All the Life Inside of You
Woven throughout this blog is the theme of opening our heart again. For all of us, it wasn’t safe to keep our hearts open when we were young. Not only did they close, but we built walls and barricades around them. So much of awakening is allowing our highly intelligent, sensitive and sensing hearts to open again. As our hearts open, we again know the joy of being alive – the joy of inclusion rather than exclusion, the joy of compassion rather than judgment, of kindness rather than meanness, and connection rather than control.
I have walked with many people over the years through the process of coming back to their hearts, and over and over again, I see that one of the last places we bring our hearts to is ourselves! We have lived in the mind for so long that we are used to its judgment, pushiness, criticalness, and not enoughness. So, I wanted to share with you a beautiful and profound piece of writing from Jeff Foster. Enjoy!
ALL THE LIFE INSIDE OF YOU
When you were young, you learned to abandon yourself for the world. You learned to put the feelings and needs of others before your own. You learned to hold yourself back, silence yourself, crush your perceptions and feelings and desires, disconnect from your truth in order to protect others from feeling uncomfortable or disappointed or angry or jealous.
You learned to deny yourself, distrust yourself, and you called it being kind, nice, good, unselfish, caring, even ‘spiritual’. You were applauded for your brilliant facade.
But you always knew: you had torn yourself in two. For love. For approval.
You did violence on yourself, seeking safety, trying to manipulate others into loving you.
You were not wrong. It was intelligent to want to protect yourself back then.
But the love you sought never came. The image only crushed your spirit, made you feel less alive.
So now is the time to let the lie crumble. To return to a living truth. To stop the violence, the self-abandonment, the running away. To stop leaving yourself to please others, to protect them from discomfort, to uphold a false image.
Now is the time to drench yourself in radical self-love.
You may have to start feeling your guilt now instead of acting on it or running from it. You may have to commit to feeling shaky, vulnerable, afraid, uncomfortable, even unworthy.
But now you are no longer a victim of these energies. You are willing to hold them. You are their mother, their protector, their Home. They no longer hold or control you. You can walk with them. Invite them to walk alongside you.
You are powerful in your love. Strong in your sensitivity.
Friend, never apologize for all the life inside of you!
– Jeff Foster
If this blog resonated with you and want to explore more of my work, I invite you to listen to my upcoming radio show on Dreamvisions 7 Radio: The First Key to a Joyful Life, It will air on Thursday, October 10th at 5am and 5pm HERE. After the 10th, it will be available on demand, along with every other radio show I’ve ever done HERE. Please feel free to explore my catalog and listen to topics that call to you.
Offerings:
LAST CHANCE TO SIGN UP AND GET YOUR QUESTIONS IN!: You’re invited to join us for The Phenomenal Healing Power of Trust TOMORROW Tuesday, October 8th at 5:30pm PDT.
It seems like so much is out of our control right now – angry, berating politics, climate change, and seemingly endless wars. Can we trust it all? Join Mary in exploring what true trust is, how to bring it into your life, and the gifts that will bring.
Don’t forget if you can’t make it on the day, you can still participate by sending your questions (Get those sent today if you haven’t already!) and enjoying the recording after the call at your convenience. I hope to see you there!
Click HERE to learn more and register!
Thank you, Mary, for this life affirming offering. An assignment on retreat in Hawaii many years ago, when I began my approach to myself, was write a word or two that means something. I chose, “Trust Yourself.” At 75 now, it has been a long and winding road, but one I still aspire to.
You make such an important connection for me with yourself and your work to continue to try to trust when there are so many reasons not to. I so look forward to tomorrow evenings gathering of the Awakening Community. Godspeed always, Sky Ann
You’re very welcome. Those were wise words to choose. I’m looking forward to it as well! See you there. Be light!
If I meditate and am filled with love and light for everyone, do I still need to vote?
Thank you so much for sending your love and light to all beings. And our beautiful heart energy, which is so essential to the healing of our planet, also needs to be grounded in our actions.So yes, please vote. Democracy is on the ballot.