Awakening

There is a story told of Mohini, a regal white tiger, who lived for many years at the Washington, D.C. National Zoo. Most of those years, Mohini's home was an old lion house, a twelve-by-twelve-foot cage with a cement floor surrounded by iron bars. Each day, the tiger spent her time pacing restlessly back and forth in the cramped space. Finally, a beautiful natural habitat was created for Mohini, and everyone was excited about releasing her into the new much larger environment. Unfortunately, the tiger had spent too long in the crowded space, and she quickly sought refuge in the corner of the compound, pacing back and forth until a twelve-by-twelve-foot area was worn bare of grass.

Each day, we have a choice about how to live our lives. Like Mohini, we can spend our time trapped in the same old patterns. ​ When we operate within narrow confines about how to live, we get stuck, develop unhealthy patterns, and don’t achieve the love, joy, and satisfaction that we were created to have. Or we can pause, recognize that we want more in our daily life and relationships, and decide to make some changes.

In her book, "Radical Acceptance--Embracing Your Life With the Heart of a Buddha," Tara Brach says, "The way out of our cage begins with accepting absolutely everything about ourselves and our lives, by embracing with wakefulness and care our moment-to-moment experience." Albert Einstein said that we cannot solve problems with the same level of consciousness that created the problem and American psychologist Carl Rogers proclaimed, "The curious paradox is that when I accept myself just as I am, then I can change.”

So change begins with becoming aware of who we are, owning our mistakes, telling the truth about ourselves, asking for help and support, and seeking to forgive ourselves and others with honesty and compassion. It can be a confronting and painful process involving self-reflection, having tough conversations, connecting with God's grace, and finding support for this journey. However, it is the only way to find peace within, deep connection and joy in our relationships, and awakening to who we were created to be!

Stay tuned for more on the process of Awakening to Our True Selves

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