By Lori Lines
The Industry of Inferiority Weakness is a multi-billion-dollar business! Whether we are trying to fix our bodies, strengthen our minds, heal our hearts, or uplift our spirits, there is a program, coach, supplement, or book that is “guaranteed” to work. Let’s face it; the capitalistic beast is well-fed by our insecurity, inferiority, and inadequacy. It isn’t always as blatant as a lose-20-pounds-in-10-days diet fix; Many industries, such as fashion, fitness, home improvement, or business networking, benefit from our socially conditioned fear that we are inherently flawed and incapable. Dig a little deeper, and you will soon realize how the inferiority industry doesn’t only fuel capital gain; it strengthens the social façades that uphold the matrix, keeping us locked in our left brain and dulling the senses of the right. If we remain focused on fixing our weaknesses, we are distracted from our strengths and deviate from our destinies. The Divine Destiny While some factions would have us believe otherwise for their gain, we are born from the perfect, unconditional love of the Divine. As a result, we are Divine beings with incredible power, potential, and purpose. We have the spiritual authority to consciously create and manifest whatever life and personhood we choose. Yet when we are under the impression that “fixing” ourselves contributes to our growth, we impair our personal development and spiritual growth. When we view ourselves as broken or flawed, we lower our vibration, detract from our strengths, and give power to the perception of weakness. Unfortunately, people do it all the time,
Acceptance and Allowing We must celebrate our strengths, breathing life and power into them, channeling our life force from the bottomless pit of the impossible into the infinite wellspring of potential and possibility. Many have been conditioned to think that speaking about their gifts or sharing their strengths makes them boastful braggarts. However, this is the conditioning of a society that benefits from our insecurity! Thinking about, exhibiting, and discussing your strengths will not only lift your spirits and raise your vibration but will also empower and inspire others and build healing connections with them and Spirit. What’s more, discussing your gifts with like-minded, empowered people can foster meaningful growth and development through the expansive exchange of ideas and the sharing of perspectives. Openly sharing our gifts can positively impact ourselves and others in so many ways,
True Power Over Weakness Made from the limitless potential and all-seeing vision of Source Creator, is it really conceivable that you are inherently flawed or weak? The argument for innate weakness and imperfection are nullified by unconditional love, infinite ability, and endless possibility of the Divine. The concept of inferiority and inability is born of ego comparison and normalized and supported by our social conditioning. By using other people’s lives and aptitudes as our benchmark for strength, success, and fulfillment, we continue to perpetuate the belief that we are lacking; We can never fill another person’s shoes, fulfill their destiny, or amount to their growth trajectory. True power over weakness means challenging the concept of weakness altogether. Rather than focusing on your differences as weaknesses, you can find genuine empowerment by reframing them as opportunities to highlight your strengths, develop more personal tools, and gain new perspectives. Hidden Potential, Higher Purpose Ultimately “weaknesses” are thinly disguised individual differences. The differences that make you unique and, thereby, essential to manifesting your destiny and that of the universal collective. Thinking of each member of the collective as a puzzle piece, yourself included, exemplifies how our fundamental differences and natural-born strengths complete the Divine vision for individual and universal growth, enlightenment, and ascension. “If you are always trying to be normal, you’ll never know how amazing you can be” – Maya Angelou. In love and truth, Lori Lines
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By Lori Lines
The Power of Words Think back to a time when someone gave you heartfelt praise, “great job,” “impressive,” or “way to go”! Were you filled with pride, a sense of appreciation, or the satisfaction of accomplishment? Alternatively, can you remember when someone diminished your efforts or harshly criticized you? “I’m disappointed in you?” “Is that the best you could’ve done?” What emotions did that stir within you? How did it make you feel? Words can hurt, or they can heal. Some wield words as weapons striking out to cause injury. Others carelessly toss words around, unconsciously letting them fall where they may. And there are those sacred moments when we use our words like a soothing balm to comfort the pain of others. Words have power. Yet like a sword, they cut both ways. “Main Character Energy” A new term for an old mindset, main character energy, can refer to someone who sees themselves as the main character across circumstances, with others playing supporting roles. This type of worldview is dangerous because things can become deeply personal! A neighbor not saying hello, leads to a whirlwind of theories about how we have offended them. A warm moment between coworkers becomes fodder for a passionate attraction they supposedly feel for us. And an offhanded remark or inconsiderate putdown becomes a profound affront to us, shaking the foundation of our self-esteem. The reason for someone’s words may be a poor night’s sleep, the fact that you remind them of a selfish ex or demanding parent, or they may not even have intended it the way you perceived it. They may have a blunt way of communicating, or something may have been lost in translation due to text or email. It often has very little to do with us when someone says something offensive… or does it? Seeing Things as We Are Anaïs Nin once said, “we don’t see things as they are; we see things as we are.” And that is why despite the words of others often having very little to do with us, our perception and response ultimately have everything to do with us. Therefore, it is essential to recognize when we feel offended so that we can identify our triggers, mitigate our defensiveness, and use the moment to awaken instead of agonize. We might feel shameful, sorrowful, or fearful when we are offended. Some people become indignant, full of rage, or vengeful. These are all defense mechanisms the ego-self employs to protect itself from being wounded or triggered. And fundamentally, defense mechanisms are a means of rejecting and denying something that may or may not be true but, nevertheless, disrupts our sense of self and worth. So, be mindful when you feel yourself shutting down or lashing out! Your Trigger, Your Responsibility Once we can recognize when we are offended, we soon discover that when someone’s words are offensive, it is often because they poked around an old unhealed wound. It is essential to identify these triggers to strengthen ourselves against future pain and offense and heal past traumas and emotional blockages. Some questions to ask once you have recognized that you are offended are… When have I experienced this before? Who or what do these feelings remind me of? How did it make me feel then? How does this trigger me to feel now? How does this contradict how I perceive myself? How does this affirm how I perceive myself? Of course, these questions are just the beginning of learning to acknowledge, find the root of, accept, and heal triggers. Remember, a trigger isn’t a “bad” or shameful thing; it can be a powerful tool for self-exploration and personal growth! Toxic or Tactful Defensiveness? Just as triggers aren’t all “bad,” vulnerability isn’t all good. We are often encouraged to be receptive and open-hearted; Genuine has become synonymous with wearing our hearts on our sleeves. However, this, like most extremes, is not healthy. To swing too far on the spectrum, being totally “open” leaves us defenseless against those who would do us harm, destabilize our self-wroth, and compromise our sense of self. Too far in the opposite direction, we would be narrow-minded, emotionally detached, unable, and unwilling to change. Ultimately, it is the difference between a blockage and a boundary. Boundaries are a matter of self-worth. Blockages stem from self-doubt. Toxic defensiveness is a cage, limiting our growth and keeping away everyone and everything that would challenge our limiting beliefs or lead to change. Tactful defensiveness creates a healthy boundary between you, others, and their opinion. It allows you to define who you are while adapting to who you are becoming. How to Not Take Things Personally Taking things personally can significantly impede our self-esteem, ability to communicate with others, and journey to enlightenment. How much more evolved would we all be if we took things a little less personally and chose to be responsive instead of reactive? Learning to do so is a practice; Each day, it is a moment-to-moment choice to move through life consciously, mindful of the grey areas between our perception, reality, and the perception of others. Practicing a CALM approach to life, you will soon discover the freedom of not taking things personally! Confidence - Create a self-care routine and spiritual practice that nourishes self-worth and personal conviction. Accountability – Non-judgementally, hold yourself accountable for your perceptions, reactions, growth, and healing. Learn – Take a step back and explore what the “offense” has triggered for you and why. Be willing to learn more about what you need to heal. Move On – Acceptance is a big part of the journey. Even if someone intended to harm you, accept that you cannot control others, only your response; Know when it is time to let go and move on. In love and truth, Lori Lines By Lori Lines
The Man Behind the Curtain Do you remember the scene from the Wizard of Oz when Toto pulls back the Wizard’s curtain? It’s been a long time since many of us have seen the movie but close your eyes and try to recall the “wizard’s” reaction…It was filled with threatening anger, panic, and fear, and finally, when the man behind the curtain was revealed, profound sadness and a tale of loss. The Wizard of Oz is a whimsical tale of talking lions and flying monkeys, yet the anxiety of being revealed as who they are behind the curtain is painfully real to many. Another common childhood memory may have similar undertones. Guests are coming over, and your mom whips herself into an anxious frenzy, ensuring you are dressed and pressed, every hair in place, and the house is spit shinned. Mom may even caution you to be on your best behavior for the arriving company. Perhaps you are this parent today. Of course, we all have private lives that we neither hide nor advertise from the anime aficionado and weekend nudist to the grieving child or separated spouse. However, when masks become part of our daily wardrobe, we can become bound in the straitjacket of inauthenticity. Unmasking the Ego Why did mom scurry around the house, making things picture-perfect? Why do some people buy homes and cars beyond their financial means? Why do couples stay together when they no longer love or even like each other? It all comes down to three letters, EGO. The ego is the bridge between the outside world and the inner self. It can be a protector, facilitator, or translator when it is healthy and whole. When the ego self is wounded and damaged, it can cause us to respond defensively, aggressively, or deceptively. What hurts the ego, causing us to respond in this way? Ego wounds are emotional traumas that overwhelm our coping skills and defense mechanisms. This is why many ego wounds occur in childhood when the ego is still developing, and we have little recourse in response to the shame, guilt, fear, and pain we may encounter. Of course, the ego can be damaged at any life stage. And, because we all have varying levels of trauma tolerance, everyone’s ego can be affected by different events in different ways. Examples of Ego Trauma Parental Abandonment Academic Challenges Divorce from a Spouse Rejection from a Peer Group Disregarded by a Romantic Interest Teased by Family or Friends Professional Failure Mocked By a Teacher Feeling Like an Outsider (financially, physically, intellectually, etc.) Perfection, The Enemy of Authenticity Ego wounds often result in inauthenticity because people are trying to avoid reinjury. Consequently, wounded individuals strive to project a perfect image to avoid experiencing shame, rejection, guilt, or abandonment again, thereby protecting the ego. Defending an injured ego indefinitely actually weakens the ego instead of strengthening it. Think of it as a broken limb, for example. We wear the cast temporarily as we heal, but it must eventually come off, or the appendage will atrophy. And, what happens when the ego’s defenses atrophy? The ego becomes preoccupied with its defenselessness and vulnerability, causing fear, anxiety, depression, and hopelessness. Trying to hide this angst and sorrow creates a vicious cycle of masking and hiding behind façades. It is crucial to remember that the inner child or lower self, the ego self, and the higher self are all part of a singular individual. We are discussing it now as something separate to highlight our accountability for and sovereignty over the ego self. It is up to us to heal and strengthen our ego self so we can represent ourselves and navigate the world in empowering constructive ways. Authenticity is the Measure of Awakening It would be remiss to not acknowledge the price we often pay for living authentically. We must first be willing to be vulnerable. By exposing our true selves and living honestly, we open ourselves to the risk of rejection, abandonment, judgment, shame, and failure. We must also be willing to accept that not everyone will celebrate or approve of us. And we need to understand that when we are denied, it will be for who we are and not who we’ve led others to believe we are, which can be even more painful at times. However, the price of authenticity actually pales greatly in comparison to its gifts. The rewards of living an authentic life are plentiful. We gain freedom, self-love, self-worth, inner peace, joy, and empowerment. When we choose to honor our truth, live vulnerably, and let go of fear and a need for acceptance, we also find clarity, release, and awakening. The Authentic Self, the Soul Made Visible It’s rather miraculous how the routine choice to observe yourself, reflect on your truth, and respond authentically can be such a transformative practice, though not in the way you may think. By living authentically, you don’t change who you are becoming; you become who you were always meant to be, which is also the fundamental truth of awakening. In love and truth, Lori Lines By Lori Lines Let’s face it, everyone encounters adversity in their lives. It can be a daily inconvenience, like a parking ticket, a painful or disruptive circumstance like a job loss or breakup, or a life-altering event such as a serious illness or the death of someone you love. No one is exempt; Adversity is one of life’s great equalizers. So, why do some people crumble under the burden or hardship, with those that never recover, while others seem to withstand the burden, heal, grow, and perhaps thrive? While there can be multiple factors at play, ego dramatically influences how we face, endure, and overcome adversity. The Many Faces of Ego From the scientific study of psychology to the intuitive wisdom of spirituality, the ego has many faces. At times vilified, “the ego must die!” Celebrated by others as “the voice of reason and sanity.” With so much divergence, what can be agreed on? Ego is accepted across disciplines as the conscious part of the personality, a mediator between our inner workings and the outer world. It is who we think we are and often who the world believes us to be. The ego’s fundamental role is to serve as a gatekeeper between our outer experience and the lower and higher self. Like a switch operator, the ego decides whether it will direct adversity’s call to the lower or higher self. The ego makes this decision, actually all its decisions, on what it perceives as facts about the self. The types of “facts” the ego believes can be self-deprecating
The Burden of the Ego Those who are arrogant and self-loathing often bear the burden of ego. For these people, the ego becomes a locus of attack and defense. They often believe that adversity happens to them or at them like arrows flung in battle. They view themselves as either vulnerable victims or superiorly separate from life’s hardships. Self-loathing people often view hardships as a punishment, at times deserved, for being lesser than or failing. In this way, these people align with their misfortune, embodying it, becoming the suffering itself. This can worsen their hardships, making them harder to overcome. Self-aggrandizing people often view their hardships as beneath them, rarely deserved, because they are above it all. In this way, these people resist their misfortune, denying it, fighting it, and making the misfortune an enemy. This creates attachment to their hardships, making them harder to move past. In both cases, the ego convinces the self that when adversity stops, there will be peace. As a result, the individual becomes a slave to the ego because misfortune is inevitable and unavoidable. There needs to be another way! The Benefits of Ego Those who are self-honoring often heal and grow from the benefit of ego. For these people, the ego becomes a locus of acceptance and accountability. They view themselves as worthy, empowered, and self-knowing when facing life’s adversities. They often believe misfortune simply happens like a storm crossing the sky. These self-respecting people often view hardships as happenstance, learning opportunities, karma, or destiny. These people do not identify with their misfortune at all. Instead, they acknowledge, accept, overcome, and release it, neutralizing the adversity and the potential for suffering. This makes it easier to take accountability, learn, and adapt. In this case, the ego faces adversity with self-worth, empowerment, and self-knowledge.
Facing Adversity with Neutrality By seeing adversity as
You will no longer become attached to it and stop worsening your suffering by aligning with it or resisting it. When you face adversity with neutrality, viewing it objectively as something unavoidable and unbiased, like the ebb and flow of the tide, you can significantly minimize your suffering or prevent it altogether. Albert Einstein once said adversity introduces a man to himself. Still, there is more to it! Adversity also introduces us to our higher self. Ultimately, adversity is not just one of life’s great equalizers. It is also one of life’s greatest teachers! In love and truth, Lori Lines By Lori Lines Growing up, many of us are conditioned to trust facts, not feelings. Think back to math class. It was never enough to have the correct response; you had to “show your work.” We become conditioned to think that anything that can’t be proven in black and white falls into the cognitive abyss of incredulity and insignificance. “I’ll believe it when I see it.” In other words, show me the evidence, and I’ll acknowledge the validity of your point of view. Yet, how can you show someone the carefree exhilaration of getting caught in a sun shower, the pain of saying goodbye, or the indignation of witnessing injustice? There are ultimate truths that can never be embodied by words on a page, numbers on a spreadsheet, or even when beholding it with one’s own eyes. Not until some people experience or manifest some of these absolute realities can they have conviction in their truth. For instance, Divinity, as an experience, principle, or being(s), cannot be conjured at will to prove to a nonbeliever that it exists. Does that then negate the existence of the Divine? Sadly, for the left-brained thinker, it does! You may ask, what is a left-brained thinker? Contrary to how it may sound, the distinction between left or right-brained thinkers has nothing to do with political polarities! it refers to the pathways through which people process their worldly experiences. The left-brain processes experience through logic, “I’ll believe it when I see it.” It systematically parses and stores information based on tangible evidence. The right brain processes our experiences in a way that adds richness, depth, and meaning. Those who think with their right brain gain understanding based on emotions, intuition, and spiritual awareness. Right-brained thinkers know “believing is seeing” because they gain wisdom through a holistic impression of what is seen and unseen, the tangible and intangible. They know there is so much more to reality than what can be witnessed with the 5 bodily senses. We create our own reality when we see, think, and understand primarily through the right brain. And the existence we choose is designed by what we believe in our hearts and higher consciousness. At that point, believing truly is seeing because we can see past what we have been conditioned to fear, trust, and surrender to. When you have conviction in your own awareness and inner truth, you also realize that many “facts” are not really factual at all. When we see, think, and feel for ourselves, our knowledge and experience are no longer pigeonholed by where we were raised, who raised us, who we follow on social media, or the cable channels available to us. The distinction between “I’ll believe it when I see it” and “believing is seeing” does not solely impact us on a personal level. In actuality, it has communal, global, and universal implications. When we are moved as masses by socialized fear, hate, division, and panic, it wreaks widespread havoc and pandemonium. The same way the left brain parses information is the same way it can parse people. The left brain thinks in terms of “us and them” and “ me and you,” based on observable distinctions between individuals or groups and me. On the other hand, the holistic perspective of the right-brain views things in terms of “us and we” based on the higher awareness and intuitive belief that we are a collective and that oneness is the highest path. The ultimate truth of the New Earth, the 5th Dimension, or the Age of Enlightenment is loving, harmonious unity. We are one through ascension because we all hear, and heed, the singular voice of the Source. We are unified because we all trust the voice within, channeling the absolute veracity of Divinity. Yet, does this oneness have to remain a distant possibility of the 5D? Things could be different from the pandemic of dread, depression, and dissension. Because, the truth is, there is a better way! If we stop seeing the world through the fractured, disconnected lens of the left brain and start viewing it through the unified, harmonious perspective of the right brain, we can bring Divine order and holistic balance back to the heart and soul of society on a communal, social, and universal level. Don’t wait until you see it to believe it. Believe it now! Believe social, global, and universal healing is possible. And just like that, you can begin to create the world you wish to see. In love and truth, Lori Lines By Lori Lines Your spouse asks you to join them for a show, but you decline, explaining that you must catch up on work. They go anyway, and you lash out because you feel abandoned. Still, you did tell them you were too busy. Your boss asks you to stay late and give her feedback on a project she's been working on, you have a prior engagement, but you blow it off because you feel elated to be "chosen" and acknowledged despite this being an unpaid infringement on your private time. You promise your friend you will come over and help her prepare for a party. You get absorbed in a Wordle puzzle at the last minute, ignoring her call when she phones to see where you are. You realize that you don't feel up to it but feel too anxious to let your friend know. What do all these examples have in common? They could all be indicative of a need for inner child healing! What is Inner Child Healing? Also known as inner child work, it is any healing practice that addresses needs that weren't met or wounds that were created when we were children. While inner child wounds are prevalent among victims of trauma and neglect, we all have an inner child who may not have been loved, guided, or even reprimanded in the way they needed during development. Inner child healing creates space for the child locked within the subconscious mind to speak their truth, needs, and feelings, drowning out the echoes of those who criticized, rejected, and labeled them. When we allow our inner child a choice and a voice, we self-actualize through integrating the shadow and light or the subconscious and conscious. The principal goals of inner child work are to acknowledge their wounds, recognize the maladaptive beliefs and coping strategies they use to navigate the world, and heal by hearing, protecting, honoring, and reparenting the inner child. Signs Your Inner Child is Wounded There are many "symptoms" of an inner child needing healing. They can be as seemingly insignificant as repeatedly playing hooky from work during a deadline or as glaring as multiple DUIs! The following are some of the most common cries for help from the inner child. Codependence Vs. Alienation – A tendency to adopt the belief that "I can't live without you" is just as indicative of wounding as "I don't need anyone." Healthy adults value their independence yet, allow themselves to ask for help when needed. Reactivity – When any inconvenience results in an emotional breakdown or disruptive acting out, this is the "adult" manifestation of a temper tantrum. We are intended for thoughtful and intuitive responses to life, not impulsive and impetuous reactions. Self-Destruction – When we think of destructive behaviors, we often things of gambling, alcohol and drug abuse, compulsive shopping, and infidelity. However, self-destructive coping also includes workaholism, restrictive dieting, overly people-pleasing, and serial monogamy. Toxic Attachment Patterns – Whether in platonic or romantic relationships, those with an inner child wound tend to struggle with unhealthy attachment patterns. This can include avoiding conflict, emotional expression, or meaningful conversation. This often goes hand in hand with anxious attachment, involving the pathological need to please others. There may be a tendency to dismiss their needs for those of others or vice versa. This is often associated with being a gas lighter or a reoccurring pattern of being gaslighted. Benefits of Inner Child Healing We are often taught the "adult" thing to do when suffering is to suck it up. This leads to a tendency to reject our inner child and look disdainfully upon the part of ourselves that is wounded and bereft. This contributes to a fractured sense of self, leading to self-loathing, inauthenticity, developmental and spiritual stagnation, emotional detachment, alienation from others, humanity, and Spirit. Embracing the inner child teaches us there is no shame in the shadows of our wounds, thoughts, and emotions. By accepting the self fully, we can integrate the shadow and light, self-actualize, and ascend – we are no longer fractured. We are whole! Inner child work enriches our lives on many levels, elevating our physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health, nourishing our relationships, fostering success in our careers, and contributing to an overall sense of fulfillment and joy. We are catalysts of generational and communal healing when we heal our partnerships and families through inner child work. Moreover, if every child was swaddled in love and had a heart overflowing with empowerment, we could heal the world, creating a wave of awakening and enlightenment! Methods of Inner Child Healing The best way to create space for the inner child is to quiet the left brain and activate the right. The left brain is a locust of logic, reasoning, and conditioning. The left brain is the source of life's "shoulds and shouldn'ts" and is heavily restricted by the limitations of the 3D and societal mores. Alternatively, the right brain is a flowing source of emotions, intuition, creativity, instinctual knowing, imagination, and higher vision. The following modalities are trusted tools for inner child healing. Art Therapy – By activating the right brain, creative arts and art therapy under the guidance of a trained practitioner provides the inner child a chance to play, create, and express themselves. Hypnosis – Bypassing the conscious mind and accessing unconscious resources, hypnosis can create space for the inner child to convey their trauma and wounds while also giving them access to healing. Journaling – Inner child journal prompts to build a rapport with the inner child, strengthening and honoring their voice. It is an excellent way to begin the healing journey by creating a safe space without shame or guilt. Meditation & Mindfulness – Quieting the mental chatter, self-criticisms, and internalized judgments of the left brain, these practices soothe the nervous system and create a peaceful, broad expanse for the inner child to explore and express. QHHT – Bypassing both the left brain and the ego-self, QHHT reactivates and strengthens the right brain while fostering a connection with the higher self. The higher self can then inform the healing processes by comforting and empowering the inner child, accessing repressed memories, and providing a safe space to explore "negative" or shameful emotions. Final Thoughts… Your inner child is a seed. Though small and hidden, it is the foundation of growth for your entire being. Therefore, while your inner child's wounds may not be your fault, their healing is still in your hands…your life depends on it! In love and truth, Lori Lines By Lori Lines I often recommend, to my clients, a Mindfulness Meditation practice to strengthen their awareness of themselves, especially when they are concerned they cannot go under QHHT hypnosis easily. And, here's why: The promises of a mindfulness meditation practice are well documented. From less stress, sleeping better and a lower incidence of a whole range of mental health conditions, mindfulness has been presented as a silver bullet that can make a difference to many of the problems in our modern lives. But mindfulness is so much more than this. It’s so much more than a prescription, to be taken once or twice a day, to cure our ills. A mindfulness practice is a way of life that can utterly transform us, changing the way we see our minds, ourselves and the world around us. And that’s where the real benefit comes in. Mindfulness changes how you relate to the mind Developing a mindfulness meditation practice can fundamentally change how you view the goings on inside your own mind. In the first instance, mindfulness meditation makes you more aware of what is going on in your mind. It allows you to get a clear picture of how busy the mind really is. It helps you to see clearly the kinds of thoughts you are carrying with you. It also allows you to get a clearer picture on your emotional life. How does the mind respond when something doesn’t go your way and a powerful emotion takes over? In what ways does the mind fuel these emotions? Regular mindfulness meditation brings clarity. It helps us to see the mind as it really is. It also helps us to realise that our thoughts and emotions are here one moment and gone the next. As we pay attention to the mind, we realise that nothing is permanent. Everything changes. And so we can begin to hold less tightly to our thoughts and feelings in the moment. It is only in seeing the mind as it really is that we can we begin to make positive changes to our inner world. Mindfulness changes how you relate to yourself All of this new information about how the mind works, and about your thoughts and emotional life, gives us a much deeper understanding of ourselves. It allows us to see more clearly what is going on in the mind and, with regular practice, it allows us to go deeper than the busyness of our thoughts, into a place of intuition and calm. Many practitioners describe this experience of the mind using the analogy of the blue sky. Underneath the clouds, even on a cloudy day, the blue sky is always there. It's a bit like that with our thoughts. Some days there are less of them, and we can see the blue sky clearly. On other days the whole sky is dominated by clouds and we hardly even know that the blue sky is there at all. A regular mindfulness meditation practice helps us to find acceptance. Acceptance that beneath our thoughts truly is a place of peace, a place of calm, and when we access this place we can live more intuitively and authentically. This doesn’t mean we chase the thoughts away. Instead we just wait for them pass, knowing that the blue sky is always there, right beneath the clouds. For many people, this place within us, that exists beyond thought, is a deeply spiritual place. It is a place where we can access our truest self, our deepest wisdom about life and find guidance for the things in life that matter most. For some, this practice has allowed them to delve deeply into the imagination, accessing the multidimensional lives we live on other timelines. Practicing mindfulness meditation, and carrying what you have learned in meditation out into your everyday life, allows you to live in a way that is more in tune with this deeper awareness, this true self. And this can be spiritually liberating for many. Mindfulness changes how you relate to the world A regular mindfulness practice also transforms the way in which we relate to the world. By drawing us into living life on a deeper and more intuitive level, we become less reactive. Many mindfulness meditation practices begin with setting an intention for the practice and identifying who this practice will benefit beyond yourself. There are many ways in which those around us will benefit from our mindfulness practice. Those closest to us will benefit from the greater sense of calm that we experience as a result of regular mindfulness practice, but they also benefit from our greater ability to be present in the moment. We live in a highly distracted age. There is always somewhere else to be or something else to do. Technology allows us to connect with anyone at any time. Our full attention, then, is one of the most precious things that we can give to anyone. Mindfulness practices helps us to strengthen the muscle of presence. It allows us to really be where we are and our relationships are often all the stronger for it. Mindfulness practice can transform our relationship with the natural world. By being more present we begin to notice our surroundings so much more. And in noticing, we are much more likely to access our authenticity and experience feelings of genuine gratitude. Our gratitude for what we have, and the beauty of the world around us, can be a powerful driving force to protect our world and care for it. When we regularly practice mindfulness, and become more in tune with that which matters most to us, we are more able to prioritize what really matters. We are able to work in the world for meaningful change, whether that is in the form of caring for others or caring for our beautiful planet. We could easily enter into a mindfulness practice simply to gain the benefits that are so often talked about of an improvement to our wellbeing and mental health. And these are great goals to have. But mindfulness practice offers us so much more. It offers us a way to connect deeply with ourselves and with the world. It gives us a simple way to begin to understand the inner workings of our mind and to access our intuition and wisdom. From this place we can make intentional decisions about what matters most to us and how we spend our time and energy. We can live life in a wholly different way. That is the true benefit of mindfulness. In love and truth, Lori Lines By Lori Lines Hopefully, you have taken some time to reflect on your connection to and embodiment of your higher self and role as sovereign creator. Often, when we first accept this position of power, we focus on what future experiences we wish to manifest, reflect on the present and how to improve current circumstances, and sometimes in our more introspective moments, we question how things could have been different had we assumed the authority of creator sooner. The past, present, and future of this lifetime are too minute to illustrate the vast nature of your power as a divine being. The higher aspect of who you are, your soul, has designed infinite lifetimes, some of which you are living concurrent to this one! With boundless wisdom, you chose what people, opportunities, challenges, blessings, and lessons you would encounter over your lifetimes to manifest your greatest good and highest purpose, enlightenment. Although free will can’t be disregarded, your higher self’s plans play a huge role in who you are, the life you lead, and your journey of personal development. “Even the bad things?” you might ask. “Bad” things happen for several reasons, a pre-orchestrated decision made by the higher aspect of your being to further your growth, your contemporaneous free will, or the consequence of your experiences and actions over lifetimes. Let’s use chronic migraines as an example. Your higher self may have decided migraines would guide you towards meditation, teaching you the value of mindfulness, inner stillness, and balance. They could result from the free will you exercised to stay up late and drink espresso shots throughout the day to stay up. Karmically, you could have experienced a head wound during a fight with a lover and must now heal the deep-seated emotional wound it caused in order to trust again. In this way, your sovereignty as divine creator is exponential, to the nth power! From this perspective, one can never be a victim of their circumstances. Let’s use another example…If you keep attracting partners who lie and cheat, this could be a path you choose in your highest state to learn self-respect and self-preservation, an unfortunate use of freewill to choose partners without discernment, or karmically it can be a pattern you will repeat until you decide to heal the wound of being abandoned in a past life. Meaning, any way you frame it, your circumstances are a result of your choices. Fortunately, you have the divine authority to change both your inner and external experience whenever and however you choose. Of course, this can sometimes be easier said than done. When the root cause of your undesired circumstance is unconscious or inaccessibly linked to past or parallel lives, it can be hard to identify, acknowledge, and release the blockages that impair your influence as a creator. This is where Quantum Healing Hypnosis can help. QHHT can reconnect you to the higher aspect of yourself, where your soul’s memories are stored. But, more than that, your higher self is also connected to the collective unconscious. By accessing all wisdom that has ever been and ever will be, your higher consciousness provides insight regarding your chosen life path, karma, challenges, wounds, and healing. Yet, before you can genuinely benefit from a QHHT session, you must accept the fundamental truth that despite any perceived distance or separation, you are your higher self! A QHHT facilitator is just that. They are meant to facilitate the connection. With hypnosis, one can clear the noise of limiting beliefs, temporal restraints, and conditioned “logic” to promote profound, discernable messages from your highest consciousness. It is not up to the practitioner to tell you what is "wrong" with you, that is your sovereign duty and privilege. Through QHHT and the alignment it promotes with your higher self, you can reclaim your divinity and creator power, learning to heal yourself, provide for your own needs, and fulfill your higher purpose. As long as you are willing to cast off the shackles of victimhood, stop waiting to be “healed,” don the mantle of creator and victor as your divine birthright, and heal yourself! In the next installment, we will discuss the systemic dis-ease of laziness and irresponsibility, how it is sustained on a societal level, and breaking free of the self-imposed imprisonment. In love and truth, Lori Lines By Lori Lines They say, when we dream of a home, all that transpires is a reflection of how we view our own inner experience. Moving ahead with this perspective, let’s explore the blueprints! The lower self is much like an unfinished basement. We store things like fear, anger, heartache, all our emotional childhood experiences. This lower aspect of self is highly reactionary and defensive, acting as a victimized, entitled, dependent, controlling, or otherwise maladaptive foundation for our behavior. We are accountable for renovating our energetic basement during this lifetime, clearing out baggage, and inviting in the light. The main floor of the house represents the ego-self. It is the part of us that people encounter. We decorate it and keep it presentation ready. Why? Because we don’t want to be judged for having the poor taste or being untidy. The ego is built upon and empowered by judgment. The primary ego needs are meeting external and internal expectations and being deemed “more” than others; more attractive, intelligent, successful, compassionate, or “spiritual.” Lastly, envision a refuge at the top of the house, but no ordinary attic. This is a sky loft with a beautiful skylight, filling it with illumination and a fresh breeze that always stirs, keeping the air pure and clean. It is a retreat you don’t get to visit as often as you like because you are busy keeping up appearances on the main floor. When you do visit, you are replenished and renewed. Now ask yourself, even if this loft is the most blissful yet least accessed part of your home, is it any less a part of the structure? The idea highlighted here is that the higher self, while expansive, pure, harmonious, and possessing profundity beyond description, is still a part of you. Commingling, for better or worse, with the lower self and ego. One of our primary undertakings this lifetime is to minimize the influence of the lower self, denying it control of the ego, designating power instead to the higher self, and teaching the ego to surrender to it. When this does not happen, the defensive, wounded lower self and the critical ego can lead us to assume the mantle of victimhood and helplessness. You see, the lower self assumes the role of defending the ego from being rewounded. Fearful, the lower self tells the ego that threats are around every corner. Being humiliated, taken advantage of, or hurt is not a potentiality it is a certainty. Thus, the ego throws its hands up in the air, too afraid to take responsibility for its inevitable demise. Going through life hopeless, helpless, and apathetic. There are also societal forces that take advantage of these listless souls. They are being ushered into the ignorant masses, who are too disinterested to call out the systemic façades and powerless to effectuate any real change. The matrix is thereby upheld by unconscious victims and those who fear accountability. These people are still imprisoned by the dank, dark basement of the lower self. When we awaken to the truth that we can at once be the lower self, ego, and higher self, we can no longer remain ignorant to the facts about our society and our divine sovereignty. We must assume responsibility for reparenting the lower self, forfeiting egoic power, and accepting the omnipotence of the higher self, breaking free of systemic fallacies. The seemingly trite adage, “with great power, comes great responsibility,” takes on weighty significance when you begin to recognize your role as a creator! Although the lower self, ego, and higher self comprise one being, victim and creator cannot! You cannot simultaneously create the personhood, experience, and outcomes you desire and remain a victim to them. Unfortunately, some people are afraid to surrender the mantle of victimhood because they fear the accountability of creator is too much to bear. They are more comfortable viewing themselves as “other” to the higher self because the divine authority to protect, guide, heal, and manifest becomes their own. The truth is while being a creator is a weighty undertaking, victimhood is more than a burden. It is a form of death, smothering life force and entombing your infinite potential. We can all benefit from looking at divine sovereignty as coming with a price that is far outweighed by its worth. Ultimately, it may be time to revamp the adage and instead declare, “with great responsibility, comes great power!” In the next part of this series, we will be discussing the infinite nature of our creator power as multidimensional beings… In love and truth, Lori Lines By Lori Lines Free will is a divine gift that endows each and every one of us with our own inner divinity. While a great endowment, the freedom to choose means every day we must choose between conscious and unconscious acts, positive vibrations and negative, right and wrong. Inevitably, some people will choose unconscious or willfully hurtful behavior, leaving you feeling hurt, betrayed, angered, or disappointed. Since free will is their divine birthright, you can do nothing to change them or their hurtful actions. Don’t be mistaken! This does not mean you have no power and are left with no recourse. You have the same birthright of choice. Whether these painful circumstances were pre-destined, to help you learn and grow, or they are weaponized use of someone else’s free will, you get to decide whether you will build a staircase to ascension on them or let them drag you down like an anchor in a sea of emotions. Though not the easiest path, the most constructive is to choose to cast off the mantle of victimhood and don the armor of victory. However, understand when you remain the victim, you are just as responsible for your path as choosing to be a victor. The hurt, helplessness, disempowerment of people who refuse to take responsibility for their own healing is their burden to carry. While it may seem like an injustice, there comes the point when the person who wounded them is no longer held accountable for the impact on the injured person’s life path. The Road to Healing If you choose to take back your power, bravo! Although it may be challenging spiritual work, you are more than capable of realigning yourself with your path and purpose. Keeping in mind that healing looks different for everyone, the following guide may help shape your journey of empowerment. The first step in your healing journey is to accept that the other person may never acknowledge they’ve done anything wrong. Accepting that painful truth is essential because it gives you back your power. If you can’t rely on them to right the wrongs, you will seek your own resolution. In the “light and love” society we live in, there tends to be a lot of spiritual and emotional bypassing. You must give yourself permission to feel all your feelings, including anger. It is only by facing your hurt that you will be able to release it- you can’t clean out the basement without unpacking it first! Once you have explored your pain, there is no need to linger there. Focus on the present. That is where your healing takes place, after all. You may want to come up with a healing affirmation to reorient you to your present and purpose, such as “I am present, I am powerful, I am progressing” or any other easy-to-remember positive declarations. Above all, be gentle with yourself! Perhaps you will find release in journaling, discussing (not dumping!) the events with a trusted friend or counselor, or seeking therapies like QHHT to dive deeper into the wisdom underlying your pain. Treat yourself like a dear friend, showing yourself compassion because we are all works in progress. Remember, “you can be a work in progress and a masterpiece simultaneously!” In love and truth, Lori Lines By Lori Lines Depression, anxiety, heart disease, muscle pain, are all scientifically proven symptoms of lack of forgiveness. A lack of forgiveness significantly hinders spiritual growth and the ability to enjoy life. Unforgiving people walk around numb and emotionally disconnected, with a pervasive sense of self-loathing making it impossible to be alone and they possess a profound distrust of others, making it just as challenging to be with others. There are a few more telltale signs that someone is struggling with a lack of forgiveness. First, they are often so hyper-focused on the transgression that they cannot be fully present. This tendency to live in the past leads to a lack of direction or purpose, contributing to mental, emotional, and spiritual inertia. The lack of progression often perpetuates a cycle of depression and anxiety that hinders the building of meaningful, enriching relationships. When these people find themselves in new relationships or circumstances, their view is often obscured by fear, bitterness, and distrust. This is because they have so profoundly assumed a state of victimhood that they are in a constant state of disempowerment. Constantly reliving the hurt mentally or unknowingly attracting a series of similar circumstances. What forgiveness Isn’t Before we address what forgiveness is, we must first discuss what it is not. It is best to forgive because it is healthier and more loving than harboring resentment, which misaligns us with the Divine. Forgiveness shouldn’t be done to foster reconciliation or manipulate someone into changing. Because although forgiveness can lead to reconciliation, it isn’t guaranteed. In fact, it is possible to forgive someone without ever speaking to them about it! And even if forgiveness can be the chance needed to change one’s behaviors and find redemption, some may take advantage of kindness becoming more emboldened to offend, believing they will inevitably be forgiven. Most importantly, despite forgiveness being essential to spiritual growth, it does little to serve self-actualization if it is not preceded with a healthy dose of accountability. Forgiveness does not excuse or erase the harm done. It simply means you are choosing to find peace with it. The Choice of Forgiveness Forgiveness doesn’t just happen. It is a powerful intention that liberates you from the dominion of the person or circumstance that pained you. Deciding to forgive means although the heartache may yet persist, your ties to the events that precipitated it will not. Forgiveness, no matter the circumstance, is an act of self-love and self-care. When it comes to forgiving others, you don’t do it because they deserve it. You do it because you do! You deserve to live a life free of resentment, vengeful thoughts, victimhood, and bitterness. Ultimately, choosing forgiveness means choosing wholeness, happiness, and healing. Healing Benefits of Forgiveness Physically, forgiving can lower blood pressure, strengthen the immune system, and improve heart health. It has also been found to contribute to mental health by increasing self-esteem, lessening symptoms of depression, and decreasing stress and anxiety. Spiritually, it cuts the karmic cords that hold one back from pursuing our greatest good and honoring our higher purpose. In a state of unforgiveness, one cannot align with our most authentic self and elevated consciousness. Resentment forms an anchor that keeps us tethered to base motivations, perceptions, and existence, holding us back from the heights of ascension. If you are struggling with forgiveness, it is time to break the chains to achieve true awakening! How to Forgive The first step to forgiveness is acknowledging the healing nature of forgiveness and recognizing that letting go sets you free. From that realization, you can seek acceptance. Understand, what is done is done, and no fretting over it can change past events. Accept that the only time to heal is now, not rewriting the past or getting redemption in the future. From a perspective of acceptance, you will have the perfect vantage point to see what wisdom can be gained from your pain. In life, there are no real mistakes or failures. When you come from a place not of ego but spirit, you can find illumination along your spiritual path even in your darkest moments. Empathy is a very effective way to find forgiveness. Ask yourself why that person acted in such a way, take yourself back to times when you received or needed forgiveness, or put yourself in their shoes and ask yourself, given their life experience, what you would do in their situation. Once again, it isn’t about making excuses. These reflections are meant to help you see someone’s humanity, the imperfect humanity we all share. Meditation and mindfulness are great ways to heal unforgiveness. One powerfully transformative yet simple meditation, derived from the Hawaiian practice Ho’oponopono, involves envisioning yourself or the person who hurt you, repeating and embodying the emotions of these words, “I am sorry, please forgive me, I thank you, I love you.” Through these affirmations, you can reconnect with your higher self and realign with the unconditional love of the universe. Unconditional love means infinite love. It is based not on merit but also on the understanding that as a spiritual being, you are not just loving, you are love itself! This spirit of undying, unending love unearths inherent wisdom regarding what serves your highest good and the highest good of others. You will soon discover the act of forgiveness does precisely that. In love and truth, Lori Lines By Lori Lines If only we treated our spiritual, emotional, and mental bodies as well as our physical bodies. When most people sprain an ankle or pull a muscle, they immediately tend to it. Why do we do that? Because we know if we don’t, the injury can seriously impact our ability to function. Emotional, mental, and spiritual wounds are much the same. When we don’t tend to these wounds, they can become aggravated – like an old injury, at seemingly random moments in our lives.... A simple disagreement with a co-worker, a perceived rejection from a partner or friend, emotions like sadness or fear elicited by a movie or a social media post. How do these triggers come to be? During dangerous, painful, ego or life-threatening experiences, the body and mind go into survival mode, shutting down certain physiological and mental states like digestion and memory while heightening others like the circulatory system and sensory awareness. Keep in mind, this doesn’t have to be as extreme as a fatal car wreck. This can be as seemingly commonplace such as a breakup or parental reprimand. When we neglect to address these traumas and painful experiences, the mind and body remain in a state of readiness, as though we are at perpetual risk of being wounded again. Due to this heightened state of awareness, experiences that are in any way similar – even to a small degree, can trigger the same feelings of fear, hurt, anger, guilt and shame that the initial event caused. Identifying Triggers & Their Root Causes The initial step of healing the wounds is to identify the triggers. Of course, each persons’ life experience is different, so everyone’s triggers are not the same. Although, there tend to be two pervasive categories of triggers, internal and external. Internal triggers involve flashbacks, memories, intense emotions, and even physical cues like muscular tension, fatigue, or heightened physicality brought on by exercise, for instance. External triggers involve environmental cues such as the people involved in the actual event or people reminiscent of them and related sights, sounds, scents, or circumstances. An essential aspect of healing is to define your specific triggers and the associated behaviors. Don’t judge; just observe. Ask yourself, what happens when you feel triggered? What are your reactions? When you can articulate what the problem is, try and discern when these behaviors started. If you have someone you trust, you can ask them when they noticed you started displaying these behaviors. Be ready to dig a bit deeper to uncover the root causes of your triggers. What are the specific circumstances that lead to these unhealthy responses? Who is usually around? What environment do they occur in? What negative beliefs do they elicit? Are there any associated flashbacks? How QHHT Can Help Sometimes with mindfulness, time, and determination, we can get a clearer picture of the root causes of our triggers. However, when the wounds are repressed, painful, or beyond our understanding, we can reach an impasse in our healing. This is when a Quantum Healing Hypnosis Technique practitioner can help. Whether your wounds originated this lifetime or a previous life, QHHT allows you to explore all that has ever been imprinted on your subconscious, your essence that endures eternally. All memories and experiences that would be too difficult to recall in your conscious state can be safely explored during a session with the permission of your Higher Self. QHHT is a profoundly transformative practice, achieving healing at the deepest depths of your root trauma. Facilitated by your Higher Self and a skilled practitioner, you can gain greater awareness regarding past trauma and the physical, mental, and emotional ways it currently manifests in your life. You can also gain invaluable understanding of the wisdom extending from your suffering, whether pre-destined and chosen by your Higher Self or an unfortunate result of free will. Choosing Healing Instead of Blame One caveat of Quantum Healing is that we can only receive healing if there is an authentic desire to be healed. To foster this sincere intention, we must first take responsibility for our behavior and our growth. We must consciously accept that while the person or circumstances that wounded us may be unjust, we are solely accountable for achieving our higher purpose and the outcome of our life path. Personal power is the exercise of free will. You can reclaim your power by choosing healing, love, and forgiveness. In love and truth, Lori Lines By Lori Lines Navigating your way through the daily rigors of life, it is easy to become bound to the ticking hands on the clock and the finite existence they represent. Unfortunately, the demands of modern life make taking a pause for reflection seem like a luxury many can’t seem to afford. What if you took this moment as a gift? A moment to release the shackles of chronological time and reflect on your timeless nature. You are more than your name, job, and to-do list…You are your consciousness, which is infinite. With no name other than the great “I am,” it can be challenging to conceive of, let alone define consciousness. So, let’s begin with what it isn’t. Your consciousness isn’t your anxious, fearful, angry, doubtful, or ever-chattering thoughts. It does not live in the past, or project into the future. The only time you can fully embody your consciousness is the present. Consciousness is now and exists on an infinite spectrum of “nows”. Consciousness is authentic intelligence, and yet it is not the mind, an important distinction to make. You have been conditioned your whole life to believe the mind is the seat of intelligence. However, the mind is like a computer or smartphone’s artificial intelligence. The mind’s intelligence is based on schemas and conditioning, its own type of artificial intelligence. The mind can only know what it has been taught, whereas consciousness has innate wisdom and understanding. Like a binary operating system that recognizes only 1’s and 0’s, the mind only recognizes what it can experience through the five senses. If the mind cannot see, touch, hear, taste, or smell something, it does not recognize it. The mind has been conditioned to dismiss non-experiential input, only deeming tangible experiences as factual, real, or meaningful. Of course, your mind serves a purpose, helping you navigate through life, preparing food, driving a car, reading this text. Yet, like your car, it is a tool. Just because it helps you get from one task or location to another doesn’t mean it is you. People who become overly aligned with the mind are unknowingly led by the ego. The ego, whose existence serves to protect only itself, is sustained by the chattering thoughts of the mind. When we align who we are with what we think, the ego is maintained. The comparison-loving, attention-seeking ego is misaligned with the stillness of consciousness. The ego feels a kinship with the busyness of the mind. The ceaseless prattle of the over-empowered mind swells the ego with importance. In a society where people wear busyness, no matter how superficial, like a badge, the more overthinking the mind does, the more secure the ego feels. Ego-death is instrumental in the process of spiritual growth because while the ego portrays itself as who you are, it is an impediment to connecting with your true self. Your mind’s idle chatter distracts you from confronting your pain body and shadow self, unearthing wounds and truths that allow you to ascend towards enlightenment, undermining your ego’s very existence! Consciousness, on the other hand, is secure. It lies within you and is you. Pervading every aspect of who you are, yet so much more, consciousness is self-sustained. From this life to the next, your consciousness is the only enduring part of who you are. With nothing to prove and beyond any comparison, consciousness doesn’t yearn for attention and acknowledgment like the insecure ego. Therefore, unlike ego that constantly seeks your attention, you must seek consciousness out, searching for it in a world whose chaos can drown it out and obscure it with a vast accumulation of "knowledge." Where is consciousness found? You can find it in the present moment, shining brightly through breaks in the mind’s noisiness. The more glimpses you get of consciousness, the more you will intuitively seek its peace, wisdom, and power. The source of infinite intelligence and irrefutable truth, all members of humanity must awaken to consciousness or be left behind, imprisoned by the walls of the mind that the ego so steadfastly guards. While many may feel lost and afraid when first encountering the stillness of consciousness, it is only the fleeting cries of the ego, fearful of its own demise! The ego will try to mislead you into believing that, because you are your mind, its silence belies your existence. That the end of the unceasing stream of thought is indicative of the death of your personhood. When in fact, it is the gentle stirring of your authentic self. The illuminating dawn of consciousness heralding a brand-new day and existence! In love and truth, Lori Lines By Lori Lines There is a misconception that the ego-self sits upon our shoulders, urging us toward a selfish existence that is hedonistic and instantly recognizable as shallow. We don't often equate insatiable ego needs with spirituality. Though, it can be those who speak loudest about being a "spiritual person" that are deeply compelled by the voice of the ego-self. The zealous New Age pursuit of enlightenment is not always driven by an impending ascension. It can be motivated by the desire to remain current and appear superior to the "unawakened masses." When we ask how to become enlightened and fail to ask ourselves why we should seek enlightenment, we risk going down the perfunctory path of shallow awakening. Shallow awakening or false enlightenment has several hallmarks. As mentioned, among them is a braggadocios manner of proclaiming one's spirituality. People who do this often have the deep-seated belief that their spiritual nature makes them better than others, viewing themselves as virtuous and others as debased. Another quality of those who have been led astray by false enlightenment is the tendency to spiritually bypass. They wish to manifest peace and harmony that comes from spiritual awakening, side-stepping the often painful shadow work, dark nights of the soul, the heart, humility and ego death. When the real work is avoided, the words and actions that follow rarely amount to more than an elaborate pantomime of actual enlightenment. The trend arising is the unappeasable pursuit of spiritual information mass-produced by those who have found or claim to have found enlightenment. Amassing and regurgitating other people's words and experiences without personal experience or perspective. Seeking guidance from mentors you trust should always be encouraged, but the truly enlightened never intended for you to substitute your personal journey for theirs. Their intention is to inspire, not influence, to guide, not lead. Unlike their seminars and books, enlightenment cannot be bought and sold. When one follows the "just-add-water-and-stir" brand of spirituality, it is devoid of any soulful nourishment. It's like waking up with the flu, putting on your best clothes and jewels, making yourself up, and expecting to feel better. The behaviors and words of false enlightenment satisfy the ego, bolstering a sense of worthiness and pride but abandons the higher self and the process of self-actualization altogether. This is in stark contrast to actual awakening, when many are harshly judged, friends and family may walk away, and concepts like self-worth and personhood are very fragile. At the beginning of the path to enlightenment, we have to turn a blind eye to others' opinions. Towards the end, ego death means we no longer give much thought to these opinions at all, turning our intensified awareness to our higher-self. A fragile sense of self and losing the relationships that no longer serve are just parts of the price we pay for enlightenment. The process of authentic enlightenment can be likened to the education process. Making our way through primary, middle, high school, and university, we are given lessons and assignments, cumulating in proving our mastery to progress to the next level. The Divine timing of our spiritual growth is much the same, though you could say even more painstaking! We are given lessons and assignments, but there are never easy passes. We must repeat the same lessons over and over again until we get it right. Divine timing dictates when and where the tests will be administered and if we are ready for the next chapter. As hard as it can be to surrender to Divine timing and Divine order, we must accept it as the only "administrative" body accredited to appoint our degree in enlightenment. What does true enlightenment look like? It can't be chalked up to changes in speech and behavior. This can easily be faked. True enlightenment leads to significant transformation in how we interact with the world through meaningful lifestyle changes, understanding who we truly are, and perception shifts. More importantly, this transformation speaks to the profound changes our spirit is undergoing. Through all the wounds, cracks, and scars that have been uncovered through your journey, the light of awakening will begin to shine, illuminating your truths, your values, and your intentions. The way you care for your mind, body, and spirit will become a priority, not for the sake of how you are perceived or for the sake of vanity, but as a measure of how you FEEL as you align with and navigate your world - all the while taking responsibility and accepting accountability for your choices and their outcomes. You will live a life that honors not just yourself but all you meet, uncovering a deep sense of peace, regardless of where others are on their life journey. The greatest gift and perhaps the biggest dichotomy of enlightenment is the freedom that comes from the connection you will feel with all sentient beings, the Divine, and your existence. Liberation and oneness at once? Yes! When we align ourselves with pure love, compassion, empathy, and harmony, we are unencumbered by judgment, invulnerable to the judgment of others, and unburdened by the competitive ego that thrives on comparison. Enlightenment is the freedom to be exactly who you are intended when removed from the shadows and illuminated by the dawn of awakening. In love and truth, Lori Lines To Schedule an appointment, click here: By Lori Lines "Why does this always happen to me?" "How do I always attract the wrong people?" "Why me?!" Most of us have either heard or have even said something like this at some point in our romantic lives. Our tendency is to blame bad luck or the "losers" we meet when things go south in our relationships. Just because we do it doesn't make it right! To find the love, devotion, and unity we seek in healthy relationships, we must challenge ourselves to consider our role and the underpinnings of our belief systems, that drive us, in what went wrong. In other words, we need to examine what we did, or the energy we brought to the relationship to begin with, to cause the undesirable effects. Asking yourself what role you played in the distrust, betrayal, frustration, disconnection, or ultimate breakdown of your relationship is a hard question to ask when it is framed in a way that is self-deprecating and guilt-ridden. It doesn't have to be this way. By asking yourself why you have chosen a sequence of cheaters, ignored red flags, didn't speak up when a boundary was crossed, or keep being drawn to the "work-in-progress" type, you will gain self-knowledge and empowerment, breaking these toxic cycles. It can be a hard pill to swallow, yet we manifest an undesirable reality when we lack self-awareness. By allowing unserving belief systems and world views framed by trauma and heartache to go unchecked, unhealed, and unchanged, we end up with the same adverse results. Yet, when we understand the causal role we play, we are empowered to choose a different path, assume a different perspective, and choose different actions. By engaging in shadow work, release work, and accepting appropriate accountability, we can release the past, achieve a higher perspective, overcoming our self-imposed limitations and the confines of our comfort zones. The issue with comfort zones is they are made to fit where we were, not where we are going. Remaining within our comfort zones leaves us doing the same things, with the same people or archetypes, in the same ways, limiting our spiritual growth and personal development. When we enmesh ourselves in situations or connections with a lower vibration than our own, they inevitably pull down our vibration. This drains our energy and creates stagnation. When we find connections and circumstances that match our vibration, we are uplifted, the shared energy is amplified. It's important to trust that we will find the right connections and not begin desperately seeking them. Desperation is a bullet train to disempowerment. When we convince ourselves we need a partner as a source of love, well-being or affirmation outside of who we are, we give away our power. We ignore red flags, settle for less, and sacrifice pieces of our personhood because we are so distressed over the thought of being alone. We must remember, we can be whole and happy alone. In fact, we must find inner completion and contentment before we can be part of a healthy relationship. When we cling to another for personal fulfillment, the result is neither will be fulfilled. No one other than you can validate, affirm, or complete your existence, meaning you will be unfulfilled, and so will your partner when faced with a task where success is unattainable. Accountability is crucial in this instance as well. We must assume responsibility for our personal development, happiness, and sense of completion. This is foundational to self-actualization, empowerment, and well-being, yet there are also secondary benefits. When you are at one and at peace with yourself, you will be more attractive, particularly to like-minded individuals. No more low-vibrational energy drainers! Relationships where two complete individuals who love themselves and accept accountability for their lives unsurprisingly foster more growth, happiness, devotion, and fulfillment. Because these two people are not trying to make gains from a deficit, they are building up from a solid foundation on which to grow. Too many people look at love as something to acquire, retain, and exchange, like a possession. Love is actually a state of being and a way of relating to each other and the world. As they say, love is a verb. Without action, it is merely a word. It is a series of behaviors, communicating, nurturing, supporting, connecting, trusting… Of all the things we must do to love, trusting is vital. We've all been hurt. No matter the depth, the manner, or how long it's been since it occurred, these hurts can linger. Our hearts are like bruised or broken limbs. Even after the bruises have healed, we are sometimes still defensive and protective of them. We project judgment on to those who want to be in our lives, finding fault and making them wrong in order to protect ourselves. Memories of the pain linger and as they do so, we project our own wounds onto people, until we look within and completely heal ourselves and take accountability for our own sabotage. Yet to be in love, we must move beyond the fear of being hurt and be willing to stretch out of our comfort zones. While we may not be able to forget, we must be willing to trust. As we embrace our vulnerability, the ego that rejects accountability, refuses change, and finds refuge in casting blame, is silenced. Vulnerability softens your heart, allowing love to flow inward and outward, a life-giving wellspring. Of course, there are risks in opening your heart to the potentiality of hurt and pain, but the reward of learning to first trust yourself is well worth the inner work! In love and truth, Lori Lines PS. Through hypnosis, we can explore and help with relationship issues including but not limited to: Bringing love into your life Inner Child Fear of Abandonment Co-dependency to Independence Divorce Emotional Security Forgiving Infidelity Ending A Relationship Forgetting or letting go of an Ex-Love Possessiveness Jealousy Rebuilding Trust Unrequited Love Stop Controlling Stop Cheating Insecurity To book a phone, Zoom or in-person appointment click here: By Lori Lines We all know that person who fails to take responsibility for anything that goes awry in their life. They’ll lament and shovel heaps of blame on others and when that does not work, they will have a laundry list of excuses to soften the blow. Bad things can happen to good people. Not everything that goes awry is due to someone’s fault, directly. Yet, people who play the victim have an M.O. They weigh themselves down so heavily with the mantle of victimhood that they render themselves powerless through their own negative self-talk and self-sabotage. To the awakening person, it’s common to see this behavior in others, which begs the question, “how am I at cause for the effects in my own life?” “What role, big or small, have I played in my own life situations and outcomes?” Those of us who have or still play the role of the hapless victim, unable to assume responsibility for the bad and ultimately the good that takes place in our lives, often end up experiencing a life that is akin to being tossed in the waters of a tumultuous sea. Anger, depression, frustration, anxiety, compromise the matrix of the 3rd-dimensional experience and 5th-dimensional projection. While some portray themselves as victims to manipulate and control others, most people do not intentionally burden themselves with the archetype. Victims are often born of trauma and betrayal. It is then they are taught that the world is a dangerous place, with dangerous people. After repeatedly experiencing traumatizing or hurtful situations, they begin to believe that bad things are bound to happen and keep happening, the result being a fractured individual. At its core, victimhood is a sense of disempowerment that goes unaddressed and unhealed, affecting the “victim’s” personality, worldview, and way of life. The state of perpetual victimhood is associated with the theory of learned helplessness. This is when an animal or individual is forced to face painful, hurtful, or otherwise undesirable stimuli or experiences and becomes incapable of escaping or avoiding the same situations in the future due to a learned or adopted belief their circumstance is inescapable and beyond their control. Even when solutions and opportunities become available, they are unable or unwilling to adapt to the changing events, sometimes due to fear of losing a part of their identity. Pause for a moment and ask yourself what things would look like if all of society, or at least a majority, struggled with learned helplessness. We would be in a continual state of decline, allowing ourselves, our homes, our jobs, our communities, our nations to fall into a state of disrepair because no one can be bothered to strive for better. We would cease to pursue more love, unity, advancement, growth. Vaguely familiar? There is light at the end of the tunnel for those who struggle with learned helplessness and perpetual victimhood! People with a genuinely optimistic worldview are less vulnerable to falling into the rut of perpetual victimhood. Meaning, assuming the mantle of victimhood is often a choice, and instead, we must choose to look at life with hope and faith, as opposed to fear and distrust. What most awakening souls understand is that the first step is to reposition ourselves as creators of our own lives and experiences. For better or worse, we must take accountability for the cause of the effects we encounter. When we confront circumstances beyond our control, for instance, being sideswiped by an errant driver or laid off due to company cutbacks, we must still view ourselves as possessing the wisdom, strength, and tenacity to be the cure of a changing, more positive effect. As creators of our lives, we may fear picking up the brush and palette out of dread that our creation will fall short of our expectations or the expectations of others. When we are fully responsible for the life we create, we fear a mistake or stumble could make us look foolish or lesser-than. This is the ego talking. Our higher-self knows there is no shame in failure. There are lessons and wisdom, as long as we are humble, willing to admit our role, and willing to learn. When we are receptive to the inherent wisdom in defeat, we no longer need to fear responsibility. Instead of thinking about the misstep, we begin to focus on the next opportunity to show what we have learned. Where we lose a person, an opportunity, a material asset, or a perspective that upheld our beliefs that taint our worldview, we must learn to find peace with the loss. By viewing these losses with a healthier attitude of gratitude for having even had them to begin with or for an opportunity to embrace new things, we are less likely to sink into a sea of despair and view the world as unjust and malevolent. When suitable, accepting responsibility for our defeats empowers us to generate new mental, physical, and spiritual abundance. Spiritual growth and abundance are the greatest reasons to cast off the mantle of victimhood and instead pick up the painter’s brush, the sculptors chisel, or the writer’s pen. By accepting your role as the creator and source of the outcomes you experience, you can learn how to prune and shape who you are, fostering enormous growth. Accountability is the first step of self-actualization and crucial to understanding the role we play in the universal balance of cause and effect. This understanding is key to shifting the matrix and ascending to the 5th dimension. A cause and effect most are sure to stand behind. In love and truth, Lori Lines P.S. If you have recently awakened to a pattern in your life and would like help to determine your cause for its effects, I'd love to process it out with you. Acknowledging our individual roles in life situations is 90% of the healing process. Appointments are now being scheduled in April! To book your appointment with me, click on the button below: By Lori Lines "Dark Night of the Soul" sounds ominous, doesn't it? In many ways, it is, yet, like your first real heartbreak or significant failure, many believe it is a standard part of spiritual growth and development - a major growing pain as seekers on the road to higher consciousness will pass through this rite of passage, an initiation of sorts, before the seeker is admitted into a regular connection with higher consciousness. The Dark Night of the Soul is described by some as similar to mild depression or general sense of malaise. You feel lost, stuck in a rut, wistful, and sleeping and eating are disrupted. Others describe it as a soul-crushing deeply depressed state, at times so profound people may believe they are truly dying. Having gone through this journey myself, it felt deeper than a depression and most certainly, "soul-crushing." To me, it felt as if my light had been extinguished and all hope was lost. Interestingly, we can undergo similar times of storms and stress socially. During these times, life can feel bleak, the inequity and hate paints a dystopian society, and the current social structures lose their meaning. The sense of meaninglessness is a feature of the dark night. On the communal or personal level, nothing seems to make much sense, including life itself. Many things can trigger a Dark Night, a loss, a death, a disaster, an injustice, an ego-assault, and an ego-death. Socially or individually, it can come when we can no longer explain maladaptive systems and structures, dysfunctional perceptions and thought patterns, and low vibrational automatic behaviors. By profoundly examining the frameworks of life, those that govern society, and those that shape our values become so askew that they collapse. On a personal level, this collapse may cause you to lose touch with who you are. This is called ego-death. It is symptomatic of the Dark Night. As your world loses meaning, so does your place in it. You can't fit in as you had before. You know on some level the reality of higher consciousness and yearn to be more deeply in communion with this part of yourself, yet you somehow can't fit in or feel at home in the company of those who you usually relate to, let alone yourself. The ego thrives on comparison and judgment, when existing measures are no longer sustainable, the ego's voice dies away. This can lead to feeling lost. During the Dark Night, the veil is lifted, and you begin to see what an illusion your old reality was. It is here we find ourselves in a state of suspended animation with no 'new' reality to cling to. At this stage, people often feel as though they live in a void of emptiness in which nothing is real. Days, weeks, months and years can drone on and the part that's so difficult to accept is there's no finite time we can cling as to the duration of this experience. Your motivation may plummet. Work, education, success, esteem, and popularity no longer drives you. Some people experience the need to rid themselves of material possessions, relationships, and pursuits that no longer fulfill them. Initially, this cleansing may seem like just what you need. In the end, it can trigger feelings of worthlessness. Your ego may start to press you, "who are you without your things or your people?" At some point during your Dark Night, memories and old traumas may rise to the surface. From your current realm of emptiness, these flashbacks can elicit an intense emotional reaction. In fact, everything you encounter may garner a more visceral response. This results from the ego falling back, and the subconscious (higher self) taking the helm, reactivating parts of yourself that have been long denied and repressed. As your subconscious awareness rises, you may feel like you are thinking with two brains. The subconscious mind sitting back with pen and paper jotting down notes as the conscious mind darts back and forth from one fearful thought to the next. When you are aware of your thoughts, this state of higher consciousness can be unsettling, to say the least. At worst, some people believe they are losing touch with their sanity. But, in reality, one going through this process is gaining their sanity. Another symptom of the subconscious taking the lead is the ego will wave a distress signal. "I'm dying! SOS!" Many who walk their path during the Dark Night of the Soul start to become profoundly aware of their mortality. This awareness can be so stark, some even believe it is they, themselves, who are dying, not the ego. The Dark Night can be a lonely time of isolation regardless of who may be around you. During this phase you must confront the fears and insecurities that emerge from the shadows. At times people's sleep is dysregulated, causing one to sleep too much or not enough. The same can happen with food and physical activity. Similarly, when we experience a Dark Night in the social context, we can be afraid to challenge old detrimental perspectives and social mores. Our daily foundations become dysregulated, and so can the unity we extend to all members of humanity. So, why must we endure it, for some more than once, this long, dark, difficult night of suffering? Because, as with most nights, when it is complete, we awaken. Awaken into a higher state of consciousness, if we will just allow ourselves to do so. In this transformed state of consciousness, we are set free to ascend to merge with our higher self. It is important to point out that not everyone goes through the above mentioned intensity of the Dark Night of the Soul. But, if you are, understand that this is YOUR way. And, once on the other side of it, it is a rite of passage that should be honored, as you will be completely transformed. This experience of being reborn is one of greater unity, love, peace and understanding of one's self and others on a very intimate level. Yes, it is a very dark night, but the sunrise is breathtaking. Stay tuned for Part 2. The Night is What Makes the Dawn So Bright. In love and truth, Lori Lines PS: If you feel you are going through a Dark Night of the Soul and want support from someone who has authentically gone through it and now can offer real compassion and insights into your process, I am offering a 6, one hour session package for $600 (a savings of $300). Just contact me at higherselfaccess@gmail.com for more details. Find out more about my services at www.higherselfaccess.com. By Lori Lines
What an organ the brain is! All its wrinkles and folds, nuances and enigmas, powers and abilities, working in perfect alignment and synergy…until it doesn't! The brain can be separated into different lobes, functions, and systems. The primary distinction is that of the right and left brain. Sometimes referred to as brains, these two hemispheres are meant to work together, making up for what the other lacks. The left brain is responsible for logic, analytical thought, scientific and mathematical reasoning, and processing what we have been taught to believe is factual evidence. The right brain processes holistic perceptions, creativity, imagination, art, music, and insightful reasoning. When the two hemispheres are balanced, together they give us a grounded perspective in which we can function in our day to day lives yet aspire, envision, and manifest a more fulfilling, high vibrational future. Unfortunately, some people are out of balance, listening solely to their left brain. This can be referred to as literalism. Defined as "adherence to a meaning in an exact sense, or an exact representation or portrayal without idealization or inference." In simple terms, understanding and judging everything at "evidence or face value,"…but is it really evidential face value? From an early age, based on our culture, society, and family values, we are all taught what to attend to, who to trust, how to perceive information, what is "fundamentally" true, and what is "fundamentally false." This is called social conditioning. Social conditioning is how we have been taught to function and think, somewhat like a default state for an electronic device. When we rely solely on the left brain, or literalist perceptions, we limit ourselves, our consciousness, and our opportunities. We give our power away to social, religious, political constructs and people, we've idealized and over identified with, to determine what we see and how we see it. In this way, literalism is taking everything at face value or basing our perceptions on factual evidence. Instead, it conforms to what we have been socialized to believe is accurate, proven, and apparent. Spoiler Alert: Knowledge, grounded in literalism, always comes to a stop. There's nowhere else to go to expand on ideas to grow! Repressing our natural tendency to question, to think beyond what appears to be physically present, and to grow as the spiritual beings that we are, stifles our true expression. In my opinion, this has been the crux of a trickle down effect and why our generation suffers from systemic depression and that people, collectively, are suffering the Dark Night of the Soul. All that we perceive and experience is transient, except for the experiences that change our soul. The soul or spirit is the entity that exists and bridges us from one life to the next. It never dies. We explore the universal consciousness through our soul, commune with the higher consciousness, and reach the higher dimensions. Locked within the soul is a template of our life path, all that came before and will come after. Alignment with this map or template is how we self-actualize, awaken, and achieve enlightenment through connection to the universe and Spiritual consciousness. When we rely too heavily on the left brain's literalism, we tie ourselves too tightly to the physical realm's perceptions, experiences, and fleeting events. We lose touch with our higher selves, the universal unconscious, and the realm of the soul. Quickly we can become locked into the functioning of the day to day, observing the rules and regulations we have been conditioned to. A divide grows between who we are and who we are meant to be. We are not meant to follow, but to do the soul's work, honoring the template we come to this world with and the higher purpose we are destined to achieve. As the division between who we are portraying and who we are meant to be, grows, life becomes challenging. We can lose our way, lose our sense of purpose, and life can lose all meaning. When we lose our "why," by habitually conforming to what we think we KNOW, we also lose our how and when. There has never been a time where it is crucial for individuals to begin their self-actualizing, integrative process by whatever means is necessary than now. Trusting the left brain too much can lead to not trusting ourselves at all! Our intuition and inner knowing repeatedly takes a backseat to what we have been conditioned to believe is right, even if it goes against what we want or what we feel. Like any other relationship, when we lose our own trust, it is difficult to regain it. This state of feeling conflicted towards the answers "out there" and having the answers within withheld can render us powerless. This powerlessness can lead to depression, anxiety, and general apathy towards the very life we are living. If you have experienced this or are experiencing it, you understand how difficult a cycle it can be to break. Yet, nothing can change within your spirit or in your outer world until you do the spiritual work it takes to amplify and hear your inner truth again. By bypassing social conditioning and the left brain's reasoning, the Quantum Healing Hypnosis Technique can access the part of yourself that can hear and feel your inner knowing again. QHHT can help you reconnect with answers that you have lost along the way regarding your everyday life and your spiritual calling. QHHT accesses the higher self and the collective unconscious through your spirit, your everlasting nature, and eternal awareness, rendering the confines of social conditioning and literalism powerless. In turn, returning your mental, spiritual and emotional balance and restoring your power! I have spoken to many of you who are afraid of the QHHT process, those of you who know, on a deeper level, that you've clung to your literalism for far too long and believe you would not be successful at this practice. My answer to this is my Mindfulness Meditation and Awareness Series of coaching sessions that can help prepare you for a QHHT session. Practicing mindfulness to strengthen awareness naturally opens up the mind to balance and trust in your inner knowing rather than just accepting evidential proof, "out there" that may or may not be true. When you can once again perceive the bigger picture, you will start to realize how "small" your physical existence truly is. Through connection to your higher self and your countless lifetimes, you can once again appreciate how infinite your options and opportunities are. You can begin to realize yourself and your exponential gifts and visualize unlimited new ways of living, and it takes trusting yourself to do so. In love and truth, Lori Lines By Lori Lines The mind can be construed as a double-edged sword. It is capable of providing us great benefit as well as great injury. Naturally, we want to cultivate our inner processes in such a way that we maximize or minds' capacity for doing good and to minimize its tendencies for causing pain and suffering. It is important, in this juncture in our evolution, to nurture our minds in a way that will bring us greater joy. The mind tends to operate in a rather haphazard way, bounding from thought to thought with little or no apparent prompting of direction. Our minds seem to have a mind of their own. It might appear that our minds are thoroughly out of our control as if we have no choice of the kinds of things that drift across our minds. Although thoughts seem to come out of the blue, they are, in fact, conditioned by previous patterns of thought. The thoughts that our mind produces now have been shaped by its history of thinking. This history can connect all the way back to previous lives we have lived as well as our current life history of thinking. Neuro-scientific research has shown that routine patterns of thought make incremental but substantial changes in the way the brain is structured and the way the mind functions. These alterations make the brain more effective at doing what it is asked to do. If we habitually think in certain ways, then our minds become more adept at these patterns of thought. Patterns of thought becomes belief. Beliefs manifest patterns of behavior and circumstances that can benefit us or injure us. Thus, as the concept of conditioning suggests, positive or wholesome thoughts create a propensity for more positive or wholesome thoughts. Fortunately, we can use this dynamic principle to our advantage. While we may not be in conscious control of each and every thought, a meditation practice can show us that we can choose which thoughts to entertain and to develop and which to observe and release. In this manner, we can influence the kinds of thoughts we are more likely to produce in the future. Knowing this, we can use our power to select and foster or relinquish thoughts that can help us to cultivate a skillful and clear mind that serves us well. I invite you to become aware and observe your thoughts as they arise, but also identify the kinds of thoughts you are having. Once identified, we can make conscious choices about how we will handle them. What can occur in a QHHT session or in a Mindfulness Coaching session is when one begins to wake up to the types of thoughts they habituate, one comes to an understanding of how these habitual thoughts have manifested problematic patterns in one's life. And, with this self-knowledge, one can begin to shift and change the trajectory of ones life altogether. In love and truth, Lori Lines By Lori Lines
Projection is the subconscious act of transferring your own unwanted traits, emotions, and behaviors on to someone else. Projective identification, sometimes referred to as projection as well, is the subconscious act of taking feelings from one interpersonal, connection, situation, or relationship and place it on to an unrelated one. Finally, externalization is when we blame others for our circumstances and problems, falsely assuming a victim mentality. It can all seem a little confusing to someone who isn't familiar with these terms, so here are a few examples. An example of projection is feeling bad about not giving your all at work. Subconsciously you feel guilty that you've been disinterested and unfocused at work. Instead of assuming responsibility for not giving your all, you lash out at a blameless co-worker for being lazy and inconsiderate for not doing their fair share. You took your negative feelings and placed them on your co-worker. An example of projective identification is having left a relationship where you were undervalued and felt unheard, and you go to a skilled therapist and counselor. You get frustrated with the therapist because they never hear you and often treat you with a lack of respect, unconsciously painting them with the same brush as your ex. An example of externalization would be poor money management and thoughtless spending having you in a financial crunch. Instead of assuming responsibility for your carelessness, you blame your innocent partner for always suggesting expensive activities. Now that you know what these terms are, you may ask why we do them. They are coping mechanisms to help us deal with uncomfortable and unwelcome emotional and mental experiences. The above are examples of maladaptive coping. There are different reasons why we engage in these particular maladaptive coping techniques. They can be a means to avoid shame and damage to the ego-self. Some people are trying to prevent fearful or unpredictable outcomes. For others, it is merely a consequence of trying to block these unwanted thoughts, feelings, or behaviors out of their mind. By deciding not to think about them, our quirky brains focus on them even more. We have all engaged in this type of coping at some point in our lives, they are unconscious mechanisms after all, but a chronic or contentious tendency towards projection and blame can be very damaging to others, our relationships, and our spiritual path. As I'm sure you can imagine, when someone is projected upon or blamed when they are not guilty of the perceived offense, it can damage their self-esteem and self-worth, if they choose to take it on. Over time, when someone is met with a constant barrage of projection, it can build a toxic shame within them. This toxicity can spill over into all areas of life. This is why it is essential to consider and shape our interactions, our reactions with empathy and compassion. The truth is, the avoidance of negative thoughts, feelings, and behaviors thwart our own healing and spiritual growth. We cannot walk in the light if we don't first acknowledge and accept the dark or shadow components of our past and who we are. If we project that which is undesirable in us onto others, we never get the chance to open it to the light and to correct ourselves. By projecting and blaming, we damage our sense of empowerment, our strength, and our self-worth. We assume the role of victim and, by doing so, we cease striving to surmount our challenges and our traumas so that we can move forward in our lives in a healthy way. Finally, the path to enlightenment is one of love, love of the self and love of others. When we project and blame, it is a victimization and a rejection of who we really are, there is no room for self-love in this chronic pattern of denying our truth. Also, as mentioned, by casting unwarranted guilt on others, we can do damage to their spirit, which wrongfully impacts their path and their ability to fulfill their purpose, love cannot be sustained in this circumstance, either. Psychological projection, projective identity, and blame all stem from judgments. Judgements of ourselves that are manifested as judgments projected onto others. The first step in breaking the toxic pattern of maladaptive projective coping is to release judgment. The ego-self is sustained by judgments, when you can observe your thoughts, your feelings, and your behaviors with awareness, and without judgment, you are on the path to negative ego-death and enlightenment. It is exciting to see a trend in my QHHT practice that many of my clients are beginning to recognize, and to take responsibility for, their own role when they are projecting their own wounds into situations and relationships. As the article states, we all do this from time-to-time, but when it becomes a habit of deflecting the underlying issues, projection can take a very dysfunctional turn. This trend is showing me that the collective is allowing these underlying wounds to float up to the surface so that we can finally have the opportunity to deal with these shadow parts of ourselves in order to finally make the changes needed and put them to rest. In love and truth, Lori Lines |
Author Lori LinesDisclaimer: Lori is a high-level channel. The information contained on this site is intended for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for advice, diagnosis or treatment by a licensed physician. You should seek prompt medical care for any health issues and consult your doctor before using alternative medicine or making a change to your regimen. Categories
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