“We don’t need to shift our responsibilities onto the shoulders of some deified Spiritual Superman, or sit around and wait for Fate to come knocking at the door.  We simply need to believe in the power that’s within us, and use it.  When we do that, and stop imitating others and competing against them, things begin to work for us.” – Benjamin Huff, The Tao of Pooh

Ah yes, the wisdom of this lovable furry bear called to me this week. My research for this chat took me on a Pooh Bear ride.  But nothing spoke brighter to me at this moment than this particular video and quote from Benjamin Huff. Our last chat was on Tigger and his amazing ability to be resilient through challenge.  Today we discuss the words of Christopher Robin on accessing the strength and wisdom within.  When stress becomes too much for us to bear we want to hunker down and shield ourselves from the world.  I know this well as this is what my soul has yearned for recently.  Changing careers at what some may call mid life ahhem (cough, sputter, mutter) has presented me with deep challenges of faith and courage. Keeping hope alive when fear wants to rent space for free can be challenging to say the least.  I get home to my tree house way up in the sky, put on my pjs, make tea and the relaxation response begins to take over even if for the time being.  Practicing yoga and meditation, drinking herbal tea and speaking with supportive friends and family helps but in these challenging times that we are ALL going through it can be hard to remember the simplicity of Christopher Robin’s words.  Turbulence in life often feels very personal.  As if it’s happening to you and only you.  It is always helpful to remember that these challenging are occurring to us because a) we are human and b) because we have lessons to learn.  One of the big lessons to be learned by life’s challenges is that what we are seeking is already right here.  We possess all of what we need.  It is acknowledging this and honoring it that sometimes gets lost in the winds of the storm.

The quote by Huff from The Tao of Pooh relates to an issue that has been arising in discussions I have had with several people.  It’s a theme of sorts that I seem to be drawn back to over and over.  A belief in spiritual energy whether it be formulated in a specific deity such as God or not, does not mean that we get to take the day, week, month, year(s) off and wait around for that being to change our life.  There is no amount of spiritual energy that has the capacity to pick you up off the couch, turn the tv off and manifest your dreams for you.  Life is not a 3D fairy tale.  I remember being a kid and waiting up one night for the tooth fairy to come floating through the window.  I imagined her to be just like Tinker Bell.  Guess what?  She didn’t come until I finally fell asleep and my mother could slip me a little green gift under my pillow.  Spiritual energy helps feed our soul.  It is about connecting with your heart and from that place of connection you share the energy with those around you.  We work in conjunction with spiritual forces which means that in order to have our dreams manifest we need to get up off the couch and meet our spiritual gods, goddesses or universal life force, halfway.  This also means that we can not do it ourselves.  In our recent chat Pay It Forwardwe talked about the focus in the US on individualism.  I shared with you all that I think that this is one thing that has contributed to people becoming “type A.”  We have been socialized for so long to believe that we are the only ones who can make things happen.  We end up becoming a tyrant boss to ourselves.  I believe this is one of the lessons I am here to learn.  In order to “make things happen” we need to realize that we are not in this thing we call life alone.  Yes, like Christopher Robin said we are stronger, braver and smarter than we think but we also need to remember that we are stronger when we work in unison with the universe and each other.

Storms come and they go.  The mind picks up the storm and runs with it.  The key is to shore up your anchor to the dock.  Being tethered to a spiritual practice has been a crucial piece.  For me, being connected to people who help me ride the wave has also been invaluable.  Yoga and meditation have helped me become less emotionally reactive and more stable.  “Stress management skills” as they are often called today  are skills that help us weather the storm that life can be.  But the key piece that we all often forget is that we have the ability to be our own anchor when the tides get rough.  We are strong, brave and smart individuals. We have amazing capacity for resilience.  The strength of the human spirit can not be measured.  We often have all that we need except one thing….the belief that we do possess all these qualities and so much more. The energy we cultivate and send out into the Universe is powerful.  I spoke about the principles of “The Secret” in our chat Psst I have a secret….. Three principles to keep in mind 1) Ask for what you want, 2) Believe that it is on it’s way and 3) Get ready to Receive it.  Walking through the world anchored in the trust that your vision will come into fruition is the wisdom that Christopher Robin passes along to Pooh and to all of us.

For today, how will you practice believing in your own sense of bravery, strength and intelligence?  Today, I will rest in the knowledge that life is ever unfolding.  As I always share with my clients, the key is to work on staying sane along the journey!

Cheers!