Connect To Your Knowing

Have you ever just known something without understanding how you know it? I'm talking about the sort of information that spontaneously comes to mind when you are occupied at some task that has nothing at all to do with the information. The knowing is so strong you cannot deny the thought. Then later--it might be an hour or a day or a month or a year--you find that understanding has worked itself out just the way you knew it would. I believe we all experience this from time to time. This is the sort of information that comes from connecting to Oneness, and Oneness is something you have the ability to intentionally connect to if you so desire.

What is Oneness? Oneness is the place where everything exists and nothing is judged. It is the place of truth and contains all knowledge and all understanding. For me, it is the ultimate place for answers because nothing is hidden there.

In our 3-dimensional world, many things are hidden from us. It is easy to hide information from us here because we have been taught to think purely with our minds. We use our five senses to gain information. Coupled with the lessons we learn from our families and the society around us, we base our beliefs and understandings on this extremely limited information. The irony comes when we believe we have all the answers. What the mind provides to us is merely one or maybe a couple particular perspectives. It does not provide a complete picture.

Our hearts are what connect us to Oneness--connect us to our knowing. As Oneness contains all knowledge and information, a person can access anything they want to understand by connecting to the heart. Our hearts think through feeling. This is why listening to your feelings plays a crucial role in accessing the knowledge that comes from connection to all things. Feelings give you immediate feedback about direction in life. If a choice makes you feel happy and expansive, understand this is a choice that will move you toward purpose. If you feel sad, angry or fearful, it is time to back away.

Connecting to Oneness is the place of creativity. This is where artists and musicians and scientists go for insight and understanding, even if they are not consciously aware that's what they are doing. People who have good problem-solving skills are often connected in to the heart. Again, Oneness contains all knowledge and information so this is where new knowledge comes from.

There are techniques and tricks you can use to help you tap into this infinite understanding in an intentional, conscious way. There is no right or wrong way to connect. Not every technique will work for every person. That said, what you need to understand is this: connecting to your knowing lies in the ability to connect to and think with your heart. Ask the Universe for help connecting. Answers will come when you ask.

When we are all able to connect to our knowing--connect to our hearts--our world will be a very different and wonderful place.

~CSE

 

  

The Gift Of Brokenness

Brokenness...it is not something we normally desire. The goal in life is to be happy and healthy and productive. When we achieve these things, we believe our lives are in order. When problems occur, we begin to believe we are no longer on our true path.

The thing is, no one's life is perfect. We go through happy and productive times, but there are times when our lives are not so good. We get sick. Loved ones die. We lose jobs and important friendships. Sometimes these things happen all at once and we feel as though our lives are no longer worth living.

It is in our most vulnerable moments the breakthroughs come. At those times, we understand we don't have all the answers and are much more open to new information. New information often brings new ways of doing things and new solutions. It is in brokenness we once again find footing for the journey. It is in brokenness that we find our hope.

As the mystic poet Rumi once said, "The wound is the place the light enters you." Know that your brokenness enables you to be filled with pure light and understanding once again.

~CSE

Taking Down The Walls That Separate

This morning, I ready this BRILLIANT article on the subtleties of racism, written by an African American man named John Metta. (Please take the time to read it here! Lengthy, but explains the concept in a very masterful way!!!) It made me look at all the little things I ignore about society that truly have racist undertones.

Separation is not just a racial thing. It is a gender thing. It is a political thing. It is a religious thing. It's a socioeconomic thing. It's a cultural thing. It's a homophobic thing. There are so many ways we distance ourselves from one another, so many ways we keep ourselves from our own wisdom and our own power. And that's where the problems begin.

Because we are so caught up in our "identities" we have forgotten we are connected individuals. We have forgotten that what happens to one of us happens to all of us. We create division where there is none. In doing so, we forget our own humanity. We mistreat those we perceive as different from ourselves merely as a consequence of having those perceptions in the first place.

It doesn't have to be that way. I have always been fascinated by other cultures (my parents were great examples of introducing me to things different from myself). Back when I was teaching PreK, I made a friend of one of my student's mothers who came in to help with class parties and such. She was Indian and Hindu and a really sweet and loving person. I had many discussions with her about topics such as arranged marriages and religious ceremonies. This was back in the time I was still caught up by Christianity in many ways, although I loved trying to understand the perspectives of others.

There was one day my friend explained to me about a holiday they were celebrating. The story behind the celebration was that God's wife had been stolen by some evil god at their wedding. The holiday commemorates her return. I found it intriguing because, in Christianity, the church is often associated with the bride and Christ is known as the bridegroom. The church is stolen by the evil one to be eventually taken back by the bridegroom. I mentioned it to my friend at the time. She thought the parallels were interesting as well.

My friend really touched me at Christmas time that year. She had given me a bag full of treats for Christmas from herself and her son. Most of what she gave me I can't recall now, but one gift stood out. It was a small picture frame with three openings for pictures (because I have three children). On one corner of the frame was a Christian cross. Even though we came from very different backgrounds and cultures, we had a mutual love and respect for one another. She was honoring me with something she knew to be important to me. The fact that she was Hindu and I was Christian did not matter.

It is time to begin getting to know your neighbor. Allow yourselves to get to know your fellow human in new ways. Ask about cultural traditions and food preferences. Discuss things you both like and things that make you both happy. Question all those things that make a person tick and be willing to lay judgement aside. We all have different spiritual journeys. If you expect others to honor your journey you need to be willing to honor the journeys of others.

Our differences do not have to separate us from each other. As we open ourselves up to understanding, know that their experiences can also be yours. We can all learn from each other and grow ourselves through accessing the knowledge of others.

Breaking down barriers does not have to be a scary, difficult process. Recognize the humanity of each one. Understand their experiences are for their own personal growth. Be willing to honor their journeys as they, in turn, honor yours. We truly are in this together. By acting in ways that benefit the whole we come into our full inheritance of love, joy, peace and abundance. By taking down the walls that separate, we come into our own power.

~CSE