PATHWAY TO JOY AND HEALING

Since beginning my spiritual journey, I feel like I have enrolled in the school of hard knocks by recognizing life’s tests and lessons.  Gary Zukav writes about this in his books that this is the purpose for our lives we must begin to recognize and realize.  I feel that I am finally acknowledging this about my own life and experiences.

My first and foremost realization is that every negative interaction with others is really just an internal ego battle that we are experiencing in the moment within us.  When I would blame others for being hurtful, mean, or rude to me, it is really my own battle with ego.  Every judgment I have about another is really a judgment of myself.  Every bit of impatience or anger toward others is really these emotions toward myself.  It has never been about others, since it is always about me and what is within me.

Life or the school of hard knocks has taught me these invaluable lessons.  The reality is that even if others leave us or is no longer in our lives, these emotions and reactions still remain within us.  Others are long gone, and we continue to do ego battles with them within our own heads.  Have you ever had an argument or fight with another, and weeks later, we are still festering over this conflict when they are no longer even in our lives?  This is because the battle we are having is about our egos.  Ego wants to be right, ego wants to control outcome, and ego believes it is omnipotent.

The reality is that ego is frightened, and only drives us to succeed, react, or relate through fear.  It is our awareness of our ego’s work and its deeds that we begin to change ego’s control over us.  The higher self then can guide us in healthier behaviors through compassion, unconditional love, and self love.  The following is what I do to recognize ego’s responses:

1) Observe your behaviors and reactions with others as a third-party bystander, as if watching your life like a movie.

2) Observe the emotions and thoughts during this interaction, but do not react to it.

3) Watch how your thoughts trigger certain emotions and reactions.  For instance, the thought could be, this person is rude to me, then you may feel anger, and may want to say something hurtful in response.

4)  Acknowledge these thoughts and emotions as the work of the ego without reacting to them.

Try this exercise, and as we become more familiar with ego’s responses, we will be able to refrain from reacting faster and faster. Don’t be surprised as you practice this exercise that ego may fight back with fearful thoughts and may test your insecurities and doubts. Hope this is helpful. Namaste, Brooke (Copyright 2013 Kundalini Spirit with All Rights Reserved)