Step 3

So, I decided to go get a real journal the other day.  I've been living the last two years through digital journaling, and I love that I can take it with me wherever I go, but I needed a real, paper and binding journal.  And of course, pretty markers.

So I went to Barnes and Noble, and I found a gorgeous little journal called, The Universe Has Your Back.  It's beautiful.  And it mentioned a card pack that was available with messages from the same product.  You see, I'm going back to my old career, and this would be a perfect item to keep on my desk.  So I asked if they carried it, and they DID, so I set off to the back of the store to find it.

What I also found was a book called Judgement Detox.  This book, the journal, the card pack were all authored by Gabrielle Bernstein.  I hadn't heard of her, but I picked up the book and knew I had been personally led to it. 

You see, when I decided to go back to my old career, I knew I would need a new paradigm in order to not lose my self in the job again.  I've been working on it since Christmas.  The Universe is good.

Finally, I'm remembering what's important.

This book from Gabrielle (yes, I'm going to pretend we're friends) outlines 6 steps that you can take to minimize the power of your judgments and SIGNIFICANTLY reduce your own misery, opening the way for love to work miracles.

If you are tired of being miserable, get the book.

Anyway, here's an excerpt from Step 3.

"We all have a higher power working on our behalf to restore our thoughts back to love. In any given moment we can put love back on the altar and let it shine through any situation or grievance. Love can dissolve even the most deep-rooted judgment. Love is the antidote to judgment. I have come to believe that all issues must be brought to spirit for healing. Without a spiritual intervention, we will stay stuck in the judgment cycle. So we call on a spiritual relationship as we understand it to replace our fear-based judgmental thoughts with love. We ask to let love in. When we surrender our issues to a power greater than ourselves, divine order unfolds. It doesn’t matter whether you believe in God, spirit, or the energy of the Universe. All that matters is that you’re willing to let go and be free."

Bernstein, Gabrielle. Judgment Detox: Release the Beliefs That Hold You Back from Living A Better Life (pp. 91-92). Gallery Books. Kindle Edition.

You know me.  It was so perfect, I had to share.

Love can move mountains.  I know it.

But mountains won't move if we're caught in our own judgments, constantly resisting the things we hate.  We create our own roadblocks, then curse the lack of movement.

There's a better way.  I believe it with all my heart.

I'm going to be practicing.  Please feel free to give me feedback on my progress.  I need you guys.

Love and Peace,
Jennifer

Rocks

Okay, okay...I know.  Another two years goes by.  I'm quite the blogger, huh?

If you're actually reading this, chances are you know me well enough to know where I've been.  If not, I'll catch you up sometime.

Anyway, I'm currently at a place in my life where I truly, truly, TRULY believe that all the misery I experience in my life is a result of an unhealed part of my own perception.  I have studied it, I have experienced it, and I hope you all will support me in learning how to live it.

But all that is not really the point of this post.  You see, as part of my growth journey, I ran into the question in my own mind - "Okay, but how about all those things I HATE.  Those things that block me or slow me down in my endless pursuit to carry out what I have deemed important and necessary for that day?" (And THAT is a whole other topic.)

So, I needed a proper metaphor.  I needed something that would represent the things I loved - easy, simple, comfortable, beautiful, loving, harmony, peace.  And I would need a different object to represent the things I do NOT prefer - conflict, pain, denial, roadblocks, impossibilities, arguments, time, rage.  I chose pearls and common rocks.  And throughout the day, I would identify the pearls, the miracles God was handing me.  And for each roadblock I hit during the day, I would accumulate a rock.  Because the TRUTH is, you ARE going to get both throughout the day.  You can't have a day of only pearls.  That's not how this universe works.  And THEN I noticed that the rocks were piling up WAY more quickly than the pearls.  And I felt despondent, and I thought - How can I ever be happy with all these rocks?

But THEN.  You GUYS.  A miracle happened.

I started looking at each rock as they came in and realized they were all unique with their own names.  I discovered quite a few fairly quickly.  There was Fear, and I-Have-To (such a cute pouting face).  Of course there was Should (so sour) and I'm-Not-Good-Enough.  I met Rage and Force.  And here's what I discovered.  When I stopped and simply listened to what they had to say when they came to me, and lovingly acknowledged their need, they scampered off, happy as a lamb.  They often revisit from time to time - the same ones.  I imagine they will always be with me.  It's like their my children.  My very own children to hold in my heart and to love and to heal all the days of my life.

And THEN I thought, WAIT - they were never rocks.  They were DRAGON EGGS, sent to be transformed into the most beautiful of creatures with just a loving embrace and acceptance.  I AM THE MOTHER OF DRAGONS.

Okay, maybe that's a bit dramatic.

But do you get my point?

These things.  These things we hate.  These people we can't stand.  Every time we judge.  We are being offered an opportunity to respond to our own wounds with love and acceptance, an opportunity to allow them to voice their pain, and to hold them lovingly until they feel better.  And if we will see these rocks for what they are and respond to them responsibly, we can begin to heal our own perceptions, which allows love to start flowing again.  And so much love fills up so much space, and others around you begin to vibrate with the same love, and the next thing you know, we're all feeling a little bit better, a little bit freer with a lot more space to breathe.

You guys.  You guys.  You guys.  It was NEVER about the pearls.

Please.  Remind me to cherish my Rocks.  Remind me to heal my Rocks.  If you'd like, I'll remind you too.  I love you guys.  Really.

Peace and Love.
Jennifer