Living Joyfully
November 19, 2008
It is nearly midnight in Barcelona, and I have just finished dinner -- and a book -- having succumbed to a siesta I didn't expect early this evening. After reading THE ANSWER IS SIMPLE...LOVE YOURSELF, LIVE YOUR SPIRIT! I realize that, in napping, I was simply following my Spirit.
I've interviewed Sonia Choquette before, and am always delighted with her clarity. For example, once I was to interview her in Las Vegas, and my flight from Portland was delayed about eight hours -- in increments of two. In the meantime, I became friends with several people, waiting at the same gate, and I read Sonia's earlier book, ASK YOUR GUIDES, delighting in her guidance, which served me well -- I allowed the experience to unfold instead of becoming frustrated and upset that the flight was delayed by half a day. Ultimately, Sonia met with me the next day, and knowing only that I was late, greeted me with "The landing gear on your first plane was irreparable, it is a good thing your flight was delayed until they found another plane." Very good.
Intuitive. Intuition, Sonia reveals in this new book, THE ANSWER IS SIMPLE, literally means "inner teacher." And she reminds us to listen in, to ask for wisdom, and gracefully go with what we hear. It is the ego, she says, that gets all riled up and angry, yet life -- even with its bumps and bruises -- goes much more easily when Spirit takes the lead. Sonia says it is not about being right or wrong, for that invites conflict, but about moving out of ego into Spirit -- through dance or laughter or doing what the Spirit finds joyful.
Sonia speaks of soul lessons, and that we each had a talk with God before we arrived on the earth plane, and decided what talents we would have this time around. Clearly, when you do what you love, you are on track. You feel joyful, and there are no fears when you are in Spirit.
Most of my life I've worked very hard to "get better," which to me meant to heal the damage that was done during my childhood -- briefly, to heal the trauma resulting from having been raped since I was four-and-a-half, and from growing up in a household with a tall, dark, handsome violent pedophile and an alcoholic, schizophrenic suicidal mother. But, lately -- after years of friends telling me I'm too serious and too sensitive, I have shifted into a new place. I journal every morning -- an idea I borrowed years ago from Sonia's dear friend Julia Cameron -- but with a twist. About a year ago, I began tagging my journal entries with the question to the Angels - usually a general question like "what should I know?" And lyrical lovely words appear on the page, not always in my typical handwriting. The words come through me -- I feel the Angels do respond, but that could be what Sonia calls Intuition. It doesn't matter -- the message is of Spirit, and I respond. So instead of stressing over job changes, divorce, my sons' life challenges, I dance, and I write, and I smile, and I easily talk to strangers whose Spirits I intuitively connect with, always coming away richer. I glance away from conversations of right and wrong, and find a way to reinforce what is beautiful or strong or gracious about the person expressing these words. And I come away richer. One of the greatest tools -- and Sonia devotes an entire chapter to it -- is dancing. A couple of years ago, I danced to be slimmer, with a teacher who, at times, would get angry with me for not really dancing. Except when I did really dance, and then she would praise me privately. And, when I changed to new teachers, because she moved away, I found a new expression. The choreography was upbeat and uncomplicated, and I let the music take me into the new beauty. Dance from other cultures freed me -- HipHop and Zumba -- with the hip-swinging and ribcage isolations. And before I knew it, my body had a larger vocabulary of movement than ever. And, I was fearless -- I don't consider what people think while I dance. This freedom translates to my writing and to my Life. I can laugh more easily -- another of Sonia's chapters.
I had always thought that once I healed, life would be easy. Her biggest lesson -- I think -- is in the middle of her book -- where she says first we have volunteered to learn our particular soul lesson; second, no lesson is too difficult; and, three, once we learn a soul lesson, another will take its place. Arghh!! Well, that was my first reaction to point number three. But I laugh as I write it, because I have shifted into this place of joy and laughter and dance -- and all these expressions will piroutte your ego right into a place of Spirit where love and kindness abound. Ah, this is a beautiful place to live!
It is nearly midnight in Barcelona, and I have just finished dinner -- and a book -- having succumbed to a siesta I didn't expect early this evening. After reading THE ANSWER IS SIMPLE...LOVE YOURSELF, LIVE YOUR SPIRIT! I realize that, in napping, I was simply following my Spirit.
I've interviewed Sonia Choquette before, and am always delighted with her clarity. For example, once I was to interview her in Las Vegas, and my flight from Portland was delayed about eight hours -- in increments of two. In the meantime, I became friends with several people, waiting at the same gate, and I read Sonia's earlier book, ASK YOUR GUIDES, delighting in her guidance, which served me well -- I allowed the experience to unfold instead of becoming frustrated and upset that the flight was delayed by half a day. Ultimately, Sonia met with me the next day, and knowing only that I was late, greeted me with "The landing gear on your first plane was irreparable, it is a good thing your flight was delayed until they found another plane." Very good.
Intuitive. Intuition, Sonia reveals in this new book, THE ANSWER IS SIMPLE, literally means "inner teacher." And she reminds us to listen in, to ask for wisdom, and gracefully go with what we hear. It is the ego, she says, that gets all riled up and angry, yet life -- even with its bumps and bruises -- goes much more easily when Spirit takes the lead. Sonia says it is not about being right or wrong, for that invites conflict, but about moving out of ego into Spirit -- through dance or laughter or doing what the Spirit finds joyful.
Sonia speaks of soul lessons, and that we each had a talk with God before we arrived on the earth plane, and decided what talents we would have this time around. Clearly, when you do what you love, you are on track. You feel joyful, and there are no fears when you are in Spirit.
Most of my life I've worked very hard to "get better," which to me meant to heal the damage that was done during my childhood -- briefly, to heal the trauma resulting from having been raped since I was four-and-a-half, and from growing up in a household with a tall, dark, handsome violent pedophile and an alcoholic, schizophrenic suicidal mother. But, lately -- after years of friends telling me I'm too serious and too sensitive, I have shifted into a new place. I journal every morning -- an idea I borrowed years ago from Sonia's dear friend Julia Cameron -- but with a twist. About a year ago, I began tagging my journal entries with the question to the Angels - usually a general question like "what should I know?" And lyrical lovely words appear on the page, not always in my typical handwriting. The words come through me -- I feel the Angels do respond, but that could be what Sonia calls Intuition. It doesn't matter -- the message is of Spirit, and I respond. So instead of stressing over job changes, divorce, my sons' life challenges, I dance, and I write, and I smile, and I easily talk to strangers whose Spirits I intuitively connect with, always coming away richer. I glance away from conversations of right and wrong, and find a way to reinforce what is beautiful or strong or gracious about the person expressing these words. And I come away richer. One of the greatest tools -- and Sonia devotes an entire chapter to it -- is dancing. A couple of years ago, I danced to be slimmer, with a teacher who, at times, would get angry with me for not really dancing. Except when I did really dance, and then she would praise me privately. And, when I changed to new teachers, because she moved away, I found a new expression. The choreography was upbeat and uncomplicated, and I let the music take me into the new beauty. Dance from other cultures freed me -- HipHop and Zumba -- with the hip-swinging and ribcage isolations. And before I knew it, my body had a larger vocabulary of movement than ever. And, I was fearless -- I don't consider what people think while I dance. This freedom translates to my writing and to my Life. I can laugh more easily -- another of Sonia's chapters.
I had always thought that once I healed, life would be easy. Her biggest lesson -- I think -- is in the middle of her book -- where she says first we have volunteered to learn our particular soul lesson; second, no lesson is too difficult; and, three, once we learn a soul lesson, another will take its place. Arghh!! Well, that was my first reaction to point number three. But I laugh as I write it, because I have shifted into this place of joy and laughter and dance -- and all these expressions will piroutte your ego right into a place of Spirit where love and kindness abound. Ah, this is a beautiful place to live!
Labels: ASK YOUR GUIDES, book review., dance, ego, joy, laughter, LIVE YOUR SPIRIT, Sonia Choquette, spirit, THE ANSWER IS SIMPLE...LOVE YOURSELF, transcending the trauma
posted by Diana Page Jordan @ 2:46 PM
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