Inner Peace

Peace is when we find within ourselves the contentment of our inner being. Allow your peace to radiate into the world and in so doing lift those around you. ~ ACN

The dictionary describes peace as “freedom from disturbance; tranquillity.” That sounds almost quite impossible to achieve now doesn’t it.   Yet it isn’t.  In reality peace is relatively easy to achieve. 

When we awaken to what is and accept the responsibility for clearing our issues which we have diligently stowed in our back sacks, eroding away at the rocks of issues one by one, accepting what was and in so doing acknowledging the lesson in the experience and finding forgiveness for all concerned who played a part in the experience, including ourselves.  It is then that we find peace within our being. 

This process may take a while to achieve.  Many of us have lived our lives by simply ignoring those experiences that devastate our souls.  It may be an extremely painful journey to work through these issues one by one.  Often we find that we have thought we have worked through them only to find a few months or years down the road that we still have pebbles of issues remaining and need then to start the process of working through them and eliminating them completely. 

It is important to remember that are not Godzilla and cannot just stomp the issue into the ground.   We should take care to remember to be gentle and compassionate with ourselves throughout the process of letting go.   There is no magic quick fix to this process either.   And importantly, no one is to blame for what has previously happened in our lives.  Some may have harmed and hurt you, you may feel extremely offended by what has happened and so very angry toward they perpetrators of the harm caused you.  It is perfectly natural to feel what you are feeling.  Yet holding on to something that has happened causes more harm to you that anyone else. 

Therefore it is imperative to remember too, that prior to this incarnation you chose to experience certain lessons and contracted to those who have brought them to you to do so.   In saying this, it is necessary to forgive yourself too. 

Having completed the process of letting go and attaining this wonderful sense of peace within your being is a feeling like none other.   You may certainly want to hold it to yourself and for a while you probably will.   There will, however, come a time, when you will radiate that peace rippling it into the world and creating a feeling a peace all around you.   You will certainly find that others are peaceful in your presence.  You will find that you have the ability to face whatever comes your way in a peaceful fashion and will be in acceptance of what happens in the world around you.   This does not mean that you will not feel touched by the atrocities of the world.  Of course you will be, yet you will know within yourself that even though you are not able to change or fix all those disturbing things, just by radiating your peaceful aura change will occur over a period of time.   Throughout the world today we see acts of peace when for example demonstrators may offer law enforcement officers hugs or flowers.  Conflict is never the answer and once you attain inner peace you will feel that there are many other ways to change something in a peaceful fashion.  

Allow your peace to radiate into the world.  See it as a wave of love and harmony flowing out to all around you, human, animal and plant alike.   May blessings flow toward you as you continue your journey in a state of peace.  

In love and light,

Amanda

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© Amanda C Nicolin 2015

Permission is granted to share this article freely on the condition that the author is credited.

Finding My New Normal

When your world turns upside down, be encouraged that you are never alone

During the last 8 months my life has turned twice. What an experience. How much was gained in lessons learnt.  How my soul was touched in such a profound way.  Yet I find myself in a space where I need to find my own normal again. 

What is normal?    The dictionary defines normal as “conforming to the usual standard, type, or custom”.   For me, it’s finding a new routine and yes, these do define our lives as we go about our daily business.  It’s about finding a new way of doing things and of doing things I’ve not done before.

When circumstances change in our lives we can do one of two things.  We can sit back a wallow in our self-pity at what was and  is now gone or we can step up to the plate and find new adventures to lead into the world, a place where we can grow and have fun in doing so.

This does not mean that we do not have to grieve what was.  On the contrary in finding our new normal, we continue to grieve, to experience the emotions of loss and pain, the heaviness of heart and soul.  There is no point in pushing feelings of grief into the back ground or back sacking it.  What would we achieve in that apart from feelings of despair as the load becomes heavier to carry.    Grief is unique to each individual and none should be judged for the amounts of time they make to take grieve or the way in which we grieve.

Whichever way we choose to grieve, there comes a time when we raise our heads to the sun and find our new normal again.

In finding your new normal, you may find yourself wanting to embark on a journey of doing different things.  You may choose to draw, paint, or sculpt, or take up pottery or a form of exercise you’ve not tried before.  You may decide to join a club and enlarge your social circle.  You may decide that to find a path you need to declutter your environment or home. You may even decide to take up chartable work of some sort.  You may also decide that changing, for example, the route you take to work will lead you to your new normal.  The opportunities are endless and as you desire.

No matter the way you choose, you are sending your life in a different direction that will bring you to your next experience you need to have in order for your soul to continue to learn. 

There may be times, days even, where you feel that you are all alone in the process of finding your new normal.   Physically, yes, you may be yet you never are entirely alone. Always, without question or doubt is the presence of your Divine, the celestial realm and the spiritual energies of loved ones who have passed into the light.   They comfort and guide you constantly as their desire is to see you happy and filled with love and light as they desire your acceptance of what was and attain peace with it.  You are loved beyond measure by those who walk quietly beside you.  Allow yourself to feel that love, draw it into your being and be nourished by its comfort to you. 

In finding your new normal, listen to your own voice and follow your gut.  This is your normal, uniquely made for you by you.  There is no written rule that dictates you should do exactly as others say.  No, do what is right for you, despite what other may say.   This is your life, this is your normal.  Yet never forget to love yourself, to be gentle with yourself, to be compassionate and kind to yourself throughout the process of finding your new normal.

May your journey to your new normal be and adventure filled with great joy and grace and may it lead to you to your place of peace within your soul. 

In love and light,

Amanda

Image courtesy of: http://b.pilatesreview.com/files/2014/12/New-Normal.jpg

© Amanda C Nicolin 2015

Permission is granted to share this article freely on the condition that the author is credited.

Call Me Home

 

I’ve know you for many years

As a toddler you were there

Yet today I looked at you

And thought you were not there.

I watch you day by day

As you fade away each day

Eating almost nothing

Drinking very little.

In a way I know

That you don’t want to be here anymore

You talk of home and a party

That awaits you once you’ve gone.

And those you know in the afterlife

Stand stoically at your side

They watch and wait and send you energy

To make your journey home.

The tears well in my eyes

My heart is wrenched in two

For the suffering you are enduring

For not wanting to let go.

I see your fear in your eyes

You don’t know what’s to come

For many years you’ve been told

It’s heaven or its hell.

Angels please surround you

God, please be merciful and call you home

So your suffering can end

And you can know eternal peace again

Image courtesy of: http://www.project.nsearch.com/profiles/blogs/nyc-buzzes-about-subway

© Amanda C Nicolin 2015

Permission is granted to share this article freely on the condition that the author is credited.

Rainbows Abound

As your world crashes around you, as your days seem dark and dreary, as you wish for the sun to shine around you, look to the skies and see the rainbows abound.

There are so many of us in the world today who are experiencing grief.  Having lost loved ones in recent times it is often extremely difficult for us to come to terms with their transition home.  Many of us are raised not to talk about death or the process of transition and we are sheltered as young ones and prevented from going to the funeral or memorial services of our deceased loved ones.  In fact, the subject of death is taboo to many, mainly due to our being unable to answer questions relating to death and or our own fearful  insecurities which have been handed down to us from past generations.

The dictionary describes grief as a deep mental anguish arising from bereavement.  Further to this Wikipedia describes grief as “a multifaceted response to loss, particularly to the loss of someone or something that has died, to which a bond or affection was formed. Although conventionally focused on the emotional response to loss, it also has physical, cognitive, behavioural, social, spiritual, and philosophical dimensions.”

Although grief is universal, there is no right or wrong way to experience it.  There is no time limit to the grieving process either.   What is important to remember is that it is our own unique experience and whichever way we experience it, it is okay to experience it the way we are.

The basic stages of grief are Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression and Acceptance.  We all go through these stages. Some of us bounce back and forth between them, some of us go through them as they are stated and some of us find it very difficult to move past a certain stage if we ever move past it at all. 

Denial

In this stage we are generally in a state of disbelief.  This cannot be happening.  This has not happened.  This is just a lie or a dream.  There is no truth in what has happened.  In this stage we hide from reality as a means of protection to the waves of pain that flood us during the initial loss of a loved one. 

Anger

As reality returns to us and we experience up upsurge of pain, we become angry and often become our anger becoming furious toward our loved that has passed.  We become angry, furious, and sometimes destructive to those who were involved in the last months, days and moments of our loved ones life.   We point our fingers at the doctors and nurses, the care givers, the person or persons who were also involved in the accident which may have resulted in the death of our loved one.  We become angry at God or your Divine, questioning how He could be so cruel as to take the life of the one you love. We also sometimes turn our anger toward those who surround us and more often than not, we are angry at ourselves.  Many of us believe that if we had somehow intervened or had said or not said whatever it was that was spoken or unspoken this would not have happened.  The ‘should have’s’, ‘shouldn’t haves and ‘what if’s’ raise their heads through the pain that we are feeling.

Bargaining

It is during this time that we generally bargain with God or your Divine. We say and think things such as I would give my life in exchange for my loved one’s life.  If You could have let them live for a bit longer I would do this or that or if I had one more day to just say I love you. 

Depression

Everyone experiences depression differently.  Some of us sink into the pit of darkness and despair believing that we will never ‘get over’ the loss of a loved one.  Some of us become quiet and withdraw into ourselves unwilling to talk to anyone and refusing to eat.  Some of us sleep as much as possible in an attempt to avoid the pain.  Some of us become hermits refusing to see another simply because we cannot face another person asking us for the details of the transition of our loved one.  Some of us put the mask of merriment on and run until we drop in an effort to hide the sadness and loss we are experiencing.  Some of us stoically say ‘it was their time’ and play the part of moving on never addressing the feelings of loss that lurk beneath the surface.   Some of us refuse to listen to music afraid that one day the lyrics of a song will bring back very painful memories.  Some of us spend our days in tears and some of us experience all of these fluctuating back and forth between emotions.

Yet it is usually within this stage of the grieving process that we realise the reality of the death of the loved one.  We realise that the clock cannot be turned back and that there is only the future ahead.

Acceptance

During this stage, we realise fully the finality of death.   We have a true and cognitive understanding that it is what it is, that death is but a part of life.  It is the in this time that we realise we will be okay, that we know we will be able to live with the memories of our loved ones and that we will once more laugh and smile again.  

Often throughout the process of grieving we come to realise that there is more to death than the death of the body. We realise that the soul continues to journey into the afterlife or the astral and through that we as individuals grow spiritually.  We accept that when we ourselves transition we will meet with our loved one again.   It is usually during this time that we come to a place of peace about all that has transpired.

As you are aware from previous blogs of mine, we incarnate to learn and to teach.  And so, finally, I recommend that you continue your healing in forgiveness of all that was and is.   It is when we forgive both ourselves and our deceased loved one, those around us who were part of this journey and God, your Divine, that we can find absolute peace within our soul.  

Finally in ending, BE in gentleness with yourself and those around you as you process your grief. BE with absolute Love of all that was and is.  Most of all BE blessed with peace as you celebrate the continuance of your loved one’s soul journey.  May Angels always walk beside you and comfort you as you grieve.  

In love and light,

Amanda

Image courtesy of: https://bethtrissel.wordpress.com/2014/07/13/until-we-meet-again-may-god-hold-you-in-the-palm-of-his-hand-irish-prayer/

© Amanda C Nicolin 2015

Permission is granted to share this article freely on the condition that the author is credited.