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Why We Need Friends, Allies, and Community

We are Drawn to Feel Connected

Friendship, allyship, and community are part of a healthy existence. 

We need people who get us—who really see us, or at least try to. This concept of being seen is a form of validation and part of our personal growth process.

Our attachment to outside validation can be problematic, holding its own set of lessons, but when it happens without attachment, and perceived through the awareness of our Divine Self consciousness, it can be a form of spiritual confirmation. Under these conditions, we are able to recognize our own truth, share it, and have it acknowledged by others. These moments of recognition are important and affirm our path.

We need people to witness our experiences, both the good and bad, because this contributes to our growth and healing; those who are the witness are similarly transformed.

What we witness becomes part of our awareness—the effect of this act is three fold. 

First, we validate their experience when we witness it and it becomes a type of shared experience. Second, what we witness prompts our own memories and ability to relate; this can be displayed as empathy. We can also be triggered by what we observe. Here, we tap into deep seeded memories that reflect the sentiment, “I know this emotion or experience—I’ve been there.” When this happens, the feeling experienced is visceral and cannot be readily explained. The memory might be obscured, but the intense emotion is very much present. Third, through our observation and shared experience, we solidify the event in the field of the Collective Consciousness. Here, the emotions felt, beliefs created, along with the healing that can transpire, are passed on.

Being of service as a friend, ally, or community member is part of our spiritual calling. 

When we know ourselves and our faith, we embody more of our humanity. We seek out meaningful connections and relationships. We want to do good and make a difference. We are drawn to acts of unity rather than ideas that create more separation within and without.

Here are three affirmations that you can work with that support these aspects of connection and growth:

  1. I nourish myself; I nourish the collective.
  2. I transform myself; I transform the collective.
  3. I free myself; I free the collective.

You can meditate on these ideas and use them as part of your breathwork mantra practice by saying one verse on the inhale and the other on the exhale.

Here are thought and journal prompts to integrate your understanding of these mindful ideas:

  1. In what ways have you stepped up for a friend and how did it affect your relationship? What did you learn about yourself through this experience?
  2. How do you understand allyship and where can you practice it meaningfully now?
  3. What are your thoughts around community? How can you be more in community with others? What type of community environment is calling to you and why?

We invite you to share your thoughts on friendship, allyship, and community below.

Peace be with your friends.

With love,

Sureya-Jeanne

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How to Sense Divine Guidance

Are you being guided?

Divine guidance are messages that you receive through direct message, intuition, sensory perception, synchronistic events, and a host of other ways that help you navigate life. These messages support your highest good and spirituality.

The Divine guidance you receive is for the moment, it is there to help you become more present with whatever you are experiencing.

To receive a direct message is to hear the guidance directly in your mind or aloud from somewhere. You can receive guidance via your intuition—feeling this as a gut sense. With your sensory perception, you can perceive direction from a combination of feeling, hearing, seeing, and smelling which contribute to an expanded sense of knowing.

You can get guidance by noticing synchronistic events, observing similar patterns, as in repeating numbers and images. You can experiences prophetic visions and dreams; you can divine information from tarot and oracle cards, runes, and by other similar means. You may work with plant medicine, a shaman, or a healer to get guidance.
You may get signs from books, billboards, song lyrics, and spirit animals to name just a few ways the universe is speaking to you. Overall, you will receive signs and guidance in the ways that you are open to receiving them.

The key to sensing Divine guidance, no matter the method, is trust.

You must be able to trust your own thoughts and feelings and judgement to determine whether you are receiving guidance. Once you can trust your senses to be true, then you can proceed to trying to understand the message being offered.

Trusting yourself is a process: first, you heal the beliefs and experiences that stop you from trusting yourself, second, you change your beliefs to support your ability to trust, third, you create practices that help tune your senses so you can perceive guidance, and lastly, you learn how to connect and read the messages as it applies to you.

Healing your ability to trust yourself takes time, here are areas you may consider addressing:

  • Traumatic experiences where you lost your sense of self, power, and worthiness.
  • Experiences where your thoughts and feelings were minimized or ignored.
  • Events that shaped your ability to trust, such as abandonment, breakups, and big disappointments.

As you heal your traumatic experiences and change your beliefs, you may find that you can still experience challenges. In this case, realize that change takes time and that your ego has gravity—that it has the ability to pull you back to old and ingrained behavior. One way to help your transformation is to create additional beliefs and to work with affirmations that support your ability to trust.

Try to instill the following positive affirmations within you so that they become part of your belief system:

  • My thoughts matter and my ideas mean something to me.
  • I allow myself to feel my feelings because they are important.
  • I trust my gut.
  • I am supported by God in every way.
  • I will know what to do when the time comes.
  • I am guided.

Develop practices that improve your ability to sense guidance. Some ways to do that are:

  • To practice meditation and to learn to be quiet and still; develop the skill to listen without the interference of your personal thoughts and attachment.
  • To practice visualization exercises and ways to improve your imagination like reading or watching fantasy and science fiction.
  • To practice listening and following your intuition. Do intuitive exercises such as going for a walk and letting your inner GPS guide you. Another intuition exercise is to practice “reading” people by sitting across from someone and using your intuition to gauge how they feel, what they’re thinking, or receive some sort of information about them. Relay this to them and ask how you did.
  • To choose ways in how you want to receive guidance. For example, you can say, “I am open to receive guidance in meditation and my dreams.” Then, you would practice listening and observing, looking for signs through these methods. I have a friend, who when she was a child saw the dead and strange beings, she didn’t like this, and purposefully closed herself off to this type of connection. Of course, this was correct for her. The take away here is to choose how you want to get guidance so that you are agreeable to the method, and that way, you can get better at sensing them through that method.

In most cases, becoming aware of Divine guidance and then knowing how this information pertains to you happens almost immediately. That is to say, you will know exactly what the message means. Here, the sign is more like a confirmation of your inner most thoughts and deepest desires. Sometimes the guidance requires you to think and feel for its significance because uncovering the connection is part of your personal growth. Therefore, the message or sign you get is not the answer, it is a pointer. During another time, the message or sign may mean something else to you, and will point you in another direction. Do not be attached to the signs and guidance you receive, simply use them to get to the next sign post.

Seeker, open your spiritual eyes and ears–your are guided!

With love,

Sureya?Jeanne

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How Will You Respond?

Most are familiar with the adage, “When life gives you lemons—make lemonade!”

This is great and timeless advice! Because here, we learn to accept what is and respond.

To accept our present and mindfully respond is a recipe for meaningful interaction and a sure pathway to new possibilities.

With this stance, we release our tendency to judge our circumstance; it frees us from reacting from our past pain or future worry.

When life gives you “lemons,” a.k.a. things that you don’t like, refrain from reacting with judgement and frustration, instead, choose to make something positive, palatable, and perhaps even more important—create something that gives joy to you and others.

Alchemize those lemons!

Turn that irritation into inspiration. Flip that disappointment into an opportunity. Work with it like God blessed you with those bag of lemons!

(Because God, as you, did.)

A mindful response to any circumstance begets a better outcome.

When we choose to respond from a grounded place, we have an interaction that creates heart expansion: a scenario in which we feel good, have no regrets, and move in a direction we desire. When we judge and react from our pain, fears, and trauma, this creates heart contraction: a situation where we feel bad, have regrets, and stay in similar circumstances.

In the path of Unification, both instances are teaching tools: your fear-based reaction or mindful response equally teaches you about life.

The real issue at hand is–how do you want to experience life?

Do you want more of the same?

Do you want to keep getting lemons, and basically, continue to stockpile and complain about your “bad” situation? Or, will you make lemonade and see where the possibilities take you? Because in this scenario, you won’t be repeating the same old thing. Once you make “lemonade” from something you didn’t like, it is no longer a lemon, i.e. a useless, broken thing—it has become something that can quench a thirst and satisfy a need.

We are at a time where many of us are juggling a whole bag of lemons.

How we respond will dictate the possibilities we have or don’t have.

How will you choose to respond to your present?

How will you choose to respond to the lemons humanity is faced with?

Written for those with ears to hear and know how to make lemonade!

With love,

Sureya?Jeanne

Photo by zhenzhong liu on Unsplash

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The Gravity of Ego

Our ego has gravity; it can pull and hold us to maintain certain behaviors. The longer we have behaved a certain way, the stronger the pull of that behavior.

Our behaviors are based on our beliefs. Often, our beliefs are rooted in trauma; they also arise from what we learn from society. These beliefs are deeply embedded in our psyche.

The gravity of ego is most apparent when we are trying to embody a new way of being.

As we aim to change something about ourselves, we somehow still end up reacting as we did before—like our old self is still our default attitude. Simply put, it is challenging to become a better version of ourselves. Also, because of our effort to try and act in a new way, we are keenly aware when we fail at our attempt. We then judge ourselves for not healing and changing fast enough.

In the practice of Unification, we ground ego to our Divine Self consciousness to support our effort at changing our beliefs and behaviors. Here, the gravity of ego is no match for the strength of God.

By bringing our Divine Self forward, we anchor our ego to the light and wisdom of God which has the effect of making us stronger and more resolute. It also brings our concerns to the present which helps to see the situation more clearly, and with less attachment and judgement. In contrast, when the solitary ego tries to improve itself, it has the tendency to waiver—being ungrounded, the ego cannot stand firm. The ego is likely to revert back to its old existence because it is trained to measure its circumstances by the results of its past.

In unifying with our God consciousness, we are strengthened, emboldened, and made capable to hold our transformations. In this way, the gravity of ego is lessened and we feel the freedom to change.

The gravity of ego is a teaching tool.

It appears to show us where we need to put our attention. It is there to remind us of our yet unhealed wounds. It is also a marker of our humanity and thus should not be overlooked. Instead, when the gravity of ego pulls you in, surrender, and ask God, as your Divine Self consciousness, “What can I do to make peace with this? How can I love, forgive, and accept myself as I am?” Then, allow yourself to be guided by God.

Just as the gravity of the earth is essential, the gravity of ego is important. When the pull to be our old self makes an appearance, it is a chance to practice self-compassion. It is a moment to become more present. It is a pathway to know ourselves and commune with God.

May we see with eyes to see. ?

With love,

Sureya?Jeanne

Photo by Lucho Renolfi on Unsplash

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It’s the Action that Counts

Most are familiar with the saying, “it’s the thought that counts,” which means that the intention behind the act was good, but the execution or outcome may have fallen short of expectation. In such cases, we show our understanding by acknowledging the act was well meaning.

When I suggest that it is the action that counts, I’m speaking of our ability to course correct—that we can fulfill our good intentions and make amends when we fall short.

Specifically, we can apply this idea to our goals and resolutions. Whether you had set a goal last year that you didn’t accomplish or you made a new year resolution that is already falling by the wayside, I propose you can right your actions. It’s never too late to course correct!

Additionally, when we look back on our well meaning intentions, we may judge ourselves for missing the target, but instead of judgement, I recommend that we atone. In the practice of Unification, atonement is to ask for forgiveness from God, our Divine Self consciousness. Here, through our self-forgiveness we grow in compassion and love. In our atonement, we see that we are free to rise, fall, and rise again without ever losing our wholeness or worthiness. The act of atonement is for the benefit of ego because God never judges, and so there is nothing to forgive. Simply put, judgement is the domain of ego.

We can atone for the reasons we go off course, forgiving and loving ourselves for our so called “failures.” In truth, nothing is a failure if we learned something from the event. In Unification, all our experiences contribute to our growth.

When we understand that it’s never too late to course correct, we can can change our actions so that we achieve our goals and fulfill the promises we made to ourselves. We can accept our lessons, shift our beliefs, and refocus our effort.

Seeker, make your actions count!

May we see with eyes to see. ?

With love,

Sureya?Jeanne

Photo by Kid Circus on Unsplash