June 2020 Newsletter

Hello, and a joyous June to you!
Welcome, or welcome back, to my newsletter. Today's issue is about receiving. Enjoy!

In this interesting time, many of us are still sheltering at home, our normal routines disrupted. How are you doing at receiving the good which wants to come in anyway? Maybe you're so distracted by that unexpected bill, or by the noise in your household when you're trying to work, that you can't focus on anything else. Don't you hear that bird chirping joyfully outside your window in the sunshine, when you usually don't get home from your office until well after dark?

Witness testimonies have shown time and time again how different people can give wildly varying reports about the "same" incident. These folks aren't lying. They actually saw or heard the scene, then interpreted it in their own unique way. Witnesses can be trained not to make assumptions, to report only what is there. In a Robert Heinlein science fiction story, a Fair Witness (a skilled profession in that world) might answer "What color is that house up on the hill?" with "It's white on the side facing us". It might be purple, or striped, on the sides which aren't visible from our viewpoint. A Fair Witness learns not to assume.

We can't pay attention to every scrap of sensory input, so how do we choose? Of course in a dangerous situation we want to make sure we and those around us are safe, before we take time to smell the flowers. However if there's no imminent catastrophe, do we want to continue to fret about that long-standing problem, even though we've done all we could about it for the moment? Or would we rather take a break and call a friend, or go for a walk and literally smell the flowers, knowing this will lift our mood?

If you define yourself or your situation by what you've suffered, see if you can expand your view a bit. There is more to you than that old injury or trauma. When I stopped thinking of myself as Nearsighted Nancy, my nose buried in a book, and instead saw the lifelong student learning now to see my world more clearly, it changed the way others saw me too. You might feel like you're in the worst part of your Life Story right now, yet see if you can focus on where you're headed, what you're going to try next, and all the help and support you have.

Every spiritual teacher I've worked with has mentioned the power of gratitude. You may be deep in worrying about your current problem. And perhaps you can find a bit of gratitude about having overcome some big difficulties in the past, and knowing you've developed powerful coping muscles. Believing you can handle things feels better than self-pity. And maybe in dealing with this current challenge, your capability muscles will get stronger, as you learn more what to do if you see a similar problem coming toward you again.

Being grateful might seem new-agey or fluffy, not really fixing anything when you've got a big serious mess. Give it a try, and you'll be surprised how shifting your focus to the positive brings more positive into view. Look for the good, not as a trick to bring in more good (though it will), but just because it feels better. You're missing the good if all you're doing is complaining. And don't forget to appreciate the little things, like that bird singing or those flowers blooming. Receiving these will make your life all the sweeter.

For the surprising connection between receiving and clear vision, click here.

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Please send me your questions and comments
Let me know what you've wondered about concerning energy medicine or vision or dreams. I'll be glad to write a short article addressing that topic. Thank you to those who have sent me questions, or see a question you asked me in a private session written about here. You're helping many other people! Enjoy the start of this juicy month of June. I'll write again in a few weeks. Take care!