(Links to parts 1 and 2 are below).
As I explained in Part 1, to fully take advantage of the gifts the universe has to offer us we have to be “open” – in a state of receptivity – in our heart-space, and in Part 2 I put forth that we also have to be open to transformation – to what is keeping us from being open-hearted – in that state of receptivity.
Openness also Means Being Open to New Ideas and Approaches
The Law of Openness also open to alternatives. To new ideas and approaches. To seeing things through a new lens. Open to changing our views on some things.
Being open to alternatives means that we must be receptive to the fact that our individual perspectives are not the only ones, and that they may even be misguided.
It helps to remember that over our lifetime most of us have changed our minds about things we once believed to be true.
We must be open to questioning some of our views – especially those we inherited based on old paradigms. On our health. The Planet.
What we were taught about our past – especially regarding people of Indigenous cultures, other races, and different orientations. On the safety of our food supply. How our scriptures are interpreted. Open to new ways to dealing with personal and collective issues.
New Ideas Regarding Our Health
Being open to universal flow, we can tune into the innate wisdom held in our bodies. Christiane Northrup tells us in Women’s Bodies, Women’s Wisdom that our “symptoms and/or illnesses … [come with] messages” and suggests we ask ourselves, “Am I open to listening to them?”
She explains that our illnesses speak to us, and that we should listen to the messages our bodies give us – for the purposes of understanding, healing, and possibly making life changes – not for an in-depth analysis of why it happened. (1).
Read about Book 1 Why we Are the Way We Are (due out November) of my new ‘Our Journeys to Peace’ Series (to be published in November) here
Little Ideas that Help Our Planet
There are many little things we can all do for the Planet. For example, we can exchange our lush green lawns and properties that require much watering for those that use various decorative alternatives that use less water.
In Kelowna, B.C. (a dry, arid area in the Okanagan valley) I have seen a combination of different colored pebbles, small rocks, mulch, and small flowering and cactus-like plants and shrubs create beautiful properties.
Being Open While Keeping Healthy Boundaries
As we open spiritually and move toward a more open-hearted existence, we have to strike a balance between being open and having healthy boundaries.
As we become more open and compassionate towards others we must be aware of our emotional boundaries. People may attempt to walk all over us, lure us to getting pulled into their dramas, or, we may become victims of their neediness or agendas.
When we become more open-hearted our judgment and discernment do sharpen, but we still must exercise some caution.
Most people who overstep others’ boundaries don’t even realize they are doing it, but others are very skilled at enticing people into their emotional worlds. They want company in the murkiness of their pain and deep emotions. As Dr. Ronald L. Holt explains in an interview with Julia Griffin, “openheartedness [requires] conscious mindfulness …” (2).
Becoming empowered may require us to close our boundaries a bit. Creating healthy boundaries is a balancing act.
We may have been so open that we allowed too many people into our sphere – and to the extent of over-taxing ourselves. However, as we aim to adjust our boundaries we may now find that we put up walls and close off to others too much.
Keeping our boundaries healthy while remaining open is a fine line to walk, but a necessary skill to hone. While being open to others, we cannot allow their neediness to affect us. We can’t close off to everyone, nor can we let everyone in.
I once heard that we should let others into our sphere like windows that we can open and shut – not have wide-open doorways that let everyone in or walls that shut everyone out.
We do not live in a bubble. When in crowds or around those who are needy or whose negative energy drains us, we can protect ourselves from the effects. Envisioning yourself surrounded by a cheesecloth type fabric will filter out negative energies while allowing the good ones in.
To take advantage of any kind of help or to properly perceive any philosophical, spiritual, or biblical teachings our hearts must be open and our minds quieted.
To be happy, feel empowered, discover our passions and life purpose, become our best self, and live in harmony with those around us we have to be open to universal flow and to the unconditional love it holds – and to extend love’s qualities to all others. We have to keep to the Universal Law of Openness.
*Protective Devices and Mechanisms: Methods we use like control, aggression, defensiveness, interrupting, changing the subject, or any other emotional device can help us avoid dealing what is really in front of us. These mechanisms aim to uphold, protect, and defend false, limiting beliefs, biases, or insecurities we hold.
Rosemary McCarthy© May 2018, updated October 2018
For Part 1 see here For Part 2 see here
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This article is based on concepts in my book, Your Journey to Peace … see here for About Book (you will be directed to Journey’s … website).
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Endnotes
(1) Christiane Northrup, Women’s Bodies, Women’s Wisdom: Creating Physical and Emotional Health and Healing (New York: Bantam Books, 1998), 638-9.
(2) Ronald L. Holt, “The Christ Grid,” interview by Julia Griffin, Spirit of Ma’at: “Earth Energies” 3, no. 12 (July 2003), http://www.spiritofmaat.com/archive/jul3/prns/holt.htm
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Copyright © October 19, 2018 by Rosemary McCarthy. All rights Reserved. To copy, share, or distribute this post simply ensure the content is copied in its entirety, is unaltered, and is distributed freely and for no monetary or personal gain, and that this copyright notice and the link for the article and the website www.yourjourneytopeace.com are included. You can contact me at: rosemary@yourjourneytopeace.com. Blessings and thank