By Dr. Sandy Islands for Conch Color
We are inundated with self-help ideas from books, talk shows and when we eavesdrop on local coffee-shop conversations. A spiritual evolution is exploding around us. Yet, no matter how many books we read or how much therapy we receive, changing ourselves and our patterns is difficult. As humans, we are not naturally hard-wired to "just look at ourselves," as this column prescribes. Most of us grew up in families where we either blamed each other or explained and defended why we were right and others were wrong. Few of us experienced conflict resolution. The "E" in our A-Z's of how to look at ourselves is the "Energy of Enlightenment.” Einstein said, "Matter never disappears, it only changes form." Does this mean we are spiritual beings having a human experience?
Enlightenment is not only about seeing the light, but learning to take things lightly. Light is the opposite of dark and the opposite of heavy. When we begin to look at everything and everyone around us as vibrating in a certain frequency of energy, we change the lens of our perceptions of life. The Conch Colors you're reading, the chair you're sitting in, the palm trees blowing in the wind and the pet sitting at your feet are all forms of energy. Albert Brooks wrote, directed and starred in a movie with Meryl Streep called, “Defending Your Life.” The intriguing story took place in Judgment City after death where souls of different frequencies defended their previous lives based on whether they acted out of fear or faith.
If you practice any spiritual tradition or rituals, you probably follow the teachings of a mentor or guide. We can think of Jesus, Buddha, Mother Teresa, Gandhi, Martin Luther King, and Mohammed as examples of very high frequency beings that walked the earth to love, offer forgiveness and live compassionately at levels most of us would strive to achieve. I invite you to think of someone in your life that pushes every button you have, someone you resent and dislike immensely. Now, close your eyes and see them as a small wounded child who's acting out at a lower frequency of energy because they're scared and incapable of looking at themselves. Then, ask yourself if you've ever acted that way. The answer may not come immediately, but it will. As soon as we disengage from expecting and blaming, we lighten up. Do we want to be right? Or Happy?
Did you know it takes seven muscles to smile and more than fifty to frown? It literally takes more energy to be unhappy than it takes to express joy. It’s impossible to sing and be miserable at the same time. We are like magnets that attract people of like-energy-frequencies into our lives. When we traffic in gossip and dishonesty, we are operating at a lower frequency. When we act out of loving service and perform random acts of kindness, we bring our frequency up higher and usually feel better about ourselves. Every thought we think and action we take sends a frequency of energy out into the universe that boomerangs back to us. We are always offered a choice at every crossroad to respond from a higher or lower frequency. Even when we’re attacked by a lower frequency action, we have the choice as to whether we will react out of fear and anger or respond out of love and compassion.
So, let’s lighten up and take the higher energy road. If we want to bring peace to the world, we must first bring about peace within ourselves. Instead of cursing the darkness of war, let’s all light a candle for peace.
Please write to Dr. Sandy Islands at sandyislands@hawaii.rr.com