Life can be full of surprises, some are exciting and lovely….filling you up with hope and energy, while others, well, feel like they knock the wind right out of you.
About a year ago, maybe two – I participated in a 10-week online study with Eckhart Tolle, discussing his book, A New Earth. It was hosted by Oprah and became a worldwide event. For those of you who do not know of Eckhart or his books, he is a man who has experienced a lot of pain and darkness and has come out on the other side, with grace and a deep understanding of the importance of embracing what is.
In recent months I have experienced many changes in my life and although many of them have been good and welcomed, this body of mine has demonstrated the stress that change can have.
I have a saying, the body never lies…and I’m always amazed at how it communicates with us. Whether it’s a headache, insomnia, digestive concerns, skin outbreaks, anxiety, depression or hormonal imbalances…our bodies have an incredible way of letting us know that something is off. It’s quite beautiful actually, how it all works; that symptoms convey a message that we need to look inward and investigate what is off.
So, this is obviously much easier said than done. I have always thought of myself as a connected individual, appreciating the balance that exists in nature and myself. But recently, when my body decided to speak to me through symptoms…I was stubborn, refusing to listen and look at the heart of the matter.
I was leafing through A New Earth the other week and came across a quote that spoke to me.
“Life will give you whatever experience is most helpful for the evolution of your consciousness. How do you know this is the experience you need? Because this is the experience you are having at this moment.”
Eckhart Tolle, A New Earth
Now at first, that is not easy to read, how can something uncomfortable, unpleasant, hurtful or difficult be something you need, right? But as I dove deeper I realized that all that was happening in my life, was there with intention to help me see my reality and uncover some truths that I have been burying and storing away.
Now that isn’t an easy reality to come too. If you are anything like me, or most of us for that matter, we fight and resist going there. It is generally the fault of something or someone else, sometimes we even believe its God or Life punishing us. But what happens if we turn it around, that this situation is there to actually bring about betterment? That’s not to say it won’t be difficult…and there are some things that go on in this world that are horrible and wrong. But for where this applies…it is something to think about.
For my personal journey, when I stopped fighting and resisting what was and accepted the situation…a new peace came about me and I gained a greater understanding to some of the ‘whys’ I had been asking.
“If there is nothing you can do, face what is and say, ‘Well, right now, this is how it is. I can either accept it, or make myself miserable.’ The primary cause of unhappiness is never the situation but your thoughts about the situation. Be aware of the thoughts you are thinking.” Eckhart Tolle, A New Earth
This was the first step to my journey of healing. Embracing what is, allowed me to direct energy inward for realization and focus, instead of using it to fight and resist. From there, supportive measures could be taken where authentic healing could take place.
For wherever you are on your journey, I wish you the best, hoping that these words and those from Eckhart inspire you to begin embracing what is. Whether it is the exciting, lovely things in life or the knock the wind right out of you situations….looking at that them for what they really are will ease the ride, rooting you in the now and freeing up energy to do what you need to do.
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