General

May 12 2009

Unpacking Anger

Anger has a life of its own. How does that happen? We might be having a very fine day and then that old argument about making plans for the weekend comes up or age old wounds about spending money to celebrate a special occasion appear and suddenly, real nastiness sets in. We can be in the car and make a seemingly mild comment about going another way to the store and every other issue ever discussed about driving comes crashing into the car between you and your companion. Suddenly Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde are present in full regalia. Who are those folks erupting into yelling, posturing, accusing and defending?

Anger is like temporary insanity. The emotions take on such presence that we begin to feel they are real, powerful and overwhelming.

They aren’t actually any of those things. Anger is neither real, powerful nor overwhelming though our reaction to it can well be overwhelming especially when we are in the thick of the interaction. Anger is not real in the sense that it is a passing emotion, not eternal and it is certainly not powerful as it is not of the Great Oneness. Erupting and repeating anger is a repeatedly debilitating experience which most of us would love to be free of. How do we unpack anger from our energy field, especially when we are, of course, right?

The very first step to unpacking anger is to want it unpacked, more than you want to be right. If you are really ready to stop giving your power to anger, you have to put it first on your list before all other feelings as the one you are going to get rid of. It takes a great deal of determination and commitment but it can be done. It takes honesty with oneself and before Divine Presence.

The next step to unpacking anger is to pick one recent anger encounter and take it into meditation and reflection with Divine Presence. Here is a story of how one partner worked on her anger until it dissipated.

Kevin and Mary repeat versions of anger every time they begin to plan Thanksgiving for their family gathering.

Everyone take their seat... or any seat, please by OldOnliner — Everyone take their seat… or any seat, please by OldOnliner

Kevin comes from a formal family and Mary from an informal family and therefore their approach to entertaining is very different. Though the specific incidents differ each year, the anger and angst for each of them by self-report, feel exactly the same. Mary began to be more and more determined to clear her anger response to Kevin because she was increasingly bothered by having those arguments taint the entire family gathering.

Mary began to work on smaller issues around entertaining in an effort to clear the air leading up to family gatherings. She found that she got angry when she felt that the menu, buying of the food and getting the house ready was all ending up on her plate. Every time it seemed that this was happening, she would get defensive and anger would erupt. She recognized and named the fear as “it is all up to me to make the event successful”. As this fear “ran her” in most conversations about entertaining, she would begin early to keep herself from making any commitments which could pile up and result in her feeling “it is all up to me”. This would drive Kevin crazy because he simply wanted the responsibilities clear. Mary would steadfastly not participate in clarifying the responsibilities so that she would not have it “end up being all on her” . Needless to say, entertaining was stressful.

After Mary specifically named her fear, she began to see this fear morphing and showing up in many other areas of her life, including at work and with her friends as well. Though she remained determined to release this fear, it simply did not seem to be able to go. She took this into Silence and got a clear sense that there was a deeper more gripping fear that she had not even known was there. Mary realized that she really feared “that she would make a major effort and fail or be embarrassed”. This felt solid and intensely honest as it had been with her for many years.

Mary said this was exactly how she felt performing as a young dancer. She would practice for months at a time and had been really embarrassed numerous times about her performances.

This fear was still in her energy field though it had morphed into issues of entertaining in her home. By focusing on one specific situation, she began to be able to let it go and unpack part of her wall of anger. As long as the anger seemed to be one overwhelming, huge, repeating network of arguments, she was unable to do anything but protect herself with all her might against the possibility of impending failure.

This may sound like a psychological assessment of the situation Mary faced but all her insight and clarity came as a result of taking this into Silence and reflecting on these issues through her journaling. Here are the steps she took to come to this clarity herself and to release the core fear running her efforts around entertaining with her husband.

Open a sacred healing space in whatever way you feel comfortable. ( Call in your Highest I Am Energy, Divine Presence and Angelic Energy, for example.
Focus on one specific argument in the recent past.
Ask, “What am I afraid of, What is the fear which is fueling this repeating argument?”
What am I getting from holding onto this argument? What is this argument costing me?
Ask yourself, “Where else is this fear working in my life?
Take all these situations into Silence and ask, “What is the core, root fear behind all this behavior?”
Name the core fear.
Call forth the Sacred Flame from within yourself and command the fear be completely consumed by this Divine Energy. (Even if you feel you don’t know how this works, do it, it does work. )

May 05 2009

Peace Photos

Here are some awesome photos representing Peace, by a range of artists. I hope they are as uplifting for you as they have been for me. CLICK ON EACH PICTURE to see the full range of the artist’s work along with background stories for some of these specific photos. You will be connected to the artists’ individual photography web page. This is also true for all the photos used in any of my posts.

The first photo was a photography project for a class. You can read more about this on the artist’s web site.

Presented by The National Multicultural Festival (below)

Pierre Pouliquin, the next photographer writes, “The Punjab Cultural Promotion Council (PCPC) ensemble is working relentlessly to promote a “Culture of Peace and International Friendship”. Dressed in their exotic traditional costume, the PCPC artists and dancers will perform popular folk dances of Punjab, namely Bhangra and Gidha. In various styles and symmetries, they will perform to the beat and sound of traditional drum and other folk instruments. This spectacular performance will invigorate the whole audience.”

Exotic Bhangra from India by Pierre Pouliquin

Our third photographer known as The Zion View, dedicated the following photo to all those who were affected by recent bomb blast in Bangalore, Ahmedabad, and Jarkand in India.

Let there be PEACE, please... by THE ZION VIEW

The next photo comes from Carf who writes , “contrasting colors, contrasting realities, contrasting pasts, contrasting presents, contrasting futures and contrasting lives! Nevertheless, best friends, Matheus and Vando.” Click on photo for more of these boys’ stories. They both live in Brazil.

Best Friends- a safer pathway to peace by Carf

Danny Hammontree, our next photographer writes, “I met Dogman at Camp Casey in Washington DC. As soon as I saw him I knew I had to get a good photograph of him. I think in total I took about 60 shots of him throughout the 3 days I was in DC. When I photograph people I really try not being noticed because I want to get people as candid as possible. I wish I could post every photo I took of Dogman but you know… Maybe 1 or 2 😉 ”

When: September 24th 2005
Where: Washington DC
What: The United for Peace and Justice Anti-War protest & march.

Trey Ratcliff , our last photographer took this picture in Kuala Lampur, Malaysia and called it Islamic Peace. It looks like delightful peace to me.

Islamic Peace - by Stuck in Customs (Trey Ratcliff)

Apr 30 2009

One Power Focus

There is One Power, One Source, One Divine Presence. This Oneness is All Powerful, All Knowing and Everywhere Present. What would our lives be like if we really, deeply knew this to be true? What would we let go of , what would we welcome into our lives and what would we rejoice in knowing?

We typically move through our lives giving our power to all sort of things which are not the One Power. We give our power to worries, to fears, to the argument between our brothers, to what should have happened last month, to what may happen next week, to the demands of our job and perhaps even to the voice in our heads to “go ahead and buy it, you deserve it”. This has the effect of diluting the full presence of the One Power in our life.

It is our choice as to how we spend our time and what we put our attention upon even though at times we see ourselves as sacrificial beings to others. We have free will to give our attention and concern to anything we choose to, anytime we choose to do so.

As long as we choose to give our power to material things, problems, making money, pleasing others at the expense of ourselves, we have a “dim” and somewhat disconnected view of the Power of the Divine Presence. Focusing our power, energy and attention completely on the outside world dulls us to the intensity and magnificence of All That Is. What we have focused on and attended to, grows and grows.

What does giving our power to the material world look like?

Joe lives in Vienna, VA. He is an insurance executive with two children. He goes into work 6 days a week though Saturdays are not required. He has Sundays off and spends times with his kids and wife that day when possible.

In talking with him about his life he said, my life is pretty routinized. I put on my suit every day, drive to my parking spot and then begin going through all the tasks for the day. Sometimes I look up and 3 hours have simply passed me by. I am never bored as there is always more to do. I miss seeing the kids more, though. They are often headed for bed by the time I get home and eat. I know that Kate is doing a great job with them. I am simply not around much, not as much as I would like to be, anyway.

DO YOU HAVE ANY HOBBIES? No, not really. I’d love to have the energy for something like that. I am usually beat when I get home though. I try to catch a ball game on TV or perhaps watch a show.

Riveting meeting by Mark Hillary — Riveting meeting by markhillary

I sometimes try to get some things done around the house on Saturday afternoon if I can get away from the office a bit early. Seems like my life is just passing on by while I give it all I’ve got.

ARE YOU EXCITED ABOUT ANYTHING IN YOUR LIFE AT THE MOMENT? Not really, that is pretty rare. The insurance business has really clear mandates about serving people and making money while doing that. So, that is what I work with every day.

Joe came in saying he was tired all the time and had very low energy especially on Sundays.

In contrast to this scenario, Dan works in an advertising company in McLean, Va. He is the strategic adviser in the financial section of the company. He works 5 days a week and sometimes has work deadlines over certain weekends. He is married and has three kids.

In talking about his life, he said, I made a decision a few years ago to be in my kid’s lives. I try to get to their games and special presentations at school. If there is an issue about this at work, I take leave. Usually nowadays there is no issue with my taking the time to see their activities. I did not want to be absent while they grew up without me.

DO YOU HAVE ANY OTHER ACTIVITIES OR HOBBIES? I play basketball one evening a week and serve on the board of a hospital near our neighborhood. I love to garden and most times I can wrangle one of the kids into playing with me in the dirt. I also love to cook but we have had to make some adjustments so the kids can eat early enough. I cook on the weekends now mostly.

ARE YOU EXCITED ABOUT ANYTHING IN YOUR LIFE AT THE MOMENT? Yes. We have recently found a super young woman from Italy to live with us and help with the housework and the children after school so Terry can pursue her passion in therapeutic dance.

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR LIFE NOW? Well, it is like one endless surprise. Every day is different. I try not to get too concerned by any one thing that comes up. Things usually work out though sometimes in really crazy ways.

Dan came in to discuss meditation and how it might help him be more present and centered.

Which life description most closely fits how you see your life at present? When we make choices for the expansion of love of self and others, we attract experiences and energy in the world which reflect these choices we have made, including the actual jobs we are currently doing. If we are making choices while attending to the One Power, love and balance manifest. If we are making choices which leave us feeling down, depressed and exhausted, we are not making choices for Love in our lives or the lives of others. This does not mean that we don’t love ourselves or our families. It does mean that we GIVE OUR POWER, time and attention to problems, concerns and demands in the outside world rather than to issues of the heart.

If you are feeling stuck, you might ask, what am I letting run me? What am I doing which separates me from things which bring me joy, balance and connectedness?

Invite the One Power, One Source, into your life. Ask and you will receive even if you don’t know how any changes might be possible. Simply call in this One Power out loud into your daily life and watch what happens. Then write in the comment box and let us all hear about it!!

[Editor’s Note] Click on the title of any post to go to it’s individual web page to leave a comment. Use the comment box below if you are reading the actual web page or click here http://robbinshopkins.com/2009/04/one-power-focus/ to leave a comment for this post.

Apr 18 2009

Questions and Answers – Spiritual Health – 2

How can we pray for others who are sick, afraid or in pain?

The first thing to remember is that All That Is, is already here. God is Constant, One Source, One Power. So asking for the healing of another is frequently not helpful to the other person, though it is not harmful either. All that is needed is already here. We are all made in the image of God and therefore we have all that is needed already. The fact that someone is manifesting illness means they are simply not demonstrating their full power at this time. Their Divine spark , if you will, is somehow diminished by the person giving his or her power to something other than Divine Knowing.

The most powerful prayers we can offer are those which call forth the Divine Oneness within others for their own healing and re-balancing. When we know of that power within a person, our calling it forth is one very powerful prayer for that person. Divine Power resides within every person but often it is not fully actualized because it is covered over with old emotions, thoughts, memories or a sense of separateness from God. When others recognize this in us and call it forth, it allows us to connected with our own sense of spiritual consciousness , power and knowing. The calling forth of Divine Presence in another is similar to Namaste. The God/Christ/Light in me recognizes The God/Christ/Light in you and the response is wholeness and healing vibration. See also: Praying with Power.

What would you recommend if I am repeatedly having unsuccessful relationships with guys I am dating? How can this type of issue be helped spiritually?

Begin by settling into Sacred Space and Stillness. The question you might ask yourself is, what patterns are your repeating in each relationship? What experiences are you having over and over again? Pick one, such as repeatedly going along with a guy, getting more and more serious and then realizing he is not into making a lasting commitment. Take this repeating pattern into Silence. Ask Divine Presence/ God/ The Oneness, what you need to learn from these relationships. Ask to be shown where you are separated from Divine Wholeness in these repeating patterns in your relationships. Then wait knowing you will learn what you need to know. Wait in the Silence and wait out of the Silence, knowing you will be shown in many ways, in the fullness of time, all that you have not seen until now. This will come in a time frame that is perfect for you, though it may not necessarily be within the time frame you have in your mind.

Your part is to bring the pattern into Sacred Silence and ask to be shown where you are separated from Divine Wholeness around this issue. The waiting upon the answer is also your part. Simply remain open and attentive to input and it will begin flowing towards you. The more you obsess over the issue, the harder it will be to receive guidance about it. Simply wait in attentive expectation. It is possible that the answers may be difficult to hear. You may be attracting these relationships because of some fear, mistrust, doubt or concerns you are carrying about being in a committed relationship yourself. In other words, the insights almost always lead us to the identification of our own fears and blocked energy. When you have a sense of what that looks like and feels like, simply command the release of this fear, mistrust, or doubt from your own energy field. Imagine this dark, heavy energy leaving your energy field and give thanks. http://robbinshopkins.com/2009/02/full-partners-with-the-divine-healing-service-excerpt/

Questions and Answers is a new feature of this blog. If you have a questions you would like answered, send them along in the comments section below. Some of the questions asked will appear in upcoming posts. I encourage you to take my answers to questions with you into meditative Silence and discern for yourself what your own answers are for the various questions presented here. Happy seeking.

Apr 14 2009

Questions and Answers – Spiritual Health – 1

What is happening spiritually when we are ill?

Illness is blocked energy which has been blocked long enough for our body to manifest the imbalance as illness. Humans have at least four energy bodies which each manifest different types of energy. There is emotional energy, mental energy, spiritual energy and physical energy. Many times when a rib is out of alignment or we are manifesting a cold or the flu, there is unseen blocked energy in our emotional, mental or spiritual bodies which has originated the imbalance. When the core source of the imbalance is cleared, this allows the realignment of the bone, clearing of the cold or shortening of the healing cycle for the flu. All illness is some type of energy congestion or constipation. When all energy is flowing, the body manifests health and balance. Good Work… If You Can Get It.

Why haven’t we heard of this before now with all the advances in medicine?

What we are speaking about is energy at an unseen level. Emotional, mental and spiritual blocked energy can’t be seen by anything. It can only be discerned through Silence and through practice working with Divine Knowing. The ability to understand this dimension of the unseen though is accessible to all who enter into regular Silence. Divine Knowing is accessible to all, if we seek it. Divine Knowing exists, all the time, everywhere. If we listen in Silence to the “still small voice”, we eventually begin to get messages from that Source of Knowing. The answers and insights may show up in the midst of our daily activities but they can only be received if we are tuned into the questions we have asked. If we are waiting expectantly, we will realize when the messages are delivered. They will register with us as answers to what we have asked. The energy of the unseen level is subtle energy which can be discerned if one is tuned into it. Otherwise, it is as if it does not exist.

How do we know that what you are saying about specific situations is accurate, if everything is unseen ?

There is no sure way to distinguish between those who are accurately receiving Divine Knowing and those who aren’t, except through one’s own inner senses. Intuition and accurate discernment develop over time. Therefore, it is most important to listen carefully to a teacher for a good long while to be sure that what is being said connects with your own true knowing. A teacher is most valuable until such time as the student develops his or her own Inner Knowing. If one’s own Inner Knowing is growing, that is perhaps a good indicator that the teacher is a good match for you. If this is not happening, the match between teacher and student is perhaps out of Right Relationship and needs to be changed or broadened in some way.

What is detox? When does it happen in spiritual healing?

Detox is the abbreviated term meaning detoxification. This is the process of the body sloughing off unneeded toxins as a result of the clearing of unseen or blocked physical energy in the body. All emotions carry specific and unique vibrations within our energy field. If we carry anger, envy, mistrust, unforgiveness or shame, for example, these emotions each vibrate at a unique level of megahertz. As these specific energies are released from our energy field, the overall vibration of the body rises. When this happens the toxins being held at the previous lower level are released and flushed out of the body.

There is a wide range of detox symptoms ranging from bowel imbalances, to thirst, rashes, headaches, runny noses, bad taste in the mouth, vomiting and many others. Each body is different and reacts to spiritual healing differently. Typically detox begins 1-3 days after spiritual healing has occurred and usually lasts 2-3 days. However, it can last much longer depending on the individual involved. Eating lightly, resting and drinking extra water are good ways to assist the body into returning to a new state of balance.