More awakening unfolds

Illustration of head and neck muscles (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Barbara Franken issued a new challenge for February, two years after inviting us to write about our awakening experiences and creating an e-book from the posts (see mine here), she now asks us to update.

During the two years since the original posts about awakening, I became especially immersed in a path of discovery about my ancestors and their role in creating patterns in me.  Genealogy research helped me note patterns which I realized stretch far back into my family’s history.

At the same time I was struggling with a lot of muscles in my head that have been unwinding tediously slowly.  Although I’d released everything I could find in my life, the patterns seemed stuck.  When I realized I could see some of the patterns in the faces of relatives both in person and in old pictures, it became clear to me these patterns run deep in cellular memory.

I’d already been working some on clearing ancestral patterns but I felt it needed something more.  I booked a few Craniosacral appointments for some relief from the physical issues and, in that wonderful way the Universal has of bringing you what you need, Robyn, the therapist, referred me to Osunnike, an amazing healer.

So much was cleared that afternoon that the healing kept evolving for months.  But still didn’t finish off healing the muscles in my head.  Recently I went back to Bodypatterning, where Hanna tapped into a past life issue still hanging on.  I’ve taken her suggestions for working with that and am about to book another appointment.

The end of this piece of the journey feels close but it isn’t over.  And that’s part of the point.  Spiritual awakening is often long and slow.  While there seem to be people who suddenly become positive and have everything change, for many of us a commitment to awakening means also saying yes to a long dark night of the soul.  The journey may last for many years with results that are by and large only internal and during which you encounter unhappy memories, painful truths and slog through stuck places that seem unending.

Ancestral issues may have been anchored into your cellular memory hundreds of years ago.  Those patterns can include the way you hold muscles as well as emotional issues, world views, etc.  Past life issues covering thousands of years can be at play in your body, your emotions, your thoughts…

Over years of clearing and releasing, I’ve noticed that with every step forward I feel all my practices differently.  Whether it’s positive thinking or an energy practice like the Eight Key Breaths or a meditation, etc., the more my body opens, the more I can feel how the energy of each practice moves through.  The more I release, the more impact I can feel from any of these pursuits.  Step by step, slowly awakening.

I know I’m doing a bit of clubbing over the head with this, having brought it up in a recent post, but so many people are being told by New Age pundits these days that this journey is easy and quick and I want to tell the other story: many people have a long journey into the shadows.  Those 40 days in the wilderness can go on for years.  It all leads to expanding consciousness and becoming more awake.  But it isn’t always the easy flip of a switch that many would have you believe.

My changes at this point are largely internal although they include behavior changes I imagine others can see–so in that sense external.  But the internal change is phenomenal.  Though part of me yearns to see more change in my external world, I treasure the many ways in which I have changed on this journey.  I’ve even learned to enjoy the triumph when I get to the root of an issue or feel the freedom when some long-held belief or patterns is released.  For me the triumph is worth the sometimes-painful process of getting there.

I’ve known and encountered so many people over the years who’ve quit traveling the path of awakening in disgust because they didn’t get the results they expected or didn’t get them fast enough.  Stepping off that cliff onto the road to awakening sometimes leads to outcomes you never saw coming that are nonetheless wonderful, or winding down dark trails through painful memories.  The joy is in the journey, both the ups and downs and in allowing it sometimes to lead you to places you didn’t expect.

Tomorrow’s post will be https://fredapetticoatsadventuresofwakingup.wordpress.com.  To see more of the posts for this challenge:

February Challenge

1st Barbara – http://memymagnificentself.com
2nd Michael – http://embracingforever.com
4th Ka – http://fiestaestrellas.com
5th Julianne – http://peacockseyes.com/blog/
8th Edith – http://edithboyertelmer.wordpress.com
9th Gaelen – https://seeingthewhisper.wordpress.com
10th KL – https://amusingspirit.wordpress.com
11th Barbara – https://discoveriesofgrace.wordpress.com
12th Karen – https://karinfinger.wordpress.com
13th Margo – https://lifeasimprov.wordpress.com
14th Brian – https://middlepane.com
15th Leigh – https://bluegrassnotes.wordpress.com
16th Freda – https://fredapetticoatsadventuresofwakingup.wordpress.com
17th Carina –
18th Kimberley – http://kimberlyharding.wordpress.com & Alia – https://newearthparadigm.wordpress.com
19th
20th Mick – https://meticulousmick.wordpress.com
21st Jill – https://vidanaturalskincare.com/blog/
22nd Leya – http://alohaleya.wordpress.com
23rd Sue – http://suedreamwalker.wordpress.com
24th Linda – http://litebeing.com
25th Tania Marie – http://taniamarieartist.wordpress.com
26th Mei – https://meiflynn.com/blog/
27th Cindy – https://bluebutterfliesandme.wordpress.com
28th Laurie – http://lauriesnotes.com
29th Megha – http://megachiku.wordpress.com