As I enter 2011, I realize that these past few years have been rather incredible for me and my family. Incredible in the sense that I could neither have imagined all that’s happened nor all the gifts that’ve come from it.
There have been many ups and downs, and I must express that the downs always eventually manage to show me more of the ups.
I’ve dealt with moving, health issues, legal issues (divorce related), surprising new opportunities, financial questions, transitions, and so much wonderful learning. I am stronger for it, and filled with a deeper sense of awe and wonder.
Each of the trials and celebrations of these past years has brought tremendous growth, gratitude, reflection and transformation. I’d like to share some of these reflections, while noting that I’m speaking of what seems predominant for humanity, and not generalizing for “everyone.”
It seems to me that more and more, our relationships and activities in the world are becoming “virtual,” and with less and less true connection.
We have “friends” in places like Facebook or e-mail, but when do we make time to connect with the friends we can hug and touch with our soul?
We buy our food, clothing and other needs from big corporate vendors, but how often do we really know who produced the products we purchase and how they were produced?
We eat on the run, sometimes not even remembering what we ate just an hour ago. Imagine sensually experiencing our food and truly digesting it!
We exercise in gyms with headphones on and/or screens in front of us, but how often are we truly giving our bodies the attention they deserve and noticing what they really need?
We take pills for every ailment we have, but do we ever take time to listen to what that ailment is trying to tell us?
We see pretty pictures of nature on our media screens, drive past nature in our cars, and even walk from our cars to our job or other destinations, but how often are we noticing what’s around us, considering ourselves as part of nature, and taking in the color, sound, fragrance, and other sensations?
Do we even remember the devastation being caused by things like oil spills, child violence, natural disasters, etc. once the drama generated by the media has passed? Or have we simply forgotten in the chaotic business of our lives?
We educate our children with computers, videos, standardized testing and electronic interaction, but how often do we take the time required to connect to the magnificent being before us and draw forth their unique gifts?
We’ve managed to monetize just about everything there is…products, child care, visits to Santa, etc. Is there anything that we offer anymore out of the pure generosity and unconditional love of our hearts?
We spend so much time assessing one another, noticing their flaws, gossiping in tabloids and with others, but how often do we see beyond the personality to the gifts we are each here to offer?
We are such a litigious society, suing, blaming and expecting others to “fix it,” but do we ever consider what our role and responsibility might be in the matter, and how we might make a difference?
We’re constantly bombarded with stimuli…TV screens, music, cell phones, computers, texting, advertising, etc. We don’t even sit at stoplights anymore without whipping out our cell phones and texting or calling someone! Are we even able to sit quietly in total silence and stillness?
When is the last time you did this for just five minutes…completely silent, stilling your thoughts and your body?
As I reflect, I see that we are a world and an humanity at risk of becoming soul-less.
We’re a world so immersed in materialism and abstraction that we cannot even conceive of what’s beyond our basic senses or beyond reason.
Many of us spend lifetimes searching for that “certain something,” which we often cannot name, yet we know is missing. We look for it in relationships, jobs, family, things, etc.
Why do we feel such an emptiness? Why do we “know” there’s something more than what we’re currently living? Could it be perhaps that there IS in fact something more?
Perhaps what’s missing is our connection to our soul and the Divinity from which we came. Consider for a moment the possibility that each of us was given a guardian angel or Spirit guide…one that’s totally dedicated to our being and our growth. Imagine that our angel or guide is sitting there, rendered helpless by our own lack of initiative to call upon them for guidance and help. I wonder what might happen if we all engaged those waiting angels and worked side by side with them to bring forth our soul and the soul of the world! What do we have to lose in considering this?
The world relies upon us, working together with that which is greater than us, to ensoul it.
The more we get caught in the rat race of life by numbing or distracting ourselves with media/technology/medication/ artificial stimulants/etc., and ignoring our bodies, our children, and our communities, the more we ignore our soul and that of the world.
Can we look at the most soul-less appearing thing/place/person and feel into our hearts that which is beyond what we see, and hear what it might be speaking to us? Can we then begin to find ways to bring forth that which is missing in it…that which it is calling for?
I contemplate all of this with a ray of hope in my heart, and a belief that we as a people can do better.
I say this as a reflection of the potential I see in the world, and to challenge each of us to consider how we might shift our way of being in this next year and beyond, and to reach out to others to do so as well.
What can we each do in our own little gifted way to make a difference?
Can we go TV-less for one day per week? Refrain from using our cell phone in the car? Choose local, organic and whole foods over mass produced, processed and/or altered food? Make a commitment to connect with whatever it is that’s been missing in our lives?
I see the potential for us to come together in ways we’ve never imagined, not only with each other, but also with the earth. This is a time of great change and great challenge. Can we take time in stillness and silence to allow ourselves to be inspired by the Sacred? Can we trust that inspiration and not ignore it simply because “it’s not been done before?” Can we give a voice to that which wants to be heard, including our own soul?
With the help of silence, stillness and my Spirit guides, my response to my own reflection has been to create a vessel through which I can work toward this very challenge…to shift our way of being and prepare a new paradigm for existing.
I have called this vessel Kim Marie Coaching. I’m offering ontological coaching, energetic healing and transformational learning programs as tools to help individuals and groups find and connect to what’s been missing for them, and to what they truly care most about. I would love for you to grow with me on this journey as I write articles, offer workshops and share ideas, so I invite you to sign up on the site for my newsletter and mailing list.
There’s so much beauty in the world. There is so much to be grateful for!
My wish for all of us in this coming year and beyond is to tap into that beauty and gratitude, to live IN it, to BE it.
I wish you the courage to move beyond outmoded ways of thinking and being, to see the soul in all of life, and to live from the higher calling of your own soul.
I wish you the peace in your heart to stop searching for a “better life” and start living a “good life.”
I challenge you to talk to your angel every day for support/guidance, and to consider even just one of the questions I’ve posed here and how you might view things differently this year.
Even the littlest movement in the direction of soul will make a huge difference. How will you make a shift this year and build a bridge to a new paradigm?
If anything here resonates for you or sparks your curiosity and you’d like to learn more… if you know there is that “certain something” missing for you and you’re ready to discover it… if you’re in the midst of transition or longing to make a big transition… if you’re ready to shift perspectives and take a step in a new direction for the sake of living the life you know you were born to live… I know I can help. I’d love to have a conversation with you and see what we might co-create for the future.
From the depths of my soul to yours, I wish you a blessed new year filled with love, peace and joy.
