Monday, August 8, 2011

Accept or Decline...

Every circumstance in our reality exists because we chose to accept or decline a gift. Now the word ‘gift’ has to be considered in the right context because in this instance, it means learning, growth and healing experiences, which are gifts because they are opportunities for us to resolve and release misaligned energies, karma, trauma and soul wounds. They do not always appear in our lives as things that make us feel good, bring us joy and inspire warm and fuzzy feelings. Some gifts challenge our core beliefs and power; others are an opportunity to confirm whether we have learned a lesson. But in every situation, no matter what it is, we always have a choice to accept or decline.

That makes our journey appear to be so easy since all we have to do is say ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to every situation that appears before us. With ‘yes’ we accept and we get what we want and with ‘no’ we are clearly indicating that we are on our spiritual path and know what we do not want to step into. Or do we? While that part is a little murky, what is absolute is that there are no ‘maybes’ on our soul journey, even if we are not sure of what we want. So why do we approach many lessons with so much doubt and confusion if we know that the answer will always be a simple ‘yes’ or no’?

 Because we add elements to our ‘yes’ or ‘no’ that turn them into long, drawn out exercises in decision making, and an ‘accept’ answer does not always mean that w are in agreement. Whatever we decline doesn’t always indicate that we don’t want something. Interwoven within our answers are expectations, desires, needs, wants, and a silent hope that no matter what we choose, the Universe will make up the difference if our choice is not powerful and will create the best outcome on our behalf. Within every choice to accept or decline there are expectations, manipulations, desired outcomes and a certain amount of fear.

 Every choice to accept or decline puts us on a different path. Where will this path lead us, how will we do with the lessons and what the outcome will be are all up to us. We think that accepting means yes and declining means no but sometimes it’s the other way around. We can also decline to mean yes and accept to mean no. And if we are making that choice unconsciously we are still committing just as strongly to it as if we were fully aware and confident. Every answer is an acceptance of the path that accompanies it so even if we decline we are not necessarily ‘off the hook’, we are just not going to be on the path that a ‘yes’ answer, or accepting, would have created for us.

 Are you confused yet? It’s complicated but not that difficult because there is a way to determine which is the best, most fulfilling and highest choice and that is to pause, consider and be aware that we always have a choice, no choice is better than any other choice and all choices lead us to a specific path, that is right and best for us because if it wasn’t, we would choose something else.

 When and what should we accept? Any situation that we feel is in our highest good. How do we decide that?  
By checking in with ourselves and asking some simple questions:
  •  Is this the best choice for me at this time?
  •  What am I learning from this situation and what are my options?
  •  Do I really want to do this?
  •  What am I committing to?
  •  What do I gain from this and what do I lose?
  •  What else is possible for me?
 The last question is probably the most important one because we believe that whatever we are faced with is our only option, but it isn’t. We are limitless beings living in a limitless Universe so while we may see only one choice, there are many others we are totally unaware of. So by asking what else is possible, we are pausing just long enough to consider that there may be a different choice for us that we have not yet considered that may be more fulfilling, lead to more joy, be more aligned with what we will become once we allow our energies to expand into higher levels, which is part of what each choice offers us.

 Are we willing to take that risk and become a higher version of ourselves, even if we have no idea what that means? That is what each choice leads us to, whether we are willing to step into our own greatness, divinity, highest aspects and expand our energies to include the fullness of our potential in our reality. No choice can be right or wrong, good or bad because we will chose whatever is possible for us in each moment.

 What we should remember is that any choice can be changed at any time. We determine that by the outcome, which we know once we have made the choice (this is where we step into doubt, confusion and indecision because we want to know the outcome of the choice before we choose, so we know we made the ‘right’ decision. Yet that be known only after the choice has been made, which is why we are more afraid to decline than to accept, even if declining is our more powerful option.

 There’s only one way to find out and that is to make the accept or decline choice with confidence, pausing to ask questions and trusting that with the outcome we will know whether we made a choice that will expand our world or limit it and then we can decline that option and accept another one.

This is the message for August 2011 from Jennifer Hoffman.

Every lesson is part of our journey of spiritual growth and understanding which we select through our choices. Each choice has its own path and outcome and what we 'accept' or 'decline' highlights a single path and its potential outcomes. As we 'accept' one lesson we automatically decline others because they are not available to us while we're in this lesson. This is an 'all or nothing' choice too, because we cannot say 'yes' to part of a lesson and 'no' to other parts. But, we can change our mind at any time when we are ready to stop and take another path to our healing.

We may regret the path not taken but all other options are unavailable until we gain the level of spiritual understanding that is necessary to know and connect to something else. That said, when we are ready for something new all of the paths we have previously declined become available to us at new and higher levels of vibration. What we can choose from, at any moment, though, is what resonates with us. One important note here: we have no way of knowing all of the lessons included in what we decline so whatever we are guided to decline may be in our highest good over the long term. That's why regret is not the best use of our energy.

But, as soon as we understand the lesson and its healing purpose we no longer have to follow that path and are ready to make new choices. Although we think that we have to see something through to our anticipated or expected outcome, all we have to do is realize that there are other potential choices for our life. There is no divinely mandated end to any situation because we have to decide when a lesson is finished. We choose the end, just as we choose the beginning. And when we realize that a lesson is over, it has achieved its purpose in our life.

Each path contains learning that we need to experience, or we would not choose that path. There are no accidental choices, each thing we are attracted to has an energetic connection with us which corresponds an area of healing. The stronger the attraction the more important and powerful the lesson and healing. We accept what our soul needs to heal and decline what we are not yet ready for or what we have not yet learned enough to be able to experience. And then we repeat that process countless times during the course of our many lifetimes as we continue through the spiral of learning, healing, growth and transformation that is our ascension path.

Join me at the Aromatic Institute as we continue to assist humanity through plant botanicals via Aroma Pharmica. Have a most glorious day!

Until next time...

Your Aromatic Alchemist,
Heather

No comments: