You Are NOT Your Past
In this world that surrounds us, we often find ourselves reflecting back in time. From #tbt on social media to gathering with friends to relive stories of times gone by – our lives appear to be tied to experiences of our past.
But, what if this seemingly simple action is causing more complexity in our lives than we understand? What if those experiences were meant to be single moments in time, appreciated for exactly what they were, and allowed to be left behind us?
Many of us give permission for our past and the experiences it contained to define our current self. We create labels for ourselves based on these encounters and begin to wear them throughout life, piling them on as we go. We sit with friends and share our justification for our self-created labels, as if each one is a badge of honor or dishonor in some way. This isn’t good or bad, but the question is – how does this serve us in our current moment?
When we allow ourselves to let go of past experiences and the labels we have created with them, an entirely new pattern has an opportunity to emerge. We free ourselves to choose who we desire to be in the present moment. Experiences begin to shift based on our current actions. What is reflected to us is no longer what we were, but what we are.
>>> We are NOT our past – we are whatever we choose to be in the current moment and every moment moving forward <<<
Each morning we are born again. What we do today is what matters most. ~Buddha
How Can I BE Love?
We may have been asked this question many times. “Be Love,” sounds nice, but it may also seem intangible. “How can someone be an emotion?”
This is where each of us have the opportunity to expand our perspective of love
When we place love in a single category, such as an emotion, we are limiting its possibilities. Love is an energy. That energy can invoke an emotional reaction, a feeling, a bond and many other sensations we have come to understand. But, that energy also has the potential to be the very fiber of who we are.
Consider this: when we are connecting to a new skill, such as playing the piano, we consciously choose to practice that skill. It takes dedication, focus, awareness and a desire to be a pianist. We don’t go from playing chopsticks to Mozart in a week. But, as we allow ourselves to expand in our awareness of the piano and the music it generates, we are creating beautiful melodies in no time. The music becomes part of our very soul.
And, so it is with love. When we consciously choose to be love in every moment – to practice it fully by asking ourselves, “what am I doing to express love right now?” – we begin to find our own connection to it. What starts as focused practice, becomes part of who we are.
Love flows through each us in different ways. You might be love by being present and listening to a friend in need of support. Or maybe it’s by placing love energy into the food you cook. It may be a smile and eye contact to a complete stranger at the grocery store. There are countless ways to be love and allow the energy of love to flow through you. But one thing is certain, when you align yourself to this infinite and amazing energy, you feel love in every moment as a result.
Love is something we are, not something we posses. It is an energy we share, not something we control. Love is infinite possibility raised up from the light of the universe. How will you choose to be the infinite possibility love?
In The End, Love Is All That Matters
My Last Moments With My Grandmother
by Amber Mikesell
Some reading this blog may know that before Austin and I joined together to create A&A Spiritual Concepts and The Meditative Minute, I had my own practice. For those who may not have known, I mention this only because I blogged under the name of this practice as well. Many of these posts have caught attention given recent world events. One in particular has really garnered a great deal of traffic and, as a result, Austin and I thought it might be good to share on this blog as well.
Yours in love ~
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Mar 07, 2015
I’m certain most reading this article have, at some point in your life, lost someone you love. For me, I’ve had the honor of holding the hand of both of my grandmothers as they transitioned from this world to the next. These experiences shaped me in ways I cannot fully explain in a single article, However, there is one moment in particular that continues to call to me to share – more so now than ever.
As I sat with my father’s mother in her final evening, alone in her room, I noticed I could physically feel her fear settle to calm. My grandmother could not speak, but appeared fully alert and aware of her surroundings and me. During the time of her passing I had not yet fully come into my awareness, but I felt her and knew she felt me. Throughout the evening she and I began to ‘experiment’ with this connection and found ways to communicate by way of the energy. As we communicated, sharing gratitude for one another, these words came through stronger than anything I had felt to that point, “In the end, LOVE is all that matters.” After the words flowed through, she and I both began to cry. She felt it as strongly as I did and we both knew it was truth.
You see, dear friends, as I have progressed a bit more in my journey one thing has remained consistent – LOVE is the key. When we leave this world, the energy we generate is the only thing we take with us. It is our choice, in every moment, to determine what energy we want to transition out of this world carrying. My grandmother chose love in her final hours and the transition was beautiful. It is never too late to choose LOVE, as LOVE is unconditional. But the choice is ours – always.
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