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[success]You can dance in the storm. Don’t wait for the rain to be over before because it might take too long. You can can do it now. Wherever you are, right now, you can start, right now; this very moment. ~ Israelmore Ayivor[/success]
The land of my birth can be dreary, filled with various shades of grey.
Long days filled with misty rain, angry clouds scudding across the sky and those bone chilling winds that whip themselves into a frenzy, taking direct aim at the hat on your head.
It’s also a place of beautiful gardens ablaze with flowers, verdant hills of emerald hue, country lanes alive with hedgerows and songbirds…truly a green and pleasant land. We Brits have this pervy relationship with rain…love and hate intermingled with every drop.
And being British, all these recent downpours in Florida don’t faze me in the least. I learned over the years that I could still dance in the rain, still smile in the rain, still be happy in the rain, still enjoy my life in the rain.
Why? Because I decided that was how it was going to be.
Into our worlds a little rain will fall, and if you’ve been hit by one hellish storm recently where everything that could go wrong did, where rock bottom loomed a little closer every day, where you felt helpless and hopeless or hapless, where all you could see was the darkness and vastness of your problems…well…
Because it’s Sunday or Monday and because I’m invested in your happiness and joy, I have two tales to tell, that might help you find a way to weather the storm and even smile and dance, or at least deal with, any storm that might have sprung up in your life lately, or in the future. So if you’re sitting comfortably, I’ll begin.
Turning your back
If you’re faced with seemingly unsurmountable problems…use Daniel as a guide.
I’ve always loved the way Neville expresses this story…
“Most of us on finding ourselves in the lions’ den would be concerned only with the lions, we wouldn’t be thinking about any other problem in the whole wide world but that of the lions; yet we’re told that Daniel turned his back on them and looked toward the light that was God. If we could follow the example of Daniel while threatened with any dire disaster such as lions, poverty, or sickness, if like Daniel we would remove our attention to the light that is God, our solutions would be similarly simple.
Daniel’s faith was so great that it finally brought about his freedom and his appointment to a high office in the government of his country.
This story was written for you to instruct you in the art of freeing yourself from any problem or prison in the world.
For example if you were imprisoned, no man would need to tell you that what you should desire is freedom. The desire to be free would be automatic. Look upon your desires as the spoken words of God and every word a prophecy of that which you are capable of being.
If you found yourself sick or in any other predicament the same would be true. Lions represent seemingly insoluble solutions of a threatening nature. Every problem automatically produces its solution in the form of a desire to be free from the problem. Therefore, turn your back upon your problem and focus your attention upon the desired solution by already feeling yourself to be that which you desire.”
We have infinite potential. No beginning, no end. We have all this power yet if you watched the way we live you’d think we were totally out of juice.
Pushing the rock
“A man asked God how he could serve him and God told him to go and push a huge boulder. The man did so. He pushed for days and it didn’t move. He pushed for weeks and it didn’t move. He pushed for months and it didn’t move. He kept on pushing as years went by until eventually, tired and frustrated he said to God…I’ve pushed this boulder for years and it hasn’t budged an inch, nothing has happened.
God replied. I didn’t ask you to move it, I’ll move it at the right time.
I asked you to push it and much has happened. You’ve gained in determination, in persistence, in strength of body and mind. You’re no longer the person you were when you started to push the boulder.”
Keep pushing your rock. Incredible things are happening…even if you can’t see them yourself…and the rock will be moved in divine order.
Bottom line
Being in the middle of any storm in life, we have a tendency to focus only on the problems, because we believe thinking about them is the way to weather the storm.
Not.
Spending a lot of time focusing on something that feels bad, makes it incredibly difficult to even muster up a smile, let alone think a thought that actually feels better.
So begin now, choose to start each day off on a positive note, and I’m talking every day. This is your rock and you need persistence to experience the changes you desire.
Visualize, affirm, journal, contemplate…doesn’t matter what you choose. Just set the tone for your day.
You are a conductor of consciousness. Everything in the universe is consciousness and in every moment we’re moving that consciousness into one form or another in our world.
Train your mind to focus on health, wealth, and success
All that we focus on, all that we see and hear in the media or on tv, all that we hear from those around us, is constantly constructing reality. We have to make sure that what we see and hear is what we want to experience, we have to train ourselves to focus more on constructive, positive thoughts and feelings and ignore the rest.
Sometimes that means simply choosing a thought to return to each time a worrisome thought rears it’s little head. We might all be having those 60,000 thoughts a day, but we can only think one of them at a time. What’s the best thought you can think that you can call on at a moments notice?
Let’s all think thoughts of health, success, personal power, abundance and joy.
Two minutes
Two minutes a day, at the very beginning of your day will set you up to be in a place where you too can be happy when a little rain sets in, where you can be so unfazed at storms, you can see them as no more than a blip on the radar, just a little squall.
Heck you might even find yourself dancing in it…in my case it would be a brief dance because my hair goes all frizzy when it’s wet.
Take two minutes a day, first thing, to affirm how deeply grateful you are for the love, joy and abundance in your life. One of my own personal favourites…I’m a high vibrational being, filled with love and light is a great way to start the day.
Look out though, you might be bowled over, not by a storm but by all the peeps you meet in your day who fall over themselves to see you get what you need.
Remember, you are infinitely greater than you have so far conceived yourself to be.
As a nosey parker I’d love to hear your experiences with stormy weather, in the comments below, and any strategies that work for you. Perhaps your strategies will be the answer to someone’s prayer and that’d be a good thing. Right?
I so appreciate you stopping by, reading and sharing this post and all your words of wisdom.
Encourage one another.
Elle
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20 Comments
Elle, using the “green and pleasant land” of your birth to set the scene paints a great mental picture of how we feel when our relationships end, we can’t find a friend and the tax man is at the door. Grey, dreary and constant drizzle in your soul. Turn your back and see the bright sun rising, Great post!
Yes Dore, there are times when it feels as though it’s raining in our hearts. Thanks for stopping by my friend. 🙂
Elle,
The story of Daniel is such a powerful one. I’ll remember this one when it starts to rain!
I’ve always enjoyed Neville’s interpretation of it Sandra…it makes so much sense to me. Always appreciate your thoughts my friend. 🙂
Well done, Elle !
I love that bit “any dire disasters such a lions, poverty or sickness”. It just seems to put everything in perspective. Regarding stormy weather, what seems to pull me through the odd rough patch is a strategy that has some similarity to Daniel’s. I go to the completed end, my version of it, as often as I can. And it seems that the repetition of placing my focus on my outcome, as I desire/know it to be, pulls me safely through “the lion’s den”.
I have not perfected it yet as sometimes it does longer than others.
Thank you for another great article !
Write on, Elle !
Oooh I like that Joseph. The repetition and persistence most definitely have power…and I’d put money on it, perfect though you ‘aint…you’re better and better all the time. 🙂
Love the story of the boulder-pusher, Elle! And that is the absolute truth, for me. Facing things head on is the best way to challenge ourselves and conquer. Ah, So good reading this post! 😀 Love ya!
Hi Vidya…that story struck a chord with me too Vidya. The idea that as we persist, we become the person we needed to be to have the experience we wanted to have. I’m happy to let God move the blooming rock. 🙂
We just went to Seattle so I completely understand the love-hate rain issue. It’s so beautiful and green there! In Denver we LOVE rain because we’ve been going through a drought. We’re so enjoying the evening monsoon rains that have finally come back after all these years. The weather is a little like your perspective on life! 🙂
Love your stories and have always loved hearing about Neville, too. First read about him in Wayne Dyer’s book Wishes Fulfilled.
Thanks for a great and inspiring post, Elle!!
Isn’t that the thing about the rain Betsy, it might seem like a scourge to those who have a lot of it, but the other side of the coin, and there’s always another side to the coin, is the beauty the rain brings. As you say, it’s a great perspective to have on life.
I’ve been studying Neville for more years than I want to remember and was so happy when Wayne Dyer ‘discovered’ him and took his writings into the mainstream of spiritual thinking. Practicing the principles Neville teaches has enriched and enhanced my life in so many incredible ways that I’m always happy to use his work in the hope that another life will be enhanced and enriched. 🙂
hi Elle – Like Vidya and others, I love the boulder-pusher story as well. I wonder if another variation of that story is realizing that the boulder was never there in the first place? lol Or maybe it had a secret opening or handle to push it up the hill if he had asked God for help. lol I digress. Or maybe if he changed his location just a little bit he might have realized he was actually facing downhill, not up:)
What you’ve said about facing problems and stormy weather is the absolute truth. We don’t have to spend all our time thinking about it. And we don’t have to let our internal world be in a flux and be upset because of what happened. If we refuse to let our external circumstances meddle with our inner peace and happiness, I’d say we’ve conquered life:)
I am really enjoying all of your articles of late Elle!
Ooooh I like that Vishnu, the boulder was never there, hmmm, or the other scenarios that could exist. I’m glad you’re enjoying the posts Vishnu, I know I’m really enjoying your perspectives on life through your comments. And I think it’s so true that they who have control over their inner world have control of their destiny. 🙂
Love the quote and yes I do remember the rain and grey of london when I lived there. I think this year is the year for rain here in what i call paradise the rain has been more prevalent than usual.
Wonderful passages you have shared and yes keep pushing the rock. I had a rocky week last week and as I kept pushing things have moved and I feel myself moving forward, wow even fearlessly came into my thoughts as I wrote this. I like you mornig mantra too
with love and gratitude
I never knew you lived in London Suzie. Sorry you had a rocky week recently, I’ve had a couple of my own rocks to look at this week Suzie, it’s so amazing that out of the rocks do come great ahas, or new experiences, or higher understandings. Gotta love those rocks, although I’m always looking for a more graceful way to evolve. It must be there since I’m imagining it, just waiting for it to show up so I can write about it. 🙂
Yes Elle lived there Islington and Highgate back in the 70s for 5 years- loved it- was teaching then. I got to travel a lot and had an awesome cycling holiday in Scotland. Yes I am with you to having a more graceful to show up too 🙂
I know those areas well Suzie. Maybe we passed each other on the street back then! 🙂
I love the idea of returning to an empowering phrase and recently found one that works for me. After reading Love Yourself Like Your Life Depends On It by Kamal Ravikant, I’ve incorporated his practices of a short morning meditation of breathing in and saying, “I love myself” and breathing out any negativity that comes up; returning to “I love myself” when anything bad happens during the day; and asking myself, “If I truly and completely love myself, would I want to feel this way?” I’ve found that these simple thoughts can completely transform my demeanor.
Yes – focus on the wonderful things instead of the lions.
e-hugs!!
And I love that Paige. I’ve begun to use the phrase daily about areas of my body that might be in pain or need some healing…I haven’t breathed it in and out tho’…now that’s a superb idea. You always have such cool things to share. 🙂
Hi Elle,
Storms come in all forms. I love, as well your opening describing your homeland. What I’ve learned about the storms in my life is to face them head on, have compassion and understanding about the situation and how it is affecting not only myself, but those around me, and finally know that “This too shall pass.” Storms come and storms go. Our strength helps us weather the storms in our life. Thanks! xo
They certainly do Cathy. I like the concept of being kind to yourself when you’re in the middle of some difficult spot. I remember hearing a minister say is the problem bigger than your God? I think our mind can make anything so much worse than needs be…and I like what you say. This too shall pass. Thanks Cathy for your as always calm and wise perspective. 🙂