Music: Aria - Yanni
The little space within the heart
is as great as the vast universe.

The heavens and the earth are there,
and the sun and the moon and the stars.

Fire and lightning and winds are there,
and all that now is and all that is not.
-The Upanishads
Dawn Cove Abbey - Rose Garden - July 2007
The Awakening: Part 4 (of 4)  – continued.

To read Part 3 again, click HERE
To start from the top - (Part 1), click HERE
You must be the change you wish to see in
the world.
-Mahatma Gandhi
Follow your instinct!
Be yourself, and you'll be somebody.

Be one more blind follower of the blind,
and you will have the oblivion you desire.
~Bliss Carmen
NOTE:  this series provides the integral theme for all
Seminars, Workshops, Presentations, Counselling and
Lectures offered by Dawn Cove Abbey.
Related articles: The Road Less Travelled
Hold On Tightly To What Is Truly Important In Life
And you stop wasting time and energy rehashing your situation with family and friends.
      You learn that that kind of talk doesn’t change things,
      that they only hear what they want to hear;
              and that unrequited wishes
                      can only serve to keep you trapped in the past.


So you stop lamenting over what could, or should, have been,
      and you don’t waste tears over those who shed none for you.


And you see how under the spell of your self-estrangement you had
      become almost like the person you least wanted to emulate,
      and you make a decision to leave that part of the past you cannot change behind.


Then you begin to invest your time and energy to affect positive change.


You take a personal inventory of all your strengths and weaknesses
      and the areas you need to improve in order to move ahead;
      you set your goals and map out a plan of action to see things through.


And for the first time you have a glimmer of real hope - and anticipation…



You learn that life isn’t always fair
      and you don’t always get what you think you deserve
      and you stop personalizing every loss or disappointment.


You learn to accept that sometimes bad things happen to good people
      and that these things are not an act of God...,
              but merely a random act of fate.


And you stop looking for guarantees because you’ve learned
      that the only thing you can really count on
      is the unexpected
              and that whatever happens,
                      you’ll learn to deal with it.



You learn that you really don’t deserve the treatment you receive,
      whether from family or friends;
      that those who don’t treat you as you deserve,
              are not your friends; and perhaps never were.


And you know you deserve better;
      no longer settling for second best. . .
      with its self-limiting thinking and behavior; and its mediocrity,
              and you give yourself permission to pursue your true life…


And you refine your assessment of who you are, and what you really believe in.
      And, you make peace with your inner being and you accept that you too,
      deserve the same unconditional love and support you have freely given to others,
              and growing deep inside you, is a longing awareness,


like a long dormant memory about the glance that sees deep into your innermost being
      – touches your soul,
      and the joy-fear of being known, and the lasting electric connection - powerful:
              and you are drawn there as a delicate gossamer moth to the light.


And you learn that the only thing you must truly fear
      is that buried force, the great robber baron of all time:
FEAR itself.


That fear of failure that’s been making you settle for something less
      than your standards, your expectations; for something, or someone,
      who or what wasn't what you wanted most in the world:
second best.


So you learn to step right into, and through your fears
      because to give into fear is to give away the right
      to live life on your terms. . . .


And you promise yourself to stop your repeating pattern of self-sabotage.


You learn that much of life truly is a self-fulfilling prophesy
      and you learn to go after what you want
      and not to squander your life living under a cloud of indecision,
      and feelings of impending doom.


Then,
YOU LEARN ABOUT MONEY...
      the personal power and independence it brings
              and the options it creates.


And you recognize the necessity to create your own personal wealth.


Slowly, you begin to take responsibility for yourself by yourself,
      and you make yourself a promise to never betray yourself
      and to never ever settle for less than your heart’s desire,
      and that when you get it, you will give it all you have to keep it.


And you promise yourself to follow your heart;
      not just your head – with its cold logic which is rooted in past
      experience and limitations, and wants to pull you back to those;


not just your emotions – which are rooted instinctive,
      and reactive responses
      that are unpredictable, chaotic,
      volatile and often confusing . . .


but your heart – your inner core - with its subtle qualities and feelings of joy,
      gratitude, appreciation, love, and compassion;
      it blends past, present, the input from the head and emotions,
              hopes, dreams, and possible future together . . .
                      and more . . .


And a sense of power is born of self-reliance.


And you live with honor and integrity
      because you know that these principles
      are not the outdated ideals of a by-gone era
      but the mortar that holds together the foundation
      upon which you must build your life.


And you make it a point to keep smiling,
      to keep trusting
      to see those who cared for you through new eyes
      and to stay open to every wonderful opportunity
      and exciting possibility,
              and to engage life and be
                      - you.


And you finally got it: you are now no longer controlled by others:
      – that
you have control over your life because you’ve accepted
              and taken the ownership and responsibility of it.
                      . . . and that stops you dead in your tracks. . . .



              Then you hang a wind chime outside your window
              to remind yourself what beauty there is in
Simplicity.


Finally, with courage in your heart and with the Creator by your side you take a stand,
      you TAKE a deep breath,
              and you begin to design the life you want to live
                      as best as you can: as a moth drawn to the light.



The Power of Prayer:
In some of my darkest, most painful and frightening hours,
I have prayed not for the answers to my prayers, or for material things,
but for my
God to help me find the strength, confidence, and courage to persevere;
to face each day, and to do what I must do.

You are an expression of the Almighty. The spirit of the Almighty
resides within you and moves through you.
Open your heart, speak to that spirit and it will heal and empower you.
My
God has never failed me. ~Carroll


As a work in progress, an unfolding, and evolving being. . .
. . . this is your transformation; your rebirthing.

This is your awakening . . .

The Awakening: from Cobbler Muse, "Opus Minimum" - with thanks to Sonny Carroll - 1999.

End of Part 4 (of 4) - click following for [Part 1]        [Part 2]        [Part 3]
To submit comments, requests or materials,
contact me at
outreach@dawncoveabbey.org
For empowerment workshops, seminars and lectures, see: http://www.dawncoveabbey.org/healing-circle
MorningStar
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