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Karen
offers her
spiritual insights for "being present"
in all aspects of life, by calling upon the techniques
of her four guiding principles,
MESHE, HESHE, MISON & ORBIT.
Be Led By What You Are
Trying To Avoid
When I am in search of flow, I always turn to what I
am avoiding. There is no better direction in life, than
to be led by what you are trying to avoid. So, when the
assignment came along to write on flow and
synchronicity, I decided to put the spotlight on my own
issues. For every ounce of me that wanted to write my
article and hand it in early this month, there were two
ounces of excitement telling me, "Don’t write a
word until you have been led by everything you are
trying to avoid!"
The first thing I realized I had been avoiding was a
voice in side of me that was giving me an inner
direction to take an overnight retreat. It seems we most
expect the content of our avoidance to be negative or
unpleasant in nature. Yet, I found that all of mine were
things I really wanted and needed to do for myself, but
for some complex reason, was resisting valiantly!
I have the terrible, though quite common habit of
working too much, and I suffer for it physically and
creatively if I do not heed the wisdom of balance. Going
on retreat is my favorite thing to do, but I have to let
go of what I can accomplish externally in order to take
the time away.
So, I packed up the car and went to my favorite
getaway. While I was there, I wrote a list of things I
was avoiding. I came up with nineteen items in all, and
split them into three categories. The first included
things that had to do with other people -- clearing
communication, setting boundaries, and resolving old
conflicts. The rest of the list was divided between what
I could take care of on my own, and what I needed
someone else’s assistance to get done. I also made an
agreement with myself to have this phrase be my
spiritual practice for the next two weeks.
The first few days were so revealing. I have been in
conflict much of the summer, seeking the resolution to
some complex problems. I have been letting go of many
many old habits and not always confident with what, if
anything, I should be replacing them with. Emptying out
is mostly what I have been doing. It was wonderful
timing to have a practice direct me to the nooks and
crannies of each waking moment. To be constantly
redirected toward my path with gentle nudges, taking
ordinary moments and turning them into powerful
expressions of such joy in my life.
Back in town after retreat, I had to go to my friends’
house to pick up some tables they were lending me. They
have a wonderfully warm pool in their backyard and I was
given permission to take a swim. Pools are my passion,
but anything less than bath water temperature and I
freeze up and can’t get in. The last time I had been
to their pool the water was warmer than warm, and I
couldn’t wait to slip into it now. But when I dipped
my toe in, it was not the 99 degrees I had expected, and
I turned around and headed back to my car.
Another element of my friends’ home that I have
always enjoyed is the neighborhood. It’s a beautiful
neighborhood to walk through, with the mountains, close
and tall, surrounding it. My next favorite passion after
warm water pools, is walking. So, I thought I’d take a
walk. But when I headed down the driveway, I realized
how steep the street was and... the thought of walking
back up the hill was enough to turn me away from the
walk, too.
When I got back into my car I saw the note I had left
on the dashboard, it read: Be Led By What You Are Trying
To Avoid. So, I asked myself, What do you want now? And
what are you trying to avoid that is keeping you from
getting what you want?
What I wanted was to swim in the pool and walk
through the beautiful neighborhood that I have always
loved. What I was trying to avoid was any level of
discomfort. So I decided to be led by what I was trying
to avoid, and I headed down the hill and took my walk,
anyway.
Every rise and fall of street and sidewalk was a test
of my avoidance. I knew that if I could take a good hard
walk, that the cool water would feel great to me. If I
could keep myself going on this walk, I would reward
myself with a swim in the pool.
All along the way, the pull to turn around would nag
at me and each time I would ask inwardly "what am I
avoiding?" The answer kept coming up as quitting.
"I don’t want to quit on myself. This walk will
be good for me. I need to be here, and I don’t want to
go back before I am ready!" So, I kept going until
I was no longer avoiding quitting and no longer wanting
to walk.
I walked a good solid hour before I returned to my
car, got my swimsuit, and jumped into the pool. The
beautifully wet, wondrously tepid, soft, silky water of
the pool.... I cried with relief when I was all the way
in and found the water absolutely perfect in
temperature!
I cannot tell you how invigorated I felt riding home
in the car with my wet hair and soggy towels. I could
have just as easily been driving home an hour earlier,
with none of the energy and excitement flowing through
me, as was flowing through me in that moment. I felt
strong, and powerful - I had seized the day!
I continued to pick things off of my list, and
challenge moments throughout the next week. My energy
lifted higher and higher with each passing day and my
zest and joy for life was multiplying exponentially.
When I set about this practice, I had expected flow
to increase in my daily life, but I had no thoughts
about synchronicity. It wasn’t until the last few days
that synchronicity came into play by taking the final
three items off of my list, the last of which was
nothing short of a miracle.
Time and time again, I am impressed with the power of
confession. The power of releasing our true thoughts and
true beliefs out into the world. Our true desires, and
true wants. In my workshops, we do it with play and the
drawing of pictures. It can be done with journaling,
conversation, or prayer. But however we do it, the power
of manifestation always comes around. When we can sync
up our desires with our willing nature, we can be led by
what is most scary and find the presence of angels
walking the path with us.
Synchronicity is the affirmation of energy returning
to its natural form. It is the hand of angels nestled in
your palm. Like grace, it is unexpected and unearned.
What I can tell you is this: If you choose to be led
by what you are trying to avoid -- everything, all of
it, without exception or prejudice -- you are sending
out a prayer to the universe. You are putting heaven on
alert and grace will find you wherever you are, no
matter how deep in the forest you might think your fears
are buried, or how dark your journey may seem at the
time. Where there is flow, there is synchronicity, and
when you are being led by that which you would otherwise
want to avoid, you are walking with angels.
I invite you this week to make a list of your own.
And to notice what kind of patterns your list makes for
you. One by one, pick the fears apart and allow yourself
to be led by the unknowing, instead of giving your
life-cycles away to the fantasy. Take a sticky note pad
and write onto several of them this sentence: Be Led By
What You Are Trying To Avoid. Place them around you. In
your office, in your car, in your wallet, the bathroom
mirror, the telephone.... Watch your energy swell up as
you release your natural flow and giggle at the events
that magically appear in your life, allowing you to heal
old wounds and release vats of love into the universe.
No matter how big you think your problems are, and
how scary you believe them to be, they are nothing once
they are the leaders of your path. It is only when you
are leaving them behind that they have power and control
over you. If you can be led by the pain that you fear,
you will find beauty and cause in your past. If you can
be led by the tantrum inside, you can find the lessons
of ages. To know peace, you must be led by what you are
trying to avoid.
© Copyright 2001 Karen Deborah
Farris.
Read
Karen's Current "Being Present" Column
Read
Karen's Past Columns:
August
2001 - "Draw Your Way to Clarity, Health &
Balance"
June
2001 - "Tending to the Negative Mind"
May
2001 - "Gentle Conscious Living"
April
2001 - "MISON and The Moment"
March
2001 - "The MESHE Concept - A Path to Soulful
Living"
Karen Deborah Farris is a successful counselor, healer, and bodyworker. For more than fifteen years she has taught extensive workshops based on MESHE, HESHE, MISON & ORBIT as well as many other self-discovery topics.
Farris began developing her integrated bodywork and counseling techniques in 1984 under the tutelage of many prominent doctors and healers throughout the United States.
Her education into the spiritual and physical aspects of the human experience served as the foundation for her own private practice and the development of a new philosophy. She combined her techniques into four guiding principles, which she shares in her book,
MESHE, HESHE, MISON & ORBIT: What My Grandmother Taught Me About the Universe. She is currently touring with a companion workshop series, where she creates an interactive environment demonstrating the material from her book with tangible, life altering effects. In these workshops, individuals discover a deepening of their relationship to self, others and the world around them.
Through individual counseling and group workshops, she has taught her results-oriented programs to many different types of people
including those confined to mental institutions, substance and food abusers, and generally, people in life transitions, struggling with intimate relationships, or who lack direction in their lives. Karen lives happily with her husband in Southern California.
Visit www.MESHE.com.
For more
information, contact Karen at: info@MESHE.com
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