Reaching for the Stars
I’ve noticed a lot of us reaching quite a bit lately. It’s inspiring. Couples in my counsel reaching for new levels of intimacy, connection and commitment. Clients reaching for their dreams to share their gifts with the world. Freshly single folks reaching deep inside; looking for their true self that got lost in their last relationship.
The sky is seriously hot with ground shaking transformational energies-- reaching is exactly what’s called for. Expect to get stretched. As the soul insists on stretching our egos in this sacred act of reaching beyond our old limitations.
Getting Stretched
I’d be impressed if you weren’t feeling it. Old emotional imprints bubbling to the surface.. vulnerable parts of you getting exposed.. confronting limiting self-concepts all up in your face… How are you being stretched?
What’s a human on planet earth to do? How can we stretch, be vulnerable, transform and take action without totally disintegrating?
“Learn how to receive” says a voice within. Receiving shifts the energetics of reaching.
We reach for food when we are hungry, we stop reaching when we receive nourishment. We reach for our goals and rest when we receive a sense of completion. We reach for comfort when vulnerable and settle when we receive support. We reach within to find ourselves and liberate vitality when we receive ourselves with love.
How well do you receive?
There are all sorts of blocks around receiving; not feeling worthy of receiving, not being used to it, not knowing how, not feeling safe enough to receive, not having models on how to do it well. These blocks are common and utterly human, but they won’t help you cultivate a soul-satisfying life.
There’s lots of energy in the cosmos to launch you to the next level of your existence, but if you skip over this vital step called ‘receiving’ you will end up depleted and fall off the edge into drama land. Please don’t. We need you here.
If you find yourself in need of some rejuvenation and recuperation as you reach for the stars, here are some practices to help you receive with more ease and grace.
1) Slow down. Pause. Breath. Notice what’s here with all of your senses. In this rush of getting somewhere else, we can miss the beauty of this one precious moment.
2) Take in Nature’s Beauty. When I say take in Nature, I mean with all of your senses and deep into your body. Glorious landscapes are nice, but even a little bit can help. The other night in the busyness of a big party I gave myself permission to play with a rose petal. I caressed my face with its smooth lusciousness, inhaled its fragrance, examined its pink and yellow hues. I appreciated its beauty thoroughly. With this act of intentionally taking in a little bit of Nature I was able to be more present to myself and to the dozens of people I haven’t seen in years.
3) Inhabit your body with awareness. The mind likes to jump ahead. When that monkey mind is not in your body to take in the present moment, it can miss out on some incredibly satisfying experiences. This takes practice, but it can be done anywhere. Walking down the hall you can enjoy feeling your feet touch the floor. Sitting at a computer you can wiggle your spine with mindfulness. You can also try paying attention to your whole body as you take in your next meal.
4) Receive your blocks to receiving with compassion. That self-talk that deflects compliments, that habitual reflex that pulls you away when you’re offered support, that queasy feeling in your belly when you are on the brink of getting exactly what you’ve been longing for... Try receiving your barriers to receiving with compassion and mindful awareness. You can also try resisting them and judging yourself severely for them, but my guess is that you will get more traction with option 1.
5) Remember you must die. I’ve had a couple of cousins my age die recently. And the number of people in my community currently dealing with cancer is remarkably awakening. Death is a potent force in the field right now and it’s stretching us in powerful ways. With this intimate awareness of death, I find myself receiving and appreciating this glorious gift called life all the more. Loved ones and simple pleasures feel precious in this space. Perhaps you too will learn lessons in receiving when you remind yourself that at some point, you must die.
6) Practice Gratitude. Satisfaction guaranteed.
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