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GraceNotes: Holding the Space for … Reflection
#57 — January 1, 2017 |
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Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes. — Carl Jung Greetings, Inspired Seekers! The partying has stopped - or at least most of it. The schedules are beginning to focus in on life’s regularities and we get “back to normal.” But is that what we really should be doing? How productive and fulfilling is “normal?” With 2016 being such a tumultuous year on many levels and with the loss of so many beloveds in 12 short months, many could not wait to close the book on 2016 and launch into 2017 with high hopes and renewed courageous optimism. Many of us are hoping for change. But change is only brought about through transformation. And transformation must begin within the self before it can spread. Therefore, let’s take a few moments in contemplation and spiritual self-assessment as a prelude to beginning our new story. Every story follows an order that Carl Jung identified as basic patterns that are repeated - he referred to this as “the Christ Archetype” and this transformative journey applies to all of us, not simply Christians. We begin with conception, travel through our regular lives and experience betrayal, abandonment, rejection, death and resurrection. So, if this is the foundation of the Story, what do we need to do to transform and re-write it? Most people are trained to live with a Divine Presence that is external, disconnected from their core. I believe that the Divine lives within all of us and it is ready to sprout and transform when we become mindful of this presence and the grace given freely to us. It is this Spirit that allows us to co-create a transformative story and to flourish. So - what is your 2016 story? A really great read is one that contains and tells all the juicy parts - the joys and successes, the tragedies and sorrows, the mistakes we made and the wounds we suffered. Yes, a really great story weaves the experiences together without secrets. But, as humans, there are some chapters we might prefer not to share, to ignore, to hide. But, in that hiding, healing is absent. And when healing is absent, fear, anger, resentment and self-importance carry over into the next chapter. The Story of 2017. So, if you really have high hopes for the new year - and I hope you do! - give yourself the gift of meditative healing; let go of 2016 and enter the new year transformed and ready for miracles. Wishing you the most miraculous New Year ever, Monthly Affirmation: The Divine Spirit lives within me and together we change the world! The Reverend Dr. Deborah Darlington welcomes spiritual transformation in all peoples through spiritual coaching, sacred ceremonies and inspirational keynotes. She can be reached at 215 260 1611 or at GraceMatters@TheSpaceForGrace.com. |
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