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You Are Being Lied To! – Richard’s Commentary
I don’t know about you but I lie to myself all the time. And part of “growing up” is to catch myself doing it, question why, and the underlying beliefs that trigger the lies, and then digging down underneath the beliefs to work on rewiring the neurology or filling in the ruts in the neural pathways that entrenched the beliefs underpinning the lies.
Here’s an example: I use the word “never” a lot! “I will never win that prize.” “I will never figure out a way to stop misplacing my glasses.” “I will never get published.” The “nevers” go on and on.
There seems to be a negative trench in my brain that too often goes to the improbability of something happening rather than to the possibility! Part of this is the way I came into the world, my genetic wiring. And part of it was the way I was raised, the environmental wiring. We all have these vestige neural pathways carved into us; some more deeply than others.
But there is good news here; neuro-biology is examining the “neuro-plasticity” of the human brain and discovering that we can change the way we think. Ruts in the plastic can be worn deeply by repeated thoughts, beliefs, lies. But they can also be modified, filled in, redirected through conscious choice.
This is Rosemary’s whole point in her article about the lies we tell ourselves. And here’s the paragraph that helps me the most:
Now LAUGH!!! Feel how good it feels. You DESERVE to laugh, no matter what is going on in your life, no matter where you are, there is something to laugh about. I just looked out the window at a squirrel trying to get into a squirrel-proof bird feeder. Do you think the squirrel thinks that, just because he can’t get any birdseed out of it, there’s something wrong with him, that he’s not ‘good enough’ to be worthy of food? Heck, no! That squirrel goes around the corner of the house, climbs the tree to the non-squirrel-proof bird feeder, hangs upside down, and eats his fill. Only we humans compare ourselves to some mythological standard and find that we don’t measure up.
There is nothing wrong with me. We all have negative thoughts about ourselves, but these are lies buried in the beliefs we carry that no longer serve us.
I once had an Enneagram teacher ask me: “what if the world is perfect just the way it is?” I was stunned at first. Then I laughed; and I relaxed! Yeah, the world is perfect and I am perfect. The lessons come to help us become more perfect.
One of my lessons is to replace “never” with “sometimes” in my thoughts about myself– and every time I do I get to laugh! Through this practice maybe that “never rut” will begin to fill in. And when it is gone, when that lie disappears maybe I can replace “sometimes” with “always”!
How are you lying to yourself? How are you catching yourself doing it? Find a practice to rewire your neurology; pave over the old ruts and believe in your inner light!
ROSEMARY’S EXPLORATION: You Are Being Lied To!
Have you thought about what you think about? Too often, our thoughts crop up into consciousness and we don’t examine their source or their validity. We think that they are true because we have believed them for so long.
But many times we lie to ourselves based on what we used to believe and we don’t even realize that we are doing it!
Have you ever looked in a mirror and criticized your appearance? Have you ever compared yourself or your life to someone else’s and envied them because you believe that they have more/are better/are more beautiful/lucky/loved than you are? Have you ever felt that you are not ‘good enough’?
You have been lying to yourself! But you can decide TODAY to change that.
We humans have the ability to create a reality that exists only in our own head. Does it really matter that someone told you once that you were ugly, probably because they were jealous of how much better looking they thought you were? And you were both 6 years old. But the 6-year-old you that lives in your unconscious mind still hears the word ‘ugly’ and believes it. You are not ugly! If you are reading these words you are a beautiful Light in the world. Smile! Right this minute, no matter where you are or what you are doing, smile. Beautiful! Even if you feel as if you have nothing to smile about, smile because Rosemary asked you to smile, right now, just as you are.
Now LAUGH!!! Feel how good it feels. You DESERVE to laugh, no matter what is going on in your life, no matter where you are, there is something to laugh about. I just looked out the window at a squirrel trying to get into a squirrel-proof bird feeder. Do you think the squirrel thinks that, just because he can’t get any birdseed out of it, there’s something wrong with him, that he’s not ‘good enough’ to be worthy of food? Heck, no! That squirrel goes around the corner of the house, climbs the tree to the non-squirrel-proof bird feeder, hangs upside down, and eats his fill. Only we humans compare ourselves to some mythological standard and find that we don’t measure up.
We can lie to ourselves and not even realize that we are doing it.
So even if things are not going well for you right now in your life, it is not because you are not worthy of great joy, peace, abundance, love. You might be lying to yourself about the definitions of those words, but you are worthy, you are good enough.
Life brings you a lesson to learn in every situation. You did the best you could do with every situation that you have faced up to now. Congratulations! And you will continue to do the best you can with the resources that you have in every situation that you face.
Now that you have completed a lot of lessons in life, isn’t it time to do the personal growth work to ferret out those old thoughts and beliefs that you decided to believe based on something that happened in your childhood? Does it really matter to you that you were picked last for the kickball team? Are you not good enough because Johnny in first grade said something mean to you? If Mary was jealous of your grades in high school she might have criticized your clothes. Are you going to let that guide you when you go shopping for a new outfit today?
You CAN stop lying to yourself when you discover what those insidious lies are! Do the work to uncover them. Find out, from your unconscious mind, what beliefs pop in that have no place in today’s reality and clear them out. They are blocking you from manifesting your magnificence in this amazing 21st Century!
No more lies! You are beautiful, worthy, good enough, amazing and lovable! And if the person in the mirror has trouble believing that, then tell them that, “Rosemary says so, and she doesn’t lie!”
ROSEMARY’S EXPLORATION: Ask Yourself…
So often we get stuck in a place where we’re feeling as if there’s something we’re missing, some clue that is just beyond our vision, some message that we just can’t quite hear. And while we seek the answer we forget to ask the right question.
Today, ask yourself, ‘What is my WHY?’ What’s your reason for the choices that you are making each day? Is that reason the same reason that you made that choice in the first place or has your ‘why’ changed since then?
For example, you might have chosen a job because you knew some folks who already worked there and you liked them. Now, though, you might have moved farther away or they might have left and you might have totally different reasons for continuing to work there.
Or you might have started a business because you wanted to help people and now that business isn’t supporting the lifestyle you desire.
You might have had kids and your ‘why’ might be something about providing for them but your choices were made at a time when they weren’t in the picture.
Looking at your ‘why’ is important for many reasons.
Your reason to get up in the morning has to be more compelling than rolling over and going back to sleep. Is that what you wish you could do every morning? Then maybe you need to examine your ‘why’ and make some changes in your life.
Everyone hits rough spots in life. Your BIG WHY keeps you going over those boulders in the road. If you’re not sure what your ‘why’ is you might find it more difficult to endure those bumpy spots.
And your ‘why’ can change as your life changes, as you grow and develop. What your ‘why’ was in your 20s might no longer be so important in your 40s, 50s, 60s. You might even find that your ‘why’ keeps expanding into a huge reason to get up every morning!
For example, I have a friend who feels her BIG WHY is to end illiteracy. She earns money, in a business unrelated to illiteracy, so that she can contribute to causes that help to educate populations around the world. Another’s is to help women heal their shame around childhood trauma. This might not be the immediate cause in which you see her involved but it informs what she does because it is based on WHY she does it.
So what is your WHY? What do you hope to accomplish in your lifetime? What motivates you enough to struggle through the tough spots and feel exhilarated at your successes? Can you see an expansion of your WHY as your personal growth has expanded?
I recently did an exercise to examine my ‘why’ by starting to look at what I don’t want, what upsets me. It really bugs me to see people believing that they are less than the Brilliant Light that I see in them. I want to help each individual to reach inside and find that Light that I can see and shine that Light out into the world. Because I see the dimensions that most others can’t access I can see how much that individual’s Light is needed.
And so my BIG WHY is to reach around the world and turn on that Brilliant Light Within individuals so that the Light can outshine the darkness. I help people access that Light and clear the shadows that they have been hiding behind and under. I am excited by each opportunity I have to help people, individually and in groups.
I know my WHY. Do you know yours?
PS: If you are struggling with your “why” why not ask for some help to seek clarity? Rosemary has a special offer running through May to help you find your Inner Light! Use the form here to contact her:
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MONDAY’S POEM: Poet’s Choice
Today’s poem is from the archives. I opened to a random page in my journal and reached back to August 2011. I am feeling a bit conflicted today so this poem is for me and all of you out there having a conflicted Monday!
Poet’s Choice
What does a conflicted poet write?
What bubbles up from below?
What trickles down from above?
Love. A poet writes of love
For all the world to read
And understand this Queen.
Low. A poet sinks so low
To find the deepest part
And understand this King.
Light. A poet merges with light
To sing of the highest peaks
And understand this God.
A poet writes of highs and lows.
He writes of light and sings
From mountain tops.
And most of all he writes of Love!
©2014 Richard W. Bredeson. All rights reserved.
MONDAY’S POEM: Signs and Wonders
It has been quite a month with significant astrological and astronomical events occurring in the heavens. And we have been traveling on the west coast during these times of change and rebirth. Tonight, 11:14 PM Pacific time, we have one more April event to push us farther along this path to awakening: a solar eclipse.
In recognition of these events I wrote:
Signs and Wonders
Eclipsed Moon, Earth’s shadow hiding
Features, drawing blood, going deep.
Long shadows cast along a path
Of discovery and regeneration.
Grand Cross, Cardinal Signs, upheaval,
Rebellion, war god soothed in the
House of Love. God of Hades opposing
Expansion and stabilizing influences.
Eclipsed Sun, Moon’s shadow hiding
Light, blotting out life’s blood.
Dark shadows reaching far in this time
Of reformation and transformation.
©2014 Richard W. Bredeson. All rights reserved.
MONDAY’S POEM: Molting by the Light of the Moon
On Friday evening, here on the East Coast, we experienced a very powerful full moon in Aries and a Lunar Eclipse. As I wrote here that Friday morning the effects on me were substantial. I came through the experience renewed; today’s poem reflects the experience and results.
Molting by the Light of the Moon
The Great Moon swells
To her fullest magnificence.
She takes on all we have to give her
Stripping us of the surplus, refuse.
It can be a painful time
Of loss and grief and letting go.
Like snakes their skin and crabs their shells,
We twist and scratch to transform.
In the midst of the molt
We are left wounded and vulnerable;
This is a rough and dangerous time
To release the old and trust the new.
And then we crawl
Into the light of the Full Moon,
Hardening shells, thickening skins
Armoring once again a New Self.
The shadows recede
Hiding no longer the threats once held.
The night sky bright light encouraging,
We stand taller in New Minds.
©2013 Richard W. Bredeson. All rights reserved.
You Are The Alchemist—Richard’s Commentary
The message from The Divine Feminine Rosemary posted yesterday is a heavy one. It lays on each and every one of us a substantial responsibility. Being an Alchemist is no trivial undertaking. And the statement here is we are all Alchemists in our very beingness, in every thought, word and deed!
Here’s the responsibility The Divine Feminine hand us:
Each of you who sees these words is a transformation artist in every moment. Every word that you speak has the power to transform the hearer in some way. You can speak with love and concern and em-power the other person, or you can speak harshly and increase their feelings of low self-worth or self-esteem.
Even your thoughts have the power to affect another person. If someone speaks to you, and your thoughts are not supportive, you are sending that lower energy vibration to the speaker. If, on the other hand, you really listen and see the essence of the person and not the circumstance they are describing, then your thoughts can help that person to experience a higher vibrational energy and feel that support.
Heavy! But anyone of us who reads these words knows they are true. Anyone who trusts in the power of manifestation, the ability to turn thoughts into things, the Law of Attraction must realize that these powers apply to our relationship with others just as The Divine Feminine point out in clear terms.
Now I know my thoughts, words and deeds are not always of the purest form. In fact I am going through some moody moments in these last few days as the Moon wanes to the extreme just before conjoining the Sun exactly at 8:34 pm Eastern tomorrow, Friday, October 4. At that exact time the Moon becomes new, reborn. But now as I write she is in her Waning Crescent Phase and nearly “gone” from the sky. What does this mean? For me I get lethargic, heavy, I feel a little under the weather, not ill really but not well either. It’s as if as the Moon goes into the shadow of the Sun I move into my shadow time. And my mood reflects this shadow.
I write from this shadow time and ask “how am I to be a catalyst for the uplifting of others; how am I, even in my thoughts, to help another experience a higher vibrational energy?
Fortunately The Message not only states the challenge to be The Alchemist, it offers the solution to my concern:
Your first obligation, however, is to transform yourself into the person you were born to be. Are you living the life that your essence is asking for? Are you being your true self and not a persona required by others around you?
And:
As your consciousness evolves, so will your vibrational frequencies. Keep reaching for greater awareness, greater understanding of the world around you and where humanity is evolving. Pay attention to your thoughts and ask about the ‘light content’ of those thoughts. Are you thinking at a high frequency of light or do your thoughts feel heavy and dark?
Well, my thoughts may feel heavy and dark at the moment as the Moon “dies” into the Sun. But at least I am aware of this. And with this awareness I can perform some alchemical magic around this time: I can honor the Moon, let the experience of the final phase of her waning wash through me, and look forward to celebrating the New Moon as she is born tomorrow evening. I can meditate on the cycles of the Moon as they represent all the cycles in our lives. And I can reflect on these cycles as they mirror all the cycles within me, even the waxing and waning of moods!
Awareness is the key. It is the first step forward as The Alchemist to bring more light into the world!
ROSEMARY’S INSPIRATION: You are an Alchemist!
My “Two-Minute” video for the week: You are an Alchemist!
ROSEMARY’S EXPLORATION: Happy Birthday to YOU!!!
People sometimes believe that they can’t change. My wonderful Mother used to say, ‘I’m too old to change.’ But in her 60s she studied Transcendental Meditation and started to meditate. She also adopted an attitude of ‘NMP – Not My Problem’ that freed her to relax about feeling responsible for everything and everyone around her. When we said that she had changed, she replied, ‘I didn’t change. I just changed my attitude!’
Every day, no matter how old or how young you are, you can adopt a new way of thinking, especially about yourself and who you are. Every morning is a rebirth, a new start, a ‘birthday.’
When you find yourself stuck in a rut, or not sure what your next step is, remind yourself that you are always at a point of choice in your life. What benefits are there to staying in that rut? Do you really not know the next step? Or are you afraid of what it might ask of you and, therefore, you choose not to seek help in identifying it?
Happy Birthday to YOU!!! Today is your birthday. You get to choose who you are today, right now, in this moment. You don’t even have to be the same as you were when you woke up this morning. OR you can decide that you like the YOU who woke up and you re-decide to celebrate YOU! Either way, it’s your birthday today.
Celebrate who you are at your very core, the Light that was inside you when you were born that shines into the world because you are here today. Remember that your circumstances are not you. Remember that the people around you are not you – they are mirrors to help you grow.
Every day is an opportunity to grow, to learn, to be compassionate, to share, to shine your Light. Every day is a choice – to be happy, sad, contented, upset. Every day is a chance for renewal – of yourself, your relationships, your circumstances.
Every day is your birthday.
So when you wake up tomorrow, decide to en-JOY the day. Reach inside for the Light and the Joy that resides in that Light and shine. Happiness can rest on circumstances, but Joy is ever-existing within the Light. Touch it.
Celebrate YOU!!! We are all so glad that you showed up on the Planet now. Thank you!
Remember to give of yourself as well as to receive. When you choose to en-JOY your day, your smile will shed the Light on those who need it. You’ll have plenty of JOY to share with others so share it.
Happy Birthday to YOU!!!
Protect Yourself – Richard’s Commentary
This week’s message from The Divine Feminine was powerful, practical and personal. They are very methodical in their prescription for self-protection. Their message coupled with my recent experience with Sri Karunamayi during this weekend celebration known as Guru Purnima offers a lot of material for my posts at the end of this week. And it is all coming from theGoddess!
The Divine Feminine listed specific areas of our lives in which we need to consider ways and tools to protect ourselves:
- Protect yourself from fear
- Protect yourself from apathy
- Protect yourself from the energies of other people
- Protect yourself from negative thoughts and limiting beliefs
- Protect yourself from misguided choices
This is quite a list! Each item here deserves a separate blog post but for today and tomorrow I am going to focus on two and the related tools to protect against these negative forces that can so easily derail our good intentions.
The first area I’d like to examine in some detail is apathy. I think this force is attacking many people in this country and even the world. I don’t want to get into politics or the economy or institutional stagnation here, but let’s face it: for the most part our governments, our elected officials and our own constituency is bogged down in a state of paralysis that I believe is born out of apathy. We are stuck in a spiral of petty politics and an uncaring economic system that seems to be in steady decline. And who is out there to raise the banner of protest against this apathetic state we’ve sunk to? “Where is the Outrage?” read one blog-post recently! The so-called “middle class” is the “poster-child” now. But does anyone really care about the real middle-class?
How do we protect against apathy? The answer lies in Purpose! The Divine Feminine say we each have a Soul Purpose. We are incarnated at this particular time in history with a distinct purpose to fulfill. We are each a unique part of the Divine Plan of Love and Light. And we have a “collective purpose” as we move deeper into the 21st Century so full of potential for Divine Transformation. We all must find our purpose, and we all must commit to that purpose and live lives of purposeful action. This is the way out of apathy. Whether we, as individuals, as a community or a powerful Nation, are to move beyond ourselves and into a New World transformed by the energies of change swirling around us, is a choice; it is our choice.
How do we know what our purpose is? There are many ways. For one it is written in our hands. The blueprints for our life are with us from before birth, stored in our fingerprints; and our hand-prints show us a map, not only of where we are going but where we have been. Find someone to read your hands and reveal your purpose. Then move firmly into that purpose and away from apathy!
The second area I’d like to address is misguided choices. The Divine Feminine advise trusting our intuition and accepting the choices we make and the lessons that come with them. The choices guided by intuition take us on the path of greatest growth. But for men this is not always the easiest thing. The old cliché is to trust “women’s intuition.” But what about we men? The key here is to learn to meditate and to practice meditation as a life-long commitment. Meditation helps us get deeper in touch with our own inner selves. This is where intuition lives, inside! And I have found that the more I practice going inside to look for answers the more I can trust the answers that come.
The Divine Feminine offered very practical ways to protect ourselves from those five negative forces arrayed against our expansion of consciousness and our contribution to the evolution of human consciousness. The main key is to do the inner work to develop the self and find the True Self in the process!
PS: If you are searching for someone to reveal your Soul Purpose and read your hands, Rosemary is both highly trained and exceptionally skilled through years of experience. For more information Click Here
PPS: I will be offering more detail on meditation and developing intuition in tomorrow’s post.
Men and The Goddess 