Energetic Pictures: January 2012

When engaging in our daily lives, there is a strong tendency for us to fixate on When something is going to happen for us. We live in a frenetic, complicated and busy world and at times it can seem like the best approach is to attempt to control a little slice of it for our own peace of mind. 'If I just do this one thing then...' or if 'I can finally get this other thing then...' or 'I must achieve this by such and such a date...', have become common phrases for many of us.

However, when you look into Nature you don't see this occurring with the same constraint of attachment. You see everything in movement and growth, but no When. You see animals going about their lives doing much of the same things that we do - waking up, going out to find food for themselves and their family, playing, exploring, sleeping and going to bed again each day. You see plants reaching for the sun, water flowing in its courses, rocks weathering the test of time and air continuously circulating around the Earth. All of this occurs without a controlled schedule of When but it all happens. There is a Flow of days, seasons and years created by the continuous movement of the planets but there is no Stop and no Resistance - there just is.

When we fixate on When, what we are actually doing is attempting to Stop the Flow. The illusion in our Mind is that When we actually get what we want we will have that 'peace' of mind. When we close that deal and hit our number for the month, When we get the job that we 'always' wanted, When we solve or heal the problem, When we buy the house that we were saving for or When we loose the 10 pounds that we were 'just' trying to lose for 2 years, then we will be OK and we can rest! Phew! :) But the reality is that there is always going to be another When and there is never going to be a real Stop.

The planets and galaxies will not stop their rotations (anytime soon) and everything in the world and Universe around us will remain in continuous movement and Flow. Our job (or another one) will be there, we will likely move again, we will have more problems and we will likely gain a few more pounds back, and then lose them again. We know this, and yet our fixated Mind immediately comes back to 'But I just need This one thing now' or I'll work on That later, etc., etc.

My suggestion for addressing this is to not turn away or try and pretend that you don't have some of these fixations but to acknowledge where you have the Whens in your life and ask yourself "Why do I?"

As examples:

- Why do I need to hit my numbers to be at the top of the leader-board for the month?

- Why do I want a new job?

- Why do I the new house?

- Whey do I want that relationship?

- Why do I need to heal or fix this problem?

- Why do I want to loose 10 pounds?

The hint and clue here is as much in the Why? as it is in the 'I'. Ask yourself if these are really your goals. Are you perhaps 'sharing' these goals with someone else (like a spouse, co-worker or family member) and 'riding along on their coat-tails?' Are these Whens things that you were taught earlier in life and now believe are your own? Who in your life wants you to have these Whens? Whether it be in our jobs, our family or friends - attachment to When is everywhere around us. Seeing it for ourselves if often the challenge.

However, the great thing is that each and every When is an opportunity to learn more about ourselves so that we can consciously Choose what it is that we really want. By noticing the attachment to the When, we then have the opportunity to let it go. In doing so we leave more room and energy for that which our True Self really wants to do. And, when we are doing what we really want to do, it feels timeless and it is Flow - there is no Stop and no Resistance. We are in tune with Nature and the rhythm of the Universe. There is no suffering and there is no When, there is just right here, right NOW.

Just take a minute to remember what it feels like to do something that you really love to do ... fun, easy, exciting, peaceful, joyful... true bliss. It is that vibration that will guide you as you ask yourself whether you really need the When.... or Why.

All the Best,

Whitney

"To say 'I Love You', one must first be able to say the 'I'. - Ayn Rand

The sun doesn't shine every day. Sometimes it rains a tiny bit, and sometimes is pours. And sometimes it just looks like it might, and never quite gets there. It's cold and windy and it feels like you might get dumped on at any minute... but it doesn't.

Sometimes, this is even more difficult than having it actually rain, and getting totally soaking wet. Like watching a suspenseful movie and being on-edge because you have the feeling that at any moment that something's going to jump out at you. Makes you want to close your eyes and hide yourself away.

But it's the Contrast of life that makes it all real and wonderful. If every day were mild, predictable and sunny we probably wouldn't appreciate them very much after a while. Isn't it always the beautiful day after a period of dreariness that we remember - and the longer the period of dreariness, the more wonderful the sun?

So, what if you were to really dig into the Contrast, getting up close and personal without any blinders on? Rather than staying inside and waiting for the clouds to clear, what if you were to stand out on the cliff of life with your face into the wind just daring the clouds to 'bring it on'. What might that look and feel like?