peace
I am a really nice, peace-loving, spiritual person at heart, yet sometimes I catch myself reacting in a less than evolved fashion in different life situations. For example, I get so angry when I encounter bad drivers or people who clearly have no regard for others, and my tendency is to get angry and sometimes even rude, steaming about it for sometimes days afterwards. At the same time I see myself reacting in such ways, I know that it is not who I really am. How can I walk my talk more, and keep my cool in situations that evoke such instant anger?
Martha, Los Angeles
Dear Martha,
First of all, good for you for being aware of a behavior of yours that is not in alignment with who you really are – a lot of people don’t ever even get to that point! I have got a lovely exercise for you to try, one that I found in the CWG Book 1 Guidebook years ago and that I use with pretty much all of my clients at some point. Rest assured that this challenge is not unique to you, we all at some point in our lives show up as “less than evolved”, or react harshly to certain situations life throws our way, some of us more than others. The trick is to not react, but to instead act on it; in other words, decide ahead of time what your new reaction will be. And there’s a fun and easy way to do this:
~ Take out a piece of paper and draw 3 vertical columns. Title the first column, “Situations That Commonly Occur”, the second column, “My Usual Reaction to It”, and the third column, “My New Reaction”.
~ List as many situations you can think of where you find yourself reacting in a way that you don’t like, identifying your usual reaction to it, and then choosing your new reaction, or how you’d like to show up when that situation arises.
~ Finally, put it into practice! The next time you find yourself in one of the situations you’ve identified, choose your new reaction!
So much of what we experience in life simply calls for awareness and a small turning of our attention, and making conscious choices. You’ve already got the awareness and attention part down here, now you can enjoy making a conscious new choice based on who you really are, and in my humble opinion, there is no greater joy.
Now, while I’ve found this exercise to be extremely useful in my clients’ lives as well as my own, it does not account for every situation. For example, if you’ve got some deep-rooted emotions connected to some of your “usual reactions”, it may serve you to speak with a professional about it, process what you need to process, and finish your unfinished business. But for many of our daily experiences, habits and patterns, this exercise works like a charm, and begins assisting you in creating more and more experiences that you can be happy with and proud of. Enjoy!
(Nova Wightman is a CWG Life Coach, as well as the owner and operator of Go Within Life Coaching, www.gowithincoaching.com, specializing in helping individuals blend their spirituality with their humanity in a way that makes life more enjoyable, easy, and fulfilling. She can be reached at Nova@theglobalconversation.com. )
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Now, negative thoughts and frustrations will, and do, come in from time to time, sometimes a lot more if we’ve made them a kind of unconscious habit. However, this is not necessarily a bad thing; it’s just a part of how we currently process life. It’s often very temporary, and it’s okay to feel these frustrations. We can even break these negative thinking habits by the practice of patience, forgiveness, loving kindness, and compassion we show on and toward ourselves and others.
The trouble is we tend to be culturally conditioned to focus on them too much and stay in them too long. This is when they can become unhealthy and less beneficial.
I suggest instead to acknowledge them – thank them, if you will – for pointing out that there’s something going on that you don’t prefer. Thus, your negative thoughts, feelings, and frustrations are letting you know you desire change.
Now, you can also practice and remember that you don’t have to get caught up in, or stay so focused on, those temporary negative thoughts and feelings. Instead, just be more aware that they actually are wise friends, pointing you toward what you do prefer.
Negative thoughts, in fact, can have a very positive benefit! They have an important message.
They are simply pointing out, or letting you know, that something is important enough to create a feeling energy in you to “course-correct” yourself, if you choose.
What would happen if you now saw your negative thoughts and frustrations as your spirit hinting strongly that it’s asking for an adjustment attunement from you to get you to a place of peace and harmony? Wow! We were never taught that in school or at home! That’s your spirit directing you to course correction.
Frustrations, irritations, annoyances, setbacks, anger, pain, interruptions, BIG or small, can be seen as energy bursts that happen as we desire to better our lives, become more peaceful, balanced, whole and prosperous, etc. These frustrations and so forth come to us in answer to our desires to improve our lives, and they can help us get there more quickly by the high energy charge they give us. We see them as negative, but that is our culturally conditioned judgment we place on them.
If we allow it, we see that this is life calling us in answer to our spiritual life improvements we desire to have. It doesn’t have to always come in the guise of negative thoughts, frustrations, etc. Yet if and when it does, we can use them for our benefit rather than our determent. That shows we are ready to move ahead with better improvements with our lives, which is why they come in the first place.
We are indoctrinated into believing that negative thoughts and feelings are bad, that they create bad energy and experiences; whereas, another more beneficial way to look at them, or use them, is that they are showing us that something is important enough to us to cause such a strong energy, and by the feelings they create, they can powerfully move us to positive, beneficial, and welcome change.
They get us there more quickly than when things are going so-so. These are powerful energy movers that are created or called forth for our betterment. They are here to motivate and show us the way to living the life we so desire. That is their divine cosmic purpose. That is their gift and blessing we often overlook.
But not anymore!
We have another way to see and perceive negative thoughts and feelings. They are secretly disguised course-correctors, the GPS from our spirit to direct us to more positive lives and experiences.
When we are ready and open enough in our hearts and minds and, thus, look more deeply into life, we see that it is set up in such a way that it works and plays in our ultimate favor. The negative is here for contrast and free will choosing. As we dive and peer deeply into the cosmic microscope, we see that good is actually behind and underneath it all. Wow!
The mind can’t usually conceive this, but the heart, your spirit, your soul, your true self can. That’s what led you here to begin with, don’t you think? That is, to place within your current experience an alternative and beautiful way to see life as an expression of Original Blessing and Original Grace. This article is an answer to your call for understanding. That’s what the angels tell me anyway.
Using negative thoughts and feelings in this way eventually can become so habitual that we will eventually have less need to have thoughts show up negatively as we gain more wisdom. Yet using the wisdom, gifts, and blessings behind the seeming negatives works and plays for our benefit, our improved joy in life. Such is the secret wisdom behind the seeming negative if we but look and honor it.
That’s a win-win!
(Marko Damkoehler is an artist/writer/musician and creator of markoworld.com, as well as an avid student of CwG. He is also one of the Spiritual Helper Moderators on the changingchange.net website.)
(If you have a Guest Column that you would like to submit, send it to Lisa@TheGlobalConversation.com. Not all material submitted is accepted for publication, but we appreciate each submission.)
On February 7, 2011, I began a 2500 mile “walk the walk and talk the talk” journey for Peace. My intention was to walk 50 miles, in all 50 states, in 50 weeks, in conjunction with my 50th birthday, while spreading the message to anyone who would listen that Peace is our natural state and, to assert that conflict is generated by fear. Moreover, to declare that fear is the result of uncertainties about life. With support from my husband, family, friends and many complete strangers, I achieved this goal on January 21, 2012.
As humans being provide an integral role in the biosphere (indeed, we are the embodiment of Nature) , I became determined to illustrate that our precious Mother Earth not only demonstrates our inherent peacefulness, but is the perfect model for equanimity. I felt that by demonstrating Nature’s synergy, her impulse to grow effortlessly in an expression of life, to adapt and seek harmony, to thrive efficiently and without waste and to protect only when growth is threatened, that she reflects the most sublime aspects of our being. I believed that with thoughtful consideration, the obvious conclusion would be that something against our nature was creating fear for, devoid of Ego or uncertainty, Nature is certainly fearless! The effort to capture this concept produced a small book entitled, “From Fear to Eternity: A Path to Peace” that I distributed in every state.
For me, the Peace Walk was both confirming and illuminating. As most of the 2500 miles was completed on trails, paths and walkways, I was privileged to witness a variety of natural ecosystems and their exquisite coherence. What I didn’t expect was that there is a flourishing network of parks and trails that is literally, reconnecting our country to Nature and to each other. Urban and rural, metropolitan cities and small towns have been and are creating pathways to encourage outside activity, alternative transportation routes and unity amongst the residents. Given the “nature” of the walk, I was most encouraged to find that a majority the 100 or so trails that I traversed were very well-kept and inviting.
I was also instilled with an abundance of hope for our future. Despite what may be perceived in the media, our country is truly ready for a return to a simpler, more natural time which, invites and requires a reconnection with one another. I found this evident in the profusion of markets, community gardens, outdoor gatherings and ubiquitous “green” practices, as well as, the many discussions about the desire to find a “common ground.”
Anyone who has read the miraculous Conversations With God series knows the primary tenet is that all Life is unified and its essence is Love. Never, in the history of the world, has the need to evoke this awareness been more crucial. Where we have slowly disconnected ourselves from Nature, we have also disassociated from one another and, until we restore that unity, we will suffer the mire of internal and eternal conflict. We have created a world, disparate of Peace, because too many have allowed the belief that we are separate to supersede our knowing we are ONE. Now is the time to cease our illusion of division and move “from fear to eternity.”
(Cassandra Curley, BA, LMT, Author and Messenger of Peace, has studied and been active in the fields of Wellness and Spirituality for more than thirty years. Her journey on the path to find her own inner peace has led her to understand Universal Truths that have been veiled by a false paradigm of judgment. During this critical time in history, while there is willingness for change, her mission is to help illuminate these hidden truths and assist others toward a movement of PEACE. She resides in Winter Springs, Florida with her husband of 28 years, Mark and can be reached through www.cassandracurley.com .)
If you have a Guest Column that you would like to submit, send it to Lisa@TheGlobalConversation.com. Not all material submitted is accepted for publication, but we appreciate each submission.
For those of you yearning to hear the internal whispers of your soul amidst the noisy chatter of an unruly mind…for those of you longing to experience the calm bliss of simply “being” when your experience of life at this moment feels like a never-ending cycle of “doing”…perhaps the soothing voice and gentle rhythms of Snatam Kaur is something you would be willing to make a regular part of your day.
The transcendent power and healing qualities of the devotional chants of Snatam Kaur have elevated it to become one of my most beloved choices in my musical collection. Her songs combine a unique blend of ancient chants sung in Gurumukhi, the sacred language of the Sikhs, and English.
Snatam Kaur (whose name means universal, nucleus, and friend to all) uses her music to bridge diverse cultures, faiths, and traditions, and to promote peace and inner strength. When asked what her definition of ‘peace’ is, she replied, “I feel peace is defined in each person’s life in the moments of their greatest struggles and challenges. Peace is the ability to stay true to yourself, and in any situation find the light or find the way to grow and transform in that situation, while uplifting yourself and other people.”
The purity and clarity of Snatam’s voice radiates and her soft spiritual chants touch your soul. Her albums “Anand,” “Celebrate Peace,” and “Grace” are just a few of my personal favorites. You will quickly realize that understanding the language in some of the songs is not a necessary element to having a profound experience of bliss and peace, that her music transcends the confines of any one particular language, and that her universal message of oneness is one that is deeply felt.
The book When Everything Changes, Change Everything speaks to the importance of meditation, whether that be a sitting meditation, a walking meditation, or a “doing” meditation; that some form of meditation is “the single most important commitment of your entire life: a commitment to your soul, to be with your soul, to meet your soul, to hear and listen to and interact with your soul.”
If your attempts at meditation thus far have been unsuccessful, I invite you to consider incorporating the sacred mantras of Snatam Kaur as a gentle assistive tool to elevate your meditative experience to the next level.
I close now with the lyrics to one of Snatam’s songs, “Long Time Sun,” an old Irish blessing which is currently sung by thousands worldwide as a parting prayer in Kundalini yoga classes:
“May the Long Time Sun
Shine upon you
All love surround you
And the pure light within you
Guide your way on
Guide your way on.“
You may read more about Snatam Kaur and purchase her music on her website:
(If there is a book, movie, music CD, etc. that you would like to recommend to our worldwide audience, please submit it to our Managing Editor, Lisa McCormack, for possible publication in this space. Not all submissions can be published, due to the number of submissions and sometimes because of other content considerations, but all are encouraged. Send submissions to Lisa@TheGlobalConversation.
