The Benefits of Painful Experience

The past year has been one of the most painful and difficult journeys of my life so far. That said, I wouldn't change a thing!

Happiness Depends On Where You Focus!

Like many of you, there has been tremendous upheaval in my life during the past few of months. For the past three and a half years, I have been responsible for exactly half of the upbringing of my granddaughter, who is the bright spot in my life. (The other half has been the responsibility of her other grandmother). Now that my husband has been diagnosed with early dementia and can no longer handle the responsibility of helping me take care of her, most of her care has been placed into the hands of her other grandmother. While I very much appreciate the fact that she is in capable and responsible hands, I feel very much as though I have lost her. To make matters worse, there is not a damn thing I can do about it without creating more devastation in my life.

So many questions and "what-if's" have been running through my head. Why am I and my husband going through this journey of dementia now? Why am I still in a job with such inconsistent hours and lousy pay? Why does my granddaughter need to be wretched away from me as she has? What if my financial and living situation changed into something where I would be able to take more consistent care of my granddaughter? And on and on ad nauseam. 

Notice the focus of the above questions: it is always about me. While my husband and granddaughter are mentioned, my questions do not look at the challenges they are facing. They do not take into account their needs throughout this process, and that is the problem!

The fact of the matter is, my granddaughter still needs fulltime care. My present work schedule is just not conducive to a toddler's needs. If truth be known, caring for my granddaughter has gotten more stressful under the present circumstances. Even when she is with me I know I am not at my best. It feels selfish and wrong to try to insist that she spend more time with me right now. As much as I hate to admit it, I am not what she needs right now. Her other grandmother is.

I am what my husband needs right now (as incapable as I feel). As I help him deal with the change, I also need to adapt myself and my life so that when he is no longer capable of helping I can make sure that all of our needs, financial and otherwise, are met. 

The irony of this whole situation is that I have been praying for major change in my life for at least a year now. I don't want to have to rely on the income I bring in from a dead-end job. I don't want to struggle to get by. I would like to wake up every morning with a smile on my face, knowing that my income is being brought to me through serving others with my talents and gifts in ways that heal the planet. I like to talk about how pain is part of the transition process toward better things, and yet when the pain is at my doorstep I holler just as loudly as the next guy!

When I focus on losing my granddaughter, I am miserable. It is only when I think about her needs that I am able to understand that my life needs to be about something different at present. I have enough on my plate with my husband's health and my job situation. My husband definitely needs me to be on top of things for his sake right now.

It is only when I begin to understand my role in the collective that I am once again able to see the light. I am able to let go of the whys and the what-ifs and free myself, knowing I have a role to play and allowing others to play theirs. I will get where I need to go. All is right in the world.

~CSE

New Life From the Rubble

My life has certainly not gone according to plan. Lately it seems as though all hell has broken loose and I am in the middle of a storm that threatens to overwhelm me. Tears have been a daily occurrence as the stresses of my life continue to rage.

One thought keeps me going through the chaos. All the big, powerful changes in my life have been the result of my world breaking apart. The process is always rough and painful. Change is painful. We become so comfortable in our ruts that being forced out of them makes us scream in anguish. In order to see our way out of the pain, we have to think and act differently. We BEcome new creations!

In those moments when you believe your life is breaking apart, remember that new life emerges from the fragments! Keep going!

~CSE

  

Playing Small

I've spent most of my life living under the radar. I typically don't like to put myself out there in any real way, mainly because I'm afraid of getting hurt. Consequently, my life has been ordinary, run-of-the-mill for the most part. The thing is, I don't feel particularly fulfilled. While I am extremely happy with the job I did as mother to my three beautiful children, the raising kids part of my life is pretty much over. Playing small served me well as a single parent because it also protected my children, but it's time to move on. What strikes me now (and is even coming out in my dreams) is that playing small was a choice. If I want to change my life, it is going to involve risk. I need to make a conscious choice to step out and play big if I want to make any real impact on the world.

I know I am not alone in my struggle. So many of us run our daily lives on a hamster wheel, running really hard and getting absolutely nowhere. We understand there is a lot more world to explore outside the cage. We are just so comfortable inside the cage--where we know to expect food, shelter and warmth--that we are afraid to risk escape. We never make the decision to explore the world outside the cage.

The thing is, playing small never helped anyone. It hasn't helped others because I have not been using my gifts and talents as fully as I could to change myself and the world. My attempts have been mere shadows of what I have inside because of my fear of pain. Playing small certainly hasn't helped me feel fulfilled either. I know I have so much more inside me, screaming to break free.

Your playing small hasn't helped you either. What gifts and talents have you neglected? What changes could you have made that could have impacted the world in a bigger and more meaningful way? What holds you back from the life of your dreams?

Understand that it is never too late to change. Change is a choice. Even though it is different--even though you know change could bring pain--you have to consciously be willing to risk pain in order to attain something more.

Playing small never helped anyone, especially yourself. Make the choice to allow yourself to move past fear and use the gifts and talents you were given. You'll never know what role you can play in the world if you don't pluck up the courage to try. You may just find yourself living the life of your dreams!

~CSE

  

Planting Poison Ivy

Now that I have gotten your attention, I want to point out that most people in their right mind would not intentionally set out to plant poison ivy (the exceptions being serious botanists or other scientists who are doing research). We know poison ivy to be a highly toxic allergen whose volatile plant oils can make you itch so intensely you want to crawl out of your skin. Still, for all its known hazards, poison ivy can be a good thing.

Poison ivy is actually a very attractive plant. It's leaves growing in sets of three often contain a hint of red in their veining--leaving an extra bit of color on the forest floor. In fall when the leaves change, I have seen poison ivy growing up the side of a trees contain beautiful rainbow colors that took my breath away with their beauty. Equally pretty flowers pop up in spring and early summer, which also contribute to the plant's attractiveness.

The poison ivy plant contributes to the well being of many birds. The white berries of winter are often a favorite food for our feathered friends during the cold. There are also certain birds that like to use the hairy growth of thick poison ivy vines to build their nests. I appreciate anything that provides for the well-being of my winged friends.

The other benefit of poison ivy is what it can teach us. Coming into direct contact with it and having a reaction to it can give a person a greater respect for nature. Such an experience will cause you to walk gently and not take the world for granted. While we may not intentionally walk into such a painful experience, the lessons are invaluable and may be transferred to many other aspects of life.

Poison ivy is a great way to understand that everything in the world is not necessarily black or white. While it may contain pain, it also contains life. When we learn to appreciate both sides, the Universe opens up new levels of understanding. We are never the same, and abundance flows.

~CSE

Every Day Is A New Beginning!

My life has definitely not been going as planned. Most days I feel as though my potential is virtually untapped, even though I spend enormous energy attempting to make a difference in the world. Often, I am frustrated when I encounter people who say they want to change the world, but show no evidence of that desire in their actions. Even this blog has suffered of late as it becomes difficult to get my message of connection out to people caught up in separation programming.

As I see the light of dawn peeking through my window this morning, I am again reminded that there is a whole new day in front of me, still unblemished by the often callous and cruel world. I am able to leave the pain of yesterday behind to focus on what I can create in the world today!

Pain is as much of a choice as happiness. Yes, the world can beat me down. That doesn't mean I have to stay there. I can always choose to be thankful for what the pain has taught me and move beyond it.

Today I choose to move beyond the pain. Today I choose to live life to the fullest, building on the lessons I have acquired in this lifetime. My own personal happiness is definitely up to me!

Every day is a new beginning! Allow yourself to let go of the past and create the world you desire to live in!

~CSE

  

Allowing The Pain And Sadness Of Others

I read a meme on social media that struck a chord with me. It said, "When you can't look on the bright side, I will sit with you in the dark." It dawned on me how often we look at the sadness and pain of others and immediately begin trying to comfort them and make them feel better. We give them comfort food, regale them with stories, or take them to movies--anything to distract them from the pain of what they're experiencing. The thing is, often such distraction techniques are counterintuitive. Pain has to be dealt with before it dissipates. Sometimes the best thing you can do is provide companionship to someone who is struggling so they have the added support to deal with it. 

One of the most painful things I have ever experienced was losing my newborn daughter. Regardless of the fact that she lived outside my body for less than a day, I knew her. I had spent months dreaming about how her life would go and all the experiences I wanted to share with her. I could see everything in my mind's eye--so perfectly it was almost as though it really existed. Not only did I lose my baby but I lost those dreams of her. 

One of the main reasons I was able to deal with my grief in a timely manner was the great support I had from friends. I had spent the past couple of years working as a residence counselor with emotionally disturbed children. Consequently, most of my friends were social workers and psychologists who were used to dealing with big, painful problems in their clients. I had people around me who were strong enough to listen, and they were strong enough to just sit with me in my pain. Having that level of support when I was feeling so much discomfort gave me the courage to face it and deal with it. 

It is not easy to allow someone else to feel pain. We are so connected--especially to our friends and family members--that we can feel their pain on an empathetic level. It is natural to want to help them stop hurting. Understand that pain is not something that needs to be fixed. Healing it requires accepting its place in your life and allowing beauty to evolve from it in its own time.

Allowing the pain and sadness of others is one of the greatest gifts you can give them. By sitting with them in that pain, you give support while you encourage healing. Do you have the courage required to be a healer?

~CSE

  

Forgiveness: It's All About YOU!!!

I'm going to say something a little controversial, but hear me out. We have a tendency to believe that forgiveness is something we do for someone else--that having forgiveness miraculously bestows some tremendous blessing or favor on whomever or whatever has betrayed us. The fact of the matter is, we don't forgive in order to benefit others. We forgive to benefit ourselves!

Our society has forgiveness all wrong. Forgiveness is not about righting a wrong. It is not about absolving someone of their sin. By offering forgiveness we are not letting someone else get away with wrongdoing. Forgiveness is about letting go of blocked or stagnant energy.

Let's break down a situation where forgiveness is required. Pretend your significant other cheats on you with another person. You feel hurt, used, neglected. You stop trusting. Immediately a wall comes up between yourself and this person who has harmed you. You are the one who has put the wall in place in order to shield yourself from further betrayal. What you have essentially done is blocked the flow of energy between yourself and your significant other. You are also choosing to hold on to the pain of the situation by keeping the action within the forefront your mind.

Who is hurt by holding on to pain? The person holding the pain! Somehow we convince ourselves we are hurting the other person back by holding onto this pain. While acting and feeling hurt will sometimes make the offender feel guilt or remorse, more often than not it has little or no effect on them.

There are times when we are so upset about the pain we lash out in retaliation. This is where the laws of karma come around and bite you back. Ultimately, we cling to the hurt so tightly we end up victimizing ourselves even more.

When we choose forgiveness, it is not about allowing the offender to get away with something harmful. Forgiveness is the choice we make to let go of the pain. It does not require that you take the offender back into close association. It may not be in your best interest to pick up where you left off as the offender will not have changed in any substantial way. Forgiveness allows you to forge ahead in a more positive state of mind as you let go of your energetic block.

Forgiveness is not something we do for others. Forgiveness is something we do to benefit ourselves and our own lives. It allows us to take down the walls created by pain and move beyond them, enabling ourselves to be the powerful creators of our lives we were designed to be.

~CSE

   

Allowing Pain

Many of us make our choices in life based on avoiding pain. We run away. We ignore. We distract ourselves with other activities. What we fail to consider is the benefit pain can bring. Pain does not have to be the terrible thing our minds have created it to be.

When you choose to look at and explore your pain, it is very much like intentionally stepping into a fire. Yes. The fire is hot and unpleasant. In our minds the fire is consuming--devouring. We fear that stepping into the fire will literally kill us and turn us to ash.

The real process is much different. The fire is not designed to destroy us. The fire is designed to refine us. We are very much like precious metal. When the metal is placed into the fire, it melts and changes shape. Impurities are burned off. What is left is a much more perfect and pliable substance, capable of fitting in to places it would never have fit into before.

Allowing pain is all part of the perfecting process. It helps us let go of things that no longer serve us. It can change our focus and enable  us proceed in a new direction. It can even help us let go of ego so that we are better able to connect to our hearts and to Oneness. When have taken the time to allow our pain and make peace with it, progress is made. We are different. Changed. New.

Take the time to sit with pain in your own life. Allow yourself to feel it. Cry. Throw a tantrum. Do what needs to be done to accept it, make peace with it, and move on. By allowing pain, you take down the walls you have created to keep you "safe" and allow the energy to flow once again.

~CSE

 

    

Be Careful What You Wish For

Lately, I've been excited by the possibilities for change. I look out at a population that is beginning to wake up from a long sleep and see the potential the world has to offer us all. It has emboldened me to ask for great personal change in my own life. It also makes me question my own sanity.

Change is difficult at the best of times. That's because change--even small change--requires breaking down and discarding things that no longer work. We believe we want things to be different, but when those things we have used to support ourselves with begin to crumble away we cling to them for dear life and wonder why they are slipping away!

Change requires great courage. You have to understand when you seek change you are telling the Universe you are ready to learn something (and lean on something) new. You have to believe the Universe has your back and will not let you fall, even when all you see is the edge of the cliff.

Understand you may stumble and fall along the way. Sometimes you might fall a long way. The key to swiftly navigating change lies in your ability to understand that somewhere in the confusion and pain there is benefit. Somewhere in the chaos, new life springs forth. It is this new life that brings the gifts you have longed for!

Be careful what you wish for. The process can be painful even when the change is worth it!

~CSE

To Thine Own Self Be True

I read an amazingly good essay the other day titled "You Probably Know To Ask Yourself, 'What do I Want?' Here's A Way Better Question". It's about the fact that most people are not willing to put the time and effort into making their goals/dreams a reality. For me, the key to the whole topic rested in the following brief paragraphs:

If I asked you, "What do you want out of life?" and you say something like, I want to be happy and have a great family and a job I like," it's so ubiquitous that it doesn't even mean anything.

A more interesting question, a question that you've perhaps never considered before, is what pain do you want in your life? What are you willing to struggle for? Because that seems to be a greater determinant in how our lives turn out.

The brilliance lies in the question involving pain. What is so important to you that you are willing to walk through the fire to obtain it? Most of the things we believe we believe we want are not that important to us. Why? Because we live in a world where we are told what we want, but this doesn't necessarily line up with the goals and desires of our hearts!

Here in the United States, we are overwhelmed by advertising and programming where material objects are important. We watch "reality" shows about people like the Kardashians. Images of expensive cars, plush homes and exotic locations come to us through TV, movies and the internet. We are expected to attend our assembly-line schools, where we are taught to get good grades so we can get a good job and make lots of money and buy all the things they tell us we want. Typically, we are shunted into cookie cutter jobs that use our abilities but do not always tap into our interests and talents, all for a paycheck. This way of functioning is through the mind. It is purely rational. Consequently, it does not touch on those things that really drive us and make us tick.

The things that matter to each one of us come through the heart. Even though they might be unconscious thoughts, they have great power in our lives. When our hearts desire something, we are usually willing to go through great pain in order to get it.

When I look at my own life through the level of my brain, this is what I see. I have money to live on but not much more. I did manage to receive a college education that I have not really used in life. I am on my second marriage. Although this marriage is much stronger, I am disappointed that I will not have the 50+ year relationship that my parents have. I did raise some amazing children. I have always been appreciated in the jobs that have provided for me because I am intelligent and a hard worker. Still I have not attained a high level in any of my career paths. I think I want to travel all over the world and personally experience the many cultures that have peaked my interest. I make friends easily, and my close friendships include people of all ages.

When I look at my life through my heart, I see something very different. Although my jobs never paid a great deal, I was always able to pay the bills while still making sure my kids had at least some of the things they wanted. I also got to spend large quantities of time raising them, which I thoroughly enjoyed. I have successfully avoided the stress and health problems that come with taking on management positions. While my first marriage failed, I learned self-reliance and independence through having to take care of myself and my family. My fascination with people from different cultures has resulted in having friendships with people from all over the world. I have a good many strong friendships in general. These are all things that are important to my heart, and I have consequently been extremely successful in such areas.

If you have not already done so, it is time to ask the hard questions. What can you not live without? What are you willing to endure hardships for? What things are so important to you that you would walk through fire to obtain them? The answers may surprise you.

Connect to your heart and allow it to guide you. This will lead you back to self and all that is truly important to you. Your goals are never outside yourself.

To thine own self be true.

~CSE

      

 

 

Rethinking Money

I had a very interesting and challenging discussion online last night about money after posting a Tedx talk about giving everyone a basic stipend to live on. It brought me back to my beliefs on money and why I believe what I do. I had to ask myself the deeper questions that I normally don't think about all that often. My bottom line is, I cannot accept the status quo because there is too much pain and suffering that goes along with how the world works at present. Much of this pain and suffering involves money in some way. It doesn't have to be that way. If we changed our perceptions about how money works and is supposed to work, I believe we could eradicate much of the pain and suffering that has plagued us. It is time to rethink money!

At present, money is not used as a way to measure assets. Money is an asset. In all first and second world countries, money is pretty much required to survive. We use it to pay for our shelter. We use it to buy food. It is required to purchase clothing and laundry soap and entertainments. Here in the United States, they prosecute people who try to get away with living without money. How so, you ask? Look at people who choose to live off the grid, especially those who live in relatively populated areas. They may live on well water instead of  tapping into the public water supply. Even worse, they choose to live with no electricity or have their own power supply through alternative means. (*Gasp!*) The "health" department will come in and condemn the property or some such thing for not being properly hooked up to the system!!! It won't even be an issue of cleanliness. Being connected physically to the system pretty much requires you to make money so you can pay those you have to be connected to. (The whole idea behind this is just a short hop from making it illegal to feed the homeless in your community.)

In many first world countries, acquiring money requires DOing. You work this job where you get paid X amount of money. You work this other sort of job and you receive XX amount. I have two problems with this concept. First of all, energy exchange is required in all jobs. You put in your energy and you get back money (which is supposed to be a representation of this energy) Why should certain jobs automatically receive more energy back than other jobs? Does a person really expend that much more energy DOing the higher paying jobs?

My second problem with money as DOing is that some people in this world are born without the ability to DO anything. There are people who live their entire lives in a vegetative state and must be cared for their entire lives. Then there are people who are limited in what they can do because of disability or disease (or ironically even because of poverty). These people have at least some ability to DO, but with our current value system it is often considered not very worthwhile.

This second issue comes with its own built in problems. When you believe DOing is important, you can justify the expense it takes to pay to support someone in a vegetative state. They obviously cannot do anything for themselves. It makes you feel good that you are contributing to their welfare since they can't DO for themselves. It's those others that don't DO what they could DO for themselves that get your anger up!!! Why should I be required to pay for someone by my DOing (by my energy) that those people should be DOing (exerting their own energy) for themselves? This is exactly where all the arguments for and against social welfare programs come in. Where do we draw the line at what is necessary and what is just waste?

For me, this sort of thinking does not really align with our modern, technologically advanced world. We have the resources to produce enough food for everyone on the planet (regardless of what you have been told to the contrary). We have the ability to eradicate poverty from the face of the earth--with minimal human output! Sure there are still people needed to produce food, clothing, buildings, entertainments, etc. If we have to be so focused on DOing, why can't three or four people DO what would now be considered one job and still get paid a living wage?

My preference (if we have to use money at all), would be to pay people for BEing. The difference here is that all human life is considered valuable, regardless of what they can actually DO! What is the value of BEing in a vegetative state? Maybe it's to teach someone else compassion, or patience, or unconditional love. In many ways, we all contribute to the planet just by holding our energy. (That's pretty much the definition of BEing.)

The irony of BEing is, most of us who are capable of DOing as well would indeed be DOing!!! Most of us would quickly tire of sitting around on the couch watching tv and eating bonbons all day!!! We'd want to be outside planting flowers or vegetables. We'd want to interact with other people at the store or in a factory. We'd want to sing and play and follow our talents and our dreams! If we didn't have to "earn a living"--if we didn't have to DO--many of us would still contribute our own energy to the world at large.

There is so much pain on the planet. As our voices rise in agony, understand that pain can be our friend. Pain has the ability to bring about change and growth. Understand that the pain will continue until we change ourselves to reflect new ways of BEing. Rethinking money--what it is and how we can use it more productively--is a great place to begin!!!

~CSE

Of Greece And Iceland

It is at the point where pain becomes too much to endure that we begin to seek solutions. Greece has been in economic pain for quite some time. Because of tremendous debt to the banks and austerity measures, unemployment is high while benefits are being cut. The screws have been put to the Greek people by the European Union in order to continue to squeeze every last bit of money from Greek pockets for the benefit of the banks. Look out, folks! The pain in Greece has become so bad they are on the verge of pulling an Iceland!!!

Greeks have already spoken out with their "No!" vote on bailing the banks out again. (This, to me, was an amazing feat in and of itself as I am convinced that most votes/elections have been rigged by the powers that be for years!!!) Now, as the European Union struggles to keep Greece within the fold and paying, the people are of Greece are speaking out against a new bailout deal using the term, "This is a coup." That's pretty strong language coming out of the seat of democracy!!!

This is it. This is the turning point. Either the Greeks accept the fact that the banksters (aka the European Union) are calling the shots and turning them into total serfs, or they will have to take a stand for change. They will have to make a stand for freedom and revolution.

Do not let the term revolution put you into fear!!! Even though history has shown us revolutions are violent, they do not have to be!!! The key here is to pull an Iceland. The good people of Greece have finally begun to wake up to the reality that is the banking industry. Like everywhere else, Greece has been sold fake loans that take more money from the people and place it in the hands of the banksters. The pain is so great they are rebelling against it. Just like the people of Iceland, Greece now has the chance to free themselves from the mafia!!!

It is time for the people of Greece to stand up to the banks once and for all!!! It is time for them to remove the threats to their politicians!!! It is time for them to nationalize their banks and bring back the drachma (indeed, there have been reports the drachma is once again in use in parts of Greece). It is time to prosecute and imprison all those bankers and politicians that stood to gain from draining money from the country!!! They may even need to write a new constitution.

Iceland shows us this change is possible!!! It may not be pretty at first. The Greek people will have to tighten their belts and rely on themselves for a while. Fortunately for them, they still have a wonderful tourist industry which can bring in much needed revenue from others countries.

Once the Greek domino has completely fallen, we will all be ready for the next countries to complete their transformations!!! As we have looked to Iceland--as we now look to Greece, know that change is coming! Do not fear that change, for what is coming is far better for the people of planet Earth than anything we can imagine now!!! Continue to hold the light!!!

~CSE

Stress And The Changing World

I often notice that what happens to me in the micro of my life also happens in the macro of my life. In the micro, I am struggling with the stress of assisting an adult child into a new phase of his personal development and growth. In the macro, I am doing the same thing with the planet. Both are painful. Both are stressful.

Stress energies around the globe are at an all time high right now. The fall of Greece's economy is a prelude to world change because of how intimately their economy is tied to the economies of almost every other country in the world (thanks to the New World Order's banking monopoly). Those who cling to power are struggling as they are being forced to let go of that power. We the People are struggling as we begin to step up and accept more power/responsibility for ourselves. Mother Earth is struggling as she attempts to rid herself of the disease, violence and destruction she has been subjected to. It's as if one huge voice is crying out in pain!

The process of change is difficult because there are unknowns involved. We know how to function within our own little boxes we have created for ourselves, but what happens when we step outside of those boxes? Many times we make mistakes which can be awkward and bring even more stress. It's those unanticipated missteps that we fear most.

Still, without those unanticipated missteps we cannot grow. Movement in any direction inevitably teaches something--even if what you learn is that you do not like that consequence. The point is to always keep moving. Eventually, you will hit upon something that you instinctively know in your heart is the path you need to follow.

Understand the way can be much easier if you stop long enough to ground yourself and connect directly to your heart. Because your heart is connected to the wisdom and experience of Oneness, your heart can guide you to make better choices. Stay connected and listen to the advice it gives!!!

The world is in a state of great chaos and change. There will be stress. There will be pain. Know that stress and pain are temporary states that will pass as we learn to make those heart choices which will assist us in creating a much more beautiful world.

~CSE

BEing Unconditional Love In the World

I've been blessed in my life to know unconditional love. Many of my earliest memories involve people and events where love was given freely and without limits. I have also been given opportunities to be around people who have not had that same experience. Even though the contrast is great, it is possible to bridge this great divide and help to heal all those who are bruised and broken from life. It requires BEing love--BEing that frequency. The question is, how do you BEcome unconditional love?

Here are the tips and tools I use to BE unconditional love in the world:

1. Find someone who is unconditional love to you and BE that energy! Think back to any person or being that has given you unconditional love. It might be a family member, a close friend, a teacher or an animal. It might be someone you know through spiritual experience, like Jesus. Even though I have quite a few personal examples, I usually choose to carry around Jesus because his energy to me is pure love. At any moment, I can ask for him to be there with me and he is. I then bask in the presence of that love until I too resonate that same love energy.
2. When people you encounter lash out with negative energy, remember to ask your heart what is causing them pain. Pain is almost always behind negative energies. Sometimes the pain may be caused by being abused by many different people over time, and the person is attempting to keep themselves from further harm by acting aggressively. Sometimes the person is in real physical pain and just has a hard time being nice. When you take the time to ask Source what is causing the pain, you can begin to see where the negativity comes from and are better able to BE love to that same person, regardless of whether or not they are nice to you.
3. Visualize yourself as the frequency of unconditional love and ask your body what that looks like. It may show up on your face as a smile. It may show up as a helping hand. It's probably going to look and feel relaxed and easy-going, but unconditional love is also extremely powerful. Unconditional love is not afraid to experience the pain of others because it is strong enough to transform that pain.

BEing unconditional love has the power to change the world around you. With a little bit of practice and intention, you too can be a healing force in a broken and dying world. Dare to BE unconditional love!!!

~CSE

Perspectives On The Pain Created By Others

He said/she said. Arguing. Fighting. Drama. Someone says or does something to create pain, and the person the pain is inflicted on retaliates. It's a common enough occurrence in our world. How can we change this, you ask? By changing how we look at pain and the mechanisms it works through.

In my retail job, there are certain regular customers that my fellow associates see and quickly run in the opposite direction. My coworkers do this because these customers tend to be pushy and complaining and nothing is ever right--an attitude that causes pain in my coworkers. Ironically, I can make these same customers smile and have a pleasant shopping experience. Is it because I am a better salesman (aka schmoozer)? Nope. It is because I use my empathic skills to understand the customer's needs and then I do my best to give them what they need!

When I read these particular customers, I usually get a sense of the pain they are feeling. Sometimes the pain is physical. They may be old or sick and just not feel good. Sometimes it is mental/emotional pain. At all times, this pain is crying out for release. For most people, release means unleashing it on someone else. Unfortunately, the results are that the pain energy is unleashed on whoever is nearby, like my coworkers.

Did my coworkers cause the initial pain trauma that is now being inflicted on them? Most likely not. The fact of the matter is, the actions we take are a direct result of how we have learned to operate in the world. Any action I take, regardless of how it effects you, is all about me! Any action you take, regardless of how it effects me, is all about you!!! Just let that thought sink in for a few moments, and you'll begin to understand the reality of the situation.

If you're having a bad day and your anger comes out on some poor, unsuspecting sales associate, is it the fault of the sales associate for poor customer service? You may try to blame them, but let's get real. You were having a bad day in the first place. Where did the pain come from? Are you passing it along?

When I encounter a cranky customer, I do not accept responsibility for the pain they are inflicting. In other words, I don't take it personally. Their pain was already there. I refuse to make it mine.

I see myself as the source of love and help and protection. I use these positive resources to try to help them fill the void that pain has created in their lives. This is how I can change cranky customers into happy ones. I listen, acknowledge them and their pain, and do what I can to solve their problems. Sometimes, all it takes is a sympathetic, listening ear.

Transforming the pain you encounter in others is as simple as thinking about it differently!!! By allowing them to express their pain and not allowing it to alter how you feel about yourself, you actually have the ability to help them release their pain in a way that does not destroy. You can then turn around and send them love and healing and peace.

Perspective is everything. When you change yours, the world around you magically begins to change. Creating a better world begins with your thoughts. Transform the pain created by others by seeing it differently!!!

~CSE

Overcoming The Energy Of Attack

Recently, I've had the interesting opportunity to explore the energy of being attacked. This was not a physical attack, but in very real ways it has made my body react through the great energy exerted mentally, emotionally and spiritually.

The source of the attack is actually an old, dear friend of mine. He came to mind several months ago, and I wondered if I could find him through social media. When someone I knew in the past comes to mind after such a long time, I believe it is important to follow up on it. Such mental images and messages are signs from Source that we need to tune in. Anyway, I looked and found him easily enough.

Without going into a lot of detail, suffice it to say he did not agree with a post I made. The conversation began well enough as he asked what I proposed as an alternative and I gave him one solution I see. From there, he began to go slightly off topic to a point we have debated some in the past. As the conversation continued, he resorted to actual name-calling.

Now you may be asking why I put up with such nonsense. The bottom line is, I believe there is something to learn from this situation. Running away from problems only results in them coming back at a later time.

As I use my intuition to feel into the situation, several things become apparent. My friend is angry and in pain, which is why he lashes out. Some experience in his past has hurt him to the point where he feels the need to protect himself and others by fighting against that which hurt him. My friend is not truly lashing out at the person I am. He is lashing out at my belief because it is similar to something that hurt him in the past.

The energy of attack is based on underlying pain and anger that comes out when a person is reminded of an experience that caused them past heartache. People provoked to attack do so as a way to overcome that pain so they can maintain some sort of power or control over their lives.

This is why the energy of the heart is so important. It says, "I am here for you. I support you. I love you. How can I help you sooth your pain and replace it with love?"

I am by no means perfect, but I am living my life in such a way I am learning to overcome energies that attack by using the power of the heart. As healers of the planet, this is our calling.

Do what you can to reflect on those attacks that come your way. You can literally change the course of the planet by counteracting attack through the power of heart.

~CSE