Spiritual Practice – Community Soulwork

Talking with Yolanda Green

In part one of a two-part series, I interview Yolanda Green about her path to Bodhi and what spirituality means to her.

I first met Jaye Ratio when we took a class at Bodhi Spiritual Center in Chicago. Jaye intrigued me from the very beginning. At the time, I was not sure why but I took notice of my reactions whenever our paths crossed. The reason for my fascination soon became apparent.

Jaye embodied the unexpected. One evening they would show up dressed in a plaid shirt, tee and jeans. The next class, they would be wearing lipstick with a full beard, dangling earring, a blouse and flowing skirt.

Jaye became my muse. Every time I saw them, my spirit was reminded of freedom and the hope of breaking free of limiting beliefs. Last summer, Jaye sat down for an interview with me as part of the #BodhiConnection series.

Moving towards closure by cutting energetic cords

The following article was written by Madisyn Taylor for DailyOm.com. I subscribe to daily articles. I plan to give this energetic exercise a try and post an update later this week.

Sometimes the emotions we are feeling belong to the person we are in a connection with, and an energetic cord must be severed.

In every relationship, people are constantly exchanging energy that can become a chord connecting two people. This energetic cord forms just below the breastbone and can remain long after a relationship has ended. This unbroken cord may leave an open channel between you and another person, through which emotions and energy can continue to flow. If you are unaware that the chord exists, it is easy to feel the other person’s emotions and mistakenly think that they are yours. Besides the fact that this can limit the amount of closure you can experience in a relationship, letting this cord remain intact can leave you with a continued sense of sadness while creating feelings of lethargy as your own energy is sapped from you. Cutting the cord can help you separate yourself from old baggage, unnecessary attachments, and release you from connections that are no longer serving you.

Finding and cutting unwanted cords is a simple, gentle process that is best done alone and when you are relaxed. It is important that you are strong in your intention to release the chord between you and someone else. To begin, breathe deeply and perform a simple centering meditation. When you are ready, visualize or sense the chords that are connecting you to other people. Run your fingers through the cords to separate them until you find the cord you wish to sever. There is no need to worry, because the chord you need to sever will feel just right. When you have found it, determine where the cut should be made and then visualize the cord being cleanly cut. If you need assistance, Archangel Michael can be called upon to help you with his sword. Afterwards, if you feel that cutting the chord has left spaces in your energy field, then visualize those spaces being filled with healing sunlight.

There may be times where cutting a cord can help free a relative or loved one to reach new stages of growth. You’re not severing a relationship, but you are severing the chords that are no longer serving you both. At other times, a cord may simply refuse to be cut because it is still serving a higher purpose. It is also important to remember that cutting a cord with someone is not a replacement for doing your emotional work with people. It can, however, be an enactment of that work upon its completion. In any case, cutting a relationship cord should always be viewed as a positive and nurturing act. By cutting the cords that no longer need to be there, you are setting yourself and others free from the ties that bind.

Learn to Let Go

“LEARN TO LET GO You can move from active to passive, and back again. Adult life can be partially summarized as the effort to maintain control. This means you attempt to control your body movements, emotions, speech and where you are going in life. As important as this is, letting go of control is also necessary but is a lesson that few people learn well.

If you cannot let go of control, you cannot go to sleep at night, for sleep is the ultimate letting go. Also, many important processes within you cannot surface if you control what you experience all the time. Your body-mind heals itself by doing things you might not consciously like, such as vomiting poisonous food, producing scary dreams and discharging stressful emotions in an attempt to heal old traumas.

If your control went too deep, you would die very quickly. That is why most of the vital life processes are beyond your control. To get into the realm of the most vital parts of your mind and body, you need to learn a little bit of humility — of letting go.” ~ Tony Crisp, dreamhawk.com

How to Deal with the Feeling of Time Scarcity

The key to feeling the time crunch is to accept what can be done in the time allotted.

I came across an interesting blog post on the experience of time scarcity. “One answer is to do fewer things — simplify by cutting things out of your life, do some things less or not at all. Another answer is to outsource, hire a team, delegate. These are all great options. But true mastery of the time scarcity demon only really comes from a mindset shift.”

The author concludes that the feeling of scarcity is generated by greed. We want more time and are dissatisfied with what we are able to accomplish with the time we have.

The solution is to tune into our body when the experience of time scarcity occurs and bring ourselves into the present by being grateful for our current activity; thereby grounding ourselves in the present moment before moving on to the next task.

I imagine that this approach will leave me feeling more at peace with shifting a task from one day to the next. I welcome more presence and being in my life.

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Photo Credit: Stephen Barnes

Cool Aromatherapy

Hot Rocks Jewels. They make this incredible line of lava rocks jewels that can be infused with scented aromatherapy oils.

I adore shopping at discount stores like TJ Maxx, Marshalls and Nordstrom Rack. I often come across brands I never would have discovered otherwise. One such brand is Hot Rocks Jewels. They make this incredible line of lava rocks jewels that can be infused with scented aromatherapy oils. You can choose the stone and scent combinations that correspond to certain mantras. I am now wearing the “I am calm” set.

Spiritual Practice of Receiving: Relaxing and Self-Love

Day 5 of 22 recording my thoughts on the spiritual practice of receiving. Today’s post is about the relationship between self-love and relaxing.

I have committed to 22 days of exploring the spiritual practice of receiving. I will examine my heart’s greatest desire of complete self-love and its relationship with a variety of receiving states.

Receiving State: Relaxing

I relax as an act of self-love. This demands that I prioritize myself above others for a certain period of time on a regular basis. This receiving state means that I stop resisting good and relax into the greatest love of all. The Love that powers my passion and creativity. The Love that ignites my spirit and heals my body. I am relaxing into elusive, demanding and uncompromising self-love.

With Love,

Sherry

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Spiritual Practice of Receiving: Releasing and Self-Love

Day 22 of 22 recording my thoughts on the spiritual practice of receiving. Today’s post is about the relationship between self-love and being open.

Receiving State: Releasing

When I think of how self-love relates to releasing, I think of how we must release our limiting beliefs to open ourselves to transformation. This usually means releasing old ideas of ourselves based on our past. Stories we repeatedly tell ourselves about who we are and can be in the world.

Because of my growing need to release, I wrote the following letter to my bodywork practitioner, Roger Hughes:

Can you connect me with the energy work practitioner you mentioned? It is becoming apparent to me that I have a lot of energy that needs to be released and I don’t know how to let it go. Something is telling me that my physical condition will not be completely healed until I can completely release. That realization actually came across in a dream.

I’m not really sure what is looking to be released but I know it pushes against my boundaries as soon as our sessions begin. I think because I suppress ‘It’, hyper-sensitivity has developed which makes me hesitant to interact with people. I think the hyper-sensitivity camouflages as sexual arousal as a way to entice me into opening up. I know that beneath the arousal is a deep well of shame and grief I have not allowed myself to truly feel. So as a protective measure, I stay relatively numb and closed.

I’m excited about the next steps.

You may have noticed that just during that brief time I was crafting the email, I went from not being sure what needed to be released to knowing. That is why journaling is so powerful. The contemplation required to express ideas automatically triggers self-exploration and release.

Each day, I grow more excited about this self-love journey.

Image credit: Laura Kasperzak

Spiritual Practice of Receiving: Hearing and Self-Love

Day 7 of 22 recording my thoughts on the spiritual practice of receiving. Today’s post is about the relationship between self-love and hearing.

Receiving State: Hearing

When I think of how self-love relates to hearing, I think of how I have to quiet my own inner critic to hear the voice of others. I have to quiet my self-doubts in order to hear the yearning of another soul. The request for someone who needs my help or wants to give me love and attention. Identifying the bounty around me requires more than eyes to see. It also requires an open heart and a spirit willing to hear.

With Love,

Sherry

Image Credit: The Passionate Wife

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Spiritual Practice of Receiving: Acknowledging and Self-Love

Day 8 of 22 recording my thoughts on the spiritual practice of receiving. Today’s post is about the relationship between self-love and acknowledging.

Receiving State: Acknowledging

When I think of how self-love relates to ‘acknowledging’, I think of the various ways we reject portions of ourselves that either disturb or upset us in some way. Self-love is the ability to acknowledge our own darkness just as much as we embrace the light. What happens after the acknowledging is up to us — so is what we discover.

Here are some things I acknowledge about myself:

I have a temper.

Most people would not believe this because I keep tight control of my anger. I do not like the effect anger has on my body and emotions, so I neutralize it as soon as it arises. I am learning a different approach now; letting the emotion rise up to be released. After consideration, I realized that I was not neutralizing anger but simply repressing it due to the lack of acknowledgement.

I am inclined to be selfish.

Again, I think most people who know me would be surprised by this. That is because I acknowledge this aspect of my character and make conscious efforts to be giving.

I am a sensation freak.

This could mean many things but essentially it means that I seek pleasure in most things: food, sex, entertainment, etc. The bigger the endorphin or dopamine release, the better. This can lead to overindulging which makes self-discipline and balance a high priority for me.

With Love,

Sherry

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Spiritual Practice of Receiving: Hearing and Self-Love

Day 7 of 22 recording my thoughts on the spiritual practice of receiving. Today’s post is about the relationship between self-love and hearing.

It is all an open secret. ~Ram Maharshi

Receiving State: Hearing

When I think of how self-love relates to hearing, I think of how it is an act of love to remain open and willing enough to hear your inner guide. It is an act of love to stay so deep inside yourself and connected with your every thought and action that you hear what your thoughts are really trying to tell you. What your soul is wanting to reveal and the secrets the Universe is longing to share.

Yesterday, I made a point of listening to my intuition. I let it lead me to make a certain purchase, change an appointment, buy a random gift and give my full attention to someone who needed connection.

Last night, I dreamed that my naturopath was advising me on creating a plan to eliminate personal debt. She said that I could address my own debt relatively easily and directly. Pay $76 per month through 2018 and I will be done. But she said, there’s a debt you don’t know about that belongs to your mother. Until you clear that, you will never really be debt free. She advised that I pay $84 per month to clear my mom’s debt and then my personal debt will drop to $64 down from $76. She wrote these numbers on a white board as I sat in her office.

The first thing I thought about when I woke this morning was ancestral karma clearing. I am listening, I heard and now I will act. I will reach out to my Shamanic practitioner now and devise a plan of action for ancestral karma clearing.

I’m continuing with the 22 days of Receiving practice recommended by Edward Viljoen. Gotta love those Bodhi Spiritual Center classes and workshops!!

With Love,

Sherry

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Spiritual Practice of Receiving: Revealing and Self-Love

Day 6 of 22 recording my thoughts on the spiritual practice of receiving. Today’s post is about the relationship between self-love and revealing.

Receiving State: Revealing

When I think of how self-love relates to revealing, I think of how it is an act of love to reveal the false beliefs that I hold inside. Beliefs that are often negative and limiting.

Earlier today, my husband and I were discussing preparing for an upcoming condo renovation. As part of this, I need to remove some items from my closet and place them in the living room which should remain dust free. The thought that rose up was, “but my heart will be on display”.

I felt a part of me wanting to resist that admission. Afterall, who wants to think that their heart is in things, but I chose to surrender and let the false belief be revealed and the feeling of shame rise-up to be released.

I realize this is one of the false beliefs I have carried around since childhood. That I am unable to create intimate connections with people because I can’t handle emotion, or just don’t want to be bothered. Just from the few months I’ve been with Bodhi, I know this is not the truth of who I am. It was how my step-dad interacted with me and I ASSUMED that was HIS truth. He would give me money or buy me something but he wasn’t interested in conversation or spending time with me. I’m now willing to consider that I was wrong about ‘fear or resistance to intimacy’ being his truth as well.

I’m continuing with the 22 days of Receiving practice recommended by Edward Viljoen. Gotta love those Bodhi Spiritual Center classes and workshops!!

With Love,

Sherry

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