Turning Six

I turned 6-0 earlier in the month, and I can’t even say that without laughing! The number sounded so ooooold when I was younger! Now, I can’t even connect the way I feel with the conditioning about what was supposed to be going on in my body and mind at this age. When a dear friend tried to bring over two big gold balloons—a six and a zero—the zero popped in her car on the way over. It wasn’t vibrationally compatible with me 🙂 We rolled with laughter! Six is closer to my inner being 🙂

I celebrated the day with my first hike in ages. I told my foot and knees that I had injured the past few years and that they must be ready for a hike by my birthday. In the days leading up to it, I sat quietly and let the life force stream through me. I imagined hiking and remembered the delicious feeling of the earth under my feet. I got in the car on faith, drove for two hours, focused on proper posture with laser-like focus, and hiked a little over six miles.

Near the mid-point, I started chatting with a young man. We somehow got on the topic of my cold water practice, probably because we’d both slipped off stones into the chilly creek while crossing. As we talked, I started to crave the cold creek so much that I couldn’t resist. Without even thinking, I walked in and sat down up to my neck in the water that was barely above freezing. Snow high up on the mountains was still melting into it. Drawing in the breath, I slipped instantly into a deeply relaxed and meditative space. The breeze blew through my hair. The creek caressed my skin. The cold on the surface felt invigorating, and I was warm inside as I sat in a real stream of life, breathing in and out as slowly as possible. The gurgling, bubbling emerald water flowed around me, treating me as if I were simply a big pebble in the pond. The young man grabbed my camera and started taking pictures. “Stay in!” he urged me when I started getting up. “I want to get some more photos for you!” Five minutes later, I walked out soaking wet and feeling vibrantly alive with the rebirthing.

The week got even better. I spent four days in the amazing presence of a living Hindu saint, feeling the love of God emanate from this beautiful and gentle soul. In the midst of a prayer ceremony, I melted into the One and felt that stream so strongly. You all popped into my mind, and in a space beyond words, I prayed for your blessings and heart’s desires to come true. I should not have been surprised when for the first time in all the years I’ve been seeing her, she played a video of a yogi who liked to get in ice water and walk in the snow. I am nowhere even close to that level, but it was an amazing thing to behold what is possible when a soul lives constantly plugged into the Divine stream of renewal and grace.

As children, we’re all plugged into this stream and seem to experience near-endless energy. As we get older, discouragement, doubt, fear, frustration, anger, sadness, and all those denser energies creep in and block its flow by degrees. We feel the stream’s renewal every time we allow a moment of happiness, and we feel the absence of it when we are resisting our own better feelings.

Human conditioning has taught us to settle for feeling disappointed, explain and justify feeling bad, and put up with our own unhappiness far longer than we must. Of course, there are many things in life that are hard to feel good about. I don’t feel great when I lose a person I love. I miss them. I didn’t feel warm and fuzzy about people who aimed their angry words at me, even though I had compassion for their pain. It isn’t much fun to get a big bill or face disappointment in a relationship. I haven’t enjoyed the problems I’ve caused my body in the past, and I’m sure none of you would sing for joy when these things come into your lives.

Nonetheless, when we accidentally attract the tough stuff or experience it because we’re around others who have, there is still room for renewal and grace. The tough situations drive us to grow, to clean up our vibration, and to become stronger in our resolve to love God, self, and others. They motivate us to reach for better, and as we do so, we reconnect with the Source and the stream of love that we all want to experience more often. Interestingly, the more we reach for better, the less we experience the tough stuff as tough. Grace carries us through it more easily. We are renewed far more quickly.

So when it seems that you must settle for disappointment or less than you truly desire, remind yourself that by letting go of the “how” and the “when” and the “where” and just plugging yourself back into the Source—into whatever practice helps you feel connected to the Divine and whatever thoughts help you feel more loved and loving—you will start to feel the effects of renewal. First, you will start to feel emotionally better, then little things will become easier or happier, and as you gain momentum, you will notice the stream’s current in your life even more as kind people offer upliftment, signs show you that you are on track, and life shows you that you are now opening to receive help.

We’re never alone. We’re never without the energy that creates universes and can recreate us. We just have to find the ways that we can most easily plug into it.

Here are a few ways to help you plug back into the stream of love.<br /><br />

1.  Do “Einstellen”

In the mid-1900s, after WWII, a gentleman in Germany got a lot of attention for his ability to facilitate healing miracles. Bruno Groening constantly reminded people that the healer was not him but God and encouraged everyone to do a simple practice that he called “einstellen.” He had them sit on a chair, feet on the floor, arms resting on their legs with palms up, with only an intention to receive from the healing stream. According to the sources I consulted, “einstellen” means “attunement,” “tuning in,” or “setting oneself.” I was delighted when I first stumbled upon his work because it is the exact same thing the angels have been preaching for years – Sit. Breathe. Receive. I have amazing clients who have practiced this daily and have had miraculous results. And although the angels put it in simple terms for me over the years, (Sit. Breath. Receive.) I can attest to its effectiveness.

As we get our mind out of the way and breathe, bringing both oxygen and life force into the body, we receive both physical and spiritual renewal. Don’t underestimate this simple practice. A few minutes of stopping our usual mental resistance to feeling good allows in the force that creates worlds.

2. Do anything you love and focus on how much you love it

Do you like to curl up under a fuzzy blanket and have tea? Do it and luxuriate in the practice of mindfully enjoying it. Do you like the feel of grass under your bare feet? Stand there on the lawn and feel the life beneath you. Appreciate the air temperature and the softness below. Do you like to cook? Chop your veggies with mindful love and appreciation as you savor their color, texture, and aroma. Do you like to play with the dog? Or read a book? Find time to do so and give thanks for it. In these moments of choosing to love anything at all, we plug into the one love that eternally flows. We release our resistance to love, and we allow this stream of love to start renewing us in that moment.

3. Engage in any spiritual practice that makes you feel closer to the Divine

Go to church, temple, mosque, or nature. Sing. Chant. Recite prayers or mantras. Play music that feels sacred to you. Meditate. Whatever practice makes you feel closer to the Divine, do it often. There is no judgment. There are no criteria which make you more or less worthy of love. In that connection, you have access to the power that can renew anything and everything in your life. The more you engage in your own spiritual practice, the more you will feel the Divine love, the worthiness, and the grace that renews.<br /><br />

For all of you who celebrate Easter, Happy Easter! For those who celebrate Eid-al-Fitr, may you feel the blessings. For those anticipating Passover, all joy to you. For those who celebrated Holi, may the bright colors you shared fill our hearts. For those who simply look forward to the singing of birds in the spring, may you feel their song in your heart.

And no matter the season, may you remember that renewal is there for you in the endless stream of love no matter how and when you plug into it.