March 2010, Issue #102

The Tao of Now: Mirror, Mirror

Some of our darkest, most illuminating moments can come from looking in the mirror of Self through someone else's eyes. In her searingly honest Tapping the Power Within, spiritual teacher Iyanla Vanzant shares several horrific experiences of being publicly humiliated by people she trusted, ultimately acknowledging that these were Divine gifts showing her where she had neglected to use "good spiritual hygiene" - doing the difficult work of focusing on ourselves, instead of treating life like a disposable camera: point and click to produce an instant, perfect image.

Vanzant writes, "We are God's film. We can be redeveloped as many times as required to get a clear picture of ourselves and our focus in life. Sometimes we are hung up to dry. In the darkness, we become the vision, the I-am-ness ... from the inside out. When we emerge, we have a new idea about our identity and our purpose for living."

On my CD, I speak about the experience of learning to love myself by saying "I love you" to my reflection over a period of time, as personal growth pioneer Louise Hay taught in her breakthrough work, You Can Heal Your Life. When I finally started to feel a shift taking place within my being, I went out to my car one morning and was astonished to see the words I'd been repeating daily, scrawled in the dust on my car door: "I love you. You're beautiful. Thanks for your smile." (The last sentence was new!)

I lived in a remote area, and was not in an intimate relationship at the time. I recognized the affirmation as a gift from Spirit, and that Sunday, as I shared this story at the spiritual service I often attended, I suggested, "Maybe that's all we really need to say to one another. 'I love you. You're so beautiful. Thanks for your smile.'"

And yet ... someone I thought I loved unconditionally, whom I'd placed on a pedestal, treated me terribly six years ago, and I vowed never to see him again this lifetime. As I was leaving, he said, "I love you, though I know you think I have a strange way of showing it." It was only this past year that I fully realized: if he's my dark side, my "smoky mirror", then - he has shown me how I push love away, by doing this to me!

Clearly, being a mirror can mean being tested to our core. This is a form of Divine acknowledgment, says Gillian Macbeth-Louthan, who channels The Council of One.

"Know without a shadow of doubt that when there is upheaval around you it means the light is shining bright within you. When everything is turned upside down it represents that your life is a light that shines grand enough for the darkness, in its form, to notice you. You may have friends where nothing seems to happen to them. They don't have any instant karma, they don't have any upheavals, and you wonder 'why do I get yelled at by the Universe all the time'? You are on the proprietary list. You are listed first on the label, and that is why when your light is solid and strong so many energies come to [try and] take it away.

"You have held the light for so long wading through this time, this energy, this space and now what you have prepared for will come forth. You have to believe in the highest truth, the highest light, the highest frequency on Earth no matter how it appears until the very end ... You are becoming the singularity, the event horizon, by yourself, and no matter how much you love another you cannot make them become that singularly of light. They have to choose on their own."

Remembering what we're made of helps. I once heard Deepak Chopra share how he explained existence to his three-year-old granddaughter as they walked along the beach at sunset. Essentially, he told her she is made of starlight, and that the spirit of the stars is reflected in her eyes. Tara was silent for fifteen minutes while she digested this information. Then she said, "Nanna, look up!" When Chopra asked why, she replied, "The stars want to see themselves."

Music and humor are two tools that befriend us well on this uncharted journey. Nico and The Velvet Underground offer a supportive soundtrack.

And my Twitter friend Bonnie blogs, "Self Actualization or Bust!"

So listen in the dark for that still, small voice, ready to reflect your brilliance. When it speaks to you, however softly, say yes. Then take Bonnie's sage counsel: "Life is a kite: run with it!"

Shine On

A Mayan High Priest shares wisdom about The Shift of the Ages. Here's a related article about the true significance of 2012, by John Perkins, author of The World Is As You Dream It.

In the foreword to 2012 Biography of a Time Traveler: The Journey of José Argüelles, Daniel Pinchbeck writes, "Reality appears to be an art form, where the myth-making capacity of the human imagination is ultimately more powerful than any technology or technique." No less a mind than Einstein averred, "Imagination is more important than knowledge."

Self Actualization and Social Media: What would Maslow make of this update to his Hierarchy of Needs?

Aluna Joy has launched an Ascension Symptoms Support Group. Read her full message; this alone is VERY helpful, as is her latest article, The New Normal.

The music of opportunity and the sound of potential; truly inspirational!

Mellifluous peace anthem that includes complementary downloads.

Read My Mind

In between issues of What Shines, please visit my Practical Spirituality page, where I add new content regularly - and welcome your comments! You can also subscribe.

Some popular recent articles:

Becoming REAL
Please adjust your settings ... Lessons from a sweat lodge
Going for the Gold: Is it about prizes, money - or love?

I also encourage you to connect with me on Twitter, Architects of A New Dawn, SelfGrowth, and my Health, Wealth and Wisdom blog. Thanks for reading my mind!

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