Co-Creative Mentoring LLC Sheryl Harrell, MAA.B.S., EFT Cert.
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Are You Listening to the Sounds of Silence?

1/20/2021

 
Allow nature to teach you stillness.
                                                                                    Eckhart Tolle
Here's to another year of exploring our inner beauty, the

connection we have with each other, and our connection to

nature.



Full disclosure: I started writing this blog at the end of 2020. As

sometimes happens, I just wasn't ready to finish writing even

though I had a lighthearted newsletter sketched in my mind

about welcoming 2021 with purpose and intention. Which, BTW,

I believe is a wonderful way to begin each moment, day, week,

month, or year.


But, an unseen--yet felt--force held me back. As the first days of

the New Year slipped by, the reason for my hesitation revealed

itself. January 6th happened.  I wondered how I could possibly

not address what occurred on that day in our nation’s capitol?

Maybe like you, I felt it before it happened and now I'm still

processing it – cognitively and emotionally and spiritually – and I

imagine that I will be for some time to come.


Frankly, I'm walking a tightrope. In the past, I've made best

efforts at writing about ways we can remember our wholeness

by intentionally putting our attention on our inner life (including

ALL of our feelings), cultivating love and compassion for

ourselves and others,  and appreciating the ways that the

natural cycles support our evolution of consciousness.  At the

same time, I understand that everything and everyone is

connected and collective consciousness impacts our lives in

seen and unseen ways.  I've done my best to live my intention

to be loving, tolerant, and compassionate--toward myself and

others.


Lately, I've noticed how challenging that is.  



That's when I lean into practices that are so crucial for my self

growth.  


I have both "formal" practices (meditation and chanting) that I

do twice a day. And, "informal" techniques (EFT/Tapping,


HeartMath, and Metta Meditation)  that I use when I forget

love's presence and experience the difficult emotions when "life

happens".



When I do any of these practices I notice in the midst of all that's

happening, and while I'm experiencing "those" feelings (and the

"shoulds" and "shouldn'ts"),  just how quickly the critical voice

softens.  When I accept the feelings (and myself for having

them), I feel more stable, feel less volatile, my mood improves,

and I'm more willing to accept others and to accept what is. If

there's ever been a time when loving and accepting ourselves

and others is needed, it's now.



What practices are you discovering or re-discovering for

remembering that you are safe, whole, complete, loving and

lovable?


There may be many difficult weeks and months ahead, but I can

see the light at the end of the tunnel--and it's not the train

coming toward me. I can’t help but feel the New Year is

vibrating with the potential for individual and collective change.



I recently read the following and felt comforted by the reminders
:

3 Timeless Truths For The New Year


1. Every challenge can be an opportunity for growth and self- 

    discovery. Stay curious.

2. Sometimes, it’s necessary to release what one has to make

    way for something better and brighter.  Use your creative

    force for relishing the experience of softening and letting go.

3. No matter what’s going on around us, we are always

    in charge of what’s going on inside us. Align with truth and

    re-imagine the world and yourself from a space beyond fear

    and separation. You can't move forward if you're in fear. In

    many cultures the peacock is a symbol of fearlessness,

    openness and acceptance. When threatened, a peacock

    responds by showing its most marvelous beauty. Find and

    extend your most marvelous beauty.


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Are you feeling a bit at odds within yourself right now? Is

part of you excited and ready to move forward with your

intentions for 2021? Does part of you want to crawl into a

cave and hibernate? All of the above? You're not alone!


This is the thing about the winter season and the New

Year (and particularly this year): We begin the year

(some of us), in the coldest, darkest time when

everything in nature is quietly resting. And, yet, we're

pulled toward getting on with our resolutions, our goals,

our intentions for the New Year (because we're SO OVER

last year!).


Meanwhile...The feminine aspect of us is

saying….wait….sit down… close your eyes….connect

inward.  Nature is quietly preparing every living thing

(including us) for the months ahead. This is the time to

create through your heart and receive.  


This is the rhythm of the universe: Day, night. In-breath,

out-breath. Wake and sleep. Traditional cultures honor

this rhythm. They set aside time to rest, time to pray, time

to heal.


Our society tends to put a premium on action, at the

expense of rest.


This is the time to rest. To rejuvenate. To invest the time

and space that you REALLY need to be still, to listen,

and appreciate Silence. Like seeds planted in nourishing

soil, your vision gathers energy from inner and outer

Silence. This is the time to trust nature's process

working through you.


Picture
Many of you know that all Co-Creative Mandalas begin with

photographs of flowers and plants we grow or see in nature. 

Every year as we're co-creating the cover for the mandala

calendar a theme emerges. Each monthly mandala reflects the

cycle of nature, and is a pathway that culminates in the "great

mandala" for the year. The theme for each year supports the

feeling AND the intention for each month. For 2020 we were

guided toward "Luminosity"--as a pathway for honoring

our inner light and the Source of everything.  Luminosity is both

our inner Light and the source of Light that uplifts and amplifies

everyone's unique path toward more joy, well-being, and peace.


The same process is true for the 2021 theme: "Oneness". 

Before the inspiration revealed itself, we hadn't thought

specifically about Oneness. As the months since that inspiration

surfaced, I've come to realize that never before in my lifetime

has it been more important to focus attention on Oneness.


Oneness is at the heart of many spiritual traditions.  One of the

most common experiences of the evolution of consciousness is

the feeling of Oneness. This state of being can be experienced

as a feeling that everything, everyone is part of a whole, we all

come from one common source. I've experienced Oneness

when enjoying a sunset over the ocean and felt the infinite

vastness of the universe, or while tending to flowers in the

garden and "time stood still". Others experience it when they

see their newborn child for the first time. Those glimpses of

Oneness are hard to describe and sustain because we live in

duality. Oneness is both an inner experience and the source of

everything.



We are individual life forms each seeking our individual

expressions. Behind this appearance of separation is the

essential nature that exists in all beings. The concept of

tapping into Oneness is a powerful tool for transforming

ourselves and our world because we remember goodness, love

and compassion--for ourselves and each other.  This is like

each cell taking care of itself, but also working in cooperation

with others, having the health of the whole system as its goal.

It is a pathway that honors individual and collective Oneness,

our Wholeness. From this perspective--we want for each other

what we want for ourselves.


It really boils down to this: that all life is interrelated. We are all caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied together into a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. We are made to live together because of the interrelated structure of reality... Before you finish eating breakfast in the morning, you’ve depended on more than half the world. This is the way our universe is structured, this is its interrelated quality. We aren’t going to have peace on Earth until we recognize the basic fact of the interrelated structure of all reality.
             
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. from his last Christmas sermon       
And, Depak Chopra says, "Oneness is the potential for all

sounds but is, itself silent. In every moment of existence, the

whole of creation is constantly emerging from the silence of

Oneness...When we slip into the spaces between our thoughts,

we experience Oneness".  When you meditate you access the

Silence at the source, the experience of Oneness. This is a path

by which our awareness settles to quieter levels of thinking, into

the Silence of Oneness.


Tapping into Silence is one of the keys to sustaining the clarity

and focus necessary for realizing your dreams and goals.

During meditation, you quiet your mind. Afterwards, you take

action to realize your dreams. One of my teachers described

this process as "rest and activity"--deep rest and Silence during

meditation that relieves stress from the mind, body and spirit so

that when we emerge we live our full potential.  Of course this

takes practice.



In his blog post, "What is Oneness", Roger Gabriel offers eight

simple, practical, and profound suggestions for living life in

the Silence of Oneness.



Throughout 2021, I'll be following the pathway of coming home

to Oneness that is found in our Co-Creative Mandala calendar.

Each month offers a new mandala that expresses a quality

which supports your journey toward remembering Oneness. The

mandalas in this blog may be the same as the ones found in the

calendar. Or, like this month, I've co-created a different mandala

that expresses the quality of "Silence".   



This Co-Creative Mandala--"Silence" is from a photograph of

pine, which symbolizes focus and loving kindness, and snow,

which symbolizes peace and gentleness. It reminds us of the

importance of resting, silence, being gentle and loving toward

ourselves, and allowing our vision for the year to come into

focus. It's associated with the heart, throat, and crown chakras.

It's a reminder to pause and listen and invite Divine wisdom in. It

can help you stay in touch with your inner wisdom and check in

with your higher self.


Picture
Silence is essential.
We need silence,
just as much as we need air,
just as much as plants need light.
If our minds are crowded
with words and thoughts,
there is no space for us.
                                                                        Thich Nhat Hanh
Silence Exercise:*

In this simple, yet powerful exercise, I invite you to celebrate

Silence and feel supported by your inner and outer

resources.  Honor this powerful time of rest, rejuvenation, and

healing.


Intention:


This is a special opportunity to connect with the stillness, the

Silence, within you, to reflect on the year just passed and

imagine what the light of the New Year holds in store. We can

dream peacefully knowing that deep within the Earth and within

our hearts, something beautiful rests and is nurtured... waiting to

be born in the Spring.



Give yourself plenty of time without interruptions to dive

deeply into this exercise. Meditate, journal, create and bless   

your sacred space.


Make this exercise your own. Invest your time and attention.


Don’t rush.
 

As you sit quietly in your space, light a candle that welcomes

Silence. 



In a moment, when you are done reading through the

instructions, write everything that the Co-Creative

Mandala--"Silence" makes you think of. Write how you feel

when you look at it. Write about what the associated chakras

represent and how that might be applicable to your journey 

toward Oneness this year.



Close your eyes. Bring your awareness to your breath; just be

with your breath. Take a deep breath in. Breathe out. Take

another deep breath in. Breathe out. Notice the sensations as

you exhale—without judgement.  Feel the body breathing. Bring

your body into stillness.


Open your eyes and bring your attention to the Silence

mandala; allow the mandala energy to fill your heart; be with

whatever is there.


Invest a few minutes toward allowing the Silence energy to

flow to and through your body.  Imagine that energy bursting

through your crown chakra and extending far into the heavens.


Imagine the Silence energy flowing through you and down

deep into the earth. Imagine it radiating from your heart and

extending out in front of you and behind you. Imagine the

Silence energy is a radiant ball that encircles you.


Now, sit with this energy for a few minutes.

 
What about the Silence mandala captures your attention?


Notice and Wonder--Something in me is feeling...


I wonder what it wants me to know?
 

Relax into your body and its quietness. Be with the energy, be

present, listen.



Here's the ritual:

1. Take out a piece of paper and write a list of everything that

    you want to let go of from 2020. These can include habits,

    behaviors,
limiting beliefs, fears, physical conditions, feelings

    of resentment, conflicts, or thoughts that don't  serve you.


2. Then thank all the items on the list for having been with

     you and for all the lessons learned and ways you grew from

     them.


3. Next make a clear statement of letting go such as: "I now let

    go of all these things and anything else that no longer serves

    me and my vision and intention and they ways I want to feel

    in 2021."


4. If you have a fireplace, wood stove, etc. throw the paper in

    to be burned. If you don't have a fireplace,  CAREFULLY burn

    the list in a large stainless steel bowl or in a sink.


5. Write down and then speak out loud everything you're

    grateful for from the past year -- the joys, celebrations,

   accomplishments, lessons learned, and "growth" experiences.


6. And now it's time to call in what you'd like to bring forward

    in 2021—First, write down how you want to FEEL throughout

    this upcoming year. It's the FEELING of it all that will take you

    far. Then acknowledge everything you welcome into your 
 
    vision of the New Year--the intentions, beliefs, behaviors,  

    relationships, and everything you will embrace. Finally, speak

    out loud what you've written down.

  



As we reflect on 2020 and continue into the New Year,

appreciate of the cycles of nature.   This is the time for a pause,

a time for rest and renewal, and then we get to start anew

wherever our paths lead us.  Please take some time now to take

care of yourself.  You deserve it. Your presence is needed to

keep transforming your life and the lives of all beings.



Thank you for being on this journey. And for continuing to give

the world the gift of your best self.


Wishing you a year of health, abundance, joy, Oneness, and

remembering the light that you truly are.


Peace and joy to your seeking heart,

Picture
* Adapted from https://www.lauripointer.com/
    Picture

    Author

    Sheryl Harrell, Gardener
    of the Soil and of the
    Soul & Co-Creator of
    Mandalas. Happy you
    found my Blog!

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