Monday, January 7, 2008

If You Don't Feel Connected to Your Good ... Guess Who Moved!

Several weeks before Thanksgiving, I attended a local premiere of bestselling author Louise Hay’s new movie “You Can Heal Your Life.” Her flagship book of the same name came out in 1976 and sold thirty-five million copies worldwide. I was one of the millions who resonated with the concepts in her groundbreaking work.

She was one of the first to recognize the body-mind connection in healing and provided specific techniques to heal emotional and physical problems by clearing the thoughts and feelings we hold around them. She also taught that we could change our lives for the better by changing our thoughts.

This powerful information came into my life at a time when my whole world had been turned upside down by the breakup of my first marriage. I embraced these life-changing ideas with the fervor of a drowning person seeking air, and set in motion an incredible journey within that continues to bless every area of my life with good.

In my lengthy experience with this philosophy, I have learned some valuable lessons and gained insights that will help others on their journeys. For example, no matter how long or how faithfully we work on changing our thoughts and changing our lives, we will have times when we backslide into old habits of negative thinking and acting.

Some of this is because it is challenging to practice an enlightened and positive approach to life that is contrary to what is common in our culture, but it is also because we are human. And as long as we are alive, we will face situations that threaten our resolve to elevate our conscious awareness and act from a loving, balanced sense of self. When these situations come up, we can learn to bless them for what they truly are – an opportunity to clear out invalid thoughts and life patterns, to learn additional lessons – and continue to grow in conscious awareness. A good question to ask at such times: What is the positive lesson I am to learn from this?

I became aware years ago that holiday seasons were a vulnerable time for me, as that was when my resolve tended to dip. I soon learned that by paying attention to the uneasiness within, I could stop and take action to recover my inner balance. Now I take control and get back to basics and re-commit to the principles I learned decades ago. The opportunity to see the Louise Hay movie was perfect timing, as it provided the booster shot I needed to shore up any weakened resolve that surfaced this past season. I also repeated the following affirmations many times daily: I choose love. I choose peace. I choose harmony and balance.

The more we seek to live from the best that is within us, the easier it is to recognize the uncomfortable feeling that comes up when we revert to undesirable habits. This message lets us know that we are out of harmony with the core of our being. If we don’t act to reverse the situation, we begin to feel disconnected from ourselves, others and all life. Fears begin to come up and we start to doubt our self-worth and once again we feel like a victim, helpless and alone. We may be tempted to give in to the negative thoughts and to once again roll around in the fear-based compulsion of blaming and judging others.

There are as many ways as there are people to tap into the energy-connection that is within us – which we call God – as well as to get back on track when we feel disconnected. It is our responsibility to discover what works for us. The good news is that when the feeling of separation arises again, which it will, you will recognize it more quickly and it will take less time to learn any lesson and to regain your equilibrium.

The fact is that the sanctuary within has always been available to us. It is the answer to the heart desire of every human being – unconditional love and acceptance, a deep sense of joy, peace and contentment – and a connection with all life. It is just waiting for our conscious awareness to activate a choice to either move toward it or to ignore it and move away. And as one of my wise spiritual teachers once said: If you feel separate from your Good-God—guess who moved.

[To view the author’s feature article “How to Have a Personal Connection with God,” and the convenient 10-point list, go to http://www.fernstewartwelch.com/ and click on How-to-Lists at the top of the page, then click on Connect with God.]
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Copyright 2008 by Fern Stewart Welch

The author’s book THE HEART KNOWS THE WAY—How to Follow Your Heart to a Conscious Connection with the Divine Spirit Within is available at Amazon.com and other online booksellers, as well as through major bookstores such as Barnes & Noble and Borders.

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