Dear Friends of The Center for Greater Loving...
For those of you in North America, how was your July 4th holiday? Did you celebrate your freedom? So many of us, men and women alike, fear losing themselves and losing their freedom when they get into relationship... especially a lifetime relationship. Your freedom is always with you... a partner can NEVER take it away... When you live in Greater Love - for yourself and others - you are free.
For your pleasure this week...
- Discover the third key to Conscious Relating in this week's article "Taking Responsibility"
- Reminding you about the fall workshops... they'll be filling up fast!
- and...a new weekly practice... "Practice Giving"... and watch for our giving and receiving kissing practice in two weeks!
Thanks for being a part of this great community!
Enjoy!
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Article: Taking Responsibility  Continuing our journey into the key characteristics of Conscious Relating, today let's dive in and look at the idea of Taking Responsibility. If we want to consciously relate to another person or group of people, it requires us to take responsibility for everything that happens between the two of us (or the group of us). We need to recognize that how we show up in any situation has a direct influence on the response of the other person or people. Our emotions, attitudes, beliefs, and rules about how things "should be" all directly impact our experiences in life - with family, friends, communities, co-workers, employees...everyone.
Ask yourself, how am I contributing to this situation?
So let's dive a little deeper. It often seems like life is happening "to us" or things are being done "to us." Whenever we think or feel the words "to us" they are a direct indicator that we are taking on a victim role in the situation rather than a "responsible" role. When we take on the victim role we almost unconsciously begin to feel powerless. Yet, we are not powerless.
Are you choosing the victim role?
The truth is that there is an infinite wisdom inside us that knows exactly what needs to happen and when we stop resisting the circumstances and consider the idea that we might be playing a part in the results or circumstances that are arising, then we regain our power, our wisdom, and again we have choice.
A friend once told me a beautiful story of how he applied this concept in an interaction with his daughter when he wanted to influence her behavior. His daughter was upset with him and was outwardly expressing anger and frustration to him. As he listened, he remembered hearing someone say "what's happening around you or to you, is a reflection of what's happening within you. (I've also heard it said that what appears to be coming at you, is coming from you.")
When he reflected on that message with regard to how his daughter was showing up, he realized ... Read More
Love and blessings,
Joanna Shakti
www.greaterloving.com
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