This is a note I sent out this weekend to my “graduates”. It will be more meaningful to you if you have read my book, but even if you have not read the book yet, there is lots here for you. I wanted to show you how the work goes ever deeper, and to help you to see that everything you do at home, everything you think, is important. Here is the note:
I received a long note yesterday from someone who bought my book last Saturday, telling me that she started to read the book and work through it. She said she is finding that as she looks around her house she is getting stuck in judgement, and then in feelings of irritation and despair. Then, in the next sentence, she continued “and then I keep going back to the place of possibility and action.” Eureka! She went on to
tell a story about cleaning out a kitchen cupboard while her kids were eating breakfast, and what a huge breakthrough it was for her. In just a few days of getting the book, she already is catching herself in despair and able to shift her thoughts and move into action. Isn’t that beautiful? That’s how powerful
this work is. And Awareness (all three kinds!) is always the first step.
You always have to take that first step into Awareness, again and again. No matter how much you
“get” this work, no matter how much progress you make, no matter how much transformation you experience, ongoing change always comes back to the basics: Awareness, Desire, and Willingness. In that order. There is always going to be the next layer.
I have been struck lately by how much courage it can take to step into Willingness, to let go of fear, insecurity, guilt, sadness, anger, regret, to change your thoughts and beliefs. The drama can all feel so real sometimes, even when a part of you knows that on some level you are making it up. It can also take courage to step into Desire, to be brave enough to say what you want even when you have no idea how it will come to you. Even stepping into Awareness can take courage, to allow yourself to see what’s in your life, and to keep letting yourself to see ever deeper.
Okay, the whole thing takes courage….!
And if you recall Dr. David Hawkins’ work that we talked about in class, and his book Power vs Force, courage on the emotional scale is the point at which possibility enters. Courage = possibility. My own courage shifted forever years ago when I realized I did not want the options in life I saw around me. Suddenly not having what other people had didn’t matter to me and I felt huge freedom. I didn’t have a clue what to do, but I still felt freed. I decided to create what I wanted, to follow what felt right to me, and not worry about convention. It was that courage to learn and explore, and choosing to be my own leader that has led me to a place in life I now love. At some point, we all need to find the courage to trust what we want for ourselves and engage actively in creating it. Now I am preparing for my next shift that I know is
coming. My personal work now is to have the courage to stop thinking so much and allow myself to trust the quiet part inside me that knows exactly what to do. I am looking forward to that because, lately, and perhaps you have felt the same, thinking too much just plain tuckers me out!
The world is changing quickly, you may have noticed. The way I see it, the rapid change in our world change is an excellent reason to stick with the things that never change. That’s why I stick to principles in my teaching. More than ever we need to focus on what really matters. Engage fully in life with love and kindness and you cannot go wrong. My favourite quote from Dr. Hawkins’ work is “Simple kindness to oneself and all that lives is the most powerful transformational force of all.” Remember that statement next time you feel despair, fear, worry, anger or disappointment. Catch yourself, listen to your thoughts – and practice being kind to yourself. And go put fresh sheets on your bed. J
I have started to write the next book….a companion workbook for this one. I am being guided to go into more depth in the “heal” in HouseHeal. We all have to keep doing our personal work…..it truly never ends! But it does get easier. And it is easiest in the safety of your own home.
Sending you lots of love,
Sara
The next Househeal into Practice course starts Tuesday, May 29th at 7 p.m. Register now.
