Welcome to another meditation for the well-being of all life on earth and to our Friday earth send. Reiki is going out to all who can take it and have asked for it. Light is going out to all who resonate and can use it. Love and gratitude are going out to our network and to all who have the fabulous fortune to know us!
Here are a few things that have been on my mind lately. If you don’t resonate at all with my angle, consider that you are coming from the opposite experience and that the areas that I need to tone down is where you could contribute more, and where you have made a lot of progress so far, I can put more emphasis on, going forward. None of us have the same path. Aiming for balance initiates a journey that feels good and that you can be on for a long time.
So…
We can pray for people. We can send each other good thoughts. We can regenerate the soil and add more vegetation to it that will magnetize a vibrant ecosystem.
And we can let go of trying to solve the life themes of and for other people. Many of us are gifted at counseling, developing strategies and encouraging. In order to draw strength from a strength, our first client has to be “I”.
To improve life conditions of unknowable or quite different personalities in unfamiliar settings, though well meant often enough, may not be possible. It is possible perhaps as a process that a few generations commit to. One lifetime is too short for it, though.
By providing a model of what we stand for, we offer the inspiration that can wake up people to claim their own values too and the courage to live as they were meant to.
While we keep polishing our own lives, we can keep so many people in our kind thoughts, give them positive feedback as they progress and be happy for their good news.
I want to imprint on your minds that not every type of service is draining. Service can be rewarding and nurture you back and create meaning. But when you find yourself without results, a change is on the rise. The sooner you grasp that a new beginning is near, the faster you let go of stress and get ready for it.
I can offer many explanations for why I have felt utterly drained, well, let’s say why I allowed myself to get drained. I took responsibility for my part in it. The metaphor of winter dressing in Canada (you could not conceive what you’d be in for — until you learn to dress for the weather and the pieces that keep you warm are in your closet) is useful here:
Once you have taken care of your own needs, you can show up, remain objective and assist and enjoy what is going well, enjoy a lighter touch here and there. When it is over, you go home, restore yourself and prepare your gear (and tools) for the next day. Walking into places without the proper gear and with a habitual happy-go-lucky attitude will teach you memorable lessons. While your body will fend off any infection eventually, you are not functioning as you expect you would be — until you respect the habitat and the weather and adjust to it.
Of course, working with people is not always like exposing yourself to extremely cold weather. But when the people have immense deficits and great needs, it is a lot like being in too cold weather. I admire people who can keep going without getting affected by habitat, “weather” and all those conditions. But I had to be honest with myself and my need for balance, warmth and a sense of luck and not tell myself a story about grit anymore.
My father used to joke about the resilience of the Jurelas at many gatherings. Sure enough, we have proven that we have it. The pandemic years made me reassess many of my patterns. I can persevere. I have persevered. I don’t need to prove it anymore. What is next? What is my next step in my evolution? I am transitioning into that.
I believe in balance and in participating in the symmetry of our lives. As meditators and reiki practitioners, we can bring our awareness to what needs mending and what needs more emphasis in each chapter. So we soften what has become too much and we amp up the areas of life where there has been too little flow, inflow and movement.
I am grateful for what I was able to achieve so far, and it is time for me to explore things I have put on hold and allow my life to become more harmonious.
In the last 18 months, athletes, musicians and politicians have stepped down from a contract in order to take better care of themselves. Other than in work settings, I never heard statements like that. The language sounded brand new to the ears. Hearing these highly committed, world famous people speak with dignity about their limits and their plan to recharge their batteries was a surprise. A good surprise. It is a quantum leap for society toward acceptance, respect for our boundaries and our vital energy, and toward self-love.
May this Friday settle you in your own energy and treat you well. Notice the dreams about your future that are surfacing: you are being given these scenarios to materialize them.
Many blessings to the unfolding of what wants to be.
27 January 2023
Nanda Jurela 