Isn’t it great how well written movies with great actors can take you away to the point where you feel like you are having the same experience as the characters. Do you find that if the storyline has elements that you find happening in your life or has happened in your life, you resonate even more? I do and I walk away loving that movie. We love movies because we can escape. Escape to imagine all kinds of fantasies. Now, some of us carry the fantasy over to real life. In minute bits and pieces, some of the elements stay with us. We walk out of the movies believing that we can totally rock a wardrobe like that or a hair style or even party in that manner. Sometimes we get motivated to achieve new feats in our lives, way beyond what was otherwise perceived. So, if a movie has the power to deeply resonate with you, can pain and painful experiences do the same?
Before you scratch your head and wonder what in the world am I saying, think about this. Is the pain that you are harboring a result of your personal life’s events? Is it really pain that actually came from events YOU experienced early on? I say this not to be insensitive, but because I started thinking about conversations I have had with friends and how they would describe events that are painful and how they are suffering because of it. However the events were not always from personal occurrences, but at times from events they’ve observed. They observed, claimed and absorbed these events for so long that the initial discomfort ballooned from bystander into full out personal pain. Now I am not discounting the pain a bystander may feel, I am simply saying that we need to try as much as possible to put things into perspective so we can relinquish all that is not good for us. Since we are taught to claim and own our feelings, the confusion we feel around these events linger with us. To add to this, we are not taught that negative events that happen around us are not ours to own. We are not taught that others negative choices perpertrated on us should not become part of us nor should it reside and be carried on within us. We are not taught that we are not responsible for others bad decisions no matter how much they blame us. Can you imagine having harbored most of these events for most of your formative years and early adulthood! You would feel that you are a magnet for bad experiences. What if you have a personality that is geared toward being self-centered or self-involved? What if you have ego issues? Such personalities stress the “me” in all situations. Can you see how those personalities will help to exacerbate any underlying issues and claim the pain even more. This happens because these personalities are prone to own and claim, and unfortunately ego doesn’t know or care about the difference between claiming the good from the bad, all it wants to do is own and claim. It believes owning and claiming is the best thing to do to protect it and keep it alive.
So, what are you to do? The only thing I know that works for sure is prayer and meditation. This works because it evokes the Spirit in us. It uncovers the light in us which helps drive away darkness and negativity. Spirit loves the light. Pain loves darkness. Spirit brings about love and compassion which is invaluable in driving out pain.
What would we have to hold in compassion to be at peace right now? What would we have to let go to be at peace right now? ~Jack Kornfield
Remember spirit opposes ego’s demands because spirit says I want the best for “all” concerned, which diametrically opposes ego which only wants it all, fooling us to believe wanting it all is best for us. So it goes about the business of claiming every things good or bad. Prayer is supplication to our creator. To be in supplication to our creator is again opposed to ego which says supplicate onto yourself. Pain is personal, pain is defensive, pain is irrational. It uses fear and anger to sustain itself. Since pain and anger are not of us and need a reason to come to us, close the doors and PRAY!
LoveDesignLife 
I think I one thousand per cent needed to read that right now. I wanted to get my cup of tea and sit down and have a good read! 😉 I have an issue/destructive figure in my life who has simply crushed me over many years – I don’t think there is any other way to phrase it really. No matter how much I try and forgive and forget, she always has something waiting around the corner. This really helped to put things into perspective. It can really tarnish your spirit, you are so right. Prayer is so necessary. I just pray that when it doesn’t feel like it is working, it is then that it’s doing it’s best job. It reminds me of the ‘Footprints’ prayer…
You’re blogs are so powerful. Thank you so much for sharing 🙂
Thanks for the feedback. When we pray we should pray to give nothing but thanks. Any prayer that is done to ask for anything is futile. When you ask for something, you are just reinforcing your lack. Pray and praise God for all you do have and all that you will soon get. Pray like you know it is yours, because it is yours. So that crushing pain that is lurking over you, do not pray to get rid of it, pray for all the good you have and are about to have and you will see that that crushing pain will become smaller and smaller in your overall bigger picture. The way that that happens is so much good is being noticed by you that it will now pale and loose significance. Things don’t magically disappear, it is our lack of focus on it and our inattention to it that kills it. That which we give no focus holds no power.
Nothing can tarnish your spirit. You spirit is there burning brightly. It is only you emotional state that can keep it clouded. Keep your prayers full of thanks and watch you spirit rise and soar! Blessings unto you!
I think we all share emotions vicariously through others, whether it’s pain, suffering, joy, ecstasy, anger, etc. Too often we allow this to permeate into our daily life and allow these past experiences to dictate our today.
While it’s extremely important to learn from the past, it’s similarly important to not use the past to create stereotypes. ie: My dad treated my mother badly, hence all men are bad. One can very easily get caught up in that mode of stereotyping which results in dangerous negativity.
It is a very delicate balancing act, but by approaching matters with a very open mind we can somehow sift through that tangled web. Not sure if prayer will help, but definitely believe in the power of introspection and listening.
Caribkid, you said it right, “it is a very delicate balancing act, but by approaching matters with a very open mind…” this is why prayer is needed. Prayer helps to focus us. However, I will say this, not all of us know how to pray. Most people pray FOR things. Prayer is not about asking for things. Prayer is a time for reflection of all that is and acceptance that we have it and knowing that it is the acceptance of it that will bring us closer to our creator. This opens our minds!! This is how we will be ready to do the introspection then we can listen with the heart.
Yes!!! Prayer changes everything!!!!
It sure does!
Well!!! This just blew one of my fav sayings…..No Pain…..No Gain!!!! Wow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Getting on my knees right now!!! Ego…this is my problem….pain loves darkness!!! So very true and kind of scary!!! Thanks again for the love…..love your blogs!!!
You are welcome! Ego is very destructive cause it makes you feel that what it wants for you is so right, so good, so necessary, but it does so without care for others or even ones self because it inflates one’s importance over God’s mandate to love each other as you love your self.
Thanks for the love 🙂 It is very much appreciated.