Endings Become Beginnings

Seems like everyone on my prayer list is going through major life changes right now. One is deciding whether to stay in college or move immediately into a career path. Some are ending important relationships. Some are starting important new ones or navigating new ones. Some are moving, have just moved, or are contemplating moves. Many have jobs that are ending soon or are in transition in their careers. Most are in transition in their life's work, which isn't necessarily the same as their careers. Change of all types seems to be the biggest theme this year - major life shifts with the shifts in energy. Some of us are extremely sensitive to energy shifts & sometimes the energy shifts happen multiple times a day it seems. It's been hard to keep a balance, & stay grounded & feeling good about ourselves, our lives, our futures. It's been hard to see the road in front of us.

Endings can be especially painful & scary. Many I know fear the unknown ahead as jobs & relationships end. And truly, your job is a relationship of sorts so it all boils down to that. As scary as it can be, each ending is actually the opportunity for a new beginning. Opportunity is the key word here. Each ending gives us the opportunity to reassess what we want & need in our lives & perhaps go in a new direction. Exactly 2 years ago I was in the months long process of realizing that my marriage was over & that my life as it was, wasn't working at all. At that point I was still trying to make the unworkable work, trying to salvage what I could. I was trying to patch old wine skins with new material, resisting the changes that needed to be made. I started working harder & longer, thinking that if I just gave it enough effort & determination, gave up enough of myself, I could make it new again, make it work. It was like paddling upstream, which I've done literally. I've paddled a canoe upriver on the Potomac to where it merges with the Shenandoah. You wouldn't believe how strong the current gets at that point. The point is, I know what I'm talking about here.

When I finally gave up trying to hang onto the old that was no longer working, the real adventure began. At first it was like navigating rapids & I was swept along a rocky, very scary way. At that point I was just working on damage control. I couldn't see where I was going or where I'd be taken, had no idea how rocky the way ahead would be. Metaphorically, I didn't know if my canoe would hold or if I'd overturn. I didn't know when I'd go to ground or where. But as I prepared to let go of the old, I assessed where I wanted to go from there. I searched my heart & soul & made my decisions, set my intent to change my life to be what I wanted & needed it to be. Then I did my best to research the path I needed to take to get there, to chart my course. I had my general destination in mind & used every resource at my disposal (God, & the help & encouragement of family & friends). I had decided it was time to finally follow my heart, to live from & through my heart. Having lots of artistic interests & talents, one thing is that I'd wanted to make a living doing these things all my adult life. But I'd been told that I couldn't make enough of a living that way. At the core of my heart also was my deep love of animals & my strong desire to make a difference. And I knew that there were things I'd contracted to do with & for God although I had no idea what. At that time I wasn't aware that there was a specific contract, only that I'd felt a "calling" at different times. This was very confusing but strong, & I knew it was time to answer. So with no idea what was ahead, only what my heart was telling me, I decided to chart my course with these things in mind.

I won't tell you it's been an easy or comfortable journey. It's been very hard & I've questioned my path over & over. I've made adjustments so many times that no one can keep up with my current state. I've been questioned over & over about the wisdom & what I'm doing & why. I took the leap in October 2010 & I'm still finding my way. But it's all gotten easier over time, & I've had continuous help & support - from God, family, & friends. I've had new & valuable friends added all the time. I've learned so much about things I never even dreamed of before, & about myself. I'm learning all the time. Sometimes it's very painful, but I'm getting much better at listening, to myself & to Truth. And I've healed so much & so quickly. As soon as I set my intent, God stepped in & began directing me. The first thing was my introduction to Reiki healing & my first attunement. I answered that call & took the first step, & God began opening all kinds of doors after that, including to the information I sought on my life's work & how to go about it. Once I answered the call, He took over, providing the opportunities for my next steps & the next. I vowed to walk through every door He opened. Still, it hasn't been easy. I've had to conquer my self & my fears & doubts, to learn faith. And I'm still working on it all. I find that I'm my biggest obstacle. I still have much work to do on shedding the old ways of thinking, acting, reacting, & being. It's not easy in any way to forge a path blindly, & there are no clear sign posts when you're going an entirely new way. And even though others have gone this way, it's entirely new for me. I have a lifetime of conditioning to overcome.

I use everything I can to help me, & that's where my daily devotional time is so valuable. My "I Am" statements are designed to help realign my thinking & actions. I strive to stay within the Divine flow of all that is so that I'm not paddling upstream any more. Each time I go back to or stay stuck in my old ways, I move out of the flow. So the value of daily devotions is to set me back on the path & in the flow daily & realign myself. One important one is, "Life is unfolding as it should, in the best time frame for my greatest good." Another is, "Abundance is the natural state of the universe, & I am abundant & in the flow, grateful for all that is in my life. I am grateful for all that is in my life. I learn, grow, & heal from all of it." I have lots of them because I need a lot. "I use my free will to rise above all of life's challenges." "I was created to thrive & succeed rather than struggle. I can & do call upon angles instead of struggling, doing it all my way & on my own." And, "I am releasing all resistance to life's challenges, living in the flow of awesome abundance, prosperity, joy, fulfillment, & success." And the final 2, "I am one with the Universe & I open myself to the Divine flow of all that is & the blessings all around me." "I am succeeding on my personal journey to wholeness & I'm doing it at the rate & speed that is perfect for my personal spiritual evolution." That last is one of my favorites. Because I know that I need the process. I still have inner healing that's needed. If not, I wouldn't be struggling still in any way. Doreen Virtue's works have been instrumental in helping me learn to work with angels & ascended masters. One of my favorite ascended masters is Ganesh. Doreen says that he's an elephant-headed deity. I had trouble justifying asking him for help because of this description, & looked him up on the internet, which only made it harder. I am a Christian who's read the Bible many times over from cover to cover & I know what's all through the Old Testament about worshiping other gods. All I can say is that I don't worship him, I worship God only. But I ask angels for help regularly, as instructed to do in the Bible & I don't worship them either. And I've come to know that there are many beings in the world that we don't understand but that are present & real. I know that my heart & intent are pure, so I don't fear this, & I call on Ganesh for help daily. Doreen says he's large & strong enough to blaze trails ahead of you so that your path is clear, but he's also filled with love & sweetness. She said he's analogous to Archangel Michael in that he's a loving & loyal protective force. When Ganesh spoke to her he said, "All barriers in your path are self-imposed. They represent your decision to be afraid of moving forward." (Yep, that's one of my problems still.) "You cast your fear outward by projecting thoughts into the future, worried that either this or that may occur. Your worries about the future have created blocks & bogeymen that you will meet on your future path. But don't worry - since they're your own creation, you can will them away. Ask me to assist, & I puncture the balloon of dark illusions. All thought-forms are on a level playing field, & no matter how dire the appearance, they're all equally surmountable. I plow through them all quite easily with my unwavering faith in 'all good, all love.' That's the only power that exists. The rest are all unreal illusions. Let them go & know the truth of all situations; God & love always prevail."

Tuesday I'll post on priorities management again. I believe it will help close this subject because when one thing ends we have some choice about what we can begin. Making it a conscious choice makes the most of the ending, can turn it into a true adventure for you, a real advantage.