Understanding Your Higher Self

We all have many versions of ourselves. The variety is almost endless. There is the version we show to the world and the version we hide. There are versions of us in various lifetimes as well as versions of ourselves in various timelines. The possibilities are mind-boggling. There is one version, however, that is all-encompassing. It consists of us in every lifetime, in every state of development and in every timeline. I like to call this version the "higher self" because it literally contains every variable of self, and can draw on all the information and knowledge contained therein.

The first thing to understand about the higher self is that it is actually a part of you, right here, right now! It experiences everything with you as you experience it. At no time is your higher self separate from you, although you might not sense its presence as you experience this timeline.

Your higher self is not limited to time. Your higher self encompasses you in every lifetime and every timeline. Consequently, your higher self can focus on a particular moment in a particular lifetime and find itself there in the moment. It experiences everything you experience, have ever experienced or will ever experience in this moment of now.

Your higher self is not limited to this dimension. Because it is the version of you that has experienced every dimension, your higher self can jump from dimension to dimension or choose to experience all dimensions simultaneously. This is how beings like Jesus or Mohammed or the Buddha can appear to different people at various points in their lives. It is the higher self version of these people that is able to jump dimensions and even timelines to visit with you and impart their wisdom.

Your higher self is not limited to any particular space. It can be so small it would be considered nonexistent by a physicist, but so large it literally encompasses everything. When we meditate and learn to connect to the Oneness within, we can catch a glimpse of this unlimited reality while still in this limited form.

Why is it important to understand the higher self? Because the higher self is our unlimited self, we can use this version to connect with great wisdom and understanding. When we connect to our higher self we can use it to heal those wounds we have experienced in life. We can consult our higher self to gain insight and wisdom into the situations we are going through and hopefully lead us to better ways of doing things. Most importantly, we can connect to our higher self and in that way connect to the Oneness in stronger and more power ways.

By understanding your higher self, you can much more quickly and easily move past the obstacles in life we face every day. Allow yourself to explore the many facets that make up the whole of your higher self. You will learn things about yourself and the world that will help you progress through life in relative ease and with joy!

~CSE

The Power Of The Mirror

Years ago, I overheard a couple of coworkers discussing another coworker. They were talking about the fact that she was unmarried and pregnant. The gist of the conversation was how awful a thing it was, seeing how the girl was relatively young and immature. People will gossip. What struck me about the conversation is how hypocritical these two particular people were being. Both of them had been in the very same situation with their first pregnancies.

All of us experience our hypocritical moments. Very often, they occur when we are triggered by circumstances that are unresolved issues within ourselves. When we see the same situation occurring elsewhere, we push our own inadequacies aside by focusing on the inadequacies of others.

The emotional trigger that comes up when someone else makes the same mistake we've made but left unresolved is known as a mirror. The thought is that what we see in the world around us is merely a reflection of ourselves. Being hypocritical involves ignoring the truth of what you see in your mirror.

The process of awareness involves the willingness to look past all those things that make us uncomfortable and see what actually exists, the good, the bad and the ugly. Accepting our own darkness always comes at a price, but in the long run this price leads to awareness.

When we are finally able to look squarely in the mirror at both the light and dark aspects of ourselves and fully accept responsibility for everything, the world as we know it will transform for the better. That is the power of the mirror.

~CSE

Of Family And Expectations

When I was still young and impressionable, I used to dream about the one perfect relationship that was meant for just me. My own parents had a good, solid marriage, and I just assumed that I would also be able to find the love of my life and raise a family together with this soulmate. That just didn't happen. I ended up divorced and alone with three very small children after a little over ten years of marriage.

I struggled with that for a very long time. It was difficult accepting I had failed--both for myself and my children. I hated knowing that I might not ever give my kids the home I had dreamed about with the white picket fence and two parents that loved them unconditionally. What tore me up even more is that my ex had already moved on. He could give my children something I considered more normal when they were with him and his new wife.

What I came to realize was that, even though I could not give my children what society considered "normal", I could still give them a good life. I managed to find myself a job that not only payed the bills, but allowed me to spend large quantities of time with my children. My kids had very full lives of school, church and activities, but we also spent time watching movies and enjoying each others' company. I could support them in the things they wanted to do but also help them hone in on their individual talents so their confidence and self esteem grew. Most of all, I loved them as much as another person could possibly love them. These things did not require two parents.

I also learned a great deal about myself along the way. I had become very dependent on my ex-husband, so much so that my identity had transformed into being his wife and the mother of his children. It's taken me years to appreciate that was not a healthy state to be in. The struggle of being a single mom helped me learn that I am important and that I am more than what I provide for others. I have my own talents. I have my own goals. I have my own contributions to make to the world besides being a mom.

There really is no such thing as "normal" (except perhaps as a washer setting). What is appropriate for one life may be totally inappropriate for another. What is important to understand is that life is about learning and growth and that we each have our own personalized lesson plan.

Families come in many forms. Sometimes families are biological. Sometimes families find each other. Sometimes they consist of two parents and children. Sometimes it might be one parent (or parent figure). What is important is that we not compare ourselves with others because what they need to learn may not be anything like what you need to learn.

When it comes to family, drop your expectations and enjoy what you have. The journey will be much more amazing when you accept what comes and allow yourself to find happiness on that particular path.

~CSE

Healing Vision

I have known that Bashar al-Assad, the President of Syria, was a fully trained medical doctor for a while now. What I didn't realize was that he was trained in ophthalmology. Assad is a vision specialist.

My mind immediately wandered back to one of the former presidents of the church I grew up in, the Community of Christ. His name is Wallace B. Smith. He was called by his father W. Wallace Smith to take over the presidency of the church, and accepting the call was a difficult decision for him. At the time of his calling, the younger Smith was a practicing ophthalmologist. He was an extremely respected vision doctor with a thriving practice who had no desire to lead a church. He did, however, eventually agree to lead the Community of Christ.

There were two big things Wallace B. Smith accomplished as church president. The first was seeing to the building of a temple in Independence, Missouri--long prophesied by the first president and founder of the church, Joseph Smith, Jr. The second thing Wallace did was to allow women to be a part of the priesthood. The irony here is, the building of the temple brought the church together in a fundamental way. Bringing women into the priesthood tore it apart.

The vision Wallace B. Smith had for the Community of Christ Church allowed for monumental change. While not everyone agreed these changes were for the best, I personally appreciate the fact his vision allowed him to see that women have a lot to offer to the world, especially in terms of spiritual wisdom and understanding. He understood back in the 80's the need for women to play a more active role in church leadership.

Assad was also happy with his life as a vision doctor. He was not even supposed to play the role of president originally. He had an older brother that was supposed to take over from their father, but the brother was killed in a car accident. Because of family responsibility, Bashar assumed the reigns and became the president designate. As the eyes of the world are upon him, he continues to stand in his truth with strength and integrity, even as his enemies continue to brainwash the masses against him.

It occurs to me the two men, Bashar al-Assad and Wallace B. Smith, have a great deal in common. They are both men of vision that agreed to assume leadership roles against their personal desires. In their own ways, they are here to shift the planet consciousness. Their actions require great personal strength and courage.

Great strength and courage are always required when one is charged with healing vision. May our vision continue to be healed so we can make the changes necessary to usher in a new era of peace and prosperity to our beautiful planet.

~CSE

  

Family, Laughter and Thanksgiving

One of my best (and funniest) Thanksgiving memories happened after my parents moved to the South. Because we now lived at least a twelve hour drive away from extended family, it was difficult to visit them for just a few days over Thanksgiving break. We stayed home more, but we also included "adopted" family in our celebrations. This particular year we had invited good friends from church over to help us celebrate.

The Thanksgiving feast was proceeding as usual. The turkey was roasted to perfection, moist and juicy and flavorful. The table was filled with the usual mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy, corn, green beans, sweet potato casserole, etc. One of my favorites was always a cranberry gelatin salad my mom made with fresh cranberries and oranges. Its tangy, sweet flavor was always a good alternative to all the more savory dishes on the table.

The cranberry salad was on the table closest to me, so I was the first one to dig into it. As I scooped in to the gelatin, I felt something hard I knew was not supposed to be there. I'm thinking, "What in the world is this?" as I continued to dig in the serving dish. By that time, everyone at the table was watching what I was doing. My mom got a funny expression on her face as it began to dawn on her what had happened and I pulled a serving spoon out of the gelatin! Apparently, the spoon she had used to stir and dissolve the gelatin had fallen in to the serving dish and in her haste she forgot to pull it out before it was set! Needless to say, we all had a good laugh over it (including my mom). To this day, we always ask if she remembered to include the spoon for that little extra bit of flavor!

Family celebrations do not always go as planned. Sometimes we get so caught up in our beliefs about how perfectly such events should go we get disappointed when they don't play out according to plan. Often we let the little arguments and problems that occur daily to overshadow what happens, bringing tension and confusion to what is supposed to be a joyful time.

There are times we don't even get along well enough with our biological families to want them around for the holidays. That's okay. Sometimes family are those people we are fortunate enough to meet and "adopt". Family is anyone who we love and loves us back!

Don't be too hard on yourself or the occasion. Allow for things to go wrong and not be perfect. Be willing to laugh at yourself or the ridiculousness of the situation and move on. After all, life is not about perfection. It's about learning and growing. It's about allowing yourself and others to mess up and make mistakes and still understand it is all okay.

The love of our (soul) family and a little bit of laughter goes a long way toward making holidays and celebrations memorable. Now pass the cranberry salad!!!

~CSE

Opening Awareness

I had an interesting experience yesterday. It was Tuesday, and I had to go to my part time retail job. While I enjoy my coworkers and the fact that it gets me out of the house and out in the public, I was not looking forward to it. Still, as I drove to work I had this overwhelming sense it was a weekend sort of day--lazy, nothing to do, etc. As I continued to make my way in to the job it finally dawned on me. I wasn't feeling like it was a weekend day because of anything I personally felt. I was feeling the mood of all the people in the homes and cars and businesses around me! Where I live here in Georgia, pretty much all the kids are home from school all week long because of the Thanksgiving holiday.

As I go down this road of opening my own awareness and attempting to help others unlock theirs as well, it is interesting to see when progress has been made. I'm sure there have been many times in the past the feelings/energies of those around me were obvious, but I was oblivious. Many occasions I did not even question whether or not what I was feeling came from me or someone or something else.

The journey the planet is currently undergoing is the process of opening awareness. We have all spent many years in darkness--many years feeling separate and disconnected. As stated before, these beliefs about our separateness have been programmed into us intentionally by those who would usurp our power for themselves. Awareness is the process of learning how to listen to the knowledge that comes from tapping into the Source of love within our own hearts.

Allow yourself to celebrate the awarenesses as they come. These are the little signs that you are beginning to remember who you truly are! The more we begin to recognize the connections we have to ourselves, each other and the world, the more our whole world begins to change for the better.

We are making progress, slow though it may seem. Every step we take toward thinking through our hearts helps to open our awareness. Allow yourself to celebrate the journey!

~CSE

Where Does Creativity Come From?

Often, we look around at the successful people in the world and wonder where they came up with the ideas that have brought them abundance. The entrepreneur, the artist, the healer, etc. all seem to blessed with the inner know-how that brings accomplishment into their lives. What is the difference between those who are successful and those who are not? One word: heart!

What most people see as creativity is actually the unseen connection prosperous people have to their hearts! Knowingly or unknowingly, these people are tuned in to what makes them happy and how they can use their gifts and talents to make them even more happy. They spend a great deal of time in their hearts exploring various ways they can use their gifts and talents to enrich themselves and the world. This is creativity at it's best!!! When you are in your heart, the ideas you can connect to are virtually limitless.

Now that you know this, how can you get into your heart in order to tap into this creativity? Here's a list of things you can do to help get started.

How To Increase Creativity

1. Meditate daily! Take time every day to get into your heart and allow yourself to explore who you are and where your particular gifts, talents and callings reside. As you become increasingly familiar with yourself, ideas should begin to flow.
2. Look at the world through the eyes of a child! Children are curious and like to explore what they don't understand. As an added bonus, everything is interesting and exciting no matter how many times it happens. As adults, we can become so jaded by those everyday experiences we tune them out and miss information in the process. Allow yourself to see what is possible in everyday situations. You might just see something new that can be worked with!
3. Get out of your rut! Creativity requires doing things in new ways! Change up the way you drive to work. Take up a new hobby you think you might enjoy. Explore a new recipe. Learn to change the oil in your car. Any activity that allows you to see life from a new angle can assist you in getting those creative juices flowing!
4. Be willing to take risks! Part of creativity is doing something in new or unusual ways. Yes, there is always the possibility of failure, but failing and making mistakes are not bad things. They're learning things. Keep going! It took Thomas Edison over 1000 tries before he created a successful light bulb! Ask yourself what the world would be like if he had stopped at 999?
5. Ask for divine help! There are times in life when we all feel a bit stuck. Ask your angels to guide you to the right place or send someone into your life that will make it clear what direction you need to focus on. They will usually give you sign after sign after sign (coincidences you might call them) until you figure out that this is the clue you have been waiting for.

Creativity is not limited to the lucky and intelligent few. We all have the ability to create positive change in our lives. Allow yourself to connect within to unleash the creative power in you!

~CSE