Most people live in struggle most of the time. It is the “doing” mind that is always trying to get away from what it doesn’t like and get to what it does. The difficulty with this is that it is endless….and it takes us away from what we really long for, a deep and trust filled connection with life.

We are all in a birthing process – the birth from contraction and disconnection to opening and connection. And as with all births, there are contractions. But we are learning how to ride the contractions and to gather the gifts that are always there.

So the invitation is to notice tightness when it comes, (in your body, mind or heart) and when you can, take a deep breath down into your belly, then with a long slow out breath, let go.

Be present for life, right here right now, and you will begin to notice that, although challenging situations do come up in our lives, problems only exist in our minds. Can you think of an example of this in your life?

It is a great opportunity for us all to soften around life when it doesn’t bring us what we want. We are so used to making the unpleasant go away that we don’t realize how deeply this keeps us caught in struggle.

When something difficult comes along, to open to it doesn’t mean just grin and bear it. It means watching what it brings up inside of us and giving it space so it can flower and then pass away. Then we can respond rather than react.

All of these parts of our struggling selves will escape our hearts and occupy our minds again. But that to me is why we have challenges, so we can see all the parts of ourselves that are in need of our heart!!

And when we learn how to not run away from the unpleasant, we will then truly come to know that we can trust this process and we will discover that we ARE life.

This brings us back to the mantra, It’s okay, it’s all okay.

Be light, Mary

Here are two quotes that are a combined invitation to be curious about what is and to see your vulnerabilities and difficulties in a different light – they are not something that is wrong; they are doorways into a full connection with you!

Notice that Agnes is saying the same thing as Krishnamurti: that it is what you turn away from that controls your life, and when you look, it lessens its power over you!

“If you look at something carefully, you will always be able to see its dark side. One cannot exist without the other.  And yet we choose never to look into the shadows.  Understand that it is what you choose not to observe in your life that controls your life. Everything begins with a circle of motion, without the positive and negative poles there would be no movement, no creation.  Without the dark side your beauty would not exist.  Don’t be afraid to look at both sides.  You need them both.  You must honor all as part of the great spirit.” –Agnes Whistling Elk

“It is not that you must be free from fear.  The moment you try to free yourself from fear, you create resistance against fear.  Resistance in any form does not end fear.  What is needed, rather than running away or controlling or suppressing or any other resistance, is understanding fear; that means watch it, learn about it, come directly into contact with it.  We are to learn about fear, not how to escape from it, not how to resist it.” –Krishnamurti

Be light!
Mary