THE AWAKENING PATH

Newsletter articles containing great ideas, inspiration, and encouragement to get the life you want!

Spring Housecleaning

The Inside Version

Jan Wharton, Graduate of The Awakening Path Training Program

Ah, spring has arrived! We are surrounded with floral beauty! But spring heralds other things too - like "spring housecleaning." This year I decided to do spring housecleaning on me rather than on my house. What not give ME a good cleaning out? Would I be OK if they disowned me - can I stand independently?

My own personal history flooded over me. For as long as I can remember, I have deferred to the opinions and feelings of others. How I felt about myself was determined by how I thought others felt about me! "Good Heavens, I'm sorely lacking in the independence department!" Best selling author and spiritual teacher, Wayne Dyer, speaks of the journey of freedom as being "independent of the good opinion of others". Gary Zukav, author of The Seat of The Soul, reminds us that, "when you hold someone responsible for what you experience, you lose power."

When we yearn for guidance from Spirit, it comes. It will free us from outside influences. It will lead us to healing so we can learn how to live in authentic power. The move from seeking guidance and approval "out there" to seeking it "in here," from my Inner Teacher, is a move toward real independence.

Want to Measure Your Independence?

The following are some questions I asked myself to see how independent I was. If you want to, you should use these questions to reveal where you stand on the roach to independence. You could write in your journal or just sit quietly in contemplation with the questions.

Can I speak, act, and be, even if others do not support me or strongly disagree with me?
If I might be rejected?
If others might be disappointed, angry, or even try to hurt me?
In the face of this, can I stand alone?
In my decision-making, which is more important; what others think or what I think?
Do I ever feel like I am selling myself out because I go against myself?
Do I feel controlled by others?
How do I need to be noticed by others?
Do I need to be "special?"
Do I anticipate the judgement and/or criticism of others?
How often do I honor myself?

So, with spring comes the invitation to clear the clutter. I asked self-revealing questions. I found a freer and more independent me under the clutter. The same could happen for you. As someone said, if you want more freedom - awareness is the place to start!

The Awakening Path, under the corporate umbrella of The Church of Spiritual Healing, Inc., and inspired by spiritual teachers from many different traditions - like Gandhi, Mother Theresa, Dr. Martin Luther King, Peace Pilgrim, Sri Ramakrishna and others - aims to bring people, regardless of spiritual orientation, to emotional wholeness and universal spirituality.