As usual I find the exercise calming to my body but my mind resists and does not allow a deeper connection with my wise mentor. It is not that I do not believe in my inner wise one, I just have a dilemma with choosing to become someone other than myself. I love myself, the issues I have overcome, the problems I have faced, conquering my past and its lessons (believe me I have been through some really tough and agonizing moments). In every attempt to become this wise one, I felt I did not love my own uniqueness and heart (God made each of us special) so I decided that the wise one would be God. That made my final attempt a little easier. However I still could not be made God and then had an even worse dilemma. In the end I made myself the wise loving healer with the help of my higher power (Jesus Christ) as he has always been in my heart (changing it for the greater good), even when I have not been following him as I should. My faith jumped out at me and convicted me (this was unusual as I have not been going to worship and Sabbath school for a bit). In the end I just decided to listen and allow my mind to be quiet, thus allowing intention and mindfulness (my subtle mind calmed me).
“One
cannot lead another where one has not gone himself” (Marilyn Sclitz, 2005) . This statement
rings true and brings to mind the fact that we must walk in the ways we are
being taught in integral health. Meaning we should walk the walk instead of
just talking about it. If you cannot make those changes yourself you are not credible
in the eyes of your clients, patients or yourself. That is why I quit smoking
and decided to live my life in a manner I respect and now love wholly. My mind
and body thanks me for being true and authentic.
Marilyn Sclitz, T. A. (2005). Consiousness &
Healing - Integral Approaches to Mind-Body Medicien. St. Lousi: Elsevier.
Hi Lisha,
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on quitting smoking, that is a great achievement! You are absolutely right, how could one be a health care professional and teach people to take control of their lives, when in all reality one doesn't have a grip on their own? When one is in the throws of addiction and therefore abuses the body? The same as I don't trust a hairdresser with bad hair, or a dentist with horrible teeth, I don't trust a doctor that is obviously not living healthy and just hands out pills. I have started to question every prescription a long time ago and I noticed that often health care professionals don't know the half of it. When I ask deeper questions I often get blank stares. I know more about food and nutrition than most of the health care pro's at my clinic and it has happened numerous times before that they asked ME a question, often about food and exercise. It is astounding to me to see, how many folks work in the health care field and yet seem completely unaware of the dangers their own often uninformed lifestyles present.
I think that we all have the potential to fail, we all will at one point fall into a hole of doubt, at least temporarily. However, one of my favorite sayings states "It doesn't matter how deep you fall, what matter is how high you bounce". We must live, learn and then pass on our knowledge to help those whom haven't seen the light just yet and that is what will make our lives well lived.
Dunja :)
Thanks Dunja, I am going strong and have been working daily, monthly and possibly for most of my life to be healthier. Unfortunately smoking was an ugly habit I picked up a long time ago (I quit for 10 years) and picked up again when mom got sick. I am so glad I gave it up again, lets hope this time it is not cyclical and remains permanently gone...forever from my healthy-happy life :)
DeleteFirst of all, I love the pictures you post. It sounds like we had similar experiences with the Meeting Aesclepius practice. I had a hard time at first until I decided my wise one would be the God (though I switched between all 3 members of the trinity at times). However, I know that I can't become God (nor do I want to) and so eventually ended up just focusing on Him and praying throughout the meditation. After all, I think striving to be like Jesus, is what I should be doing anyways. He is the model of love, peace, joy, goodness, etc...
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like you have a lot of experiences to draw on that can help other people and though it sucks that you went through bad things, God can use your experiences in positive ways! Blessings!
Hi Sarah, I am glad you enjoy my visuals. I am a very visual person and love being artistic in any of my endeavors. Color brings me happiness, actually color is also used in therapy too! You are right about striving to be like Him (Jesus)...I have wandered a little and have strayed from the path from time to time and have found my way back. He is always there waiting or walking beside me even when I am running in the opposite direction, my true friend forever :)
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