Akosua Dardaine Edwards's Blog, page 194

your light is extraordinary

even if you are a small forest surviving off of moon alone. your light is extraordinary. — reminder. nayyirah waheed. 
I finished eating the plate of posho and spinach. She asked me, “Why do you play small?”  my first reaction was that she was talking about my weight. I responded, “I play small because I work out” and I chuckled.  She gave me a blank stare! “Do you know that you have a responsibility to yourself, to your ancestors, to your spirit?” Ok now it was getting serious, now it was time for me to pay attention.  “What do you mean?”  “It is your responsibility to excel, to glow, to do what you know you can do. “It makes no sense holding it all back! What are you saving it for? Why do you give one single thought to what other people think? Those who are for you and what you stand for will remain, the rest are passing through on your journey, leave them, and continue along your path! Please, honour your responsibilities, your purpose and your ancestors. There is no way that you will go off course, off target without getting back on track.”I sat there silent nodding my head for about a couple of minutes and then I got up abruptly thanking them for the food and walked out of the compound.Firstly, where did that come from? What does playing small have to do with cooking and eating?I walked up the hill in the blazing heat, the dust from the road that I usually run from not bothering me at all!  “It is my responsibility to glow.” How many times have I dimmed my light to avoid offending someone? How many times have I played small because I wanted people to like me? How did she know? I never told her!She was absolutely right! Staring at the very thing that I feared right in the face was what I needed to do.Little did I realise that there is nothing that I can do to dim this shine. No matter how much I played it down to make people feel better or like me. When light enters a room it has no choice but to shine! How many of us play small? It serves no good purpose! I walked to the top of the hill looking down at the long street filled with dust and vendors and the jam! Why am I here? To shine my light, to just shine and light the way for those who are around me.
PeaceExcerpt from Nyabo(Madam) - Why Are You Here?

Seek not outside of yourself for it will fail.

Only when you have found the unconditional love inside of you can you stop searching for love in all the wrong places. To begin with anywhere but inside of you is the wrong place. Once you have found the unconditional love inside of you, you can now look for someone, equally worthy, who has also found the unconditional love inside of them. Now you can have an interdependent love relationship. Not dependant, not independent but interdependent.

This is my special Ed class! I will admit it! You know the class where you stay back and have to repeat the lessons? Yea this one is me. Hand held up! I keep repeating this class or being held back by the teachers.
A Course in Miracles says "Seek not outside of yourself , you will fail" and this is so fitting. Start within, start from there.
Seek not outside of yourself for it will fail. For all the pain comes from simply a futile search for what you want insisting that it must be found.
What if it is not there?
Do you prefer to be right or do you prefer to be happy?Be glad that you are told where happiness resides and seek no longer to find it elsewhere

Stop searching....start finding.
Searching indicates some sort of lack, finding tends to lend itself to adventure, discovery even newnessSo I resolve today to move to the head of the class, with a sense of adventure, newness and discovery looking within!Peace

Say it with love

Saying something that pushes another person's buttons without the motive of healing isn't honesty. Ruth Clothworthy
Have you ever encountered someone who says to your face, "I am as straightforward as they come, I tell you like it is" almost in a threat! And when you see them in action they are unleashing bombs and grenades via their words? I never understood that. Why would one use the rationale of "being straightforward" to say anything to anyone at anytime? Words have power, so how we choose to use that power is quite important!Not because we can talk we ought to say anything that comes to our mind to be funny, or to be liked or to be "straight forward" I am one not to waste words!Say what you need to say in a way you would want to hear it - is my philosophyIs it kind? Is it healing? Is it in love? Is it empowering? Is it the truth? Is it to gain clarity? Peace!!

Hold it up to the light

A human being is a being with light in the mind . . . this light is your information, intelligence, insight, creativity, imagination and intuition. It infers a capacity beyond the response to any immediate circumstance . . . to conceptualize beyond events, and to discover a path unfettered by commonly held limits. The miracle of being human is a miracle of the space you hold in light, and the time you allow yourself to embrace the solutions contained in it. Guru Sing Yogi
I was having a conversation with one of my friends earlier today, and many times I avoid these conversations when I do not want to hear the truth! Deep down I appreciate my friend so much for being so open and honest with me, so although I many times get annoyed n the end I really do keep an open mind and engage in looking into this mirror disguised as a friend that the Universe has so lovingly and graciously provided to me. The truth, wow sometimes it really gets to you doesn't it? Am I alone in feeling this way? Anyways I digress
So we were chatting and the question was asked of me "What more do you want to prove that you are enough? what is it that you need to get again for proof? And just exactly who are you trying to prove it to?" Girl please, can you just use what you have right now and stop always trying to get and prove? You really need to stop!" I got very silent. I really did pause for that moment, hmmmm
The striving and getting is ambitious and expected with intent to better one's self when it starts moving into proving and showing and feeling inadequate then it is time to hold up and take a breath, take a pauseIt really is all in the intent!What is the intent behind your actions?Is it bringing you peace? or happiness? or joy? or better health? or the exact opposite?A course in miracles says "seek not outside yourself for it will fail, the search for anything outside of yourself will lead to idols" 
You sometimes really do not need to know more, to be more, to get more but simply to take the things that you know and have however little they may be and apply it EVERYWHERE!
Peace!

Choose change... it's easier that way

What every human being wants the most is to keep things the same. If you could maintain life at the level you're at now, you would. Change is scary.  Whether you're fulfilled, miserable, or at rock bottom - you already know how to do it. There is no learning curve. All you have to do is keep doing what you're doing. Stagnant is effortless.  It takes a massive amount of energy to grow. You may have to break a sweat. Discomfort is guaranteed.  You can stay here, at least for a while. But life will not allow you to be stationary for very long. Choose change... it's easier that way. Stacy Herera
The quickest way to turn a bad situation into a blessing is to get excited! Yup get excited I said! Excitement is the opposite of anxiety. When faced with change, the fear rises up to the surface, the what if's, the monkey mind and it chatters and makes loads of noise!But what I have learnt is that turning that anxiety into excitement ups the ante, t gives you something to look forward to, it changes the game! The same energy is used in a positive way but it takes practice, lots of practice and talking to yourself to slay the dragons, to show up with converted energy
Try it! See what happens.
Think about the knowledge you will gain, the new experiences, the memories, the friends, the laughs, isn't that exciting? 
In any situation I believe you have the right, power and ability to choose your experience. Rather than slip into fear, resentment and anger  choose to get excited! Excited that its gonna come to an end ,that life is trusting you to do the right thing and you will do my best no matter what happens!!New dawn. New Day. Perfect moment to embrace change. Peace!

I am here to....

Let me remind myself of this today. I am not here to make a name for myself, to make money, or to achieve the temporal and temporary things I think of as my goals. I am here to help. I am here to heal. I am here to bless. I am here to save the world. (A Course in Miracles)

Today is my country's general elections, I love my country I must admit having traveled around the world and lived outside of my country the feeling I get when I drive out of my airport is unparalleled, my soul leaps, I feel so peaceful and calm and I feel loved! When I go to other countries many times those same feelings are there, but I think it overflows when I hit the highway and see those hills surrounding me. My country isn't perfect but it has allowed me so many opportunities and I felt it my duty to get involved in making here a better place in my own small way, part of that is voting!Today I go out and vote, a proud moment for me! Let me do my part to ensure that those coming behind me can say that this country has been good to them!
A Course in Miracles says that people may believe or the ego may say to you how can you be here to save the world, who do you think you are? But in fact it is the opposite, all of us are here to bless and heal and by doing this we save ourselves and by extension the world! Thinking otherwise is what is arrogant because we look to some "saviour" to come and that is one way of giving away our power!
I'm ready!Let's do this!Peace!

The most common mirror

This is my best lesson this week..... I have been moaning about some of the people around me and it hit me, the penny dropped " this is a mirror, a lesson of some sort" let me pay attention.
When you find yourself in a negative situation ask yourself: “What is this person reflecting back to me?” What behavior, thought or belief does this person have that I also need to heal within my own being?
There are usually 3 reasons for a mirror:1. Someone is being a mirror for you to show you how you are thinking, feeling, behaving, vibrating. They are a reflection of a lesson you need to learn. Usually both people have the same core belief or issue that needs to be healed. Both are reflections for each other. This is the mirror most commonly used!
2.  You have volunteered on a soul level to be a mirror for someone else. Through their actions, words, beliefs etc…..you have chosen to hold the space for them so they could behave or react out of alignment and  “see” and “feel” the pain they have inflicted on you.  IF  they witness your pain and “acknowledge” their behavior they will be less likely to repeat the lesson again and will clear their karma. Through experience and consequences lessons are learned  IF  the person is willing to accept responsibility transcending the need to repeat the lesson in the future.
3. If you have done a lot of work on yourself, another person can reflect your progress. People will reflect back to you lessons you have recently moved through. They are seeking assistance from you to help shed light on the situation so they can also move forward without having to repeat the same lesson over and over. In this case, you provide a new perspective and are a lighthouse lighting the way for others helping them to bring their unconsciousness forward into the light of awareness so it can be healed.
Understand that mirrors are not about the “story”. The mirror is about the feelings and reactions the “story” provokes within us. Do not get hung up on the He said/ She said, “story”. 
Focus on the interaction and how it made you feel and how you wanted to react. The reflection is about the feeling that needs to be transformed within yourself. If there is no feeling or need to react there is nothing you need to transform. Look for the emotion!If someone is mistreating you, ask yourself: “ How am I mistreating my soul or the soul of someone else? Where am I being abusive?

Ask yourself:What is this person or circumstance trying to teach me?      What behavior are they revealing that is a mirror of my behavior?What negative thoughts and beliefs am I holding onto that need to be released?What am I allowing to be drawn to me? Have I been negative or positive lately? Where am I holding my vibration?Am I evolving or revolving? Where am I repeating the same things over and over? What is the pattern?What is the gift (lesson) they are trying to give to me?What is the gift (lesson) I am trying to give to another?
Peace

And when we are tested.....

            And when we are tested
We must apply all that we have learned
All that we have studied
And all that we have been taught. Natalie Stewart
The tests have been coming,  and they thrown me off the track! I wantedto run for cover, run in the cave and wait, to see if they would magically disappear! But, what
about all the lessons? I heard a voice sayWhat about putting into practice all that you have learnt on the journey?Yea, what about it? Can I just do a written test?Unfortunately not my friend, you must apply the lesson, be patient with yourself.
Tests build character
Strength comes not from doing what you can do but from doing the thing you believe you think
that you cannot.
Tests build strength
What ever the test is
Tests are situations in which you cannot predetermine the outcome in advance and many timesyou aren't able to prepare.

Tests build faith and trust.
Faith and trust is knowing without a doubt that whatever it is, you can handle it and this too shall
pass

Tests allow you to question beliefs that no longer serve you.


And the best thing about life is that we are not even required to get an A in these tests!Just showing up alone you are halfway therePeace!

Possibility!

We get stuck in the problem where we take the problem as a given, taking this problem to prayer. Often when we are trying to fix things we are trying to predetermine the outcome, what it should be and how it must look on the back end. And part of the fixing is the effort to manipulate and to control and to make sure that it comes this way or that way. But that is not how change comes. Where is the talk of possibility? Deborah L JohnsonI dwell in possibility!  This is an affirmation that I use often, because possibility opens the doors for miracles and a Course in Miracles say there is no order in the possibility in miracles. There is power in words you speak so speaking in possibility is also an outgrowth in dwelling in possibility. Over the last week the challenges I have been facing has pushed me back to this affirmationI dwell in possibilityWhy?Because possibility leads to positive action- not just action, positive massive action.Because possibility leads to faith.Because possibility leads to working through the challenges.It gives one the impetus to move, to see beyond the problem, the challenges, the difficult people, the stories, the drama.Do you speak in problem or in possibility?Be the possibility!Peace

Being you is effortless

Forcing yourself to be one way is a recipe for disaster. Striving to be anything other than who you are in this moment is self-destructive. It takes no effort to be you, being yourself is effortless. Stacy Herera
What an absolute waste of time being fake and pretending! Its exhausting!Why would you want to act or be who you aren't? I mean there is only one of you here! and you are unique magnificent and powerful!The people who are authentic are the ones who are the most peaceful - there is no pretense to "be"You may have to walk alone for a bitYou may have to encourage and motivate yourself for a bitYou may have to make some tough decisionsBut it will all be worth it
You are a sovereign being, free to do as you please. Your life is your canvas, free to design and tailor to your liking. 
Your choices impact others. Every decision has a ripple effect; but you are not responsible for how others respond to your decisions.
What is good for you is good for all, without exception. When you stand firm on your own truth, you cannot go wrong. 
Live from the space of authenticity, not pretense. Do not go along, to get along. Flex your independence. Autonomy is a good thing.
Peace!!