Dear Friends,
I'm still learning so much from Shakti Gawain's book, Living in The Light, that I just had to share more of my favourite passages with you.
In the chapter entitled The World as Our Mirror, Shakti reminds us that the physical world is our creation. That we each create our very own version of the world, our particular reality, our unique life experience. And just as an artist looks at his latest creation to see what works well and what doesn't, we can look at the ongoing masterwork of our lives to appreciate who we are and to recognize what we still need to learn.
She tells us to see the external world as a giant mirror which reflects both our spirits and our forms clearly and accurately. Viewed in this way, the external world can teach us about hidden aspects of ourselves that we can't see directly.
The Mirror Process is based on two premises:
1. I assume that everything in my life is my reflection, my creation; there are no accidents or events that are unrelated to me. If I see or feel something, if it has any impact on me, then my being has attracted or created it to show me something. If it didn't mirror some part of myself, I wouldn't even be able to see it. All the people in my life are reflections of the various characters and feelings that live inside of me.
2. I try never to put myself down for the reflections I see. I know that nothing is negative. Everything is a gift that brings me to self awareness; after all, I'm here to learn. If I was already perfect I wouldn't be here. Why should I get angry at myself when I see things I've been unconscious of? It would be like a first grader getting frustrated because he wasn't in college yet. I try to maintain a compassionate attitude toward myself and my learning process. To the extent that I can do this, the learning process becomes fun and really quite interesting.
I am learning to view my life as a fascinating and adventurous movie. All the characters in it are parts of me played out on the big screen so that I can clearly see them. Once I see them and recognize their various feelings and voices inside myself, it is easy to choose which characters to keep and expand, and which ones to let go of or transform.
If the movie portrays problems, hassles, or struggles, I know I must check inside to find out where I'm not being true to myself. I also know that when I'm trusting and being myself as fully as possible, everything in my life reflects this by falling into place easily, often miraculously.
The author goes on to say that in being true to yourself, you will feel more alive. But you may also feel uncomfortable. This is because you are risking change. As you undergo certain changes, you may experience intense emotions. She encourages you to allow these emotions to express themselves, to let the feelings come up and flush through you -- they are being cleaned out and healed by the light.
External feedback is also a great mirror: your doubts and fears will often be reflected in the reactions of those around you. If your friends and family question or judge the changes in you, recognize that they are simply mirroring the doubting, fearful voices in you, such as, "What if I'm doing the wrong thing? Can I really trust this process?"
Respond to such feedback from others in whatever way you feel is appropriate: reassure them, ignore them, argue with them, whatever. The important thing is to recognize that you are really dealing with your inner fears. Affirm that you are learning to trust yourself more and more. You will be amazed to see how others immediately mirror your increasing self-trust and confidence by responding to you with trust and confidence.
Remember:
If you judge and criticize, others will judge and criticize you.
If you hurt yourself, others will hurt you.
If you lie to yourself, others will lie to you.
If you are irresponsible to yourself, others will be irresponsible in relation to you.
If you blame yourself, others will blame you.
If you do violence to yourself emotionally, others will do violence to you emotionally, or even physically.
If you don't listen to your feelings, no one will listen to your feelings.
If you love yourself, others will love you.
If you respect yourself, others will respect you.
If you trust yourself, others will trust you.
If you are honest with yourself, others will be honest with you.
If you are gentle and compassionate with yourself, others will treat you with compassion.
If you appreciate yourself, others will appreciate you.
If you honour yourself, others will honour you.
If you enjoy yourself, others will enjoy you.
All in all...start creating your masterpiece!
Hugs and Loads of Love,
Mudd
xoxo
If you want to know more about Shakti and how to purchase her books, go to her website by clicking here.
Questions or not, I'd love to hear from you. Please email me at
anxietybuster@gmail.com or simply click the link on the sidebar.
