I was thinking about my patients and friends who have either survived, or continue to live with, a life threatening situation. And I found myself making a list of what qualities of being they might have in common. It was pretty easy to identify that the top 3 qualities are
- Being in the present
- Gratitude
- Forgiving
Cultivating these three attitudes shift us into the field of infinite possibility where everything is possible – health, well-being, relationships, money, and perhaps most important – the creative expression and fulfillment of our life purpose. And don’t kid yourself – we all have one. And when we are living it, we know it. How??? - because we feel happy.
The PRESENT is where we are moment to moment. And if we are worrying about the future or clinging to the past we are just not in the moment. So that point of power where we can tap into our inner knowing is cluttered by non-creative idle chatter. It’s kind of like having the engine of your car turned on and using gas but not moving.
I have a friend who has been through a couple of life threatening diseases in the past 30 years and he has cultivated a relationship with his inner guidance and uses a pendulum to make choices about next steps whether it’s a medical intervention or just day to day choices about what to eat, who to spend time with etc. It’s his way of tapping into his inner knowing. It’s an amazing skill to develop and right now he is living with a cancer which he was supposed to die from in 2016. And believe me, he is living well. In fact way better than some of my patients who are deemed to be healthy.
GRATITUDE is a learned skill as well. I am convinced that there is always something to be grateful for and the more we find to be grateful for, the more things will come to us that inspire gratitude. Have you ever noticed that unpleasant experiences seem to pile up one upon another? Well it’s the same with good things. We can choose to put our attention on something which is pleasing and life supporting to us or focus on the challenges which are in our lives. Making a decision to focus on the good things or the pleasing things is also a learned skill. And learned skills have to be practiced regularly in order to keep them honed and useful. My friend will always be remembered for his tag line – “Enjoy this precious day.”
FORGIVING is possibly the most liberating habit to cultivate because if you have not forgiven then your energy is not flowing freely and you are still imprisoned by the person or event that caused you the pain in the first place. That’s the sole purpose of forgiving – to extricate ourselves from the chains that keep us connected to the pain. When forgiveness happens it’s like you have waved a magic wand and that person or situation merely ceases to exist for you.
The youtube link below is for a 20 minute guided meditation created by a life coach named Vishen Lakhiani. I learned about it from someone who thought she was my enemy but deep within herself knew that there had to be a better way. She found this meditation, practiced it for a few days and then sent me an email asking if I was willing to meet for coffee. It was a game changer for us and together we are changing the neighbourhood for the better for all.
In 2006 I was invited to attend the Hiroshima Peace Summit by one of our students who had connected with a program for Tibetan refugees as part her work with our Abundance Program.
I had never even taken a ferry to Vancouver to be with His Holiness the Dalai Lama so why was I flying across the Pacific to do so? Well I felt called to be there and somehow I knew I was honouring my own work by participating in this event. The keynote speaker was the Dalai Lama. As well, Betty Williams who was instrumental in bringing peace to Northern Ireland and Archbishop Desmond Tutu who worked with Nelson Mandela in South Africa to end apartheid were there. A stellar cast of beings who had each accomplished the realization of something so much bigger than could be imagined. I left that gathering with a renewed sense of my own purpose and also some new tools to stay on purpose. The critical piece was knowing that only I can change what is happening to me and I can do it by paying attention to what’s going on in my mind and how that is making me feel.
And of course the whole purpose of taking essences is personal transformation. I want to release my anger, fear, shyness, and embrace the life that only I can give to myself.
Rumi said “The soul is here for its own joy”. And I say when we are feeling that joy we are living in the Field of Infinite Possibilities where everything is possible and simultaneously we are living our dreams.
With love and respect for all of life
Sabina
