The opportunity exists for everyone and everything we encounter in our lives to become our teacher. But, are we teachable?
It is not what happens to us that is important; it is how we react to those circumstances that contain the unexpected blessings.
I never thought that I would fall prey to scammers. I was too savvy for that. Then it happened. I was approached by someone, a master story spinner, who pleaded a good case for my assistance. Despite my intuition giving me signs—a nervous stomach, insomnia — that something was amiss, I began to rationalize how I needed to be more trusting. I consented to help. The prey was hooked.
Be grateful for what may not appear as blessings.
After the damage, I surprised myself by blessing the offender; that action allowed me to connect with my inner self in the present moment providing balance and inner harmony. As I reviewed the situation in my mind, I re-lived the experience as an observer, paying close attention to how I had felt. As I delved deeper and deeper, the real reason for my actions surfaced. An old childhood wound of needing external validation was at the root. And here I thought that was released long ago. Without self-judgment, I faced myself in the mirror to appreciate and embrace the lesson, which I obviously had not mastered.
What did I find the most valuable part of the experience? Undoubtedly, it was the affirmations and the lesson.
What did I learn?
- That I have to love unconditionally regardless of whether or not someone meets my expectations
- That loving unconditionally does not mean you cannot establish healthy boundaries, but that you must.
- That our egos will always cloud our judgment and undermine our intuition
- That trust and discernment go hand-in-hand
- That people do not necessarily treat you as you treat them but as you relate to yourself through emotion
- That whenever I dismiss my intuition, I am not viewing things clearly but prejudicially.
- That until I release what is keeping me stagnant, I cannot move forward.
“Life is treating you as you feel.” Abraham
Overall, the incident reaffirmed the need to live in conscious awareness, self-responsibility, wholeness, and have the courage to be true to yourself in the pursuit of your dreams.
As I faced myself in the mirror, I began healing myself with the self-identity practice of Ho’oponopono. Dr. Len, a Hawaiian therapist, healed an entire ward of criminally insane patients without ever meeting or speaking to them by using this practice. Miraculous, is it not?
I knew though that before I could begin the actual healing, I had to take responsibility for what had happened. That was essential.
We are creators. We generate, either consciously or unconsciously, everything we experience. Since we are all one, connected, separation is an illusion—what affects one affects the whole. The most difficult thing to grasp is accepting our part in its creation and our connectedness. Our backs almost arch up in the process for how can we desire such a disaster to befall us?
Once we come to terms with the harshness of that realization, we can commence the four-step practice, which involves repentance, forgiveness, gratitude, and love to spring forth our spiritual evolution.
The Four Steps Practice:
- Repentance: Say: I’m sorry. Follow that with, I realize that I am responsible for (state the issue) in my life, and I feel remorse that something in my consciousness caused it.
- Say: Please forgive me. Meaning it becomes more natural when you sincerely feel remorse.
- Say: Thank you. Open your heart to feel thankful for all you have, for forgiving and being forgiven, for God’s love, for being alive.
- Say: I love you. Feel love for yourself, your family, your home, your job, your challenges, the issue. Radiate love.
You can rearrange the order as long as you complete all four steps consecutively. I like to begin with gratitude, followed by repentance, forgiveness, and ending in love.
The more you repeat this exercise, the more you heal while healing others simultaneously.
“The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new.” – -Socrates
Which unexpected blessings can you discover when viewing the gift of the moment?