Embracing Suffering

Life is a school. Every aspect that we live through is about coming more into fullness of ourselves. Every aspect of suffering, is an invitation to perceive life a little differently. An opportunity to connect with true divinity. Suffering can strengthen our compassion for others going through similar situations, and when recognized in others, can show us that we aren’t alone in what we go through. Every person, despite outer appearances have their own lessons and own challenges. This is currently a central unifying theme for all of us, a common thread that we all carry trauma in one form or another, and the more we expose ourself to this truth, the more we can come into compassion not only for ourselves and what our struggles are, but for every single other living being and the struggles they are going through.

Every type of suffering matters. Something that appears to be not a real ‘trauma’, could be just as severe or more than what appears to be a real ‘trauma’ from your perception. We have all had experiences where perhaps we have dealt with some issue or problem for a period of time, but then something very 'small' happens, and for whatever reason it’s the cherry on top and it explodes all of our emotions. It’s not typically the ‘event’, it’s our emotional maturity in dealing with it. When we are beginning the process of opening up to our emotional maturity, it may appear that something insignificant has been blown out of proportion, yet, that is the response to be expected.

We are all at different levels of learning different lessons on this planet. The moment we come into judgment over someone else’s reactions to their challenges, is the moment that we have lost balance in our perceptions. If we are believing judgment, we are believing something untrue. Everyone is doing the best to their ability in working with the challenges that they are facing. From the outside, it may appear so obvious about what needs to happen in order for them to come into balance. Yet when we think of the challenges that we face, we never think of the solutions as that easy… why is that?

Perhaps we have already tried a multitude of approaches. Perhaps we lack the energy, or the motivation. Perhaps we haven’t been convinced of a real solution, hence not giving our full to said solution. Or perhaps we are working very hard in every direction possible trying to find a solution, but haven’t quite struck gold yet. Others may have judgment over what we are doing or not doing, but ultimately we do the things that 1. we believe will help us and 2. we have the energy and the capacity to face and address. If one of these items are missing, finding a solution will be near impossible, hence our judgment on others for not doing 1. something they don't believe will help them 2. something that is out of their energy and capacity to face and address - is ultimately a fault on our part for judging them on something that they aren't quite there on. Better, is to support them as a loving friend, and perhaps even provide energy towards the places that they are lacking energy. This is a much more conducive support in helping someone in need, rather than judging them for where they are at.

Sometimes if the suffering is too much, it’s easier to attach to distractions and that which keeps us from actually working through to the gem of the learning. The strongest type of addiction is within our relationships. We are often too afraid of the perceived ramifications of facing our suffering ‘alone’. The fact that we are alone in anything, is both very true and very untrue. Paradoxically we are both always totally alone (arguably solo soul units occupying one body) whether in relationship or not, and always totally not alone (one with divine and all creation) whether in relationship or not. Either way particular relationships may keep us in certain negative states for longer as they can distract us from unraveling the turmoil that exists within. Categorizing ‘aloneness’ based on having certain relationships or not isn’t based on truth.

Relationships when not in harmony and resonance, can lead us to feel even more alone than actually just being alone and allowing ourselves to find ourselves. Being alone without a relationship may allow more possibilities to open to higher sources of relationships (meaning connection to God/Divinity/Angelic Realms/Etc.) - and the recognition that ‘aloneness’ is merely a myth. We are always surrounded by the benevolence of universal energies- whether you would like to call that God, or Angels or Divine Beings, Devas or Spirit Guides - or distinguish between them and allow their unconditional love to permeate your being. On one hand we are the driver (which is up for debate in some circles) of this biological being, hence allows for some feeling of ‘aloneness’, yet if we truly pray on support, that will be provided to us either on an etheric level or in the form of other physical manifestations.

When we are facing hardship. It’s important to remember that the suffering we carry doesn’t completely belong to us (as we are never entirely alone - means we can't take full responsibility for everything that shows up for us). This is also a collective challenge. Many others have faced similar hardships and everyone has experienced hardship. The energy of hardship, looks the same on an etheric level. It’s an energetic blockage that can be unraveled with compassion and presence. Much of our blockages have actually been passed to us from previous generations.

I recently read a study about several mice who were sprayed with a flower scent, then exposed to the shaking of their environment. These mice developed a nervous reaction to the flower scent in anticipation of the shaking. The shaking was then removed from the experiment and even still, every time the flower scent was sprayed, the mice continued showing signs of trauma. These were all male mice, which the researchers then paired them with females. Six generations later, the mice without the presence of any older generations, displayed the same trauma from researchers spraying the same flower scent without the shaking. This shows that fears and energetic blockages are passed down through generations. We can’t take full responsibility for everything in our space, we need to have compassion with the unraveling of these blockages as we work through them, because we are going through an age where we are waking up to the reality of ancestral karma.

We are fortunate to have methods to help us unravel these heavy energies. Family Constellations is a powerful way to address this. Sitting in meditation and allowing the ‘burn’ of uncomfortable emotions to be fully present, while being in silence and stillness can allow massive healing. For me, it’s easier to be more present with this energetic ‘burn’ with the help of orchid and nature essences. These frequencies are subtle yet strong and seep into the unconscious, helping to untangle blockages that prevent us from wanting healing. Which, yes, is a thing. We can easily become in low energetic entanglements and find ourselves resisting violently things that would actually help us. Our bodies have gotten used to a certain frequency and are basically not wanting to change. Aspects such as essences, can help us rewire our subconscious to invite growth, and be ready for the next 'level up'.

Essences can assist in helping us be calmer and more present with what we are facing. They untangle what they can, making it easier for us, but ultimately as earth is a school, the most powerful thing we can do is to choose freedom for ourselves. We have to choose to walk through the fire, so that we can be cultivated into the diamonds we truly are. It’s about coming back into our truth of purity. And the realization of every single other soul on this earth is truly a diamond. We’ve trained ourselves to believe otherwise, hence we’ve created categories of deserving and undeserving souls based on our own perceptions of goodness and evilness. Ultimately we are all victims to our environment. The more we can hold a place of compassion for those we view as ‘wrong’, the less karma we create on this planet. It doesn’t mean that we throw away our boundaries and allow others to take advantage of us or others. It means we draw lines and boundaries about appropriate behavior that we will accept and consequences for such, yet we hold upmost love and compassion for them. For actions of such severity to be committed by anyone, requires massive unconsciousness - which typically stems from an overwhelming pain body that is being actively avoided.

Hence, the way to heal the world, is for us to be willing to face our own pain bodies, and to unravel the ‘emptiness’ and ‘intensity’ we feel within that pain body. This is why meditation is such a powerful way to healing. We are so desperate to avoid, feed, cover up, and distract ourselves from our pain… it has a tendency to perpetuate it and eventually feed into our children and or others around us. We must take responsibility for the shadows that we carry, in order to heal not only ourselves, but the generations who have come before us.

Embrace suffering, embrace feeling, embrace the divine teachings and lessons within all of life. It exists and you are absolutely not alone.

Namaste,

Esther Shanti