moving into the field of light

In my last blog post I quoted Adya as saying “we must pour ourselves forth into life, instead of tying to escape life and avoid its challenges.”  Much of Michael Singer’s book “The Untethered Soul”  is about moving out of our comfort zones by being present with our pain/discomfort/fears (versus building a life around avoiding discomfort) in order to get to a place of freedom and awakening.  I find it interesting that the field of psychology is getting on board with this philosophy by helping people to “be with” their discomfort/anxiety and moving forward in their lives anyway (as opposed to trying to get rid of the anxiety/discomfort…which never works).  I work with these ideas a lot, both personally and with clients. 

One area of discomfort for me is speaking in large groups of people. Although I can and have done this it is something that causes me anxiety.  I have decided to embrace every opportunity to speak in front of groups of people.  I recently attended a weekend workshop where there were lots of opportunities to share.  I noticed that my experiences at the workshop seemed to be different than what most of the other people were sharing.  Most people talked about the positive experiences that they were having while I noticed that I was feeling resistance.  I decided to share my experience anyway which left me feeling a bit vulnerable.

 

I sat with the discomfort of feeling vulnerable.  Do you remember Michael Singer’s analogy about the comfortable house built in the middle of a beautiful field filled with light?  The person inside the house felt so safe and comfortable that they never experienced the beauty of the field and the light that surrounded them.  As I sat with my discomfort I reminded myself that I was letting myself out of that house (which is more like a prison than a place of safety and comfort).

And as the weekend continued (probably at least partially due to the fact that I shared what was authentically happening for me) I had an experience that helped me to break through the resistance. 

Holding onto or avoiding fear, anxiety, pain, judgment, anger blocks us from experiencing ourselves and others as Divine Beings.  To be present with what we are feeling and allowing the feelings to move through us (e.g., by not feeding the feelings with our thoughts...which is a topic for another day) helps us to let go of our small sense of self and move closer to experiencing our True Essence as Beings of Light and Love.