Friday, December 27, 2013

Receiving the Gift of You

Guest Blog by Susan Dumett

You are the most valuable gift there is.

No matter who you are, where you are or you current circumstances your presence on this planet matters. Your words have value. Your love, your laughter, your wisdom, your talents and your ideas are needed.

In fact, in this moment, your unique perspective, character, creativity, compassion, heart and intellect are absolutely essential to the fullness of life right here, right now, as we all know it.  The proof is simply that you exist. 


With every word, with every deed, you send out an energetic ripple that has both immediate and lasting effect. In every single moment, you radiate a unique and beautiful energetic presence. Whether intentional or unintentional, your energy immediately impacts whomever you happen to be engaged with, and is carried by and shared by that person with whomever they interact with, and so on. 

No matter your history, no matter your self-effacing stories or any pain you carry inside, you have touched more people in positive ways than you can ever know. That touch, your touch, is beautiful, unique and valuable because it comes from you—and whether you believe it or not, its reach can be infinite.  

Even in your darkest hours, your presence has value and meaning. In the darkness there is always something to take notice of, to explore, and gather information from. When we allow ourselves to be present to our shadows, we create space for calling forth something deeper in our selves and in others. 

We create space for transformation. It can be easy to think that asking others for help is a burden, but in actual fact, that too is part of the gift of you. It may offer an opportunity for someone to step forward and be of service, or return a favor, or recognize something in them selves. It might even give them an opportunity for them to exercise their right to say No, or Yes

The gift of you can deliver in ways you can’t even imagine. Behind every inspiration and every challenge there is deep wisdom and creativity, waiting to be mined and used to shift old paradigms and ways that no longer serve your highest and best good. This is when profound healing can occur. When you are present to that fact, and allow it to be true for you, you give a gift to yourself and to others. 

It can be hard to digest that our presence can make such a difference. There have been many times in may life when I 
felt too damaged or unworthy to matter much at all. Seeing and appreciating the gift of others is often quite easy. Seeing and appreciating the gift of who we really are can be incredibly challenging. But it doesn’t have to be.
The trick is letting go—of thoughts and behaviors that reflect and contribute to duality and separation. This means letting go of tendencies to focus on the negative and allow your self to see, feel, experience and enjoy the positive, in even the simplest of things. It means breaking habits that involve analyzing and criticizing your self and others, and letting things simply be, as they are, warts and all. It means letting go of the past, and not letting it define you. It means stopping worry about what may or may not happen  the future. and just being present to what actually IS, in this moment. 
In this moment, will you choose to dwell on a self-deprecating thought or look outside and notice the patterns and textures on a tree trunk or the wall of the building next door and remember that your eyes, or your ears, or your feet are beautiful miracles? All are miraculous gifts that embody the gift of you. Even the simple validation of listening to your own breathing can shift things. You are alive and because of that you are a miracle too. 
The only thing that matters in this moment is what you choose to do with it. While it can be helpful to understand the history behind why you do things that don’t serve your highest and best good, it’s not as important as your desire, intention and attention to transform these things into thoughts, behaviors and actions that better serve your self and the lives of others. 
Anything less is giving away your power. When you are able to say, enough is enough, I am ready to move beyond (what I’ve perceived) my limits (to be), you begin the metamorphosis—a journey to owning who you really are, and connecting with all that is. As Amma, or Mother, the Hindu spiritual leader known for her great hugs, selfless love and compassion toward all beings, wrote:

The common expression is 'I love you"
But instead of ‘I love you,’
it would be better to say, ‘I am love—
I am the embodiment of pure love.’

Remove the I and you,
and you will find that there is only love.

It is as if love is imprisoned between the I and you.
Remove the I and you,
for they are unreal;
they are self-imposed walls that don’t exist.

The gulf between I and you is the ego.
When the ego is removed
the distance disappears and
the I and you also disappear.

They merge to become one — and that is love.
You lend the I and you their reality.
Withdraw your support and they will disappear.

Then you will realize,
not that ‘I love you,’
but that ‘I am that all-embracing love.

 
In the end, coming to a place of love and acceptance of oneself is the key to everything. When we start to consider that we are a gift—that our lives are a gift and that we are love, we begin to awaken to the Truth.  So go on. Say it.
I am Love. I am Love. I am a valuable gift. My words have value. My love, my laughter, my wisdom, my talents and my ideas are needed right now on this planet.
Dolores Cannon in The Convoluted Universe Book One says, “The awakening is the purpose. The awakening of the fact that in essence we are light, we are love. Each cell of our body, each cell and molecule of everything. The power source that runs all life is light. So to awaken to that knowledge, and to desire to operate in that realm, and to believe that it is possible, are all factors that will put you there.” 
The awakening is not always easy. When you shed old skin, the peeling away can be painful. But it is far less painful to move and grow and open, than to continue to live in the confines of  “not enough” or “not worthy” or “not valid”. Our intellect can entertain the idea that what comes next promises to be better, but our hearts and bodies can still feel fear, the fear of the unknown. We don’t want to leave the pain we’ve become accustomed to without knowing what we’re stepping in to. Fear becomes paralyzing when we resist it. Give up resistance. Ask for help. You many not love every step of the way—but with each step you will learn, grow and emerge. The load will become lighter, the connections more.
Do this because you not only deserve to be nurtured, supported, loved and cared for—you have a right to be. 
But, you have to get out of your own way. Others can help you, but no one can  pull you out of your own rough spot if you aren’t willing to help your self. When we own it and walk with it, walk through it, a shift occurs. We begin to see that we are both more powerful and loveable than we’ve been led to believe—and than we’ve allowed ourselves to be.
How does this all work exactly? At Psychic Awakenings we learn that we are all vibration, we are all energy—and energy can be shifted and changed. Even deep seeded, difficult beliefs and feelings, patterns of behavior (and their consequences) can be shifted: into something more positive, flexible, useful—into a higher vibration. But we have to choose it. We have to be vigilant and consciously change our words, our language, our thoughts and behaviors.

These thoughts and behaviors are usually based on lies and stories we picked up as children or through media and cultural practices and beliefs that don’t serve the highest and best good. They are not true, and they are certainly not true for you. Yet their potency can be paralyzing, if we allow it. We have a choice in this as well. You are, YOU are, more powerful that you know. To tap into this power, begin to do as Amma beckons. Remove the separation between “us”, and “them”, release the habits of judgment, and know that no matter your history, no matter your pain, no matter how many times you’ve f-ed things up, there is nothing wrong with you. 
One of my favorite quotes is by Paulo Coelho in his book Warrior of the Light: “I’ve been through all this before,’ he says to his heart. “ ‘Yes, you have been through all this before,’ replies his heart. ‘But you have never been beyond it.' ”

And so, if you know that something is holding you back, it is time to move beyond. When we talk about living in a higher vibration, it simply means connecting, really connecting to our highest and best heart and mind, our truth, our power. This is the place where you shine the brightest and help ignite and inspire light in others. Use your words, thoughts and actions as intentional expressions of love, kindness and compassion. 

With this as your motivation, there is no room for self-sabotage, self-deprecation or judgment of your self or others. Your heart begins to open with more ease and there is a profound realization that we are all on our own wild trip here, we are all doing our best to navigate both the chaos and beauty.  In choosing to come back to love again and again and again we see the innocent child in every person. 
There is no need to react to the negativity and judgment passed by others, because we understand where it comes from. We understand it is nothing personal. Criticism that comes from you or from others, is a red flag that there is something to heal within. It is a call to remember who you really are:  the most valuable gift.

I am Love. I am Love.
___________________________
Susan Dumett is a teacher at Psychic Awakenings, a Professional Energy Healer and Spiritual Coach for both individuals and organizations, and the Founder/Owner of Iosis Media, specializing in transformational business communications.