Karma and Sleeping Beauty

So, there I am walking by the school, and  I've just asked the Universe for a message regarding creating a better dynamic in my relationship.  I see a tiny slip of paper on the ground, and here is what I found:

For those of you who don't know the Disney Princesses, this is Sleeping Beauty.

I felt a little, well, insulted.  What was the universe trying to tell me?  Grow up?  Then I thought about the story, and realized that it's all about WAKING UP!

To recap: A young girl is seperated from her home because of a curse of a wicked, jealous fairy.  Hoping to keep her from the fate in store for her, her parents send her to live an isolated life in the forest.  Circumstances call her back to the palace, where she lives out the curse by pricking her finger on a spinning wheel spindal and falling asleep.  The entire castle falls asleep, and a thorn bush grows up around the castle keeping everyone outside of it firmly out.  A prince battles his way through the thorns, fights a dragon, and finally arrives at the princesses side where she is awakened by his kiss.

This story is ours in so many ways. 

We are taught to seperate ourselves from others, that people are dangerous at worst and compitition at best.  We are not given the tools we need to explore our interconnectedness.  We are, instead, given advice and guidence based on fear. 

With that kind of information, our heart (our castle) becomes cold.  We explore the rooms looking for  . . .something, but finding instead the Karmic Wheel that locks us into our false life.  Taking the wheel seriously, believing that there is no escape, that the wheel is the way things ARE (our curse) we fall deeply asleep.  The thorns that grow around our heart are the justifications we give for all our unhappiness and isolation.

It takes a lot of work and understanding to heal from all this negative training, to find a way through our defenses, and do battle with our unconscious reactions.  But once we find our true selves; when we finally learn our importance in the scheme of things and have an idea of our value, we are then ready to connect to life in a more fulfilling and satisfying way.  We are finally ready to love.

Love,

Kristine

What's Driving You?

I was coming out of my Network Chiropractor's office (Lisa Hartnett-so much more than just a chiropractor-her wisdom and insight are invaluable) when I found this card.  In dream symbology, a car is a symbol for your life.  How big it is, who's driving, and what direction it's going in are all keys to how you feel about your life in general and yourself more specifically. 
I thought it was ironic and more than a little funny to find this image where I did, because I think of Lisa as my "repair" person.  She restores and realigns body and soul, and gives me tools to help the healing continue when I'm on my own. 
Picking up this little card near her office sparked some new ideas about "healing".  What, exactly, do I think needs being healed in my body, or in my life?  This conversation is today's message from the universe.
I asked myself exactly where I would put the X.  Would I mark the right, intuitive, side as "damaged" or the left, more linear side?  Would I mark the rear of the car, thus blaming the lessons from the past for any present injuries, or the front, giving my feelings of insecurity about the future the black mark?
I thought about that, and realized that, really, none of these areas were the problem.  The "problem", if there is one, lies in the present moment.
So I examined the present moment.  Was anything really wrong?  Not really.  If I thought about it long enough, I could see where my intuition is sometimes wrong and gets me into trouble, and I could feel bad about that.  Or the linear side of me, with it's insistance on things being a certain way, could compromise my happiness.  Or, I could regret a past wrong or worry about a furture event. There were all sorts of thoughts available to me that could make my life miserable for me, but truly, at that moment, at this moment, nothing was and is wrong. 
All is well.
My life is only about this present moment.  Nothing needs healing.  Nothing needs to change.  I just need to bring presence to what is as I'm living life.  When I do that, I can be more responsive to whatever I'm doing or whoever I'm dealing with. This feels like a much healthier approach than my responses in the past.
Does that mean I no longer need to see Lisa?  Not at all.  With her help, living in the present moment has become (relatively) easier to do.  I'm recognizing the patterning in my thought processes that drag me out of fully living my life and create conditioned responses that do feel wounding.  Recognizing this allows me the space to make other choices in my life, to not repeat old patterns, to find new ways of relating to my life and my self that are more empowering. 
Most importantly, I'm learning that happiness really is a choice, and I'm learning to be more adept at making happiness my priority.
It is a cliche, I know, but it is true that the present is the present. Let's give it our full attention.
Love,
Kristine

I've Got You Onto My Skin

I've got Poison Oak.  On my face.  SOOOOOO uncomfortable. 
At first I thought to myself that I should warn folks who were, like me, writing Messages From The Universe on various trails.  Especially if they're using sticks to form letters.  I thought I'd better caution them to be very careful about the sticks they might pick up.  I was sure that a poison oak twig gave me this hideous rash.
Then I thought: "Wait a minute, I'm around poison oak a lot, and this is the first rash I've had in many years.  Something else must be up.  Maybe this skin thing is just another message from the universe."
The book of Job came to mind.  Not a pleasant story.  Not going to go THERE, but it did  inspired me to go on-line and check it out.  I googled "spiritual causes of skin irritations". 
There were a lot of rememdys to wade through: homeopathic, clay packs, aurvedic, etc., but only one seemed to address a spiritual "cause".  It was a Christian Scientist publication.  The person writing complained about a rash around her checks and eyes (yikes! just like me!) that she thought was caused by mental stress (me AGAIN) and she began to treat it through governing her thoughts. When she decided that she needed help, she called a practitioner to really get the healing on.  Here's what she says:

"Initially I resisted calling a practitioner, as I thought he or she would share with me the same thoughts I was already praying with. After some time, however, I felt I needed prayerful help. After listening to my explanation of things, the practitioner I called said one thing: “God loves you.” I waited for her to say more, thinking she had missed the point. But again she said, “God loves you—that is all you need to know.” She encouraged me just to feel God’s love and not dwell on any other thoughts.
At first it was a challenge to think about God’s love and not the discomfort. But more and more as I sought to tangibly feel His love enfolding me, holding me, caring for me, I actually felt at peace. At the same time, the constant itchiness began to subside. When I was still tempted to scratch, I would put my hands down and instead center my thought on God’s love for me. The most amazing feeling then surrounded me for days. Eventually my thought was so filled with this one simple truth that there was no room for any other thought."

The skin rash dissappeared. 

with regard to any health problem, Abraham-Hicks says,

"Find something to feel good about and get out of the way, and allow the cells to receive what they’ve been asking for. That is the key to healing."

Excerpted from a workshop in Orlando, FL on Saturday, January 22nd, 2005
All Is Well

It's the same idea, isn't it?  I'm asked to find something to reflect upon that is other than this uncomfortable skin condition.  I'll turn to my other cheek, focusing on the one that's not itchy, and contemplate the love that surrounds me. 
I've been asking for messages of hope AND more skill in learning how to focus on more positive aspects of my life. (see the blog about the 8 of discs) This is a good way of practicing, very tangible and very useful.  Hope can come from without, but it truly lies within.  You know, in a funny way, I'm grateful for this opportunity to develop some mastery in consciousness, because I'm itching to open my heart!
Love,
Kristine

The Importance of Letting Go

How sticky my emotions can be. Sometimes one jolt to my ego takes me all day to recover from. I'm very stubborn that way.

On the plus side, something good happening can keep me walking on air. When I feel my feet start to touch the ground just remembering a lovely event can get me floating again.

But both these moods are created externally. They both require words of blame or praise from another person. How I would love it if I were strong enough to create my own mood from within and live in that without regard to what someone else thinks or does.

I guess that's the ultimate goal for me for this year. It's why I'm writing this blog, really, to clarify what I'm thinking, why I'm thinking it, and if what I'm thinking serves me or not. Depending on other people to cheer me up or noticing that they bring me down does not serve me. How do I get over this?

Letting go is a good start. I've learned that other people's opinions are really a reflection of their own perspective in life and have no relation, really, to who I am. Good or bad, letting go of the effect someone's opinion has on my day is a very good plan.

When I was younger, I tried my best to get along with everyone. Like a chamelion, I changed my opinions, way of speaking, ideas, and sense of self in order to blend in with whatever group I was with. What a messy way to be, especially when diverse groups would get together. Oh, the headaches I would get.

I no longer do that. I have a strong appreciation for who I am and what I do, but I still let others get to me if I'm not feeling my best. I think just noticing the problem is a good start to solving it. Also, accepting that I'm not at my best, and therefore vulnerable, is a way towards healing.

I'm human. I have good days and bad, sick days and well. All sorts of unexpected events can come into my life and change me for good or ill. What I want to feel is happy. That's my aim.

I'm going to relax, be where I am, and let go of anything that distracts me from hitting my target emotion.

Ahhhhh!