the importance of harnessing our own energy & self-portrait reminder

Lately, I have been vacillating between strange moments of quietness during which I am all too aware of my spirit and moments of disquietude during which I wonder about the future.  I tell myself to trust in fate, to trust in my path, which I believe will lead me in the right direction.  It has proven to do this thus far, though sometimes I do feel I am taking very long detours!  The detours are just as necessary though, since they show me those parts of me that need more work, more attention, more gentleness.  I take these words directly from Sanaya Roman’s books on spiritual transformation (I’ve read two and I love them) as well as her advice to embrace positivity, to embrace uplifting energy.

Which leads me to think how all too often I find people around me dwelling in negativity, often without even realizing it.  I have often felt uneasy around people who tend to do this, though I was never able to understand why until recently.  To dwell in negativity encourages negative energy, which blocks so many things from flowing, mainly our own spiritual understanding of ourselves and the world.  With every negative utterance, with every negative thought, with every negative bit of news, we are brought down a notch further.

But, if we were to spend half the time on positive energy that we do on negative energy, we would be … gosh, I can’t even imagine what we would be!  Angels in human form.  We would attract so many good things to us — miracles, transformations, wisdom, light, success, compassion.  And those who dwell in negativity — we must not be uneasy around them (as I have been all too often) but encouraging and steadfast.  We can shed light where others are inclined to obscure with shadows.

My most meaningful transformations arrived when I was at my most positive and spiritual.  This has especially been the case during the last year and a half.  Before that, I was quite depressed, to be honest (and it still comes now and then, drops in for a quick visit, the depression … more on this another time).  I have seen the love that surrounds me when I surround others with my love for them.  I have seen this happen in others’ lives too, and the secret, I think, is their ability to move through (like ghosts move through walls!) the negative energy in order to embrace positive energy.

When thinking about this, consider the many negative things you may have said, thought, or done today, including, but not limited to these areas:

~ Negative or judgmental thoughts about a stranger

~ Negative or critical thoughts about the news or some news information or politician

~ Negative or self-deprecating thought regarding you (your body, your mind, your personality)

~ Negative or judgmental thought about a family member, no matter how slight

~ Negative or critical thought about the world in general (politics, weather, culture, society, etc.)

These are just a few that I came up with now, and I can say, after *watching* myself for a few weeks, I pick up more and more on the times that I am negative, either silently or out loud, and do I squirm.  I am negative very rarely now that I am so much more aware of it, and it feels right, this choice to be less negative.  But, I am also much more sensitive to other people who are negative (and it’s popular these days, being negative), but I typically try to bring light to the situation by turning it around, though I cannot say I always succeed.

I tend to want to listen to spiritual or uplifting music instead of the news these days.  I tend to want to read spiritual or inspiring books as opposed to books that dwell on heavy human emotions these days.  I want light in my life, and I am no longer embarrassed to admit this (as I might have once been).

It’s been an interesting journey, and I’m curious to see where it takes me.  Alongside all this talk about positivity, I’ve been envisioning myself working in a space where the community of people are phenomenal, where I feel proud and inspired by my work, where I am happy.  I might be surprised by the position I end up with (we’ll see), but I have faith in it being right for me at this moment in my life.

Speaking of me and you and all this deeply self-seeking type of stuff (lol), tomorrow is the next in the self-portrait series!

Just to remind you …

Week Six:  September 29 – Drawing or painting self-portrait. Okay, if you’re not an artist, please don’t be scared.  I draw stick people, okay?  Have fun with this one.  Sit down somewhere and draw for us the way you see yourself.  Play with colors and shapes.

Oh my gosh, I look back on this and think, what was I thinking?  You will all understand why when I post mine up by tomorrow night.  But this is good, as it will be self-expression in a different medium from photography.  I’m so curious to see yours, especially the artists out there!

So, I must begin thinking about how I might do this, and what fun it will be!  I encourage you to have fun with this too … find a moment in your day during which you can spend some time alone with yourself and draw or paint or sketch what you see from your heart.

Much love.

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