Akosua Dardaine Edwards's Blog, page 41

The problem is that we have externalized that truth

 The problem is that we have externalized that truth Michael Singer

Let me share one of the biggest lessons I have learnt over the past few years - Looking for external validation and proof for your Divine Guidance is not only a waste of time, it is a lack of trust.

We humans want to "know" that we are on the right track, that we are doing well, that people like what we are doing, that people like us, even when the Most High, The Universe, The Divine, God, Intuition - call the higher power by any name that you feel comfortable - has given you the idea, the push, the guidance, the idea, the spark.

We look outside of ourselves for something. Newsflash - you will not find it, then you will keep searching. There may be some people that will agree with you and what you are doing or want to do. There may be others that don't agree. There may be challenges and tough times and there may be happy times. This is all part of the journey. Seeking for something outside of yourself to complete you and it will fail!

Yes, we love recognition, we love to feel appreciated. If we view the recognition and pats on the back as the icing on the cake, trust me you will focus on living your life in a space of Divine guidance. You will believe in what you are doing and will not have to search outside of yourself for anything to validate you.

If we make it our focus to seek externally for things to validate us, the search will continue in vain. Look inside yourself and be absolutely honest about what it is you want and must do. Look inside yourself for the courage and guidance, then act. Yes, you will make mistakes, yes you may have some challenges and doubts- all par for the course! Keep on, keeping on.

Peace

Journey to Balance

 Isn’t it wonderful how you have the opportunity to start over at any time? Letting go is a constant. Releasing is the process. The past doesn’t have to hold us back. Regardless of what’s happened, the future braces the potential for redemption and change is always possible.

Hello my friends

What lessons did March bring you on your journey to Intuition? Welcome to April where we continue to journey to balance...

In life, we all have roles, responsibilities and commitments which, for the most part we have chosen, sometimes, chosen by the patterns by which we have learned, or was handed, sometimes unconsciously following others and there are times we make the choices based on divine guidance. Whatever choice we make we have to live and live with the consequences. We have this power of free will which allows us to make choices and change our minds, make another choice. What happens to us many a time is once we make a choice, we slip into the mode of:

1.Proving that the choice is "right" even when all signs indicate that it may ot be the best choice in the moment. This keeps us stuck in proving mode!

2. Being ashamed of the choice and staying stuck there rather than taking the lesson and making another choice

3. Wanting proof that we made the "right" choice - looking for external validation.

Making choices in this world calls for balance!

The key to balance is ,we can be involved in the physical world, not controlled by its challenges but learning and assimilating all the lessons we learn.

Balancing our physical and spiritual worlds means living with practicality, with facts and organisation along with the essence of the True Self. Our true essence is the good, kind, loving, spiritual beings that we are. This True Self shines when we are relaxed and feeling connected.

We live in two worlds at the same time: Our physical world, where the focus is on material things, money, competition, facts, organisation, planning and accomplishing. We are in this physical world, but we are actually spiritual beings who are temporarily being held here by our physical body.

Balancing our physical and spiritual worlds means living with practicality, with facts and organisation along with the essence of the True Self. Our true essence is the good, kind, loving, spiritual beings that we are. This True Self shines when we are relaxed and feeling connected.

We have a divine inner guidance to help us create the life we are here to experience. Qualities like self-love, self-respect, perseverance, enthusiasm, joy, love, kindness, patience, discipline and faith are also strengthened through this inner guidance. Some of those qualities may be well-developed already, while others we may want to expand in ourselves. Last month's journey to Intuition would have provided a platform for living from a space of inner guidance.

Peace

Top 5 Lessons on the Journey to Intuition

 Busy-ness can be a band-aid.

As the close of the Journey to Intuition approaches, gentle reminder to self of the Top 5 Lessons Learnt:

1. Do not rationalize the whisper, don't bother to looking for facts, external validation, or what is "realistic", that is just not how the voice of the Divine works.

2. I may not in the moment think or believe I know how to do "it", but something inside of me does!

3. If you really pay attention to life, you will ALWAYS get the signs. Pay attention. Paying attention can be hard when we love distractions and busyness.

4. Being physically toxic interferes with the voice of intuition. Eat well, move your body, exercise, be mindful of how you treat yourself.

5. Self is the keeper, the "knower" of your divine guidance and the promotor of revelations.

Making Choices from a Place of Balance

 We make the best decisions when we approach the decision-making process from a balanced emotional and intellectual foundation. When we have achieved equilibrium in our hearts and in our minds, we can clearly see both sides of an issue or alternative. Daily OM

We make a choice, there is a consequence. It works like clockwork. Many times the consequences for the choices that we make are not immediate and so we believe that there are none.

What are consequences?  a result or effect of an action. Many times associated with it being unwelcome or unpleasant.

For example, if we neglect our health as a choice, the immediate consequence may not be felt, over time though, it catches up with us and the consequences include aches, pains, poor health and so on.

What I have learnt is when making a choice from a place of imbalance, the consequences hot harder.

Put it all on the choice pot, the emotions, the facts, the feelings, the discernment, the divine guidance and most importantly the pause!

Practice...it makes masters

Peace

Your Best Teachers Challenge You

 Some of the biggest energy shifts come as a result of the people who challenge you the most. They’re some of the best teachers. Sole

When the student is ready, the teacher will appear. This goes beyond only pleasant situations. There are times that so called "difficult people" or difficult situations pop up in our lives. What I have learnt is situations and people show up in our lives as teachers and lessons, as opportunities, as growth.

What I have also learnt is our perception of these difficult situations plays a huge part in how we respond to them.

When we view ourselves as a victim, this is the start of being in victim mode. Being in victim mode gives away your power. It also tends to us avoiding and denying the feelings associated with the situation.

When we view the situation as one which to blame others, the lessons and blessings are also missed.

Top Five Lessons on Going through Challenging Situations with Challenging People

1. Never take any of it personally

2. Keep an open mind.

3. Feel all of your feelings, express them, write them down, get curious.

4. Never see yourself as a victim

5. This too shall pass

As Oprah says, everything is happening for you rather than for you.

Peace

What is Your Picture of the World?

 

Your picture of the world can only mirror what is within. ACIM

What is your view of the world? How are you looking and processing what is happening with the Corona, the war, the climate?

How you view the world is what is within you.

Use  the information you receive from listening and reviewing yourself as feedback, rather than hating what comes up, judging yourself, denying your feelings; get curious, interrogate the feelings and use it for your own self.

This is not to negate what is going on, it is what it is! We must recognise what is going on and choose what do we do?, how do we respond? how do we feel? This comes directly from within.

Everything is useful!

Peace

Trust starts with Trusting Yourself

Today is a new day, treat it as such. Valencia

 7 years ago,on March 14th "What Did I Learn Today? Lessons on the Journey To Unconditional Self Love" came into the world.

Writing a book was never in my life plans. Writing a book about my own life was not even a fleeting thought. I felt a combination of freedom and responsibility when the book was published. I felt free of many of the secrets and stories that I had kept inside of me, I felt free of the obligation to be a certain way, I felt free of shame, guilt and denial. During that time I looked at life through a different lens. Back then, there was only one way to live, be a good girl, be a good wife, be a good student, be a good worker and all will run smooth.

Newsflash - that is just not how life goes. Opportunities, challenges and detours are not only a part of life, it is growing fuel for the journey. The tools you acquire on the Journey will support these times.

I felt a responsibility to myself and to others to share what I learnt because someone shared with me, someone supported me, someone loved me through it all.

I am now and still extremely grateful for the lessons, life has changed, I have changed, the lessons and the Journey continues.

These are my Top 7 Lessons...

1. not everything has to turn out exactly the way you planned in order for you to call it a success. 2. let me tell you, even if its only you in your world clapping for yourself because you did the damm thing,you stood up for yourself. You executed the thing that you were scared to even say out loud. You felt all your feelings.stay the course3.no matter how uncomfortable or tough the process got, I could not outrun the lesson. Love yourself through it.4.trust starts with trusting yourself.5. some disappointments were divine. Some closed doors were a blessing. Sometimes, if we’re honest, we wanted things that were not good for us.6.you cannot become courageous or empowered through books, IG, courses, talking alone you must live it, believe it. do it.7. it takes determination to fool proof the distractions. Start wherever you are!
Peace

The Mind is Convincing

 The mind will craft a story that feels like truth out of the fragmented pieces it picked up. However farfetched, the mind is convincing. Stacey Herrera

Have you ever had the experience where you made up a story about a situation before either knowing the facts, checking within, or having to wait until you speak to the other person? Confessions on the Journey - making up stories was my thing! I would craft a best seller, an academy award winning story and most times there would be villains and bad guys who I would have to conquer. Then I would retreat because I felt either stressed or panicked to deal with "the story I made up" 

What I have learnt is making up a story with no facts, no truth, no self belief, no responsibility leads to unnecessary worry and stress. I have also learnt that the conversation is usually mush easier than the story made up before it.

I have also learnt to be in awareness of the thoughts that I dwell on. Simply by asking "What am I thinking in this moment?" draws me back to the present moment. Getting still and asking that minus judging ourselves centres us to a space where we are focused on the outcome rather than the fear. Being in awareness take s practice, when you find yourself making up stories to avoid, deny and rationalize nonsense, ask yourself" What am I thinking in this present moment?"

Peace

Journal Prompt - What are you consistently telling yourself?

Hear the Power of Saying Nothing

 

HUSH – Hear the power of saying nothing

There is a common view by people who have recently met me that I am "quiet" I don't really talk that much. At first it would annoy me hearing it, then I got over that and it started amusing me, and some of my family members because they had proof that I was not "quiet". I recognize now that I way prefer to  listen and learn from others rather  than talking, I prefer listening to the Divine Guidance (that inner wisdom that all of us inherit when we are born) I have also learnt that there is wisdom in balance and a time for everything. And that means listening and talking must be in alignment for growth, for evolution, even for revolution of Self!

Set your intentions before any encounter - lately mine has been peace.

Be authentic - show up as yourself

Never shrink yourself to make others uncomfortable

Speak up if you are divinely guided to

Speaking just for the sake of talking or impressing others usually will not end well for you

Remember that we are all connected

Respect is the minimum

Peace 

Self Reflection Takes Courage

 the next time that shame creeps up in your life, ask yourself this one question (or journal about it): What about this situation made me feel like I either wasn't enough or was a bad person? Dr Mariel Buque

Shame is learned behavior. When shame shows up and  we embrace it as part of us, we run the risk of listening to that inner voice that says we are not good enough or we are doing something wrong. that level of thinking leads to all types of  poor choices and decisions. 

Brene Brown describes shame as an “intensely painful feeling or experience of believing that we are flawed and therefore unworthy of love and belonging.”

Of course we make mistakes, and sometimes our actions fall short of what we set for ourselves, we let others down. There will also be times where things will  just not go the way we expected. What we must focus on  when we feel we have done something wrong or did not live up to both our own and the expectation of others is to get curious with our feelings, ask ourselves some questions and be willing to be open, honest and authentic in our responses. 

The questions I have learned to ask myself when I come up wanting include:

1. What is my why? Why did I do it? It seems a simple question, when answered honestly it reveals so much!

2. What is the situation teaching me? (an oldie and a goodie)

3. What do I need to do to make myself happy if absolutely nothing changes?

Self reflection takes a level of courage, are you willing? Trust me, without that level of courage and willingness, shame will continue to show up leading us to feel isolated, trapped and powerless.

We must be ready to love ourselves through it all.

Peace