Don't Let Go of the Rope

You Just Might Be Lifted Up
I must have been 5 or 6 years old. During that summer we were visiting a mountain resort spot that had stables and offered guided horse back tours. I was drawn to the stables and a baby colt that had finally gotten steady on its feet. One day after a bit of pleading on my part the stable hand agreed to let me take the colt for a walk. The colt wasn’t so certain that it wanted to go for a “walk”. However after a lot of coaxing and tugging and tugging and coaxing the beautiful little colt followed me out the gate. The colt would take a few steps and stop, looking back at the stables for its mommy. I would coax and tug a bit on the rope and it would take a few more steps and stop. As we exited the corral gate, the stable hand yelled over to me “Just remember, don’t let go of the rope.”
"Okay", I nodded and off we went, Janet and the baby colt.

A little bit of heaven
As the stables faded from our site the journey became more fluid. The resort spot had a number of cabins and a little rustic market. There was an automobile size dirt path that made a big circle around the layout of the grounds, which to me, began and ended at the stables. I was happy and relaxed. I spent the entire time talking to the colt as if it were my best friend. The path was rocky, uneven and had a few pot holes which caused me to stumble a couple of times; however I never let go of the rope.

BoomBoom, Out Go the Lights
I was feeling quite proud of myself as we rounded the corner and the stables came back into sight. Without warning the colt began to run. I began to run. I began to shout “whoa little pony, whoa!” It ran faster. I ran faster. My grip on the rope tightened and I started pleading “whoa little pony, whoa!” It kept running and I tripped. Not good. I am now being drug down the dirth path by this beautiful little colt and all I could remember was “don’t let go of the rope.” After what seemed like an eternity and a really good beating from those ‘huge boulders’ in the road, I could not any longer hold on to the rope.

As I was deposited, in a cloud of dust right in front of the market, a nice man came out and scooped me up. The last thing I remember saying was, “I couldn’t hold on to the rope.”

When the Dust Settles
Now as I reflect on this event in my life, I am reminded how as adults we continue to “hold on to the rope” of limiting words and ideas that have formed a foundation of beliefs that have and continue to shape our lives today. Even when we are being ‘drug down’ the path of life and nothing feels good we hold on to that ‘rope’ as if it is all that we have and that it is our life line.

A "Life Line"?
Is your rope weaved with the threads of ‘I can’t’, ‘It won’t’, ‘I’m not’, ‘too hard’, ‘not enough’, ‘not in this lifetime’, ‘maybe someday’ and ‘yeah right’?
Is your rope a real "life line" or has it become your noose?

The Right Rope for the Right Job
It has taken me some time and a conscious effort to reshape my beliefs; however I now know that I have a new rope. My new rope lifts me up. It is anchored in the world of limitless possibilities. It is weaved with the threads of Empowerment, Unity, Love and Expansion. I trip sometimes; however I never let go of this rope. My rope is my "life line" to conscious hope and positive expectation.

Being Divine in 2009
With the dawning of a New Year, let's take a good look at the essence of our thoughts and beliefs. Let's choose to weave more of 'what we do want' in our lives and bit by bit replace those fibers of limitation with threads of possibilities. We can start with "That Was Easy."
In the Spirit of Love
Janet

Sticks and Stones Not Required

I am sure many of us remember the phrase “sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” This was a form of defense we would often use as children to deflect the hurtful words or name calling of our friends or siblings. I can remember myself as a child standing up tall, hands on hips and as straight faced as I could muster, reciting this familiar phrase in response to some derogatory statement. I would be feeling slightly empowered, as I turned on my heels and went storming off in the other direction. Only to find myself a few moments later crying to my parents or my best friend telling them what nasty things so and so said to me.

Experiencing my Belief
I didn’t really believe “that words will never hurt me” because at that moment, emotionally and physically I wasn’t feeling too good. The words were a mask, a shield so to speak, to try and conceal those feelings and my sense of vulnerability.

A New Vision
Sometimes I like to imagine what might have happened in our lives and in our world if we had truly believed in the power behind these words?
I like to think we would be living in a world where there is no war, no hatred, no lack and no dis-ease.
I also like to imagine that we would have quickly learned that we were creators of beauty, harmony and peace and that love blesses everything.

The Power of Words
I know that we would all be neglectful to our own divine truthfulness if we tried to proclaim “I don’t believe in the power of my words.”
Our experiences are a testament to the contrary. We have witnessed how words have shaped our lives, our country, our relationships, our world and our own self images.

We have used language and words to express our gratitude, anger, frustration, discontent, love, forgiveness and joy. We have seen, with our own eyes, how a few words of encouragement can bring a smile to another’s face and empower them to move forward. We have personally experienced the feelings of hurt and appreciation expressed in the words of our loved ones, friends and co-workers.
Words are Powerful and WE KNOW IT.

Our poison doesn’t travel far
What we may have forgotten or overlooked is how the words we speak or the things we think affect our own well-being both physically and emotionally.

A great teacher once said; ‘it is not what you put in to your mouth that will defile you. It’s what comes out of your mouth that defiles you.’
2000 years later, science has confirmed this.

Bring in the Red Cross
It is easy to see how words spoken in anger or without regard can change our over all well- being. Our muscles tighten up. Our stomachs become upset. Our temperature rises. Our hearts beat faster and we often times end up with a terrible headache, along with a few prescriptions for acid reflux, high blood pressure, depression and insomnia.
And if that wasn’t enough! We then find ourselves wrestling with regret, worry of retaliation, and sometimes down right self-loathing. (Now hey, I thought they said words would never hurt me.)
Day after day as we experience varying degrees of dis-contentment our bodies become ravaged and worn, as if we had been in a battle.

Now We're Talking
However, when we compare the energy of words spoken from love, expressing acceptance, encouragement and forgiveness we will notice a different physical reaction.
We stand taller. There is a lightness in our bodies and bounce in our steps. We are calm, poised and centered. Our brains release a chemical that courses through our bodies and we feel good. Feeling good feels so good that it seems impossible to contain it. We radiate with love and acceptance and we want to share more of ourselves with others. We sleep better. We eat better. We move better. We love better. We are better.
And remarkably, as if the Universe has heard our wish, we begin to notice more and more peace and ease manifesting in our lives.
This is Divine!
In the Spirit of Love
Janet