It is has been an uncharacteristically quiet few days at Spirits Rising- the place in which my partner and I have been residing. Lazy snow flurries have given way to a sky of vibrant blue, and Father Sun is free to warm the creatures of the ground. The shrinking patches of white bring us the energy of a faux Spring; a reminder that nothing is permanent. Even the coldest Winters eventually give way to Spring. We have come to learn the very same lesson about life itself- that a blessing lives in every struggle. Night always yields to day, and even through the nights, the moon watches over us. She invites us to look inside of ourselves, to dive right into the waves caused by our stirred emotions. Wellness is an inside-out process, and to heal the pains, we must get to the source. Our sickness started the day someone told us we were not enough... and we accepted. Our cancer is the uneasiness in our own skin, the idea that grows in the pits of our stomachs; "maybe I don't deserve love." We have been led to believe that we were born into sin, into a debt which we can never truly pay, but which we are obligated to spend our lives trying. Yet deep inside, we know this is not true, and so there is dissonance within our being. Deep inside of us, there is a child who feels abandoned, and who will come for that child if not you?
Wellness is an inside-out process. It requires plunging to the darkest places within ourselves and remaining until even in the cold damp emptiness, we may light the spark of forgiveness. Even in a vacuum, this kind of spark grows into a roaring fire, in which we may cast the fibers of our old doubts and turn them into our vital energy. On the ashes, we may rise. Through learning to forgive ourselves, we find it easier to forgive others: Those whom challenge us, those whom have hurt us, and those whom fed us false building blocks to an unfulfilled lifestyle. We thank them. We may even thank our cancer, for the prompting to go so deep within ourselves when we may have otherwise slept through our entire lives. For the opportunity to lend support to others mirroring our experiences. The Universe never faces us with an obstacle which we cannot overcome. Therefore, the very fact that we are faced with an obstacle implies that we also hold the solution. For this, every challenge in our life is also an opportunity to grow, to pay attention, to love ourselves, and to pass on the wisdom which we gain in the process. As challenging as it may be, as deep and dark a place it may lead, I assure you, Spring will always come.
Wellness is an inside-out process. It requires plunging to the darkest places within ourselves and remaining until even in the cold damp emptiness, we may light the spark of forgiveness. Even in a vacuum, this kind of spark grows into a roaring fire, in which we may cast the fibers of our old doubts and turn them into our vital energy. On the ashes, we may rise. Through learning to forgive ourselves, we find it easier to forgive others: Those whom challenge us, those whom have hurt us, and those whom fed us false building blocks to an unfulfilled lifestyle. We thank them. We may even thank our cancer, for the prompting to go so deep within ourselves when we may have otherwise slept through our entire lives. For the opportunity to lend support to others mirroring our experiences. The Universe never faces us with an obstacle which we cannot overcome. Therefore, the very fact that we are faced with an obstacle implies that we also hold the solution. For this, every challenge in our life is also an opportunity to grow, to pay attention, to love ourselves, and to pass on the wisdom which we gain in the process. As challenging as it may be, as deep and dark a place it may lead, I assure you, Spring will always come.
