One more comment bump-up — this one regarding the frequent wave of resistance that seems to arrive when people begin stepping into their own healing power. This wave can manifest as physical symptoms, Shadow mirrors in relationships or seeming “Fate” that intervenes and sends people back to “feeling small.” It has many forms, and I hear about it sooo often when people are in process of shifting their own self-definitions and expanding their influence and responsibility. Here’s the comment I made in response to some of these concerns:
Thanks for sharing. Your experiences with resistance are all too common. Some of us need a metaphorical whack on the head, and others of us take that quite literally. 😉 I would say just start by focusing on the things that you CAN do without having a backlash. Maybe that’s just having an uplifting word or giving someone a compliment in line at the market. Maybe it’s holding the door for a woman with three screaming children and smiling at her instead of judging her for “not being able to control her kids.” Maybe it’s learning the name of the person who cleans the office and making a point to make eye contact with them and greet them by name.
Healing isn’t just about the miraculous, spontaneous removal of symptoms or the perceived ability to do that for someone else. Sometimes healing is much more about respect for self and others — making a conscious effort to recognize and cultivate the humanity in someone who has all but forgotten themselves amidst the busyness of life or the demands of a job that feels constricting or demeaning. When we take those moments to recognize the spark — not just of the Divine, but also of the human — we change our world, person by person, moment by moment.
So what if you don’t feel like you can quit your job tomorrow and go on the self-help talk circuit! Surely, you can find one random act of kindness to do each day. Those unexpected gifts of re-humanization are often more healing than multiple visits to a doctor or “energy worker.” We are constantly sending out energy. By becoming at least a bit more conscious of our opportunities to send out positive, compassionate, change-inducing energy, we ARE taking action, and those actions build. Eventually, you will begin to think differently of yourself, and it will just be a huge “of course!” that you move into larger and larger steps. But never forget the little steps. Those are like pixie dust in a downtrodden world.
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