awakeningThe shift and subsequent awakening is upon us. The vast numbers of books available in the spiritual, self help, self empowerment, healing genre is telling us that people are seeking answers like never before. The amount of information, teachers, healers, self-proclaimed gurus, alternative therapies and so on is staggering.

The good news: There is definitely something for everyone. My word of caution lies in what people do or don’t do with the information they consume. Many people are gathering more and more information without taking the time to process it, use it, and actualize real change. Others are inspired by a certain healing technique or modality and with little to no time at all are calling themselves experts, gurus or healers.

If we have not attained some level of mastery of raising our consciousness with a willingness to self-correct and have self-control we probably won’t be very effective as a guru, teacher or expert. If we do not understand ourselves and our own energy enough to have experienced a sustainable degree of personal transformation, it is unlikely we will be effective as a teacher, guru or expert. By all means shine your light and continue to grow. The world needs more light and it is up to us to shine. There is an urgent need for us to use the tools and information we are bringing in. We must walk the talk, have the experiences that produce real change as well as have some degree of real success in the areas we proclaim to be experts. In short, share from a place of deep inner knowing. Do not ignore your own need for growth, understanding, and healing because the spiritual growth industry is now your career path.

To attempt to come from a place you have not yet attained, understood deeply or cultivated will lead to conscious awakeningfrustration and could prove to be a disappointment for others who might expect more from you than you can deliver. No one is beyond learning, no teacher, no self proclaimed guru of the modern age, no expert. The journey is truly on going. All I ask is this: Be honest with your skill set when dealing with other peoples lives.  Embrace the responsibility with enthusiasm and an honest assessment of where you are.

Honesty is the best policy. That is an old saying. It applies as much to ourselves as it does to all of life. Be honest with your level of skill. Come from where you are no matter if you are a beginner, intermediate or advanced at any given skill or talent. Even an advanced skill can be improved. You may be a master at one thing and a beginner at another. Do not attempt to be a master at something you have just begun to learn. To come from where you are leads to the inevitable attainment of the skill, peace, and joy. The journey is not a race. All we have to do is be honest with our growth. This level of patience will pave the way with grace and a sense of “present time” where all things are potent.

This message came to me during a yoga session:

balanceThe main body of this post came to me while doing yoga. I was doing a balance posture and I could so easily see that moving to quickly or to extreme wasn’t going to provide the necessary conditions for me to maintain balance. This is one example that illustrates the need for patience, perseverance  and the importance of balance in all areas of our life.

I know we live in a fast, instant gratification, type society but if the latest ” fast and easy steps”  to enlightenment, weight loss, your soul mate relationship, financial independence etc. delivered by the experts or self proclaimed gurus hasn’t work out for you, maybe it is because real growth and sustainable change takes time, perseverance and dedication. It takes desire along with self discipline and willingness to be responsible for your life and your future. Maybe there are only 3, 5 or 10 steps to create change but if one doesn’t follow through consistently with patience and perseverance change will not happen.

Perhaps it is time to let go of the idea that it has to be fast and easy. What if we embraced our change a day at a time. As we continue on the road to healthy change it naturally becomes easier. That is the truth of it. In the beginning, change often comes slow and seems difficult because we are doing something different. It even seems as though nothing is changing as we course correct and set our sails in a new direction. This is when it is so important to remember that perseverance and patience are keys to successful ongoing transformation. Change is happening whether we notice right away or not. Sometimes it can feel like we are swimming against the current when in fact all we are really doing is finding the right river. Once we have gotten into the flow of the river that supports our growth it does in fact get easier.

If you are inspired to be a healer, counselor, expert, guru, give yourself time to experience healing for inspired healeryourself in whatever niche you are interested in. If you are teaching financial freedom it would be a good idea to have experienced the rise to financial independence. If you are a relationship or family counselor it would be good to have cultivated healthy, lasting, loving, relationships with your own family and other significant people. If you teach meditation classes it would be good to have a daily meditation practice. Direct experience will naturally provide you with the understanding and compassion necessary to be of great service. Being open to our own growth, transparent and honest in our being, will keep us open and humble because it is clear that the journey is on going. One just never knows who may come along to share some golden nugget. If we are caught up in our own expertness, guru status or hiding the fact that we don’t have all the answers or that maybe our personal life is really a giant mess, we may miss the opportunity to learn. So I say again, be honest with your current level of growth, do the best you can with what you have. Don’t misled. Be powerful enough to be transparent, kind and real.

Remember, there is no end to our learning and our growth. To everyone seeking and exploring remember, there is a healer within you, there is a healer within us all. There is a teacher within you, there is a teacher within us all. Practice the new ways of approaching life that resonate with you. If you feel meditation is good for you, do it daily. If you know a shift in the way you eat is the next best thing for you, consistently choose foods that support what you are learning about your body and nutrition. Learn to trust your intuition your inner guidance. Everything we need to create the best life ever is within us. There is no exception. Some of us began to heal ourselves decades ago. That doesn’t make us better just a little more experienced. And as such we offer up our experience in hopes that it will brighten and lighten your journey on the path to health and wholeness. Life always presents us with opportunities to deepen our awareness. So whether you are just beginning, have been on the path for a while, or call yourself an expert there is always room to grow, learn and share. 🙂

love Astara