The Startling Truth about Your Own Dark Side April 9, 2009

From an early age we learn about “the dark side.” Even our modern day mythical stories tout the danger of following this darkness or shadow side of ourselves. We’ve all seen Star Wars— we know what happens when you turn to the dark —you become a breathing mask of blackness, making decisions based purely on their ability to create evil. But is this really true? Is this really what happens when you explore your own darkness?

 

I remember the first time that I explored my shadow. I was sitting in meditation at a spiritual retreat site when it happened. I didn’t do it on purpose, at least not consciously. But I remember the feeling of piercing through a barrier (one I now know I created myself) into a place of total darkness. At first it felt formidable. Alone in this darkness I wondered what to do. My outer surroundings at the retreat site gave me a sense of protection, so even though I felt uneasy, I allowed myself to breathe into this space, trusting that I was safe. What I found there totally shocked me.

 

Rather than containing evil, as I had always believed, the space held none other than parts of my own being. It was a vault full of old wounds, misunderstandings, half-baked conclusions, and other damaged pieces of myself that I hadn’t had the courage to look at, much less heal. The place wasn’t scary at all. It was derelict, and a little cobwebby, but it was completely familiar, astonishingly so. It was the chamber where I stored the pieces of my experience that I feared gave evidence to my own unworthiness. They were transgressions I had made in my life, thoughts and desires I had deemed bad, and events of isolation and rejection that I had endured: this was the place where I hid all of the things I feared made me unlovable.

 

Opening the vault that day was pivotal for me. What I discovered as I wandered through the familiar darkness, was that most of the secret shames I had been carrying were really misunderstandings. For example, those experiences of rejection by my childhood girlfriends were not a neon sign indicating my totally inadequacy as a person, as I had formerly believed. They were instead, moments in time fraught with both learning and mistakes— on all sides—nothing more and nothing less. They were the experiments of my life, some done by me, others done to me, some changing me for the better, others less so. But what I realized for the first time was that the darkness in each of us wasn’t evil or bad, it was misunderstood. If given the proper attention, where wounds existed, so too could healing.

 

Wandering through my own shadow land, I discovered that most of what I had been carrying around just needed a little light. It needed me to look at it again— from a different perspective than I had when I stored it there. Instead of being a holding ground for damaged parts, when scrutinized, this place became a storehouse of valuable lessons— keys for understanding and living this particular life of mine.

 

Even the worst of what I had done had helped me understand the limits of certain actions, and most of it, at its core was motivated by a profound desire for love, and an ignorance of how to truly receive it.

 

I finished my meditation that day with a sense of peace. I felt whole again. For the first time I understood that the darkness, and even the worst about myself was not scary. It wasn’t evil or sinister, or something to avoid or disown, it was in fact an aspect of myself that needed regular exploration and care. And that to not do so would be to waste the pain, by letting it determine me, instead of learning its precious lessons.

 

Today there is a breezeway into my own shadow. The night dark velvet curtains part easily when I choose to visit there, and the candle I bring to the wounded parts of myself that I haven’t had time to care for is welcome and well known. Instead of being a dusty and neglected vault, it is a useful and supportive envelope of nurturing, protective energy. Most of my old wounds have transformed into gleaming tools and powerful antidotes that I now know how to wield and administer- to both myself and others. In contrast to what I formerly believed, exploring this dark side of myself has brought me to wholeness, not distracted me from it.

 

So I encourage each of you to explore your own darkness. Take the shadows from your own past and with the light of your awareness turn them into something valuable.

 

Shadow Meditation

• Shutting your eyes and going within, first consciously reach out and feel your shadow. Where is it located in relation to your body? From the outside what does it feel like? Is it velvety or rough? Is it easy or difficult to penetrate?

• Now entering in to this familiar space, look around and see what it holds. Is there a little person or piece of yourself there, grieving something from your past? What story does this part of yourself have to tell?

• What antidote can you now provide, given your current understanding? What key does this experience hold for your life? Administer the antidote to yourself, helping yourself understand the learning and strengths that you gained from this experience.

• Continue to move through the space of your shadow with the intention of providing light and healing to those wounded aspects of yourself, exploring in depth whatever you like.

• When you feel complete, say a prayer for restored wholeness. Thank your shadow for keeping safe these aspects of yourself that needed your care and love. Thank it for holding the keys to so many answers and for always providing a safe and nurturing place of darkness where you can go to be healed and restored.

Aimée Cartier is an intuitive, writer, and teacher. She is the founder of Spreading Blessings Media, a company dedicated to providing tools for inspired living. You can find out more about her intuitive readings, writing, and other work at http://www.spreadingblessings.com.

PUBLISHED IN NEW SPIRIT JOURNAL, APRIL 09

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Navigate Your Life with EVERY Skill You’ve Got! April 5, 2008

Admit it, you’ve had intuitive urges. You have had experiences where you’ve known things before they have happened, you have dreams that provide you with potent lessons for real life situations, you’ve seen or heard spirits.

When my grandfather was dying, I lived with him during the last few weeks of his life. In addition to a rotating crew of my mother and her brothers and sisters, I provided full time love and care for my gramps whose body was being taken over by cancer.

I remember one night in particular. My grandfather had finally dozed off. At that point, to facilitate his breathing he was sleeping ½ upright, in the hospital bed that had been moved into his bedroom. I had been reading, stretched out along side of him in the king size bed he had shared with my grandmother for as long as I could remember. After several minutes of listening to the rhythmic but irregular gasping rattle of cancer-filled lungs searching for breath, I realized that he was asleep.

I rolled over, closing my book. Shutting off the lights behind me, I walked out slowly toward the living room. I was in the late night reflective mood of one who is watching death happen before her eyes. With everyone else in the house asleep I felt alone in my thoughts for the first time in a while and glad for it. Walking down the hall letting my mind roam over all that was happening I remember looking up rather surprised, into the living room when I arrived. It felt crowded.

The whole room was filled with spirits. I could almost see them—a few sitting together on the hearth, others milling around in the spaces between the furniture. The room felt full with their presence. It was jam-packed with the dead— my grandfather’s friends, his long passed family, all those gone before him waiting to welcome him home. It felt like a waiting room for the dead— just me and them. I didn’t say anything. I just stood there, watching and feeling all of them. We were all there for the same reason—to be present for the death of one of our most beloveds, what else was there to say.

Now, I’m not the only one who has ever had an experience like this. As John Holland, author of Psychic Navigator, will tell you— we are all psychic. If you are like me, or John, and you’ve been living most of your life with a feeling of “knowing,” or even if you’ve recently come to discover these parts in yourself, Psychic Navigator can help you develop this.

“We’re human beings, but we are also spiritual. If you only use half of your abilities, it’s a life half lived,” John said to me in a recent interview. Use what you’ve got. Let your intuitive urges make the most of the life you have. Learn how to develop them so that they can consistently give you good guidance. It’s your life. Psychic Navigator is for those of us who want to hone those skills, who want to explore just what our own intuition can do for us—how it can help us, and ultimately other people. If you’ve been dabbling in this your whole life, or have a reason to develop it now— it just may be time to let the navigation begin. 
By Aimée Cartier

 

Learn More About John’s Psychic Navigator Program 

New Year, Clear Focus January 14, 2008

This year, (well technically last) I spent 10 days visiting with my family in Minnesota.  We did all of the typical mid-west winter activities, the ones that are so novel to me now that I live in the Northwest: Sledding, ice skating, cross-country skiing, snow shoeing, driveway shoveling… we packed it all in.

As my family was sitting around at our cabin for New Year’s Eve dinner my sister asked if anyone had a New Year’s resolution.

“Mine, is better dental hygiene,” she volunteered, going first. I had nothing to offer.

I don’t make resolutions anymore—at least not in that way. I think year after year of forgotten resolutions made me view the whole things as pointless.

What I did feel though, was a natural urge to get clear on my intentions for the next year. Perhaps it was the days spent sitting around eating flourless chocolate cake, or the hours spent contemplating just which card to lay down, whatever the cause, by the time New Year’s day came, I was feeling the need to focus. So a few days later when I picked up Marc Allen’s Millionaire Courseand read the following quote, I knew I was in the right place.

You have everything you need: a miraculous body, a phenomenal brain, and a vast and powerful subconscious mind. Now it’s just a matter of focusing them in the right direction.

I loved Marc’s approach. At the beginning of his course he tells us point blank that he’s put down everything that was helpful, empowering, and inspirational to him—and it’s up to us to figure out, and hold on to whatever does the same for us.

Repeat, repeat, repeat, he advises. Take whatever you like and hold it close enough until you know it by heart, and then hold it close enough until you actually see it working in your life.

At this moment in time what struck me the most in Marc’s course was his efficient way of prayer. He says in his course, “I have found that prayer, when done consistently, is a highly efficient, effective tool for growth and success.”

Marc walks us through his own daily prayer ritual. At least once a day, but more often several.

I loved it. He finishes his prayer with what he calls the “cosmic insurance” clause: “This, or something better, is now manifesting, in totally satisfying and harmonious ways, for the highest good of all.”

Millionaire Course is chalk full of inspiring quotes, or “keys” as Marc calls them: Keys to the life of your dreams.

From a man who makes millions, doing what he loves, and still spends ½ of his days “on retreat” as he likes to call it—he seems to know.

In an easy and relaxed manner, in a healthy and positive way, in its own perfect time, for the highest good of all I pray that you also achieve the life of your dreams in whatever way is most suitable for you.

 

SIDDHA YOGA CALENDAR TEXT: 2004 January 1, 2004

Nature has manifested God’s infinite creative power since the beginning of time.  Just as leaves are an integral part of the tree, so too are humans an integral part of nature.  As Gurumayi Chidvilasananda reminds us again and again, contemplating nature’s many forms returns us to our own divine Self. When we pay attention to nature, when we respect and revere nature, we open ourselves to its blessings and teachings.  We can witness our own qualities in its scenes: the joy in a vibrant rainbow, the wisdom in an ancient boulder, the strength in a tree’s stance.  The miracle of nature is as close as our own heartbeat!  Whether we experience nature in a forest, in a rainstorm, or in our mind’s eye, its timeless truths penetrate our being.  In this calendar we offer you images of nature from Gurudev Siddha  Peeth and Shree Muktananda Ashram, which evoke the truth and wisdom inherent within us.  May each scene invite you to uncover and relish the joy of your own divine inner nature.