Power to be Flexible- Part 3…
Taking Time

Hi EveryOne,

I went for my lovely morning walk and swim at The Strand this morning… I had some down time due to a severe flare this week, so I really appreciated being out there with the morning breeze before the sun and humidity made their appearance. I love the sun but unfortunately these days, lupus dictates I stay well away from it – lucky for me I get up early for meditation anyway so most times it’s not too much of a problem 🙂

While I was sitting on a rock overlooking the ocean I was reflecting on the past week while churning on this wonderful Powerful. These calm times of contemplation always give me gentle reminders about my own inner strengths… Today I remembered some of my many powers and sat with each for just a few minutes. I wanted to share them with you because often we need to use several Powers in order to uphold just one of them. For example, to stay Flexible I used my Power to Withdraw several times – to go within and check my own thoughts and reactions, and to simply recharge. I needed my Power to Pack Up, to let go of any negative or wasteful thoughts to save me much time and anguish. To put a fullstop to any negativity stops me from putting them into action. I also used my Power to Adjust, because just as the ocean is never the same, so too is life… In order for me to stay Flexible I needed to consistently Adjust to my ever-changing world and I needed to accommodate my own needs while accommodating the needs of others…. I can only accommodate others when I practice complete self care, otherwise I risk become the martyr (an old deep habit). So you see, it’s of no use to simply use a Power once then put it away. We need to pull them out again and again and again, to sharpen, to polish, to dust them off, to be ever-ready at a time of need (to not be caught off guard). Our Powers are our ‘weapons’ – not to be mistaken with weapons that hurt – but weapons that protect us from the shadows of our own weaknesses and the shadows of others. This is not about ignoring these shadows, on the contrary, when our ‘weapons’ are strong we have the Power to ‘call out’ our weaknesses so we can ‘take them out’. This is not about fighting but about getting rid of those lurking shadows once and for all. Martyrdom for example, is one of those shadows that lurks around just waiting for me to have a weak moment. But if I cultivate my strengths to such a point that there is no longer room for that weakness then I won’t need to keep looking over my shoulder – otherwise they will follow us wherever we go. We will have the illusion of moving forward when in reality we simply keep going back to the same space!… Then the frustration of ‘what happened?’ starts all over again!… Hope this makes sense 🙂

Here are your wonderful stories – thank you so much for your continual contributions….

– Some have been re-reading some other Powers in (Will to Wonder) like Power to Tolerate, To Cooperate, To Judge, To Discern, To Respect, To Face, To be Practical…. ………. (That’s so great, I still read them too 🙂

– Recognition of being affected by their relationships and how they affect their relationships – several are focusing on improving their relationships……….… (Fantastic, all our relationships are a wonderful (at times challenging) mirror for us to learn so congratulations on your courage!)

– Recognising their own ‘sensitive in interactions with others’, so ‘strengthening and holding the power within’ ………………….. (Wow, so beautiful 🙂

– Nourishing themselves with commitment and an attitude that glows………….. (Love this)

– Being open and willing to change………………… (Yes, this is very important)

– Still, there were others who were struggling with this power – becoming physically sick…………….. (You’re always in my thoughts, and remember, it’s triggering something deep that needs to be healed 🙂

– Recognition of not letting work situations control them nor them control what’s happening…………… (Wow powerful stuff, not easy to look at so again, congratulations for such courage 🙂

– Some recognized own limitations ………………… (Again, so powerful, change starts with recognition – so well done!)

– Some, like me, are learning lessons more than once but are again, recognising it……. (Fantastic)

– Determined to change course this year – not prepared to ‘live life the same as over past 20 years)………… (Excellent!!!)

– Understanding and acceptance of ‘standing ground but flowing – not in force’ ……………. (Well done, great self checking).

– Seeing this Power as ‘all encompassing’ that lessons become very clear …………………… (How exciting 🙂

– Some relate to using analogies of nature ………………….. (It’s a great way to reflect back to ourselves by simply looking around us, fantastic!)

– Focusing and grounding self by using breathing techniques……….. (This is fantastic, breathe of life is all-important 🙂

– Seeing difference between being flexible and being a push over …………… (Wow, how great!)

– Yet someone else recognised them being too forceful …………….. (Wow big hugs to you for being so honest with yourself 🙂

I look forward to see which Power will be drawn for the month of February, in the meantime, I thought I would leave you with this beautiful passage one of our group members shared with me…

“I am open to change
I am willing to change
I greet this new year with open arms
I am willing to learn new things every day
I am open to the joy of learning new things every day
I accept each problem has a solution and all experiences are genuine opportunities for me to learn and grow
Out of chaos comes welcome change
I am safe to change
My growth is for the greater good, for myself and all who are close to me.”

Happy day, Much Love Annemarie

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