How Adversity Leads to Inner Peace

At some point in your life adversity, pain, trauma, or some or all of these, may be seen as culprits. They suffocate your inner flame, but remember: Things are not always what they seem.

Your inner flame is always there. If you feel it is out, it is ready to be reignited.

Your inner flame wants to shine. It wants you to shine on the stage that you call your life. It wants you to be the light that you are, and may be giving you some adversity, pain, trauma… is a sign for making it happen – however weird that may sound.

To me, to be fully engaged with the journey of life means to express one’s highest form of being in whatever situation one finds oneself. It means to accept all the various facets and colours of life. All of the challenges that we may face, be it as mothers, professionals, friends, lovers, wives… or all of those.

Life is a Journey…

Life is a journey with many facets. It wouldn’t be much of a journey if it was all smooth sailing, right? To truly take the journey means to try to become aware of any negative belief that acts as an inner saboteur in order to move towards fully expressing yourself.

Most people unconsciously form negative beliefs and use those to justify self-pity and remaining stuck. But as long as we don’t question our beliefs, we live bound to them and our self-created limited reality. Hence, we are not really taking the journey.

But perhaps the destination of the journey is “simply” about moving beyond feeling worth less – feeling too old, not good enough, prone to poor health, feeling anxious or stressed… Because, if you imagine that you are those things, you will be. And there is a way out of such a vicious circle of believing and becoming.

… will you take the Journey?

The best way to turn one’s beliefs around or over is by dealing with any adverse situations differently. Perhaps by habit we look at ourselves as victims of the situation, as punishment. That it is out to “get us”.

My teachers tell me that the surest way to get out of this pattern is “to drop into my heart” instead. ‘But what does that mean?’ my mind asks. How do I do that? It’s as if my mind is engaged in an eternal struggle, working against my heart. But then, during one particularly intense and emotionally painful situation, I remembered (“drop into your heart”). I directed my awareness to my heart and felt it dive deep within.

Just by consciously focussing on the heart, determined not to get stuck in thoughts about it all, we can bypass subconscious beliefs and start to develop new pathways. Pathways to deep peace and liberation.

Keeping my awareness there; I felt connected to my heart. Resting, I felt the awareness expand from my heart throughout my body, until my entire being experienced deep bliss, in the midst of emotional turmoil. In that moment, I recognised that I live to learn and that I live to live what I have learned.

Try to do this the next time that adversity enters your life!

5 things to remember in a difficult or trying situation:

1. Bring to mind the word heart or the image of a heart and bring your attention to your heart. This can help you avoid getting lost in thoughts.
2. Your feeling fearful is due to your learned or accumulated beliefs being activated. However, you are neither your thoughts nor your emotions. It is within your power to choose the position of witness. Observing any unfolding drama rather than getting caught up in it.
3. Your conditioned self may want to interpret a situation as being “negative”, and it might even enjoy the pain. How come? Thinking “I knew this would happen” can make us feel satisfied, but such conditioning will not bring us inner peace and deep fulfilment.
4. Source is always there for you to tap into for guidance and protection. The Universe honours free will and will not “punish” you for making “mistakes” – we are here to learn, and by deleting the word “mistake” altogether, to see that there is no right or wrong, we may move towards seeing each situation as an opportunity for growth.
5. Life is not happening to you; you are life. Therefore, feel empowered to BE & ACT. For more on this you may want to look up Neuroscientist Dr Joe Dispenza.

Creating a deep connection

“The best way to predict your future is to create it not from the known, but from the unknown. When you get uncomfortable in the place of the unknown – that’s where the magic happens.”

Dr. Joe Dispenza

Every challenge that we face has the potential to connect us, on a deeper level, to the Divine (or whatever you want to call it). And this, in turn, is to be in touch with the depth of being. Being able to fully participate in life, with love and compassion for ourselves as well as for our fellow brothers and sisters. Again, on the deepest level, we are all one. It may not be obvious, it may seem contradictory, but I am convinced that grief and pain can open the doorways to our inner peace, and help ignite the same.

In short, the Journey of Life is a Journey to the Heart – and being on this Journey one sees each adverse situation that presents itself for what it truly is – a prompt for Inner Growth.

Ps. Guided by what I feel is Divine Source; I have developed a meditation & visualisation practice which has the potential to transform destructive and limiting beliefs without getting involved in the emotions and the accompanying stories. Send me an email HERE to receive your personal copy.

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We wish all readers a joyful summer break of rest, relaxation and inspiration. We will be back at the end of August 2019.

Interested to read more? Food for your Soul is a bi-monthly column featuring short posts for moments of reflection – to look at life from a different perspective (should you choose to!). Invest a few minutes and allow your thoughts to ponder. Awareness creates choice.

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All original material copyright © 2019 Claudia Roth