset, and be ready to help them find comfortable solutions or compromises.

Every child should be made to feel respected and capable of making good decisions for their life. By being able to talk about it with an adult who respects them, they learn the tools they need to make these decisions on their own later on.

Tell them how much you love them

It’s simple. You love your children, and they love you. And, some people need to hear it more than others, but why not tell them how much they mean to you? Tell them how much you love them until their response is “I know, I know, you tell me all the tiiiime”.

Children need so much from us in order to thrive and be their best selves. And yet, they don’t need anything we don’t already have for them. Every parent wants to give their child the love they need, and we don’t need to pay a cent in order to show them we care.

Fully present moments, honest talk, and lot’s of hugs and kisses, will put parents on the right track to fulfilling
relationships with their loved ones.

Image Source

Distracted parents
Love
Parents children relation

Five Ways to Transform Lambs into Lions

Issues

Gary Z McGee

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November 1, 2015

2

“Rise and rise again until lambs become lions.” ~ Robin Hood

Metaphors can be powerful literary tools. They are the main reason why the pen is mightier than the sword. The metaphors lamb, wolf, and lion are no less powerful when used as tools toward a deeper understanding of the human condition and a healthier flourishing of human potential.

In a world of blind obedience to authority, it takes a particular type of courage to wake up the blindly obedient to the level of their ignorance, and to poke holes in the unhealthy, unsustainable and illusory power constructs built by entrenched authority. The blindly obedient are the lambs.

The entrenched authority are the wolves. And the uncommonly courageous are the lions. Let’s break it down.

Here are five ways to transform lambs into lions. (My deepest apologies to this most beautiful and magical creature: the noble wolf. Please forgive my crude metaphor.)

1) Break the shepherd’s spell

“Belief is a wound that knowledge heals.” ~ Ursula K. Le Guin

A Shepherd (a wolf in sheep’s clothing) is any authority claiming that it needs to keep you contained for your own “safety.” Whether that authority is religious, political, cultural, nationalistic, or racist in nature, these Shepherds of the Psyche capitalize on the ignorance of the lamb in order to maintain their power and influence.

We break the spell by turning the tables on our own ignorance. We break the spell by questioning first ourselves, second the perceived authority of the shepherd and, finally, the most difficult questioning of all, the questioning of our own belief and worldview.

But, as Daniel Dennett shrewdly put it, “There is no polite way to suggest to someone that they have devoted their life to a folly.” And so too there is no polite way to suggest to ourselves that we have devoted our lives to a folly.

Cognitive dissonance is sure to arise. But we need only remember these words: “When an honest man realizes that he is mistaken, he will either cease being mistaken or cease being honest.” This decision is critical in whether one becomes a wolf or a lion.

2) Transform fear into courage

“Those who learned to know death, rather than to fear and fight it, become our teachers about life.” ~ Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

Lambs are too afraid. Wolves are too intent upon keeping everyone afraid. The lion breaks the vicious cycle with small and large acts of courage. But how does a lamb transform fear into courage and thus become the brave lion who is capable of keeping wolves in check?

Lambs need to learn how not to be afraid of change. They need to learn that everything changes. There is no permanence. All things die. Lambs are lambs because they are clinging to the known, to what they love, afraid of the unknown.

And they are so afraid of losing what they love that they become puppets to their fear. But things will always change; even what is “known” will change. Even love changes, though agape-love, cosmic love, is ever-present.

The key is to embrace change, then change the fear into courage, and then use that courage to face the unknown. But it’s a tricky tightrope between fear and courage, and the menacing maw of the abyss is ever-present beneath it. The way is not for the faint of heart. Which is probably why there are so few lions among men.

As George Orwell said, “Until they become conscious they will never rebel, and until after they have rebelled they cannot become conscious.”

Becoming conscious is becoming aware that things change, and embracing and appreciating the terribly beautiful impermanence of it all. But beneath that appreciative embrace is the roar of a lion.

3) Teach mastery not obedience

“Disobedience is he true foundation of liberty. The obedient must be slaves.” ~ Henry David Thoreau

Don’t be a boss, be a Leader. Don’t be an apprentice, be a potential master. Learn from great leaders, but always question them –be they great or not. If they are truly great, then they will lead by example and will honestly embrace your questioning. If they are not great, they will reject your questioning and order you around.

But you must learn what not to do from this type of “leader” as well.

Like Anthony de Mello said, “You are only a disciple because your eyes are closed. The day you open them you will see there is nothing you can learn from me or anyone. What then is a Master for? To make you see the uselessness of having one.”

We don’t need masters, we need mastery. We don’t need leaders, we need to become leaders. I don’t mean leaders who are intent upon leading blind followers into battle. I mean leading by example.

I mean leading yourself first, opening doors, shining the light, and moving on with your mastery in tow. If people want to follow your example and shine their own light by your side, so be it.

But you are not their master. Nor are you their leader. You are simply a fallible human being shining your light upon other fallible human beings. That’s it. Some will get your light, and some will not. But you should not be looking for obedient servants. The world needs more mastery, not more obedience.

Like Howard Zinn wrote, “Civil disobedience is not our problem. Our problem is civil obedience.”

Lead by fearless lionhearted example, and then watch as the lambs transform themselves into lions.

4) Teach young David how not to be a victim to Goliath

“We are all ready to be savage in some cause. The difference between a good man and a bad one is the choice of the cause.” ~ William James

If, as Matt Langdon said, “The opposite of a hero isn’t a villain; it’s a bystander,” then lambs are the “innocent” bystanders sitting safely on the sidelines while the lionhearted Davids are taking on the overreaching behemoth that is Goliath. Goliath is any bloated and entrenched system of oppression that has the monopoly on military, money, and power.

It’s any system that is intent upon keeping itself in power at all costs, even at the expense of fragile ecosystems and innocent lives. It’s a system directly supported by ruthless wolves and indirectly supported by ignorant lambs.

It’s a system that will wail “terrorist!” at anything that attempts to take it down. But, as Howard Zinn said, “They’ll say we’re disturbing the peace, but there is no peace. What really bothers them is that we are disturbing the war.”

But the lambs don’t realize that they are the foundation upon which the wolf-built Goliath megastructure is set. It was on the backs of innocent sheep that the aggrandized man-machine, steered by Goliath, was built. Without them, Goliath topples.

Which is the main reason why transforming as many cowardly lambs into courageous lions is so vitally important.

If we can ever achieve a scenario where there are more lions than lambs, then Goliath simply falls under its own unsustainable weight. But until then, we need to teach the lambs how to be brave, and how not to be victims.

So they too can gain the lionhearted courage of a David. We need to help them realize, as Emma Donoghue did: “Scared is what you’re feeling, brave is what you’re doing.”

5) Teach amoral agency over moral complacency

“The unconscious is not just evil by nature, it is also the source of the highest good: not only dark but also light, not only bestial, semi-human, and demonic but superhuman, spiritual, and, in the classical sense of the word, ‘divine’.” ~ Carl Jung

Luckily there is a middle stage between the lamb and the lion: which is the black sheep. In a world of sidelined sheep suffering from moral complacency and fear-based apathy, driven by wolves suffering from bloated egos and unfounded pride, the black sheep is the amoral agent setting the record straight.

They are encouraged by lions, and sometimes they even are lions, who are just moving between being black sheep and lions. A black sheep may or may not have the courage of a lion, but they at least have the wherewithal to be nonconformists and to question the establishment of wolves.

They are harnessing the power of amoral agency in order to wake up the morally complacent sheep and to keep the immorally adjacent wolves in check.

Comfort is addictive. So too is power. The lamb is addicted to the former, and the wolf the latter. The amoral black sheep brings discomfort to the overly-comfortable, while also dismantling the high-horse of power.

Together, along with the courage of lions, they are systematically changing the system for the better. Transforming lambs into lions and sheep into black sheep is the most effective way to keep the corrupt power of wolves from corrupting absolutely.

“The price of being a sheep is boredom,” wrote Hugh Macleod. “The price of being a wolf is loneliness. Choose one or the other with care.” But I say there is a third option. The price of being a lion is being courageous despite fear.

When it comes down to it, there is immense adventure to be had in this life. And being a lion, or at least an amoral black sheep, is really where all the adventure is at.

“Democracy is two wolves and a lamb deciding on what to eat for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote.” ~ attributed to Benjamin Franklin

Two Wolves and a Lamb Decide on What to Eat for Lunch

They say I won’t always be a lamb.
Sacrificed for the greater good,
That is my chief end, they say.
But where do they keep all the bullets?
I wonder. Where are the printing presses hidden?
As my fur becomes black their eyes become fear.
And I grow heavy with unimaginable freedom.
They say my evolution defies the one-right-way.
They throw their power. Now the bible.
Now the gunpoint. And though I’m told
That I’m what’s for lunch, I believe
The tables have been turned. My sheep’s clothing
Lies discarded and bleeding in the corner.
My lion-jaw is clinched and flecked.
I eat well, and sneak liberty out by the gallons.

Image source:

Lion & lamb
Banksy quote
Black sheep yin yang

How to Simply Stay True to Yourself

Ester Eckhaus

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October 31, 2015

4

“Whatever you are physically…male or female, strong or weak, ill or healthy–all those things matter less than what your heart contains. If you have the soul of a warrior, you are a warrior. All those other things, they are the glass that contains the lamp, but you are the light inside.” ~ Cassandra Clare, Clockwork Angel

Throughout life, other people, and even yourself, will expect things from you. This may be a role, a stage in life, career choices, etc. But the only person who ultimately decides these things, is you. And the person who it needs to be good for is you as well. The problem occurs when you are not sure.

Either because you don’t know yourself enough to know what’s right for you, or if other people’s voices get muddled with yours, leaving you not knowing which way is up. This can leave a person feeling stressed, anxious, and confused; and even more importantly, result in decisions that aren’t right for them and their unique path.

Knowing yourself in order to know your path is one of the most important things you will learn, practice, and relearn, throughout your life. But if you are to take control, and be your own judge, you must learn to discern between your own unique voice and those of others.

Here are a few things that might help:

Have conversations with yourself

How does one stay true to themselves if they do not KNOW themselves? You may know what your friends favorite things are, and what kind of clothes they wear, but you don’t know who they are deep down until you take the time to talk to them. Same for yourself.

Take the time each day to simply chat with yourself (this does not have to be out loud), find out how you’re feeling that day, what would make you feel better when you’re feeling down etc.

A simple “how are you doing in there today?” is enough. Talk to yourself as if you are talking to a friend; without judgment or scolding. Not only will you be happier by creating this loving and healthy relationship with yourself, but you will clearly feel your wants and needs, even if other people try to convince you otherwise.

A shopping trip with friends won’t result in you buying something that is really more suited for them, and big life decisions will be made with a clear and conscious mind, that knows what is truly best for you.

Another way to help know yourself, is to gather all your selves together. Gather yourself, or an image of yourself, in your mind at every age or stage. When you have all your selves gathered, sit down all together and feel how you are all the same continuous person.

This is good for when you have a tough question or decision, and can’t figure out where you stand. It will become clearer to you, as you sit with yourself, what is truly the best thing for (all of) you.

Set boundaries around powerful energies

Especially for a person who is tuned to a slower, or calmer frequency, they are more likely to be overpowered by fast-paced, or intense people. If you are easily drained by social gatherings or whirlwind personalities then you need to know how to protect yourself in those situations, so that you don’t lose all your energy.

I’ve had people tell me “I have a friend, and she’s great and all, but I come away from time with her feeling completely drained and wiped out. She just requires all of my energy, and then there’s none left for me.” Or, people who say “I’m usually such a confident person, but all of a sudden, I’m around certain people or settings, and I shut down.”

These people are being overpowered by stronger or more demanding energies than they themselves put out. There are a few ways to help protect yourself in these situations:

1) Visualize a bubble or barrier around yourself and your space. Take a deep breath, ground yourself, and imagine a protective bubble, wall, or curtain, all around you. It can be any shape or size, and you can keep it around you for as long as you need.

This may take some practice, so practice at home, or wherever you are right now.

The more you practice, the more protective your bubble will feel, and the longer you can keep it up.

This technique is good for when you’re feeling overwhelmed and need a moment to recharge, or hold onto your energy. You can talk to your energetic colleague from inside the bubble, or you can just put it up for a minute to catch your breath.

2) The second technique is for moments when you are feeling threatened; whether it’s a meeting room full of intimidating higher-ups, or a threatening person walking toward you on the street. This is a grounding technique: stand firmly and envision that you are a strong tree, with your roots planted securely in the earth.

Let yourself stand tall and straight and feel the confidence in your chest. You can do this before or during a stressful situation. Take a few deep breaths, stand strong and firm, and feel the peaceful strength that it creates.

Spend time around people who know the real you

Of course, life requires us to spend time around many different kinds of people. Some who may have knows us for years, some who have knows us for a few minutes, and some who seem to have known us before we even did.

And we must accept all these types of friendships and interactions, but to really thrive it is important to make time for the people who really know us. Because they help you see yourself. It is easy to lose sight of yourself sometimes, when you are rushing about in the real world, and dealing with real world problems.

We can sometimes forget about our soul, and our soul people. So, make sure to carve out time for your special people. They were given to you in order to help you know yourself, and guide you down your path.

Take time to respond

When asked a question, take time to respond. If asked for a favor, do not say yes or no right away. If you are normally a person who is inclined to people please, this will help you gather yourself, and your real desires, before you agree to too many favors.

This will also be helpful if you are all too ready to agree with the opinion of others, instead of voicing your own. Taking the time to sit in yourself before responding gives you the time and space to really feel yourself, and voice thought out responses, that really come from the depths of you.

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Awareness of oneself
Authentic self

Fractal Enlightenment