Let’s face it: When we feel good mentally, emotionally, and physically, we feel equipped to climb any mountain. And when we don’t feel good, we drop into an often overwhelming mountain of despair. Instead of believing we can scale that mountain, we pull back into ourselves, sometimes thinking we are worthless and not good enough.
There’s nothing wrong with an occasional bout of pity. I think recognizing and allowing these feelings is healthy. Knowing how we feel is the only way to make change.
As a child, I thought that if I could figure out how to do the “right thing,” I would be loved. So, instead of following my heart, I spent my time trying to figure out how to do this “right thing.” I hid my light and held my breath, waiting for someone to give me permission to exist.
Holding back and not shining my light backfired, taking its toll on my physical body in the form of a debilitating kind of paralysis. All the stress and anxiety I kept ingesting to do the “right thing,” to be good enough, got to be too much. So my body came to a screeching halt.
One day I’m doing my anxiety-stress-dance like I’d always done, and the next day I couldn’t get out of bed. OKAY! Message received, loud and clear.
Ironically, this was good news.
Facing the Mountain
My physical condition forced me to face the unscalable mountain of my mental and emotional imbalance. I had to lean in and ask myself the hard questions I’d been hiding from my entire life.
- Who am I?
- What is keeping me from knowing my worthiness?
- Ultimately, what do I want, what excites me?
Excitement is the physical translation of the vibrational resonance that is your true, core natural being. Follow your excitement!
Bashar
Taking time to explore this sudden impairment led to healing my physical and emotional body. I discovered that what I want, what excites me the most, is to simply BE the embodiment of love that is my true nature, and to share this through my writing and teaching.
Like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz who discovered that she had the power to return home all along, I too have had the power all along. The love I was seeking was and always has been, right here, in my heart.
After all our searching, after all our efforts to try and impress, or prove, or earn love from someone else, we return to the presence that exists within the heart, which is where the search ends.
Meggan Watterson
This message about love wasn’t new, nor was it sudden. My soul (and all my angels and guides) have been poking me with this message my entire life. I’ve been aware of these messages since I was a child sitting in Grandma Gladys’ kitchen watching her juice carrots, while telling me stories about the great power of love and the world beyond the veil. But silly stubborn me felt I had to scale that mountain and prove that I was worthy.
I kept dragging my feet thinking I needed to take one more class, read one more book, sit with one more teacher. But my sweet body was finally over it, out of patience, done with waiting for me to wake up and be enough.
Moving the Mountain
Barn’s burnt down
Masahide
now
I can see the moon
Becoming aware that I was the problem—that the problem was not my job, not my boss, not my friends or family, not my circumstances—was liberating. I was in the driver’s seat, I was in control. I had always been in control, but never put my hands on the steering wheel. Instead, I waited for permission, and that was never going to happen.
Today, I’ve moved that mountain. With focused intention, I have put forth great effort into my Practice, and nurtured an abiding faith in myself to finally and fully embrace this beautiful, powerful, simple truth: I am the embodiment of love.
The best and most beautiful things in this world cannot be seen or even heard, but must be felt with the heart.
Helen Keller
My truth: We are all Divine beings. Each of us is the embodiment of love. Trust this.
My Practice
Quiet the mind and the Soul will speak.
Ma Jaya Sati Bhagavati
Breathe: Our breath connects us to Source. Breathwork balances and stabilizes the nervous system, allowing for clarity and peace of mind. Try this simple practice:
Inhale to the count of six
Hold for two
Exhale slowly to the count of eight
Breathing in, feel the energy of the earth and sky enter your body.
Releasing your breath, feel what this moment brings.
What is the most important thing? Simple. Breathing in and breathing out. In time you will take enough breaths to realize that this planet is offered as a learning experience, not as a punishment. To learn what? That each breath you take is a divine gift. Everything after that is commentary.
John-Roger, DSS
Mindful Movement: I suggest something slow and mindful such as yoga, stretching or, my favorite, walking.
Yoga has had a profound effect on my songs and performances. I don’t meditate in the traditional style of sitting and doing nothing. I prefer the zen of paying attention, such as the meditation of yoga flow, or walking meditations. I also consider singing, surfing and gardening to very meditative.
Jason Mraz
Body Awareness: A mindful meditation teaches us to be present with our body and the physical sensations within. Notice each part of the body: feet and toes, legs, belly, chest and heart, spine, arms, hands and fingers, shoulders, neck and throat, mouth, jaw, nose, ears, eyes, and the top of the head. When you notice a particular sensation, stop and breathe into that feeling. Gently ask yourself, can I allow this to be here now? Watch your reply.
Body awareness can be both a path to the realization of the Dharma and a means for learning to stay present in every moment.
The Body As Spiritual Path (Dharma Wisdom)
Body awareness guided meditation audio: https://www.leebyrdmystic.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Body-Awareness-20221216.mp3
Self-Inquiry Journaling: Take time to reflect on what you feel right now. Ask: What mountains are waiting for me to move?
In the journal, I do not just express myself more openly than I could do to any person; I create myself. The journal is a vehicle for my sense of selfhood.
Susan Sontag