Akosua Dardaine Edwards's Blog, page 32

Words can make large things out of small things

 

YOU’D BETTER WATCH WHAT YOU ARE SAYING THE THINGS THAT YOU ARE SAYING ARE CHANGING YOUR LIFE.  Yrsa Daley-Ward

My friend calls me the word detective. I asked her why. She said that I pay attention to the words that people say when they are describing themselves especially when its less than flattering.

I chuckled when I heard it, its true, I did not even recognize that I was so relentless with what she would say.

 I have learnt that it is important how I speak to myself, about myself and with others about myself. Words turn into things. Half of the time we are so disconnected, oblivious and uninvested in what we say, we just mouth off!

Have you ever heard that the Universe meets us at where we value ourselves? It does not ask questions, it simply waits for you to be in alignment

What about "be careful what you ask for?" heard that one? 

Your words manifest itself into actions, those actions turn into things, they turn into how you live.

When your words are consistently downplaying your gifts, your talents, your blessings, you are saying to the world, I am not a believer in positive experiences for myself.

Words birth experiences

Words guide us

Words blesses or curses us

Words console us

Be mindful of your words...

Peace

Nature is a Gift. We are nature

Nature itself goes against the pace of capitalism, of wider culture, of demands and schedules, scrolling and consumption, continuous energy and output, and I spend a lot of the year forgetting nature isn’t the thing that is wrong. Nature is so right. And we are nature; allowing it is a gift. Lisa Olivera 

For the majority of my adult life, I spent the Christmas season in a quiet space. I would read, sleep, discover, write, travel to far off places. Doing this renewed my spirit and soul in a way that I cannot even explain. The year would begin and so would I. I felt brand new.

I was never a fan of fuss and Christmas just seemed to turn into a series of events that was a hassle. Confessions on the Journey - I run from fuss! So I used the time to ""escape from the fuss" however, the Universe used the escape for good, for a renewal! I remain grateful.

Spending time with myself at Christmas became like a tribute and honor to "self", showing me and declaring to the Universe that I was worth it, I was important to spend the time and money on my self. 

Since the pandemic hit, I started thinking about sharing this ritual with someone I care about, I promised myself that if a  person showed up in my life I will be open to that. Last year was the first time I invited someone along to the ritual. I loved it, I loved the sharing, the learning, the seeing things from another pair of eyes, the memories, the co-operation.

I have learnt that when I create something and its good, I want to recreate it until the wheels fall off, and so, this year I wanted to recreate the experience of opening and sharing the Christmas rituals. My excitement was on level 10, on a scale of 1 to 5! All booked up and ready to go, these plans were halted. My person decided that they were making a choice to not go during the Christmas season as family time must take priority.

I was absolutely gutted, I felt so out of control, so sad, so angry, so disappointed. My ego, my fear went on a field trip. Until today....

Today I know that this too will pass - the feelings, the disappointment - everything!

Today I know that this time is to be spent with self - The Universe has spoken.

Today I know that it will  all be well

Today I know that I cannot push the river, I just have to flow

Today I know that the Universe loves me and knows what it is doing, up to me to believe that and pay attention.

Today I know that arguing with reality makes me suffer

So here I go again, this year, excited to recharge, renew and recalibrate this beautiful self and I continue along the Journey.

Feelings will  come and go, they are guides, rather than a destination to stay where you are.. use the guides wisely.

Onward to the Journey

May this time be filled with what I need

Peace

Akosua's Books

Nyabo (Madam) Why Are You Here?

Now What? The Flipside

What Did I Learn Today? Lessons on the Journey to Unconditional Self Love

 

Divine Guidance

 Anyone who has asked for divine guidance knows that it can be challenging to trust it when it comes. Daily OM

I was having a random conversation at the hair dressers last week - (gotta love conversations at the hair dressers!)the conversation made a turn towards receiving and following divine guidance. How does one know its divine?

I thought about it for a moment, what a brilliant question.

How do I know the difference between divine guidance and the ego's guidance?

The ego's domain is competition, projection and comparison. The ego focuses on how I can win, how I can look the least amount of stupid and how can I fix what is wrong by most time controlling the outcome.

Divine guidance comes in stillness, it usually makes little logical sense and my body responds to what is being downloaded. When there is something off, my body tells me through my stomach flipping, my bowels flipping or my scalp becoming dry! 

Divine guidance:

1.Comes in stillness - in nature- in prayer - in journaling - in listening to music - in the temple of the shower

2. after the initial upheaval, pain and doubt - divine guidance brings a peace that passes all understanding

3. Divine guidance will not push you, ask for your permission, or tell you what you want to hear.

4. Requires courage, patience, willingness and faith.

5. May not make sense to you. You simply have to trust it.

Peace

Akosua's Books

Nyabo (Madam) Why Are You Here?

Now What? The Flipside

What Did I Learn Today? Lessons on the Journey to Unconditional Self Love

December is the Journey to Self

 In the deepest parts of yourself. What are you asking for?

December, let’s do this

More self-belief (less self – doubt)

More abundance mind set ( less ketch arse behaviour)

More courage (less people pleasing)

More fun (less worry)

More health (less flour)

More action(less talk)

More do’s (less try’s)

I’m ready

Akosua's Books

Nyabo (Madam) Why Are You Here?

Now What? The Flipside

What Did I Learn Today? Lessons on the Journey to Unconditional Self Love

Ten Things that Intrigue me

Once we believe in ourselves, we can risk curiosity, wonder, spontaneous delight, or any experience that reveals the human spirit. E. E. Cummings

1.  I am intrigued by the capacity and the resilience of humans, their ability to bounce back, to change, to grow, to do good in extreme circumstances.

2. I am intrigued by how the sun rises daily, with beauty grace and consistency...and in silence. No noise, no fuss, no fanfare.

3. I am intrigued by how we  humans justify many of our actions which we know are selfish, hurtful and dishonoring to self.

4. I am intrigued how we humans  don't take responsibility for our lives, but prefer to outsource blame and give away our power. 

5. I am intrigued by how much power we have, how much we are afraid of that power, and how we don't use our power  because of fear.

6. I am intrigued by our capacity to love, to forgive, to do good, to share, to be compassionate.

7. I am intrigued by how relationships can heal us and sometimes the healing is not at all pretty.

8. I am intrigued by some of the choices we make in fear and ignorance.

9. I am intrigued by miracles that I see, that I hear about, that I know can happen.

10. I am supremely intrigued by nature and how healing it is, how much it is a teacher, how much it gives to us with no conditions

What are you intrigued by?

Peace

Akosua's Books

Nyabo (Madam) Why Are You Here?

Now What? The Flipside

What Did I Learn Today? Lessons on the Journey to Unconditional Self L

The Externals are Icing on the Cake

 Believe it or not you don’t actually need to do much to self-generate love, either. You don’t need things to change. You don’t need a person. You don’t need a vacation. You don’t need the house or the meditation practice or the drugs. You don't even need to be in love yourself either (although, that will likely come as a fast follow). You just need to get your head to stop spinning in thoughts, creating such a strong centrifugal force that you become separated from the energy of love that’s all around you. Maxie McCoy

For those who have been on the journey with me since we started sharing lessons on the Journey have heard me say before that there is nothing outside of you that you can find that can prove to you what you are worthy, there is nothing outside of you that can prove that you are enough, you are loveable, you matter.

A Course in Miracles says search outside of yourself for what is within and the search will fail. Basically you are looking for something outside of you that cannot be found because it is not there.

You're it! You are the love that you are searching for.

The externals are just the icing on the cake.

When I need a dose of pick me up, I look for the sunrise or the sunset, the flock of white birds that follow the sunrise and come before the sun set, the chorus of parrots that are consistently present at 5.30am and 5.30pm. All from the comfort of the porch. The little things! The little decision to stay present, to be in the moment will remind you that wherever you are love is, wherever you are find the beauty, wherever you are God is. Talk to yourself to get out of your head and into the moment.

Peace

Akosua's Books

Nyabo (Madam) Why Are You Here?

Now What? The Flipside

What Did I Learn Today? Lessons on the Journey to Unconditional Self Love

Eleven Things

 Let people support you. Let yourself need. Let yourself not try to hold it all up on your own. Let your knees wobble in front of others. Let hurt and hope be held. Let your flaws exist out loud. Let yourself fail. Let yourself not know. Let yourself embrace help. Let yourself detach from the notion of needing equaling weakness. Let yourself listen to what may be made easier by no longer trying to do it alone. Lisa Olivera

11 THOUGHTS IN THIS 11TH MONTH

1. I recently had a penny dropping moment - the one where a realization comes with a type of force. Crying in front others is not a sign of weakness. I was of the view  for a very long time that if I displayed this emotion that I would be thought of as a weak person. Interestingly enough, when other people cry, display their emotions, I would feel so happy for them, hold space for them and see them as courageous. So why did I ever see expressing myself with tears as weak. I was taught to handle my business, to fix it, to get things done, no complaints, no surrender! So now, with new amazing people in my life, I feel safe to feel all my feelings. Feeling all my feelings is a type of freedom.

2. When we share our innermost thoughts, feelings and trauma with others, the intention behind sharing this matters. I thought about why I share in different forums. On a stage, my expectation is that it may let others know that they are not alone, others are experiencing same or similar. In a relationship, I realized that I shared with the intention of feeling safe and the expectation of changed behavior. When the behavior remains the same I go nuts! What is safer is to choose peace, to choose self, its damm hard though.

3. Life does not have a manual however, there are some Universal laws which promote a peaceful life. When we are not following these Universal Laws, life and the Universe will continue to give us clues, its up to us to pay attention. The Law of Relativity is one that I must remind myself of often. This law explains why two people can go through the same situation but have two entirely different experiences. Understanding this law helps you prioritize inner peace over defending the truth because “truth” is relative anyway.

4. Its still the simple things that count for me - seeing the sun rise, hearing the waterfall, the waves crash, eating a home cooked meal that I like. 

5. I still feel at sea when it comes to a "career" I mean, having titles and labels are for others. I like to be a vessel, a conduit. How does that translate into living a comfortable life? There are times I lean on the fact that I come from the Source of all things, other times I fall into fear of "how can I live comfortably" The work continues

6. This too shall pass remains one of my favorite lessons ever. A new day, a new time comes and things change in a minute. What do we do in the meantime?

7. Let yourself off the hook - all the striving and proving is unnecessary. What and who are we proving to and why? 

8. Ask yourself "what is your why?" and be completely honest about it. Many times we do things because you have always done it like that, to prove yourself to others, in fear, because someone told you to do it, you believe it's your personality. When someone comes along and challenges what you do, you go berserk. Rather than get curious, you get defensive and hold on to your own status quo. Even if it causes strife. Ask yourself what is your why and get curious.

9. How do I find a way to pause - I call it "stay inside my self, rather than jump out" When the pressure comes, the love is shaken, the stress is mounting. I have started doing the work, journaling, walking, taking a drive, affirmations. This is also damm hard.

10. In everything give thanks - changes the way you view a situation.

11. Tend to your heart, your soul, your spirit - laugh, watch the sun rise, watch the sun set, see the full moon, see the full moon rise, sing, dance, create a playlist, be still, walk on the sand barefeet, ride a wave, feel the cold water of a river, eat real food, grow your food.

Peace

Akosua's Books

Nyabo (Madam) Why Are You Here?

Now What? The Flipside

What Did I Learn Today? Lessons on the Journey to Unconditional Self Love

Something Inside Me Won't Let Me Play Small

 You don’t have abandonment issues.  You’ve experienced abandonment. You don’t have an anxiety disorder, you get overstimulated. You aren’t co-dependent. You crave support. You don’t always get rejected. You get divinely redirected! Zodi Am

Gentle reminder to self:

I believe that in the mind of the Most High Nowhere was smallness a part of the plan You were not made to be a slave to an environment that does not grow you You were not made to settle because of fear & “ that’s how its been done, "it is how it is” philosophyYou were not made to hide behind excuses of this is “who I am” or any other excuse you use to do or not do what you know you must. And something in you knows this But getting to it, is the sludge you must pass through to access everything that’s on the other side.

Come with open hands

 You cannot come to God with your hands full - Iyanla Vanzant

Very often we we seek the assistance, support, guidance of the Most High when we are filled to the brim with our own "stuff" 

We come with preconceived notions, fixed ideas and opinions, judgements and criticisms of others, very structured demands of what we need, how we want it and what we are willing to do or not do to get it. The Universe does not work that way.

Very often the things we cry out for in the moment are not the things we really want or need. And let us not forget when we ask for help while hiding something behind our backs. Something we did not want anyone else to know, something we were ashamed to admit, something hidden in our subconscious mind. We may not have remembered, realized or understood what it was , but the Universe did and responded accordingly.

The Universe meets you where you are, gives you the responses for you to see.

This is why its an "Inside Job"

Determine how you be, how you want to feel and take the steps towards getting there

Along the way you will be guided, you must ask for the courage to follow the guidance

Peace

Akosua's Books

Nyabo (Madam) Why Are You Here?

Now What? The Flipside

What Did I Learn Today? Lessons on the Journey to Unconditional Self Love

Are You Present?

 People are hard to talk to when: They don’t listen. They don’t create space for the other person to express themselves .They take over the conversation and make everything about them .They diminish what the other person is going through.  They don’t exercise emotional boundaries. Nedra Glover Tawwab

Simply put, we want to be heard, we want reciprocity.

ACIM has explained this in the way that I have resonated with the most. Giving is the same as receiving. There is no difference in the spiritual realm.

Are you giving your full attention and time to everything and every where you are? Confessions - I find myself thinking about what I want to say things I have to do, things  I did not do. All of which takes me further away from the present moment which is all that we have for sure.

Practice being where you are- fully

Its challenging now because of social media and instant messaging to remain present. It is still possible to practice being in the moment.

Practice active listening - being fully present

Practice giving your time 

Practice having nothing to prove only being present knowing that you are worthy 

Practice your boundaries, and keeping the boundaries of others.

Peace