Sifting Through the CHATTER

Sifting Through the CHATTER

 

Our human mind can certainly keep us thinking about “everything under the sun!” That is an expression my mother used a lot and as I’m thinking through my spiritual life it has more meaning to me now! There is NOTHING on this earth that is NOT under the sun including us. Oh we may not see the sun… but we are under it all day long. And it is amazing the CHATTER that can go through our mind and that so often magnifies at night when we are trying to sleep.

The other day I woke from a rather disturbing dream. I woke up with the sense that my life had been turned totally upside down. In my dream, I had to take a new teaching position. ( I’ve been retired now for 15 years.) In my dream I had this HUGE room to sort through teaching materials I would use with young children.  Some were so inappropriate I was aghast that anyone had used them. I began making trips to a dumpster. Then it was a day by day mental exercise to “decide” what to use or not use. And then in the confusion I was asking, “what day is it anyway?” Do I really have to teach this way? I was screaming adamantly ( to someone?) that I would teach the way I knew children learned the best.  Oh the jumble of thoughts as I got up out of bed…I was desperately trying to awake from sleep. What’s REAL and what’s NOT REAL?

I was pretty shocked how long it took me to literally WAKE up even though I was in my kitchen making coffee? I found myself sifting through the CHATTER in my mind for way too long! I knew it was time to let it all go…but I began wondering at the meaning of the dream. Am I needing to sort out anything not useful in my life and toss it out? Do we often hang on to ideas, thoughts, or childhood teachings for way too long? Or was I defending my beliefs and got carried away? YES…I AM. I needed to keep saying those words.

I sat down to meditate and found myself sifting through the chatter of my mind about things I needed to do that day, what was critical for me to do and what could I let go. What I really needed to do was simply LET GO…and detach inward. It was hard that day. Have you ever had times like this? I AM the soul living under the sun…but I AM a spirit being in a human body. I kept saying those words over and over. I AM…I AM. I realized how MUCH I rely on GOD along with my guides, angels, and loved ones that have passed to help me out!

I remembered a tip someone gave me a long time ago. I was dealing with some difficult issues at the time. They suggested writing down the difficult thoughts or questions that would come up while journaling. After that you were to fold the paper up and “put it away” for later consideration. So, I took a pretty heart shaped box I had and labeled it…My HEART THOUGHTS. I put cut pieces of paper in there with my words on them. I wouldn’t let myself open the box for at least a week. It was amazing…a week later and those thoughts had totally changed, my predictions about happenings did NOT happen and I could tear them up! And…then start again.

I kept this box for a long time and kept reusing it until one day I realized I didn’t need it anymore. I thought I would share this with you in case you would like to TRY it. It was really quite amazing what the simple act accomplished for me over time.  I would not hesitate to start this practice again at any time.

That SAME morning I came across another Hawaiian Prayer…I DO LOVE them. It’s not just because my brother lives there now and I’ve visited…they have some incredible wisdom for us! I hope you enjoy this one.

Ancient Kahuna Prayer…from the folks in the jungles of Hawaii

Take all that I say,

And toss away

Without a thought

All that does not

Strike within you

A recognition.

For you do not learn

Wisdom and love

You only encounter

Catalysts to remember it.

For it is all

Within yourself.

It seems easy to think that we can simply toss out anything not helpful in our thinking. But in reality …we CAN do it! Sift through the CHATTER of your life and see how it changes your every day life!