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May we nourish our collective heart this holiday  As we honor Thanksgiving this year, whether gathered with loved ones or resting in solitude....
May we feel safe to be as we are, in our bodies, minds, and souls. May we acknowledge the provision that life has offered us, and allow ourselves to fully receive that which nourishes and feeds our spirits and flesh. May we shrug off with grace that which would diminish our light. Allowing it to roll off us, untarnished, and view it through the eyes of compassion and a desire to understand. May we be fully grounded in our hearts and feel this capacity grow. May we honor our roots, our personal ancestry, and that of our communities, country, and planet. May we remember that we wouldn't be here without those who came before. May we honor their love, courage, and hope. The beauty they planted that has flourished through time and strengthened through adversity. May we also acknowledge their shortcomings. The moments of misstep, and misalignment with deep Truth and Love. The old wounds, personal, and collective, that have yet to heal. May we recognize this humanness within ourselves too. That we all have these capacities for love, fear, connection, and confusion. May we find tenderness as we see these places where our souls and communities still ache. May we witness the pain and not turn away. May we say, "I am here with you, brother, sister, friend. We will heal this together." May we be willing to forgive, and to practice it until we feel it in our bones. May we have the courage to move into inspired action. Led by the heart, to offer greater healing to ourselves, our families, and the world. May we trust that our love and joy ripples out into the universe, and serves those who need our gifts the most. May we remember that the choice to live from this place elevates us all. We Are One. ------------ Thank you for existing. We need you. With so much love, Sarah P.S. Have a blessing you would like to share with our community? Post it in the comments below.
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Things are not as they seem.  Photo by Thomas W. Harding In the Land of Smoke and Mirrors, do not believe everything you think. The thoughts a barrage of unworthiness, hatred, fear, despair. Taunting us with a seemingly unending list of evidence proving this dark, grim reality. The haunting visuals, words, and feelings, can echo in our minds. My friend, do not fall prey to these specters of your mind. Moving through our darkness, and the themes it takes at different times of our lives, please, my friend, remember: things are not as they seem. The show these parts of our mind create, with their lurking shadows, distorting flashing lights, and ominous voices, can distract and confuse, paralyze or enrage. Please, my friend, remember, this is just a stage. If nothing else, remember that this is not real. Call to the light. Remember that it exists. Sometimes, looking up, seeing that the light is still there, amidst all the confused mess, is enough to beam us out, and give us a wider perspective. Other times, it may be like traversing through a dark, slippery cave, seeking the crack where a small glimmer of light enters. As you feel your way through the shadows, my friend, remember, that things aren't as they seem. Take your time, remember the light. Remember that love exists. Follow your nose to fresher air, and trust that I am here with you. Though it may seem it sometimes, you are not alone. When you've made it to higher ground and fresher air, when the tenuousness of your journey has passed, breathe. Perhaps, pause, look back, and see things for what they really are. As the superfluous special effects begin to deflate, and special lighting dies down, do you see the man behind the curtain, the boggarts, the path through the "fun house" more clearly? What was this elaborate, convincing, and even painful display all about? Underneath it all, you may notice a small kernel of truth. A need. A longing. An ache for love, acceptance, peace, belonging, healing, safety, freedom, to be seen. A call to receive something that a part of you may have been needing deeply for so very long, a part of you hidden in shame, and a vulnerable hope that its need may actually be met. Now your path is more clear. Learn to invite in this love, compassion, and awareness. Trust that you are worthy to receive it. You are. If you are traversing through darkness, your Land of Smoke and Mirrors, or know someone who is, you do not have to navigate through it alone. Reach out to someone who can help you remember what is True, to call out Illusion, and feel your way back to your connection to light. I'm no stranger to these lands, and would walk through it with you in a second if you ask. I've got my torch bright and blazing and at the ready to help us find our way through.
With so much love for you, Sarah P.S. If a thought feels like sh*t when you think it, it doesn't contain fundamental Truth.  Here in the United States, election season is in full swing. As debates and interviews air, articles release, and opinions are displayed on social media, chances are you feel a mix of emotions: fear, concern, frustration, judgement of those with other views, righteousness, hope for something better, a desire to do something, ambivalence, hopelessness, etc.
Regardless of your political stance, the dynamics that are at play in our country give us each a chance to look at ourselves more deeply. What we see playing out between the candidates, their parties, and supporters mirrors the conflicts that occur within our own mind. As human beings, we all have a tendency to get caught up in blame games (making others wrong, and punishing ourselves with guilt for things we have done). We can inflate ourselves as a protective mechanism, so others do not see our faults, and insecurities. We dwell on the past. We divide ourselves into Us verses Them, making one group the good guys, and the other the enemy. As many of the collective energies are feeding off of these divisive dynamics, how can we shift to a more aware space, and perhaps even heal? The key begins with embracing our humanness, our vulnerability. In order to really connect with ourselves, and then in turn with each other, we must be authentically honest, and real. What is underneath our desires? Can we gracefully and compassionately acknowledge the mistakes we have made in our life, and allow others forgiveness for theirs? Are we willing to see that at the core of our views, the vast majority of us have a need to feel safe, cared for, and loved? When we give ourselves the safe place to truly acknowledge all parts of ourselves, those we like, those we don't, and those that we pretend aren't even there, we create ripe space to transform. We start to see more clearly what things really are. We begin to connect. We begin to listen with willingness and respect. We begin to heal. No matter what you are feeling now, are you willing to allow compassion to seep in for yourself? How would that look, feel, or sound for you? Share your thoughts of how you are cultivating compassion during this election session here. If you would like support in this process, feel free to schedule a session with me. We are all in this together, Sarah Barlow My heart is in a rock tumbler, but don't feel sorry for me... Embracing the process, the ripening of the soul.  Over the last few months, a series of events has catapulted me deep within, experiencing the fabric of the universe. Something within me is shifting in a very significant way. And, at the moment, I am not quite sure what it is and which end is up, but what I can tell you is that it is needed, and growth is eminent. I can feel the process churning within me.
Why am I telling you this? Because, perhaps now, sometime in the past, or someday in the future you have or may find yourself in your own unique version of this, triggered by the perfect moment to stir your deeper awakening. Something subtle, but entirely profound operating beneath the surface. If we don't remember to breathe while we hold ourselves and our experience in gentle awareness, it can get painful quick. But if we allow it all to unfold without making anything right or wrong, we cultivate a ripe environment for wisdom to reveal itself to us. I could disclose the details of the story that has led me here, but that feels like a distraction right now. Perhaps it is something I will share at another time. What I will share with you now is this, a poem I wrote earlier this week that captures the experience emerging within me. May there be something here that feeds your soul. My heart is in a rock tumbler but don't feel sorry for me My heart is breaking open softening the zagged edges chipped away intimately acquainting with the depth of experience the fabric of the universe the profundity that is often skimmed over in the day to day My heart is breaking open but I do not feel pain the softness, the compassion, the cradling that accompanies grief surrounds me Without fear I surrender myself to the process embracing vulnerability that is my grace I let my head fall back, chest unfurl to the sky, and fully collapse my trying, my "strength" and find I am held gently lifted by Grace That, in time, the lessons within may seep in like rainwater gently trickling through the earth to the reservoir That I have and am enough I am that which is beyond love benevolence, humility, compassion My heart is breaking open but do not feel sad for me Within is revealed the goo of my center, the Truth of my Nature that which I am becoming that which we have always been Blessings Dear Ones, Sarah Barlow |
Sarah Barlow
Reiki Master Teacher and Owner of Embrace Your Essence Sign up for our E-Letters Here
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