Love your shadows

"There is that part of us that feels ugly, deformed, and unacceptable. That part, above all, we must learn to cherish, embrace, and call by name."

-- Macrina Wiederkehr

Each of us has characteristics we define as ‘good’ and those we define as ‘bad.’ The parts of ourselves that we continually reject want to be acknowledged and loved. Until we honor these aspects, they will continue to assert themselves. They will do whatever they can to get our attention.

What aspects of yourself do you reject?

Take a few moments to open to the parts of yourself that you do not love. See each one honestly, for what it is. Explore the wounds and the motives that gave rise to its condition. Love a wounded part of you and it will heal.

"...self-contempt never inspires lasting change."

-- Jane R. Hirschmann and Carol H. Munter

"The first step toward change is acceptance. Once you accept yourself, you open the door to change. That's all you have to do. Change is not something you do, it's something you allow."

-- Will Garcia

Seek insights

"The ultimate value of life depends upon awareness and the power of contemplation rather than upon mere survival."

-- Aristotle

INSIGHTS happen only when we shift to a higher, more inclusive perspective. As we grow in wisdom and experience, we become less attached to the form of reality and more aware of its spiritual side - its qualities, values and meaning. As we get to know ourselves as souls, we begin to let go of the self-consciousness of the ego. This allows us to more effectively include others and work with the whole picture.

When there is more in sight, we get more insights.

Try becoming aware of those times when you focus on differences. At those times, STOP and PAY ATTENTION and IDENTIFY SIMILARITIES INSTEAD. See how all parts fit into a bigger picture. Expand your perspectives. Find common causes, motives and needs. Go to another level of thinking and problem solving. Be open to using more imagination and creativity. Shift your thinking from "either/or" to "both/and" and be prepared for more insights.

"Insight occurs when, and to the degree that, one knows oneself."

-- Andrew Schneider

"We are not what we know. We are what we are willing to learn."

-- Council on Ideas

Don't avoid the void

"When we feel stuck, going nowhere -- even starting to slip backward -- we may actually be backing up to get a running start."

-- Dan Millman

To change, we must go through a transition zone. It's not easy being in transition. Thoughts, beliefs and habits are all in flux. It can create a sense of groundlessness, of being in a void that can be quite uncomfortable.

When we’re in the void, our first impulse will be to revert to old habits because they feel comfortable. Our goal is to hang in there until the change is complete. Knowing that TRANSITIONS ARE PART OF THE CHANGE PROCESS helps, we muster the courage to put up with the discomfort, the uneasiness, the void.

Change requires a letting go of what we’ve always known and done to allow in something new. We need to trust ourselves and higher forces to unfold a new reality for us.

"Every positive change - every jump to a higher level of energy and awareness - involves a rite of passage. Each time to ascend to a higher rung on the ladder of personal evolution; we must go through a period of discomfort, of initiation. I have never found an exception."

-- Dan Millman

Co-creation starts with imagination

"It is not the answer that enlightens, but the question."

-- Decouvertes

"The man who has no imagination has no wings."

-- Muhammad Ali

Imagination is a tool of the soul. Our imagination gives us the opportunity to 'try on' new qualities and perspectives in our life. Through imagination, we can explore our past, problems, patterns, processes, plans, perceptions, principles, passions and purpose to uncover new possibilities.

Without imagination, we stay stuck in the realm of the material, the past, the superficial and the literal. We remain one-tracked, instinctual and one-dimensional.

Our imagination comes from the soul, subconscious and senses. Only through our imagination, can we become multidimensional, experience more love, create more beauty, manifest more results, change our conditions, rewrite the past, and connect with divinity, purpose and others.

"You see things; and you say, 'Why?' But I dream things that never were; and I say, 'Why not?'"

-- George Bernard Shaw

"Reason can answer questions, but imagination has to ask them."

-- Ralph Gerard