JUNE 2014: Courage, Strength & Confidence

JUNE 2014: Courage, Strength & Confidence
“The greatest fear in the world is of the opinions of others. And the moment you are unafraid of the crowd you are no longer a sheep, you become a lion. A great roar arises in your heart, the roar of freedom." - Osho

In the West on the medicine wheel we gain the courage, strength and confidence to enter the unknown element of soul. This place within us is the part of us where the field of pure potential resides. As we sit in this aspect of ourselves on the wheel, it is like a visionquest for every cell of our body. It is a brave call for something beyond our meager imagining to come forth, so that we can continue to change and grow as a human being, and to be in a new, old way.

"Buddha has actually called it the lion's roar. When a man reaches an absolutely silent state he roars like a lion. For the first time he knows what freedom is because now there is no fear of anybody's opinion. What people say does not matter. Whether they call you a saint or a sinner is immaterial; your whole and sole judge is God. And by 'God' a person is not meant at all, God simply means the whole universe." - Osho

Courage, strength and confidence are the stepping stones to our future selves. It is important to understand this process of growth and to realize the heirarchy of our spiritual evolution. For courage builds strength, and strength builds confidence. Often we forget that confidence must be built, even earned. Just as we might lift weights to build muscular strength, so too, must we exercise our options to build confidence. In other words, the more we courageously venture into the unknown, the stronger we become, the better prepared we are to take risks, the more confident we become.

Notice that confidence and comfort are not the same things. In many ways our confidence level is directly related to our perception of our ability to handle the unknown. So if miracles of manifestation lie outside of what is known to us, then how could we consider making this a routine part of our lives, and not just some leap of faith that we take every now and again as we muster the courage, or more likely life and our soul stalk us to move into the void?

"It is not a question of having to face a person; you have to face the trees, the rivers, the mountains, the stars -- the whole universe. And this is our universe, we are part of it. There is no need to be afraid of it, there is no need to hide anything from it. In fact, even if you try you cannot hide. The whole knows it already, the whole knows more about you than you know." - Osho

One of the best ways that I know of to teach ourselves about what we are really made of, to help us continously access the depths of our being, and to access great assistance in the realm of pure possibility is the medicine wheel. When you journey on the wheel, you first build faith in the presence of unseen forces of light through the courageous act of humility. One could say that the very first leap of faith of the fool to venture into the unknown is where courage begins on the wheel. As one becomes a seasoned traveler however, the awareness of the magician within, and a whole cast of characters, magical beings and divine helpers come to the fore, and we are strengthened for the journey by our deep awareness that we are not alone, in many senses of the word.

"The ground of fearlessness is fear. In order to become fearless you have to stand in the middle of your fear." - Osho


Much like the story of the Wizard of Oz, the hero's journey reveals the deep magic that lies within, and this begins to outpicture in our lives. People, places, situations and scenarios will play out to call into awareness what is within. Then something amazing happens, we start to be able to navigate in the dark, through the signs and symbology of the events of our life. And we are no longer the victim of circumstance, karma or fate. As soon as we get our shaman's eyes, and develop the ability to track our lives, to see the experiences of our lives through higher dimensions, it is as if an invisible light comes on and we can access greater information. It is in that moment that we truly realize that we are creating all of it.

"Never think in terms of being free from; always think in terms of being free for. And the difference is vast, tremendously vast. Don't think in terms of from -- think for. Be free for God, be free for truth, but don't think that you want to be free from the crowd, free from the church, free from this and that. You may be able to go far away one day, but you will never be free, never. It is going to be some sort of suppression." - Osho

Courage, strength and confidence come from within. But the process and experience of life is designed to give us what we need to pull what is within "out" into the world. The reason for this is that above all we are destined to create. Being fruitful and multiplying is not just about procreation of other human beings... it is an all encompassing command to be abundant, to improve your lot, to advance and grow... and ultimately to evolve right through the door of the unknown, the great mystery of our own soul... to become fully human.

If we can imagine something into existence one time, it can be done a hundred thousand times. The truth is, that we have already imagined a great many things into existence. The imaginal realm is very real. In meditation and journeywork sometimes people ask, how do I know that I am not imagining it? The answer is that you are! Yet there is a great question that must be asked. Why, out of all the things your could have imagined did you choose that? And "who" was it that chose that? Exploring these questions almost always bears fruit. These are most often treasures pulled up from the deep, clues about your unique individuality and purpose.

"The crowd is not the problem -- you are the problem. The crowd is not pulling you -- you are being pulled, not by somebody else but by your own unconscious conditioning. Always remember not to throw the responsibility somewhere on somebody else, because then you will never be free of it. Deep down it is your responsibility. Why should one be so much against the crowd? Poor crowd! Why should you be so much against it? Why do you carry such a wound?" - Osho

Sometimes we discover that the soul is tossing us clues through our dreams, imaginings and visions about what is hidden inside of us. It is even possible to tap into the visions and dreams of each other. It is also possible for each of us to have a similar dream, a memory, or a calling that is so strong, that even if we don't realize it, we magnetize ourselves to each other through this common dream. It is then that we truly begin to understand the reality of the realities within the unconscious, and the great hidden powers that are available to us, upon this discovery.

This realization is the ultimate courage bringer. For in this we begin to see our purpose and remember who we really are. And we begin to recognize each other, and much like in the Wizard of Oz, there is a homecoming, and a newfound ability to reunify with lost aspect of ourself, and a discovery of strength we didn't know we had. This in turn gives us the confidence to continue to build our dreams, to seek out a vision, to allow our soul group both within and without to come forth and move together as one. This oneness, this reunification is our heart of hearts. It is here, in this space that we can live inside the gap, the tao of our heart, regularly and routinely living in the fifth dimensional holy, whole sacred space of a life lived loving like God/dess loves.

Sunday Talks with Rev. Renee Bledsoe

June 01 - Courage, Strength & Confidence
June 08 - On Allowing & Being Free
June 15 - The Movement of Action - Father's Day
June 22 - Church in Circle - Summer Solstice
June 29 - Guest Speaker

Affirmations
Courage, Strength & Confidence

I build confidence by actively engaging in my inner and outer life.
I explore my inner world through contemplation and reflection.
My practice of contemplation involves writings from my soul.
I allow my soul to reveal my own depth to me through writing.
I contemplate my writing through reflection and divination.
Divination is a contemplative art that allows me to speak with my soul.
As I become more aware of my soul I am better able to communicate.
My soul is a great mysterious being, and I open to that mystery.
I offer myself up to the great mystery of my soul.
I allow my life to be an expression of my soul.
As I express my own soul, I relieve the world of it's soulessness.
I am connected to web of souls.
My I AM presence alights my soul.
I have the courage to be myself.
I have the strength to be me.
I have the confidence to enter the unknown aspects of my self.
As I entertain my soul, I bring joy to the world.
I allow my second sight and my spiritual perceptions to increase my faith.
As I see more, my faith becomes knowledge.
As I experience more of life, my knowledge becomes wisdom.
As I experience my life in wisdom, I am filled with understanding.
As I am filled with understanding, I am free from judgment.
As I am free from judgment, I allow the energy to flow.
When energy is flowing, There is room for miracles.
I have the courage to hold sacred space and entertain the void of the unknown.
I am reborn each time I face a fear.
The way out is through.
Outside of my comfort zone lie miracles and magic.
I work with the medicine wheel to help me navigate through the void.
The medicine wheel provides the mysterious platform on which to access the deep magic of life.
As I build my life on the platform of the medicine wheel, I lay the groundwork for my ascension.
As my consciousness ascends, I have a top down view and a higher perspective.
The medicine wheel helps me to maintain a view of all perspectives.
The medicine wheel helps me to assemble my dream team both within and without, as I honor all aspects of myself.
I travel this life with courage, strength and confidence.
Courage, strength and confidence allow me to take even greater risks to open to even greater love.
I have the courage to love like God/dess loves.