Be Grateful for Past Lives...You too (Part 2)

We meet again at the intersection of true authentic self seeing and true authentic self accepting. In Part 1 of this blog series, I shared some of my own realizations and how I've evolved to getting closer to accepting those parts of my past that are less than glamorous.  The truth is, those aspects of ourselves are the parts that bring the most lessons and therefore the ones we should cherish the most. It's such a beautiful thing to see your true self and still love every little cell. Are you up for the challenge?

Sometimes getting to that place can be tricky. The process of self actualization and acceptance can sometimes be mystifying. It is definitely easier said that done and facing those darker aspects can be scary, painful and difficult. We are the authors of our own lives however, and due to that, we should know the book cover to cover. We have the ability to change the plot and rewrite the ending but the only way to do that is by knowing the characters. We can't be afraid to see ourselves and feel deeply. We ought to be careful though with not saturating ourselves in the "story" of who we think we are. Humans are notorious for over identifying with problems and making them a part of their identity. The key is to know thyself and shift the patterns present without attaching or avoiding them. 

If you want to walk down that road, here are some pathways to greater self-discovery:

• In the quiet moments in your mind, what are you most self-critical about?
• What emotions keep showing up for you in relationships?
• What's a consistent message you see reflected to you from others?
• What aspect of life has been a source of struggle?
• What quality do you most yearn to embody or actualize? 
• What issue or situation in your life do have shame around?
• Pay close to attention to yourself when you feel yourself projecting: anger, jealousy, judgment or another intense emotion.

Once we are truly seeing ourselves, we will then need to work with the clay. Meaning, we are to put our hands in the process and reshape it. Shifting and transformation are best done by mindful engagement with acceptance and neutrality towards energized people and experiences. Our goal shouldn't be to change others or control situations. Our goal should be shifting the way we perceive and feel about our life. Very often, at the root of perpetual patterns, lie stubborn beliefs around who we think we are. Examples include "things never go right for me," "I'll never get there," "why me," "I can't do it," "I can't get ahead," "I'm always stuck," and the list goes on. It's really important that you don't over indulge or over identify with the things you find in yourself. Attaching to it isn't the answer, you want to study it and learn from it. Examine what thoughts are hiding in that head of yours or reach out to me for an Akashic Session to learn about past life imprints still lingering in your experience. The good news is, you're the author, remember, and you can take ownership over yourself. To do that, you'll want to consider the self-care tips below.

Tips for self-acceptance:

• See yourself for who you are, not for what you do
• Spend some quiet moments throughout each day reaching inward for how you really feel
• Slow down and savor
• Look for the gratitude and the lessons in hardship
• Be present with unpleasant feelings and have tea with them 
• Choose to believe that everything happening around you is a concert with your highest and best in mind
• Engage in consistent releasing activities, allow whatever moves in and whatever moves out
• Essentially, don't grip or control
• Be gentle on yourself, you are imperfect and that's okay
• Laugh more, joy energy is the highest vibration of all

Self-care and genuine self-acceptance feel like liberation. Being in the stream, or flow, with your life is a beautiful process that puts you in a place of trust, faith and gratitude. It feels like you are where you're supposed to be despite bumping up against lessons. Invariably we will receive a nudge. Sometimes I say and act in ways that are not aligned with my true self, and in those moments, I've got to love myself there too. It is the feeling of self-love that brings us the most peace in this life. No one ever became enlightened by beating themselves up. So long as you keep bringing yourself back to the practice of self-discovery, self-care and mantra, you can be, clear, or shift anything in your life. Below are some mantras that might be helpful for your journey.

Mantras a/k/a power house statements:

• I am beautiful, divine, whole and worthy despite my behavior and my perception of self
• I am on this journey called life to love myself, I will remember that
• The universe is on my side
• I am willing to receive what comes to me, because it is meant for me
• I am not my thoughts or experiences 
• I am imperfect, but that's perfect 
• Deep within my heart, lies my true self. I honor that voice today.

Thank you for taking this journey with me to look within ourselves with a flashlight. My hope for you is that you are brave and compassionate in self-exploration. To have both seems like a superpower. Be grateful for past lives. I am and you should be too.

Jai!