How Are We Taking Care of Ourselves in the Earth's Transition?
C. Allie Knowlton, MSW, LCSW, DCSW
It is clear that a major transition is occurring on our planet. It is also clear that, in one way or another, it is affecting the daily life of everyone. There are so many versions of what this time is all about and where it is leading our planet that it can be confusing. Gregg Braden is a internationally renowned pioneer in bridging science and technology. In his book, The Spontaneous Healing of Belief, Shattering the Paradigm of False Limits, Braden writes that “Today we are at a pivotal time when three major ways of knowing -- belief, faith, and science are being tested against the reality of our world. When we are asked how we know that something is true, we generally rely upon assumptions that come from one, or some combination, of these ways of seeing the world to answer.”
I would like to focus on how we can take care of ourselves during this transition time by encouraging us to review our beliefs. We may discover that some of our long held beliefs limit us in a way that is not beneficial to us and hamper our contribution to this time.
In our practice we are finding that people are more willing than ever to address their old patterns. Perhaps these patterns were once useful in some way as part of early survival, but now, these old ways of thinking and behaving are interfering with the person’s quality of life. Some of these patterns may be generational ones that the person has incarnated in this life time in order to change. Many of these patterns are based upon beliefs that were formed in the first seven years of our life. According to the field of neonatal psychology, there is even evidence that the beliefs that shape our choices may have been formulated based on the experiences we had while still in the womb.
We have certainly seen examples of this in our practice. For some people, limiting beliefs, counterproductive patterns, and even physical illnesses have evolved based upon perceptions that were made during the formation of their tiny being. This can appear to be scary for some of us when we hear our birth stories or review early childhood memories and traumas. It also can be very hopeful based on the new developments in quantum science that prove our thoughts and beliefs are all made of energy which can be rerouted, transmuted and fundamentally changed to create a new or more beneficial reality. Braden defines beliefs “as the certainty that comes from accepting what we THINK IS TRUE in our minds, coupled with what we FEEL IS TRUE in our hearts.”
An example of a very common unbeneficial belief is the belief of “not being good enough." There are many variations of this belief which create a continuum of effects. These can range from having low self esteem, finding it difficult to leave abusive relationships and being judgmental or envious of others who are not at the affect of this belief, to name a few. This kind of belief is clearly counterproductive and because it was formed so early it can be very persistent. As a result, naming counterproductive beliefs, willing them to be gone, ignoring them, or resigning one’s self to their power do not allow such entrenched perceptions to shift. They continue to create a reality in daily living that is no longer useful and can ultimately lead to disease on physical, mental and/or emotional levels. Even so, considering addressing them creates fear. It might trigger feelings of losing our identity or raise the worrisome question, “Would that be rocking the boat too much for my partner or family?”
So, here we are living in a world that is clearly in need of a reality adjustment. At the same time, we are beginning to realize that we can not only change our reality but also by doing so will participate in changing the reality of the entire cosmos! We are part of a great hologram of energy that is within us, surrounds us, and is impacted by us. Our Spirit Teachers tell our clients over and over that the work they are doing to transmute limiting perceptions contributes to the healing of the Whole. As energy, we are all connected. We are the hologram. It is only our perception that we are separate beings!
Alfred Pasieka/ Science Photo Library
For some, the logic of the brain must be addressed and replaced by new logic in order to move on. There are many resources available to retrain the thought process of the brain. These range from the work of the Institute of Heart Math, biofeedback and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing(EMDR), to name a few. Braden includes his own version which he calls building your personal logic patch. In other words, like a computer programmer, you can use this tool to replace old, outmoded brain “programming.” He acknowledges that “to change our beliefs through the logic of our minds, we must convince ourselves of a new possibility through inarguable facts that lead to an inescapable conclusion.”
Braden offers us six keys to the personal logic patch.
“Key 1: State how you feel regarding your desired outcomes as if it has already happened. For your own clarity, it’s important to do this in one concise, brief sentence. Example: I feel deeply fulfilled by the success of my new business teaching sustainable living. I feel _____________...."
"Key 2: State with passion what you are choosing to express. Example: I have a passion to help others. I have a passion to __________...."
"Key 3: State the limiting belief(s) that you have about yourself and/or filling your need. Example: My limiting belief is that my family demands don’t allow me to fulfill this need. My limiting belief is that ___________...."
"Key 4: State the opposite of your limiting belief(s). Example: My work is valuable. My___________...."
"Key 5: State when you feel most fulfilled in life. This will become your goal. Example: I feel most fulfilled in life when I am creating workshops to teach ‘green’ living. I feel most fulfilled in life when __________...."
"Key 6: State the inarguable fact(s) that support your goal. Example: It is a fact that I have been practicing a green lifestyle for 25 years. It is a fact that ___________...”
This method as well as others listed above, usually include an identification of feelings as part of the “on board technology” that contributes to being able to follow through with changes of belief. The logic of the mind can be by-passed by going directly to our hearts. In other words, by participating in an experience that is beyond rational explanation, we are invited, even forced to embrace a new belief .
An example of this occurred in our healing work when a client was guided back to the moment in the womb when her mother was intensely feeling that she could not carry this life form to term. The developing embryo vibrationally felt this fear and this created the belief that she must take care of her self at all costs because she cannot trust anyone else is capable of doing so. This child may have eventually been received lovingly at the moment of birth, but the imprint or perception was already established. As such, the person discovered that her relationships, jobs, and total life experience was impacted by this unconscious perception.
We invited this person “to go outside of time” accompanied by a Spirit Guide, or their own adult self or a trusted person. The intent was to go to that tiny baby and have an experience of complete acceptance. In these cases, the spirit of a client’s birth mother may come to facilitate this shift. Sometimes it is their own adult self who can share experiences of their undeniable worth. While holding the baby, they speak from their heart what the newborn needs to hear to be able to let go of the old belief. In that moment, a new perception is created and therefore a new reality. The client’s experience of acceptance fills every cell of their present adult body. This creates a new belief of worthiness, self trust, and possibility. In addition, their changed vibration impacts the energetic vibration of life around them to the benefit of all.
It may seem that changing deeply embedded beliefs would require a miracle to happen. Braden describes a miracle as “an event that appears inexplicable by the laws of nature.” “This is where we find its power. It’s beyond the logic of where it comes from and how it happened. The fact is that it DID happen. And in its presence, we are changed... We must reconcile that miracle with what we’ve believed to be true in the past.” And it is crucial to add what the creator of the EST training, Werner H. Erhard, made famous, “understanding is the booby prize.” In other words, it isn’t necessary. We only need to acknowledge that some fundamental belief or embedded perception within us has been replaced and it feels right! It is OK to trust the new belief. Modern science confirms that our brains are totally capable of modifying their cortical networks or “rewiring” themselves in response to our new experiences!
What is in our control, as this planetary transition continues to unfold, is to allocate time to review our beliefs to see if any are outmoded and need to be changed. Once recognized, we can then tap into the amazingly rich resources this technological age offers to explore and transform what is no longer beneficial to us. We can choose to allocate time to review any life experiences or events that have changed our perspective to assess if we have integrated the shift into our daily perspectives. We can choose to be open to life experiences that support a new perspective. And lastly, we can name and honor the beliefs that sustain us through the meaning and joy they bring to our lives.
To quote Braden one more time, "In the instant of our first breath, we are infused with the single greatest force in the universe --the power to translate the possibilities of our minds into the reality of our world. To fully awaken our power, however, requires a subtle change in the way we think of ourselves in life, a shift in belief.” He continues, “Just the way a sound creates visible waves as it travels through a droplet of water, our ‘belief waves’ ripple through the quantum fabric of the universe to become our bodies and the healing, abundance, and peace -- or disease, lack, and suffering -- that we experience in life. And just the way we can tune a sound to change its patterns, we can tune our beliefs to preserve or destroy all that we cherish, including life itself. In a malleable world where everything from atoms to cells is changing to match our beliefs, we’re limited only by the way we think of ourselves in that world.”
By C. Allie Knowlton, MSW, LCSW, DCSW
Co-Editor
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C. Allie Knowlton, MSW, LCSW, DCSW is a psychotherapist, shamanic teacher and healer in practice with her partner Evelyn C. Rysdyk. Included in thebook Traveling Between the Worlds, Allie and Evelyn are among the world’s most influential writers and teachers of shamanism.
Allie brings a lifetime of connection to Spirit to her work with individuals and groups. Originally trained as a minister, she now presents eco-spiritually focused training programs--which include advanced shamanism and shamanic healing---across the USA and Canada. In addition, as a founding member of True North, a unique, integrated medical center in Falmouth, Maine--she collaborates with physicians, nurses, a psychiatrist, a naturopath and several other complementary healthcare practitioners to provide a new model of health care that includes the spirit.
www.spiritpassages.org
www.spiritliving.org
Note: For more information on Earth Spirit Living by Ann Marie Holmes see this month’s Shamama Bear Review
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