Dear Empowered Wayers:
What if we are focused on the wrong thing? Instead of being “woke” or fighting racism, why don’t we work on ourselves?
As Brene Brown said in her landmark book, “The Atlas of the Heart,”
Our connection with others can only be as deep
as our connection with ourselves.
The relationship you have with yourself is the most important one in your life. If you are looking at the world and you see racism, you are projecting something that is blocked in you.
Most people don’t want to hear that — you probably immediately rejected the idea that the cause of what you see in the world starts with you.
But it’s true.
When you cry, “The world is racist!” you are really saying, “I am racist.” You cannot see what is in the world unless you also have it in yourself.
That is a truth of human existence.
The mind and ego create the experience of racism, and you identify racism being you. It’s a neat trick and a way to avoid looking at your own beliefs, judgments, and pain. Going inside, feeling and experiencing these emotions isn’t fun or pretty, but it’s the only way to dissolve the blocks you carry.
Pain, shame, invisibility, and distrust are symptoms of victimhood, not growth.
Victimhood isn’t the Way to Peace
Here’s another truth of human existence: You can only change yourself.
Pointing the finger or canceling another because you don’t agree with them is an ego strategy. Bullying, censoring, or berating another is the ego’s attempt to change another person. And it never works.
The ego will never look at itself. It always points to the outside world and tries everything to convince you that you are a victim. The danger of this approach is that you become focused on proving your victimhood. Your mind scans the environment and social interactions like a heat-seeking missile.
When you perceive your life through the lens of victimhood, your mind blocks out the other millions of bits of data. You become your own self-defined prophecy.
Victims are not powerful or catalysts for change. They don’t grow or evolve; they don’t add to society or expand the consciousness of those around them. Instead, victims play the part of “poor, poor, pitiful me” and they expect the world to change to accommodate them.
You will never find peace or experience love as long as you live from victim energy.
Mother Teresa and Gandhi
The graphic of Mother Teresa and Gandhi is painted on the side of a building in New York City. When I was walking on the High Line and turned a corner, it stopped me in my tracks.
Two great spiritual leaders, acknowledging each other. You can almost feel the love that passes between them. Study the photo for a few minutes, and ask yourself what each person would say to you if you were looking into their eyes and receiving their blessing.
Mother Teresa might remind you of several truths she lived by:
If you judge people, you have no time to love them.
It is not how much we give but how much love we put into giving.
I prefer you to make mistakes in kindness then work miracles in unkindness.
Life is a song, sing it. Life is a struggle, accept it.
Gandhi might share:
You must be the change you wish to see in the world.
An eye for an eye only ends up making the whole world blind.
Power is of two kinds. One is obtained by the fear of punishment and the other by acts of love. Power based on love is a thousand times more effective and permanent then the one derived from fear of punishment.
The common thread in both Mother Teresa and Gandhi’s lives was to serve with love, to see love in the other person, and to receive it from their Higher Self.
Both leaders rose above their circumstances to shine the light of love. The world transformed, not because they were caught in their egos, but because they allowed a higher love to infuse their service.
Instead of looking to the past (It’s interesting that the word “woke” is past-tense), step back from the messaging of your ego and step into a new realm of possibilities.
There is a greater truth about you and every other person on the planet.
When you discover it for yourself, you become the example for those around you. Your energy shifts from victimhood to empowered and the ripple effects continue to infinity.
Awaken to the Truth of You
When your mind and ego direct your thoughts, beliefs, and actions, you are caught in a prison of your own making. You never see that you are trapped, because you’re inside the walls. All you know is that it’s a struggle, because your focus is on changing the outside world and other people, instead of stepping out of your prison.
The door of your prison is always unlocked. In fact, there is no lock on the door.
Why do you stay in prison when the door is wide open? - Rumi
The key to opening the door is to step into Observer Mode and notice what your mind and ego have created.
What is Observer Mode? It’s your ability to disconnect from the experience of your creations (the inside of the prison), and actually see yourself creating. It’s the realization that you are so much more than what your mind and ego scream at you.
You are a Being having a Human Experience.
We are called Human Beings for a reason. No other species has the word “being” attached to it’s name.
Why? Maybe it’s because we are made in the image and likeness of God. Maybe it’s because we are creators of our reality. Or maybe it’s because it’s part of our journey from separation to unity.
The ego separates and divides. When you look at someone and you notice their skin color and judge them, you have created separation. When you cancel another for having different opinions than you, you are separate and apart. When you insist that governments, corporations, and individuals must conform to your standards, you have separated yourself from any solution.
Unity comes from being. When you can see another’s skin color and see their common humanity, unity exists. When you listen with respect to another who has different opinions than you, unity is felt. When governments, corporations, and individuals make decisions for the good of all, not a defined group, unity rules.
Live from Being First
Discover your being — Born to Experience the Infinite Nature of God — and the foundation of your life shifts dramatically.
Instead of searching for evidence of how the world mistreats you, you realize that the other person’s bad behavior is about them, not you.
Instead of expecting others to change to your beliefs, you know your truth and it shines.
Instead of arguing and living with the past, you live in the present moment, feeling love pour through you to the outside world.
As you awaken to your beingness, a greater truth emerges: you are a creator.
Who is a creator? Every person who has ever lived, breathed, and walked on the surface of the Earth.
As an Observer, you can notice other people’s creations, but you don’t have to accept them as true (unless you’re still in victim mode). You see their creations and behavior, and say to yourself, “They know not what they do.”
And at that moment, you are free.
What Would an Awakened World Look Like?
Imagine a world where we don’t take offense at every perceived slight or insult. Where we discover the truth of ourselves and see that truth reflected in the world.
The relationship you have with yourself and your higher power directs your sense of self. Instead of reacting, you respond with kindness. Instead of being self-righteous, screaming judgments at the other, you meet and accept the shadows dancing inside of you.
The place to start is you. Look in the mirror and ask yourself, “Who am I?” After the usual answers that bubble up from your mind, wait for the deeper response from your heart and soul.
When you see you are so much more than your identity, your body, your profession or your past, you will glimpse the immensity of your Being.
Live as a spiritual being having a human experience. You won’t identify or experience racism, division, or separation because you are whole and holy.
Nothing on Earth can destroy your relationship with your Self. Except you.
Remind yourself of who you are constantly. Rumi said it best:
You think of yourself as a citizen of the universe.
You think you belong to this world of dust and matter.
Out of this dust you have created a personal image,
and have forgotten about the essence of your true origin.
Awaken to your Higher Self and live from that space. The world will change to reflect your inner knowing that you are worthy. Repeat this mantra to remind yourself:
I am you. You are me. We are one. All is well.
Blessings on your journey,
Kathryn
P.S. To help you on your journey, please listen to a short, guided meditation called, “Being Human is Your Way Home.” Please follow me on Insight Timer to learn more.
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