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Standing Guard
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March 21, 2010
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| Greetings!
Welcome to another edition of HolistiCaly Speaking. I hope that you are continuing to enjoy our Newsletter, and I thank you for your feedback from past editions. For all of us on the East Coast, let's continue to be grateful for and enjoy the beautiful, spring like weather we've been blessed with these past few days! As I write this, the birds are singing ever so beautifully outside my window (I love that)!
With Abundant Light & Love,
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Safety Guard!
Do you remember walking to school and approaching a "bad" intersection that you needed to cross in order to get to school? (I'm sure your parents referred to at least one intersection as being "bad.") Do you remember how safe it felt to have a crossing guard walk into the middle of this heavily trafficked area, sternly holding up a big red STOP sign, ordering all oncoming traffic to stop? Then there was even a fellow classmate playing the role of safety guard, with his/her arms spread open wide as a way of "holding you back" and guarding you even further. And it wasn't until all traffic came to a complete standstill that you were allowed to safely cross this "bad" intersection - the crossing guard still holding the STOP sign with one hand, as their other hand encouragingly waved you across the road to safety. Not until your small, child sized feet were safely planted on the sidewalk did the crossing guard even contemplate lowering the STOP sign, which had instantaneously erected a wall of protection, shielding you from the threat of oncoming danger. Crossing guards are vital to the safety and well-being of our children; yet, have you considered how their role could possibly be 'planting seeds' for future protective patterns throughout a child's budding years?
"Guarding" is a form of protection that we've all taken on in some way, shape or form throughout our lives. Recently, I've seen firsthand how guarding has played a role in my life. An example of "guarding" was brought to my attention, not too long ago, by my Pilates teacher, Sheri. As we've worked together, Sheri has had numerous opportunities to show me how my body mechanics are "off" between my left and right sides. Most of you know that several years ago I had invasive thoracic surgery, which took a huge toll on my body (especially my right ribcage, which was intentionally fractured, so it could be pulled apart to perform the required surgery). As a result of the surgery, there was a lot of nerve damage that took place in this area of my body. Since the ribcage is in the middle of the body and it was in a much weakened state, it also affected my lower and upper extremities. One side of my body also overcompensated for the other, further setting my body mechanics "off." Imagine my surprise when I realized that as I performed certain Pilates exercises, my left side appeared to be weaker than my right side. This blew me away! Sheri laughed it off though, for she knew - although weaker, I had my 'guard up' on my right side, which actually made my right leg APPEAR stronger and more stable to do the desired exercise. Meanwhile, as I struggled to do the same exercise on my left side (my "good" side), my leg would spastically wobble all over the place - I didn't have a protective wall around it, which left it more vulnerable. Once Sheri explained this to me, I understood the irony of the situation and couldn't believe how my own body had tricked me. In an effort to protect my weakened and damaged side, my body, unbeknownst to me, put up a protective guard. Although this may sound great initially; in theory, had I kept moving through life guarded in this way, I would continually become more susceptible to injuring myself due to this false sense of strength - for underneath that guard were weakened muscles and damaged nerves that needed to be strengthened and restored! They needed my attention!
I just returned from an intense few days of deepening my work with The Journey™, by completing my studies/certification with their Visionary Leadership and Conscious Coaching Programs. As with any Journey event, you learn this work by pairing up with a partner and giving/receiving different types of processes. Although I always have great experiences at any Journey event I've attended, this last trip far surpassed any other. I had some deep, deep processes that revealed how emotionally guarded I've been in certain areas with my life. One process in particular was so hard for me, that it took me about four hours to get through it; my resistance was up, I wanted to run out of the room, I was mad at the process, and I hated everything in that moment. Despite my protests, the woman working with me politely thanked me for sharing my feelings and proceeded to tell me that she loved me too much to let me walk out of the room, thus avoiding what was really trying to show up. Having done this work for quite some time now, I knew that if I didn't face whatever was trying to show up, "IT" would only come back to haunt me again in a later process down the road. In my heart, I knew I wanted "IT" done with now. Yet as determined as I was to face this unknown, I couldn't seem to meet it. Always having to 'get it right,' this really annoyed me -I couldn't finish, I was getting it all wrong, it was another thing started and not finished- I was tired, frustrated and mad!!! Finally, a vow I had unwittingly taken on as a child surfaced, which was part of the reason why I couldn't break through this process. Once the vow was uncovered, I met the emotions of rage, anger, hatred and fear, like I never had before (if ever). Why would I want to meet all these emotions? They were so neatly and cleverly buried inside of me, that I didn't even know they were there. Yet once I let my guard down and allowed them to wash through me - WHOA! Yes, it was a very challenging process for me - yet, it was one of the most liberating processes that I've ever had, which was filled with so much insight, wisdom, enlightenment and growth. We're not talking one "a-ha" moment - we're talking many "a-ha" moments! Had I not let my guard down in that process, I'd still be walking around with all of that limiting "stuff" inside of me, holding me back through life in some way.
I want to acknowledge how grateful I am for the guarding that served me well for a time. In no way am I mad for having guarded myself as I did. For whatever reason, I needed these guards up while they were there - in some way, they protected me. Perhaps there were more life lessons I had to learn; maybe I didn't have the right support system in place to let these guards down; or I may have injured myself physically if I didn't guard my right side following surgery. It's okay to temporarily have a protective guard; it's when we never let that guard down that we run the risk of not moving forward with life. If we wait for life to fully STOP to provide a safe, unobstructed path for us to walk towards what we want or need...our feet will never reach what's in store for us on the other side of the "bad intersection." In letting your guard down, you will be challenged - you will wobble, you will shake and you will feel discomfort.....yet it's in the surrendering that we more intimately become one with freedom. ©2010
Shine Even Brighter:
I encourage you to reflect upon one or all of the following for your own personal growth:
- How have you been guarding yourself - Emotionally? Physically? Spiritually? Romantically? Financially?
- What potential threats/dangers await you, if you let your guard down? Are these real threats (such as physically doing something too fast after surgery) or are they perceived threats?
- Consider what benefits will bless your life, if you let your guard down.
- Elicit the help of a trained professional, family member or friend to encourage and support you in dismantling your guard.
Copyright Protected 2010 |
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Peace-By-Peace, LLC
A Spiritual Oasis For Faiths Of All Faces
PO Box 492, Scotch Plains, NJ 07076
Caly Lehrer is the owner/founder of Peace-By-Peace, LLC, a Reiki Master/Teacher, an Accredited Journey Practitioner(tm) and Certified Professional Coach. A Spiritual Advisor for her Human Clients and A Spiritual Guardian for Animal Wellness, Caly strives to bring balance, peace and overall well-being into the lives of her clients ~both Human and Animal Friends~ by sharing Reiki, Journey Processes, Meditations, Chakra Balancing, Angelic Connection, Animal Communication and more. Sessions are available in-person and long-distance. To learn more about Caly and the services offered at Peace-By-Peace, click on the link below.
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