Self-Reliance – The Nature of Being

Living authentically through our physical nature guided by our spiritual essence can lead us into great change and transformation, and back into the enlightened Beings that we truly are…

In our utmost Authenticity we are Pure Consciousness and are the very essence of Love, Light, Joy, and Divine Inspiration.  We are Pure Spirit.  We are Mind in action.  We are a Soul, the Witness, the Observer, the Seer, and all else that identify the I AM…ness of all that exists within us, through us, around us, and as us.  We are Spiritual Beings having a Human Experience.  We have chosen to be here…NOW.

AND SO, HERE WE ARE.  In our physical bodies.   In this moment.  Living in the Now.  How do we incorporate all that we are in our spiritual essence into our human experience?  Is there an authenticity about our human nature as well?  And, what does Self-Reliance have to do with Authenticity? 

Being self-reliant is at the very heart of who we are in our authenticity because it emanates from our spiritual essence.  It is that genius within us all.  It is our divinity.  It is the very knowing that whatever we need resides within us as the absolute power to direct our lives with a deeper sense of our aliveness.  We are simply encouraged to become aware of this power and embody it fully into our humanness for the greater enjoyment of our physical journey.  Let us remember that while we may understand who we are in our higher level of consciousness, we are also encouraged to find the balance between our spiritual beingness and keeping it “real” in our physical existence.  We are encouraged to honor our bodies and how it serves us through every facet of our experiences, for we are pure consciousness in physical motion.  We are the very essence of how life expresses through and as us.  We are the magnificent out-picturing of Love.  We are in spiritual partnership with Life.

For many of us, our physical journey thus far has taken us into places that have kept us from knowing our utmost divinity.  How did this happen?  Before we move into a place of judgment, let us remember that we were all born into and influenced by the traditions of our family environment, immediate surroundings, as well as the collective consciousness…all of which continues to be a factor unless we choose otherwise.  We have also been conditioned by and through all that we have personally experienced.  All of these things and more have created our beliefs and belief systems.  And all of these things have made a significant difference in our internal makeup…some of which have caused us to move from our inherent love to the learned fear that blocks our divine light and natural radiance.  The wisdom we can glean from this  is that we also have the innate power to change anything we choose to change through the unstoppable power of our self-reliant nature.

When we have the desire to create change in our lives, taking full responsibility for how we go about it may not always be an easy choice.  When we do choose to follow our own way of being, we may need to find the courage to step out of our comfort zone and into the unknown with a deeper sense of our divine nature.  We may need to begin by being totally honest with ourselves.   And when we are ready, we may need to be open and honest with others as well.  While it is easy to accept the wonderful things we experience to be harmonious and in divine order, we may also need to accept every mistake, every challenge, and every difficult situation within the same frame of mind.  We may need to release those things that no longer serve us, which includes the people who no longer lift our grace and make us feel good about ourselves.  We may need to be open to the people who truly resonate with us, and with whom we can create meaningful relationships.  We may need to become aware and embrace our own projections.  We may need to learn to love ourselves unconditionally. We may need to be open and receptive to change.

How can we fully accept everything that happens to us as being in divine order?  And how do we find harmony when we feel challenged?

Many of us believe that harmony and divine order means that everything is in beautiful and perfect order.  This is true.  And in the greater meaning within the scope of this writing is that everything that unfolds in our lives are in absolute agreement with our thoughts, our feelings, and our beliefs…whether we are consciously aware of them or not.

By definition, harmony is a friendly agreement.  It also refers to synchronization or an organization (of something).  The word order in this context is defined as an arrangement or sequence (of things).  And of course divine means having a godlike nature; God; connected with, coming from, or caused by God or god or goddess. Are we beginning to see how Harmony and Divine Order are integral aspects of the way we bring to light all that we have thought into being?

So, when we are open to observing our lives from this perspective, we will see clearly that everything we are experiencing right now is the out-picturing of our inner life.  Our thoughts, feeling, emotions, our experiences, and everything in-between have created a harmonious arrangement in which the Universal Energies has responded in kind with a resounding “YES”.  We are the gods and goddesses of our own creation and are therefore, the very power behind the things that manifest in our lives and into divine order.  Please keep in mind that most of what we create is done on a subconscious level and not to be thought of harshly nor  judged.  We are only encouraged to increase the awareness of our thoughts and beliefs so that we can live more in alignment with our true self and experience life on our own terms.

We will continue to blossom and grow through this evolutionary process of our lives throughout our physical, mental and emotional experiences.  And we will continue to be guided through every interaction with the people, places and things that come our way each and every day.  While we may not enjoy every moment of what we see unfolding before us, we must begin to understand that everything we experience happens for a reason and is designed to ultimately move us into greater evolutionary states of our eternal being.  We are simply invited to accept everything as a means to guide us back into our divinity.

To gain a greater perspective of how our own lives unfold, we may want to observe life out in nature which has its own authentic expressions of its evolutionary processes.  We will notice how life expresses its beautiful resilience through trees, animals, birds, insects and every other living thing…all of which carry within their own kind a natural sense being, i.e. the caterpillar transforming into a beautiful butterfly.  It is through these simple observations that we will come to know who we are and how we move through our own transformations and growth by every experience that moves through us.  We will see harmony and divine order taking place at every turn, through all the breathtaking beauty we see before us, and even through the things that may not be as pleasant to watch.  This is simply the very “nature” of nature itself.  This is who we are. And this is how we allow life to move naturally through us.

And likened to the many different expressions of life in nature, it is also important to remember that while we are all divine and have many fundamental similarities, we are also unique in our individuality.  And it is from this premise that we are encouraged to design our lives in accordance with our own truth and sensibilities, for therein lies the very heart of our soulful interconnectedness.

Remember, it is within our self-reliant authentic nature that we have within us all the wisdom and every means to create our human lives into the full radiance of the light, love, joy, and divine inspiration that we already are in our spiritual essence.  And when we bring our spiritual essence in balance with our physical nature, our lives will change from the ordinary to the extraordinary.  We will experience more love, more joy, more peace, and a beautiful way of living that allows who we are in our physicality to flourish magnificently within the kind of life that continues to perpetuate the absolute truth of the divine nature of our eternal being.

So, let us learn to live more from our self-reliant nature and allow it to guide us back into our natural state of Love, Light, Joy, and Inspiration…and the I AM within us all.

Thank you for allowing me to share my thoughts with you.  Namaste’.

In Love, Light and Divine Inspiration,

 

 

 

 

Dr. Regina J. Dekker, Msc.D.

The Power of Laughter

Laughter is the catalyst for bringing forward a wide range of emotions that enables our soul to fully engage in its evolution…

“LAUGHTER IS GOOD FOR THE SOUL. ” LAUGHTER IS THE BEST MEDICINE.”

We have all heard these expressions, right?  So, how exactly does laughing affect our soul, and how can it help what ails us?  We know that all of life and everything in it has a level of energy that manifests into many forms.  Laughter carries within it a high frequency of energy because it greatly affects our moods, emotions, mental states, physical health, and our sense of spiritual connection.  We all love to be around people who make us laugh, don’t we?  The joy that emanates from their sense of humor has a way of touching our souls at a deep level.  Some of these people have the innate ability to change the energy around any situation so that everyone feels lighter and more at ease.  And that is what it boils down to doesn’t it?  Isn’t the ultimate goal in life to be joyful and happy?

Is this to say that these people are always happy?  Perhaps yes, perhaps no.  Remember, happiness is a choice.  And choosing to be a happy does not necessarily mean we will be free of challenges.  How we manage to maintain our joy even through the rough times is the key.  Choosing to respond  in positive ways changes the energy around any situation for the better.  And laughter is one  way that can help us to do just that.  One of the most healing things we can do for ourselves is to not only choose to feel better, but look for ways in which we can create the kind of joy that triggers laughter and uplifts our spirit.  How can we go about this?

First of all, learning to love and embrace ourselves for exactly who we are is a great foundation for joy and happiness to play an active role in our daily lives.  It goes without saying that surrounding ourselves with people who lift our spirit is a great way to stay in our joy as well.  Carefully choosing our entertainment  is also very important in keeping our energy at the level of joy.  We may want to choose movies and television programs that make us feel good and brings out the best in us.  Have you ever noticed your body’s reaction, as well as your overall feeling  by what you may be seeing, hearing and experiencing while watching a  movie for instance?  What emotions are being triggered? Are you laughing?  Does it make you feel happy?  Sad? Let us choose wisely.  It can make all the difference in our overall feeling of joy from which laughter emanates.

There are many forms of entertainment that encourage laughter.  Many of them encourage us to laugh at ourselves, which helps us in not taking ourselves too seriously.  It is however, important for us to distinguish the difference between that which is meant to be funny, and those things that are shared with laughter as a means to diminish or make fun of individuals or groups of people.  There is a fine line between what is funny and what has the appearance of humor.  Listening to our intuition, paying attention to the direction of our thoughts,  and how our bodies react to various types of humor will help us to determine what truly resonates with our  sensibilities.  Just something to consider.

Laughter has tremendous power, a kind of energy that encompasses many emotions, feelings and physical responses as mentioned earlier.  While laughing triggers joy and happiness, it can also be used to cover up what we are truly feeling.  We may incite laughter from a subconscious level  to help us overcome nervousness or to create a diversion when we feel uneasy.  Whatever the reason, for which there is no right or wrong, laughter can help us deal with any situation…hence its power.  And when we learn to live more in alignment with our authentic nature, we will be gently guided to move through those things that may be standing in the way of our true joy.  In essence, laughter is a graceful way in which our soul can evolve in all its magnificence as us because it opens up the channels for healing.

While laughter is very healing, so is crying.  It is interesting to note that laughing and crying are very closely related.  In fact, they are opposites of the same thing…joy. Have you ever started out laughing and ended up really crying?  Our laughter in this case, could have triggered the emotional pain we may be holding onto at a deep level from either a subconscious level or something we are moving through in the present.  And because crying touches the opposite side of laughing, our tears will flow naturally.  Likened to laughing, crying also serves as a healing mechanism because they both help to relieve or release the pain.  And both responses can bring us back into our joy.   There are also those occasions when we laugh and cry uncontrollably at the same time in response to something we felt was hilarious.  This again, is because we are moved at a very deep level by whatever triggered our emotions of joy…or sorrow.  Kahlil Gibran, in his book, “The Prophet” (pg. 29), shares with us his profound wisdom by stating in part that, “Your joy is your sorrow unmasked.  And the selfsame well from which your laughter rises was oftentimes filled with your tears. The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain.”  Something to think about isn’t it?  From a physical standpoint, laughing and crying helps to relieve the stress and tension we may be carrying  in our bodies, and simply makes us feel better and more relaxed.

So, why does laughing in itself make us feel so good?   When we laugh, the body releases endorphins which are the chemicals that make us feel good.  Laughter promotes balance in our lives because it invokes a sense of well-being within our heart, mind, spirit, and soul.  Again, this is because laughing helps us to let go of emotional, mental, and physical pain.  Have you ever laughed so much that you forgot what you were upset about…even temporarily?  And when you stopped laughing, weren’t you in a better frame of mind and able to handle things from a different perspective?   Didn’t you feel lighter?

We are given many opportunities to laugh along our journey when we are open to it.  We may even consider cultivating a sense of humor ourselves.  Why wait for others to make us laugh?  Sharing our joy through laughter makes us feel more connected to each other, because it is a beautiful form of communication.  Most of us are so busy in our lives with all the serious stuff that has our attention.  Let us not forget to take care of our inner child by doing things that are fun and promote our sense of lightheartedness.  Let us give ourselves permission to laugh more.

A very dear friend made her transition only a few days ago.  Writing this post on laughter turned out to be very timely.  She was a magnificent example of how joy radiated through her sparkling eyes, and the ability she had to make everyone around her laugh with delight.  I can still hear her singing that silly song on her voice mail message which included her laughing at the end of it.  It makes me smile just thinking about it.  In preparing for her Celebration of Life Service, I found myself laughing out loud at all her antics.  The truth is, I also found myself crying in almost the same breath that followed my laughter.  She was and will continue to be an inspiration to all who knew her because of the joy she shared with us in spite of her challenges.  Wouldn’t it be great if we could all be remembered for our joy, our laughter and how we made others feel because of our lightheartedness?  Laughter can definitely keep us out of our heads and into our hearts.  Thank you angel for sharing your love, light, and laughter with us while you were here.  Your beautiful spirit will always be a source of joy throughout eternity.

What about smiling?  How does that relate to the power of laughter?  Smiling is a radiant prelude to laughter.  Wearing a smile sends a powerful message  into the Universe that we are open to the joys of life.  Heartfelt smiling like laughing, is positive energy, and influences the way we touch others and ultimately experience our lives.  So, let us smile and laugh wholeheartedly together in divine harmony with the understanding that doing so affects greatly our own and collective well-being.  Let us be spontaneous in our joy.  Did you know that sharing our joy raises the vibration of the love within us all?   And by the way, when was the last time you really laughed…out loud?

Thank you for allowing me to share my thoughts with you.  Namaste’.

In Love, Light and Divine Inspiration,

 

 

 

 

Dr. Regina J. Dekker, MscD.