Overriding our tendency to negativity, defensiveness, neediness, addictive behaviors, being reactionary and volatile or any other attitude or behavior that causes us stress or unhappiness or that brings conflict into our lives takes time and a conscious effort.

And usually, the deeper the emotional pain or the longer the abuse – whether physical or emotional – that caused these ways of us navigating the world the longer it takes and the more conscientious we need be to be able to override their effects.

Still, once we make the decision to shift from any nonconstructive thinking or behaviors mighty companions come to our aid. Spirit is always ready to support us to shift away from thought systems and behavior patterns that keep us from being the best, most empowered version of ourselves. To shift from a fear-based reality to a love-based reality.

In my April 2019 newsletter message entitled Many Messages in Easter and Passover I delve briefly into the time frame of suffering and overcoming using metaphors of the Easter Crucifixion and Resurrection theme and the Passover Exodus and Freedom from Slavery theme. (Newsletter link is below).

This article is based on concepts from my New Book

See here for About Book

and see below for info on the next 2 books in this series – due out shortly.

(And also below is a link to information on my 1st book, “Your Journey to Peace…”, )

Both of these Holy holidays bring with them the acknowledgment of past pain and suffering, but also the celebration of overcoming the pain and suffering. The prayers, rituals, and gatherings are powerful. They fill us with a peaceful feeling. And the act of intentional celebration with others infuses the gathering, and thereby us, with grace. Being filled with grace helps us heal.

The ideas of suffering and overcoming, and of slavery and freedom are analogous for us overcoming our mental suffering, and of being freed from being a slave to our egoic mind and the unhappiness and conflicts caused as they influences how we navigate life.

Three Days, or 40 Years

The three days to the Resurrection and the 40 Years of wandering in the desert can be seen as a reflection that the process of shifting from  a fear-based mind-set to a love-based mind-set does take time. How quickly we make the shift to start to come from a place of being love-centered depends on:

  • how deep set our fear-based attitudes and the behaviors they produce are;
  • how attached we are to them;
  • how strong our willingness, or unwillingness, to override them; and
  • how steadfast we are to the practice we choose to support us though the process.

Overriding a lifetime of navigating life one way to shifting it to another first takes acknowledgement. It takes willingness. Focus. Determination.

And overriding the sadness, unfairness, fear, and/or sense of disempowerment that was created deep within us takes courage and faith in the process, because it is often of a two-step-forward one-step-backward progression.

And when we have suffered or been abused for a long time, it takes a very strong faith and connection to the love within and being adept at processing it regularly for the consequences to not affect our daily lives. Otherwise, the emotional impact becomes embedded in our cellular memory, and until acknowledged and dealt with will continue to affect us.

The Israelites were freed from their physical bondage, but still wandered around in the desert for 40 years. This can be compared to us becoming aware that our attitudes and acting in certain ways is what is bringing about our frustrations, but we do not act on the new-found awareness.

We have to shift the mind-set that is causing our frustrations, or we will wander around in the desert of our mind – until we make that shift.

And sometimes we just can’t – especially when our culture has experienced eons of abuse at the hands of others and/or reconciliation has not been made. (I will discuss this concept further in next week’s article. See below on how to receive the post).

The Israelites who were freed from slavery were dealing with the repercussions of centuries of abuse and slavery and couldn’t override their sense of fear and victimization; they continued to act in the disempowering ways of a fear-based mind-set.

The wandering in the desert can be seen as a metaphor for being stuck in the fear-based cycle, because it perpetuates itself. So, it took a generation before those memories were erased from the tribe to the extent that the next generation felt and acted upon being free. They were delivered from a fear-based mind-set.

Hurts, Unfairness, and Abuses Can Affect Future Generations

Any deep sadness or victimization we have suffered and not deal with can affect the generations that follow us. Our inner emotional world is reflected in our attitudes and behaviors, and we unleash reactions and behaviors that hurt those around us, or at least keep us emotionally distanced from them. Emotional distance creates barriers to love.

This combined with the cellular memory of what happened, to us individually, to those around us, or even to our ancestors can keep us either in emotional bondage – unconsciously, or by us continuously focusing on it by telling and retelling the stories making them real all over again. This keeps the pain alive.

Developing a practice to help us through making any shift is highly beneficial. The purpose of daily prayer, meditation, and the many rituals, practices, and festivals within the various religions and spiritualities is to help us become and/or stay heart-centered. Love-centered. Being love-centered is what brings positive experiences into our life and it is what will get us though the hard ones that develop.

I will further expand on these concepts next week, To receive my articles as soon as posted, follow my FB page Here  

~  Rosemary McCarthy© April 19, 2019.

You can read my most recent Newsletter Many Messages in Easter and Passover – or sign up for future ones  Here

See here for my 2016 book, “Your Journey to Peace, Bridging the Gap Between Religion, Spirituality, Psychology, and Science…” Both my books available in print and e-book from Amazon.

See here for info on Becoming Our Best Self – Book 2 of series,   and

here for Relationships in an Evolving World – Book 3 – both due out shortly

See here  for this site’s Blog Page  …    here  for Journey’s Blog Page

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Copyright © 2019 by Rosemary McCarthy. All rights Reserved. To copy, share, or distribute this article (or the worksheet) 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.spiritedfawnpublications.com are included. You can contact me at: rosemary@yourjourneytopeace.com. Blessings, and thank you kindly, Rosemary.

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