Peace

Peace is sitting quietly in stillness, or sitting with our pets, allowing all thoughts and feelings to permeate our souls, accepting them all as they are today, and  welcoming who we are with all our warts and all our beauty. Peace is accepting where we come from and all our ancestors for who they are and also feeling our yearnings and desires for more or for something else. 

Peace is listening quietly to another and holding our tongues when we disagree so that we can just listen and learn from another whom we might be angry with, disagree with, dislike, and to instead listen, learn and see where their words and actions touch us. 

Peace is letting our toxic places inside have some air so we can let go of the old festering wounds. 

Peace is listening to music, walking in nature, building a fire, being ourselves and being ok with ourselves.

Peace is.

Happy Holidays, and may peace be with you,

Gail

My soothing words of wisdom for the week is about peace during this Holiday Season. What is your answer to the question I ask:

I get the opportunity of waking up every day to the sun shining into my bright kitchen and illuminating the beauty of my backyard. On many days I go outside with my companion Crow, my dog, and bask in the beauty of nature and sit on my back deck overlooking my garden and nature. I get to watch and listen to blue jays, cardinals, robins, crackles, and even hummingbirds flitting around my flowers. In the winter months I bundle up to catch the suns rays or just sit in the grey of the day and I watch and listen and smell and meditate. Not everyone has the ability to do this. I feel very grateful. The important thing here is that I am able to begin my day in the peace of my yard, in nature, with my companion and take time to find and be with the peace within.

There isn't a lot of peace in our world these days. It seems wherever we look there are war and strife and demonstrating and anger and loss and grief, etc. This is true. What is also true is the importance of finding peace within us. I was speaking with a patient recently and we were talking about what happens inside of us when we react to people and events. His default way of reacting in this world when he is triggered is through anger.  Actually, in my truth, that is my default way also. With this gentleman, he stays with his anger and doesn't and even can't let it go. He holds onto his anger, remembers it, and even feeds it. We spoke about how feeling anger is not an issue. It is the holding onto it that is an issue. I reminded him that underneath the feeling of anger is usually sadness or disappointment or loss of some kind. He agreed, so I asked him what was behind the anger he recently experienced in reaction to his partner's handwriting. He was able to locate the feeling of disappointment in him. And then he immediately went right back to being angry with her for his not being able to read her writing.

This is kind of funny, but it really isn't; for him as well as his partner in life. I shared with him that when I respond in anger inside, I stay with it in order to find out the underneath emotion the anger was disguising. When I then feel the underside of anger, my sadness or disappointment, and locate its origins, where this pattern began in my life, my anger dissipates. I find peace inside of me again. My default places involve not being seen or heard and not counted. When anything reminds me of those old feelings, this pattern inside of me re-emerges. So I do my work and I feel my feelings and I write or talk and start my day in peace so I can be in peace. 

Can you imagine a world where we all do this work and are able to find peace inside of us? It is so easy for us to move into all the sadness and hurt and anger in our world. This is true, and we can't pretend it is not there. So, let's hold that truth and then also imagine our own peace and peace in our interactions with others and peace in the world.

A very Happy Holidays to you, and below is a visualization for our peace and world peace. 

Peace Visualization:

Put on some soothing music, if music speaks to you. Find a comfortable, warm place, and get comfortable. If it helps, wrap yourself in a warm cuddly blanket, and close your eyes. Begin with a long slow breath and breathe in your scent and the warmth and sounds around you. Imagine yourself walking down a lane surrounded by flowers and scented trees, feeling and hearing the crunch of the leaves and grasses and small stones underneath your feet. This lane takes us to a clearing, and in the clearing is the place where you feel the safest. Sit in this place for a few minutes. In this safe place take a moment and feel all the feelings inside of you. If you can, even bring up the ones that are difficult and feel held and supported around you. With every little bit of anger or rage, send it love and acceptance. With every little bit of defensiveness and hatred, send it breath and love and peace. With every bit of loneliness and depression, send it ears and hands to hold it and hear it and rock it. Be with all the rage, anger, love, acceptance, peace, hatred, loneliness joy, love, acknowledgment all at the same time. Imagine long loving arms to hold it all.