Christmas Jewels – Lesson Three – Pausing for a Moment

Yesterday was a biggie, wasn’t it?

May I tell you that I don’t have these Lessons pre-planned?

Also: I had some ideas in mind prior to starting these Lessons. But I try attending to guidance; to how I’m being nudged. Consequently, Spirit had me doing something else each day.

So here we are, together again. (Deep breath.)

When we started, I had no idea that we’d be focusing on noticing and observing our negative thought forms as our second Lesson. (Our first Lesson was about getting some much-needed sleep. It’s much too difficult to do what we’re doing if either of us is weary or cross because we’re sleep-deprived.)

So let’s take a moment to review and retrace what we’ve done so far.

Our focus is on Falling in Love with Ourselves.

Rather obviously, if you’re here with me on this Journey, you’d like more love in your life. Love from you to you. Love from those around you towards you. You’d probably simply like to feel more loved. (That would be a big one, wouldn’t it?)

Makes sense, doesn’t it?

We get some coaching – we look for inputs – in those areas where we desire some change.

By reading this now – when there is still so much to do with Christmas preps – and when you really just want to curl up and nap (hey, it ’tis the season) – you’re telling yourself (and me) that Falling in Love with Yourself is something that you’d really like to have in your life.

And that you already have some of this in your life. (Because if you didn’t, it would be hard for you to say I want more of that.)

So together, we’re going to do something a bit complex, and a bit subtle. It’s going to require that we focus our mental attention in a very specific way.

Once again, we’re going to be a bit more being than doing – we’re giving more attention to noticing and observing rather than seeking to change things just yet.

Before we dive in – one more thought: You probably want not just to feel more loved, but also to have a sense of confidence and security that you are making decisions that show love for yourself.

In other words, you may be looking at your life – some of it being what you’re experiencing right now, and some of what you’ve experienced in the past (which has influenced your now), and you may be saying to yourself, I sure have screwed up. In certain realms (job, boyfriend/husband, other important life-areas), I’ve made decisions that were horribly NOT self-loving. How can I change that dynamic?

This may be what we’re really asking of ourselves when we say, How do I fall more deeply in love with myself?

A Bit More Backstory

Day by day, over these Twelve Days of Solstice, I’m going to share a bit of background about myself.

Why?

It’s not just because I know myself rather well, and at this stage, you don’t – just yet. You don’t yet know how I got to where I am today.

But that’s what’s important.

Whatever degree of spiritual maturity (and life-togetherness) that I have didn’t just happen all at once. I’ve had breakthroughs. More to the point, I’ve had teachers – some real, in-person encounters. (I talk about the important ones up to the time I published Unveiling: The Inner Journey in the book itself. And I talk about the more recent ones in these Lessons, and in my other writings and blog postings.) Also, there are and have been many book-teachers. People whom I haven’t met have substantially influenced my thinking and evolution. Once again, if I knew them (via their books) prior to Unveiling, you’ll find them there. Those whom I’ve met since then, and those whom I met earlier – but who are still influencing what I’m sharing with you – you’ll find in these Lessons and in the various other web and blog writings.)

If you’ve read Unveiling, you’ve read about Kathy Carroll – a friend, mentor, and spiritual teacher. (Although she’d never call herself that. She teaches, but she cleans houses and offices for a living. And she lives very simply. She doesn’t have a computer, and you won’t find her on the internet.)

Kathy shared a crucial insight with me that is important for you right now.

Our primary attention goes to creating positive thoughts; carefully focusing and directing our attention and our thought-forms. This is very important in creating what we desire.

However – yesterday, though (in Lesson Two), I asked you to give your attention to your negative thought-forms.

So what gives?

Kathy found a lot of value with the notion of carefully directing our attention to what we DO desire in our lives. These teachings are expressed by many teachers today, Abraham-Hicks is a leading example. Kathy was the first to share the Abraham-Hicks material with me (and a lot of other people), and we all found that this matter of directing our attention – creating the vortex that we desire – really works.

Yet at the same time, there are those things that we don’t desire in our lives.

Lesson Three: Pausing and Noticing – Without Judging

Abraham-Hicks teaches us to focus our attention on that which we desire.

But Eckhart Tolle, in The Power of Now and other books, teaches us something additional and valuable – an essential complement to the positive formation and direction of our thoughts.

Eckhart Tolle teaches us that a lot of what we don’t want is related to our pain-body.

I quote from Tolle about our pain-body in Unveiling.

Yesterday, in asking you to look at your negative thought-forms (as I’ve been looking at mine), I asked you to take note of how your own pain-body has actually manifested on the etheric or energy level.

Today’s Lesson is – as you notice yourself bringing to mind various situations in your life – to note them without judging or evaluating yourself in them.

(I said today’s Lesson would be a bit complex and subtle, didn’t I?)

Ok. Just throughout the course of the day, stuff will come up. From I don’t like my job (or something in your work situation, ranging from colleagues to earning more money), to your relationships, to your home — to whether or not you’ve discovered and are pursuing your “true calling in life” — you’ll have observations and thoughts.

What I’m asking you do to is to notice whatever is triggering a response in you. That is, notice the event or situation. And notice your response. (You like or don’t like.)

But simultaneously – I’m asking you to refrain from judging yourself within this experience.

For example, it’s okay to say, I don’t like my job.

However, refrain from saying, How come I’ve got such a crappy job? Why am I doing such a messed-up life that I’ve put myself into such an awful job? How come I keep screwing up? (And on and on.)

Did I mention that today’s Lesson required you to use your mind in a way that was a bit more complex and subtle?

You’re going to note when your mind stops having its immediate response to a situation or event, and even evaluates the situation/event (like/don’t-like), and goes into evaluating or judging itself. (That’s the How come I always … mode. And we’re going to hold the line, and just not go there today, okay?)

Planning a Winter Garden (By Way of Analogy)

Suppose that you’re planning a garden. Right now it’s winter; you’ll be cleaning up, landscaping, and planting in spring. Suppose that this garden is whatever is accessible to your mind – even if you’re just dedicating a window in a condo or a small balcony. (If you have for-real land, go for it – this is still an imaginary exercise.)

Suppose that the area in which you’re going to be planting currently has junk in it. In fact, it may be horrifically bad – it may be a bit of toxic waste area, or a repository for all sorts of debris.

This garden is your mind, and it is your life.

You’re desiring something beautiful (and perhaps different from what you have already). You’re making plans and actively envisioning what you desire. This means you’re researching plants online, designing the layout with graph paper or a computer program, ordering seed and plant catalogs, and doing all sorts of research and planning.

As you do this, you’re creating the garden in your energetic space; you’re creating the attractive vortex.

At the same time, you can’t completely disregard the work you’re going to do in clearing out the old waste and debris.

The challenge is to note what you’re going to clear out without indulging in a great big reactive judgment about that stuff. Just note it, and note that you’re going to remove it. Don’t get into dialogues with yourself about it.

Keep the tone of your mind – when it comes to noting that which you don’t want – as objective and as neutral as possible.

Your mind is like a lens. (Think microscope, telescope, or camera lens. All the same for this exercise.)

You focus your lens (your mind) through your attention.

You can observe without indulging in an emotional reaction – especially a judgmental, beating-yourself-up reaction.

So the real challenge here maintaining emotional objectivity and neutrality even while noticing that which normally you either avoid noticing, or get into a tailspin about when you do notice it.

If it helps, make lists. Lists of what you want, and that which you’d like to be different. (Notice that I’m using carefully neutral language here, right? I’m even moving away from words like “don’t want,” and towards words like “want to be different.”)

If it helps, journal.

But we’re just going to spend a day on this; tomorrow we’ll be moving on.

Much love to you, darling!

And may the blessings of the Season truly be with you.

Yours with love and laughter – Alay’nya

Christmas Jewels: The Workshop

Sometimes it’s easier to work through these lessons in a small, safe group – with someone to guide you through each step.

Christmas Jewels – the workshop – is your opportunity. For full details, go to: Christmas Jewels Workshop: You are the Jewel in the Heart of the Lotus.

 

Previous Pages in the Twelve Days of Solstice: Falling in Love with Yourself

• Day Two: The Barrier
• Day One: Stillpoint