Coming Out of The Darkness

by Shann on Mar 17, 2009

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In Balance -Shann

Photo by Matt Lamphere

I have arrived. I am home.

In the here. In the now.

I am solid. I am free.

In the ultimate I dwell.

-Thich Nhat Hanh

March is teasing me to wake up to my full potential …

Tapping me on the shoulder reminding me to breathe and embrace the Spring thaw.

Chirping at me to bid farewell to February’s low light and bleak economic climate which led to hanging out in a cocoon created for my protection.

Contrary to what most people who know me would tell you, this motivational, inspirational, funny woman is not always overflowing with high energy. Cyclical lapses of the blues can easily sneak up and grab hold of me in the lost place between Winter and Spring. Thankfully I am positive, vivacious and happy most of the time. This February funk filled time around, I made some interesting observations.

Witnessing every piece of my behavior and allowing for the natural cycle to unfold, meant never getting lost in the darkness.

Admittedly, some days were filled with the struggle to get out of bed. Others involved guiding myself through one task at a time, reserving as much energy as possible for my family and clients. A couple of occasions were filled with emotional meltdowns, sleeping too much or not sleeping at all; combined with touches of irreverence and bits of self deprecation.

Positive days were sprinkled here and there and for the most part I kept my sense of humor. Never losing sight of all of the blessings in my life and remaining present for each part of the cycle allowed me to witness the lost place with curiosity and love. What a beautiful awakening.

“The flogging will continue until morale improves!” is no longer a part of my story. A significant achievement for a woman who for so many years expected perfection. The February funk illustrated how much I have grown.

As if on queue, Spring arrived just in time to lead me through the doorway of darkness to the light.

“Your vision will become clear only when you look into your heart. Who looks outside, dreams. Who looks inside, awakens.”
-Carl Gustav Jung

In the Primary Role of Mind The Dalai Lama teaches us that the highest level of happiness is marked by total freedom from suffering and delusion in relation to our quality of mind. Through these teachings I’ve learned:

You have the power to create an uplifting environment by changing the conditions in your life.

I plan to change the February blues by leaving northern Michigan next Winter. My husband and I have already begun looking for an opportunity in a tropical region. We choose to fill the lost space with a new adventure and are blessed to do our work from anywhere in the world. Why not? Maybe I’ll teach a luscious living playshop in Hawaii. The wheels are turning.

Your mind determines every experience of suffering and happiness.

Witnessing my moments of suffering made the cycle shorter and taught me a lot about the quality of my mind. By dedicating myself to witnessing and transforming my thoughts, I found clarity and peace. I choose happiness, loving kindness and understanding the nature of things.

Our wandering minds can visit darkness and light. Here are some examples:

Ambition

- Thinking that something outside of ourselves will make us happy.

Attachment

- Thinking we need to control or be responsible for the happiness of our family, clients, peers and friends.

Fear

- Letting our false insecurities keep us from our next daring adventure.

Spirituality

- Basking in the gratitude of what is.

Compassion

- Caring for yourself and others evidenced with loving kindness.

Reverence

- Having respect for yourself and all living things.

When you make the choice to live and love in awareness, your life will spring into full bloom bidding farewell to lost place in between Winter and Spring.

What will you do to improve the quality of your mind?

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4 comments for this entry:

Derek @ NüHabits
March 17th, 2009 on 9:30 pm
I try to establish a pattern of living that supports positivity, spontaneity, and general freedom. It all comes down to the habits I practice. Good ones put me a good mind set. Harmful ones bring me down.

Thanks for the post, and head south! I will be right behind you a few years down the road.

Derek
The Happiness Chick presents: Coming Out of the Darkness « The Happiness Chick’s Blog
March 17th, 2009 on 10:18 pm
[...] OUT OF THE DARKNESS True Life Balance [...]
Greg Alario
March 22nd, 2009 on 7:33 pm
Shann, I liked your post and your blog. I now have it on my google home page.

I found it very interesting that you started this post with a quote from Thich Nhat Hanh, referred to the Dalai Lama, as they are personal heroes of mine, true living saints, and both have great humor, clarity, and simplicity in their messages.

In reading your post I found a bit of a contrast. I thought your points on applying or recapturing mindfulness were very good. I also thought your Jung quote defined the limits of the attached, western mind in needing analysis over detachment, or non-attachment, as preferred in Zen mindfulness.

Analyzing our problems and making a conscious choice to change them can be a very laborious, and have limited effectiveness. Mindful living is about creating a mindset that will create an automatic recognition and application of change.

I read many articles with lists of needed actions to be taken to improve happiness, enlightenment, and effectiveness in life. I read very few that finish these articles with examples of a means of creating the mindset, which we know is the foundation of our actions.

Thich Nhat Hanh’s key teaching is that, through mindfulness, we can learn to live in the present moment instead of in the past and in the future. Dwelling in the present moment is, according to Nhat Hanh, the only way to truly develop peace, both in one’s self and in the world.

The mind must be developed by you alone.There is no way for others to do the work and for you to reap the results. reading someone else’s blueprint of mental progress will not transfer its realizations to you. You have to develop them yourself.
- Dalai Lama

I personally eschew attempting to intellectualize life, and have found much better results with myself, and the clients, and athletes I coach in sitting meditation, moving meditation exercise, and mindful application of as many parts of life as possible.

Once again, thank you Shann for the great posts. Keep up the inspirational work.
Shann
March 23rd, 2009 on 3:52 pm
Greg, Thank you. I am honored to be a part of your google home page.

I love learning from Thich Nhat Hanh and the Dalai Lama. Pema Chodron is also a personal hero of mine.

I find that I am still in process – straddling the world of mindfulness and intellect. I hope to have the what it takes to allow the transmission of waking up and allowing my personal dharma to be realized.

Thank you again for your kindness.