Experience of Oneness Walking With Olivia and Harry (the dog)

This morning I did the Sedona process called Likes and Dislikes about humanity. I had realized that I was reacting a lot with aversion to the way that humans are, so thought this would be a good process to do.

A lot came up! I discovered how mixed my feelings are about humanity, how these attachments and aversions interfere with my serving humanity wholeheartedly. It seems that I have been still making up my mind about us as a species!

So, I did lots of releasing around this topic and then went to mind my grandchild Olivia for the day.

As i walked with Olivia and Harry the dog on that lovely afternoon, I was aware that the three of us walking together down a country lane looked idyllic, on the outside. I even sensed others passing by seeing us that way. Yet I was uncomfortable inside. Fear kept coming up for no apparent outer reason. I kept welcoming it and letting it go - and noticed I was subtly annoyed with myself for having the fear. I let that go a few times too. Then I noticed resistance arising to many things I saw - junk, litter, weeds and so on. I was very tuned into ugliness!

I kept releasing..... and something shifted. Suddenly I was able to welcome everything as it was in the moment, even the rubbish. I saw the rubbish as no different from the toys that Olivia litters the house with. Just as I can easily see beauty in her play and in the household disorder it creates, in that moment I could see beauty even in the rubbish and the weeds. In that instant I saw that beauty is everywhere, even in terrible circumstances. Beauty is in the way things are.
So many artists have shown us this and have opened our eyes to different forms of beauty. Often we use our concept of beauty to define other things as ugliness and to block out our seeing of them. When we open to what is, we can see the beauty in everything. I could see in that sublime moment that people who litter are simply where they are, having not yet grown into the understanding that order serves humanity; having not yet progressed to valuing serving humanity in that way. I was totally free of blame for anyone who littered, or who might have had the responsibility to teach others not to litter, and had not yet succeeded in that. I was completely steady and content in the truth that all these "not yet reached understandings" are simply that. My own and theirs – we have grown as far as we have, that’s all there is to it. It felt exquisite to be surrounded by unlimited forms of beauty, to be surrounded totally by beauty. I felt light and strong - and effortlessly picked up some litter!

Letting Go to Open Your Heart and Be in the Flow

I awoke feeling guilty this morning. Uncomfortable feelings rose up and stuck into me like pins. Pictures and thoughts about having not achieved what I wanted the previous day pricked me. Then my mind projected forward to the coming day’s plans and I felt another bunch of prickly feelings and thoughts jump into my awareness. Waves of feelings and thoughts crowded in like a barbed wire fence trapping me. My mind said: Yesterday I ‘indulged’, I was bad, I didn’t do what I should have. Now today I said I’d help my friend catch her sheep for shearing. That seemed like a fun idea. Now I don’t feel like I have time. Helping someone else feels tricky. I’m not sure I can afford the time now. Yesterday I stayed out later than expected and I left Mary at home alone too and she probably felt neglected. That was selfish! Today I could take Mary with me and give her a treat, but that would spoil my outing helping my friend which I had been looking forward to. I don’t know what to do! I don’t want to have to work this out! Ouch! It was horrible. All these sharp feelings of guilt and shoulds were prickling me!

So what did my mind do? It fell back on its old habit of protection – it justified. I caught my mind saying “I needed my space last night, I shouldn’t have to spoil today’s outing by taking Mary along just because I needed my space yesterday should I? I’ll help my friend. I have to do that , and I want to. She’ll be all right. Mary doesn’t mind. Bit by bit my mind used excuses to shove down the guilt and shame feelings and I felt “better”, sort of, as I started trudging effortfully towards the day’s agreed event, pretending that I was looking forward to it, with no real enthusiasm.

Then I remembered! I could release the feelings! I could let them go! Immediately I did some releases, just allowing the feelings to be there and letting them go. I dug a little deeper and found that wanting approval was underneath the feelings, and I let that go too. I did this a few times then forgot about it and got on with preparing for the day. A few minutes later a wave of open-hearted feeling suddenly arose in me, complete with a clear image of taking Mary on the outing and enjoying it thoroughly. In one moment, one delicious, complete flash of love and joy, I saw, felt and thought the rightness and perfection of taking Mary along and giving her pleasure, and knew that to be with her would be just as much of a pleasure to me. I felt light and happy and I looked forward with enthusiasm to the day ahead.

Reflections on this heart opening experience

As I reflected back I realised that immediately after releasing I had become clear about the day. I had started to prepare easily, with conviction, without even thinking about it. Then the instantaneous picture of being out with Mary, as I helped my friend, just ‘arrived’ and told me a host of truths in one moment. I knew in that moment not only what to do and that I would enjoy the day, but that I would also benefit the work I had believed that I had neglected the day before. My open heart told me in a flash that all things would be served by my taking Mary with me and being wholeheartedly with her, as I helped my friend.

In essence I re-discovered the immense and awesome power of releasing.

It’s really very simple. Releasing opens your heart, and with an open heart our action flows effortlessly, and serves the good of all.

I am so grateful to have this simple and powerful method in my life and to be able to share it with you.

Serenity in Times of Uncertainty

Are you feeling anxious, even a bit panicky about the financial state of the world. See an excellent article here on the Sedona Method website to feel much better straight away. Here's a short extract:

Remember, anxiety, panic, stress and worry do nothing to support you in making the right decisions. Instead, the more you can make decisions from a place of inner calmness and mental clarity the more likely your decisions will be supportive of your overall financial goals and well-being and the safety and well-being of those around you and the planet as a whole.

The very best thing to do when you find yourself panicking is to allow yourself to welcome whatever you're feeling about the current world situation and about your current financial situation. Also allow yourself to welcome any wanting to change or control how you feel. As you do this you will find that the stress and tension of the moment will dissolve into a calm pool of certainty and inner strength.

“I released truckloads of fear and wanting survival because of the possible meltdown of the world’s financial system.”
Norm Hall

Welcoming the feelings may seem counterintuitive, but it’s a necessary step in the process of letting go. As you’ll learn when you delve deeper into letting go with The Sedona Method, the more you resist a feeling, the stronger its hold on you becomes. When you welcome a feeling, however, the resistance fades away while your ability to let the feeling go gets stronger. Simply welcoming a feeling fully can often allow it to dissolve completely.

“The company I work for has announced plans for a layoff that we expect next week. No one really knows where the cuts will be and all are worried. I have never been good at being cut, so I used the method to release on the fear and anxiety that I am experiencing and I got a whole lot more than I thought I would.

First, I released victim mentality, also, it's a job, it's not me. In the past I felt I was the job. The Sedona Method has changed the outcome and outlook of my entire life. I feel so validated and free. I know that I am, and nothing can take that away without me willing it so.”
Mike Gallemore

After welcoming the feeling, ask yourself in this moment if you could simply let go. By allowing yourself to welcome what you feel and then letting it go, you will immediately feel relief. This will also bring you more access to your intuitive knowing-ness and the clarity of clear reason required for you to weather the storm.

“I came to The Sedona Method to find tools for living my life with greater freedom, ease and joy. My realization is that the freedom, ease and joy are already present. I only needed to remove the thoughts, feelings and emotions that were covering them up all this time.”
Paul Hathaway

A releaser's experience received today!

"Releasing does work Alice – and I have to say that I have just spent the most peaceful school holidays in such a long while – the benefits of the Sedona Method are so subtle but definite and what I am finding is that the talk within is much more accepting, positive and gentle to my soul and general disposition."

Inspiring Conference Talk Achieved through Releasing

My last blog post was about releasing my fear and being inspired to write a story. That story became the opening element of my talk at the Early Childhood Australia conference – and exactly hit the spot with the audience! It illustrated my presentation perfectly. Interestingly, I went through intense doubts about the story along the way. Some of the people I tried the story out with didn’t get it. I got a very unsure about whether the story was any good. I kept releasing and found an underlying faith that it would work. Then, once I was in the room with the audience of seventy child caregivers, the story came to life. I could feel their deep interest, and when I got to the punch line, many actually gasped!

After that day when the story 'arrived', a stream of daily inspirations ‘landed’ in the mornings just after waking. Each day I would wake with some fear and dread present, another layer of my limiting beliefs about the forthcoming conference presentation having surfaced. Each morning I welcomed the arising of those fears and let them go. After releasing the emotion, a "downloading" of inspirations would generally follow, addressing the very area I had been stressed about. Then I would find myself getting up and energetically springing into the day. Every time the idea would work out.

This was such a magical process - except that it felt very normal! It felt how life is meant to work. The truth is, the answers we need are simply there, as long as I let go of the emotions that block them. I found myself genuinely welcoming the uncomfortable emotions that were triggered, by fearful thoughts that I didn't know how to do something.

I have found the key is to truly see the uncomfortable emotions that are triggered as a good sign! It gets easier and easier to do this as each release of emotion leads to a next step that works out. You can’t pretend! It’s no use simulating welcoming the emotion – the subconscious sees through all pretense. When you actually welcome the emotion, the release follows and the inner wisdom becomes available.

By releasing and then listening to these early morning inspirations, I easily asked for help from many people with just the skills I needed and they all said yes with such generosity. In fact in some cases they offered their help spontaneously.

The success of the story, the way the message of the whole talk resonated, the people I attracted, have given me even more trust in the inspirations that I received when I released my limiting emotions.

From having been the ultimate lone ranger, wanting to work in a team but not knowing how to achieve it, I found myself with a wonderful team of people supporting this venture, all contributing their high level skills with graciousness and enthusiasm. It was extraordinary how it all just flowed!

This is just a brief overview of the power of releasing throughout this conference adventure. I could write much more. (Read a fuller account here)

My purpose in telling you about this experience is to encourage you to release everything! Take in that you can welcome any emotion; that most uncomfortable feelings come from suppressed emotions from the past, triggered by current stimuli; that when we welcome feelings and release them, our true, wise inner nature is revealed and we receive inspiration and inner guidance.

Releasing our emotions, letting go of trying to control them, is the key to a wonderful flowing way of living.

Releasing Fear and Enabling Effective Action

Many exciting opportunities and directions are developing with my work at the moment. Along with all the great things happening come some extremely intense reactions to DOING some of the actual steps I need to take to get all this happening. A lot of resistance and fear comes up. I keep letting it go and have taken some significant steps.

I have a major event scheduled for early October (read about it here). I was getting really terrified about being ready for the conference, so I did this exercise about fear.

Shortcut for Letting go of Fear Exercise
Ask yourself, when you feel afraid :

What is it I don't want to have happen?
Write down your first thought.
Welcome the feelings, the sensations in the body, the pictures and sounds (and thoughts are just sounds and pictures) that come up with that response.
Now ask: Could I let go of wanting that to happen?

This oddball question tends to bring about a release easily! Just keep doing it over and over until you feel as much relief from the fear as you would like.

This exercise comes from the understanding that whenever we're afraid we are focusing on what we don't want to have happen, and one part of us wants that to happen! When we let go fo that irrational 'want', we are freer and able to act.

Outstanding Results from The Letting Go of Fear Release
I did this exercise for a while this morning when I woke feeling really full of dread about the conference presentation. I listed in my mind the things I don't want to have happen, one by one and let them go, as described above.

One of these was that I don't want to find myself not well prepared and just winging it - doing an OK job but not the way I envisioned it, and losing the opportunity to make an impact and get these ideas really out there. I thought about how I want the talk to have powerful stories and images - and I get scared that I can't do that. What I didn't want to have happen is that I don't have well prepared and engaging stories. I let that fear go, let go of 'wanting that to happen'. Immediately, I remembered the class I am going to tonight which is an "Acting Class" (with skills for presentations in mind) at which we were to present a piece that we had practiced - using a special imaging and memory process to make it very engaging and memorable. I recalled that it was to prepare this presentation that I joined the class! I remembered that I intended to write my own story and present that.

A story came back to me and so I got up at 5.30 and and wrote it with ease and will present it tonight! I'm very pleased and intend to get up early to write every morning this week so I get all the pieces I need for my first practice talk next Monday properly prepared. It's feeling much more doable now. Because I released the fear I was able to take the action I needed to take. My whole week started so well as a result of that early morning releasing practice.

A New "Releaser" Reports Strong Gains!

Share from a participant in a recent Release Your Limiting Feelings and Find Happiness workshop:

“The releasing results have been phenomenal! I ‘got it’ that day of the workshop and it’s been really good for me. So many things that were stuck have moved on easily. I’ve found a house to move to, and even feel excited about doing it up. I’ve found a new school for my daughters at last. I’ve been releasing my reactions to my ex-husband before I speak and things are so much better between us.

I’ve found releasing a lot easier process to do than any other, and I’ve done lots of processes. I like that it feels so free of everything, and can be used everywhere. It’s really easy for me. It’s made such a difference that first I acknowledge my feelings and then I can release them. The shift is that this process honours my feelings where before I used to try to push them away and distract myself from them. By honouring them first I find it so easy to release them and everything has started to flow.”