Dear Listeners,
It is often I find myself suggesting to someone I am speaking with, that they try to mix things up a bit for themselves. If life can be viewed as a grand experiment, one that allows us to test things out and in the process learn about ourselves… life can become a process of self-actualization.
Every action can yield an outcome which helps us know ourselves better. This may seem overly simple, I believe the profound lies in the mundane.
I'm going to back up a little bit though. Mixing things up means doing something different, shifting a routine. Switching things up can highlight subtle patterns below our day-to-day awareness. Why would that be important? Because sometimes it is hard to understand the decisions we make. A multitude of internal beliefs, values and memories shape our actions and reactions without our (conscious) knowing. Anytime you switch up a pattern, you get to see what it was connected or attached to. Here I refer to a mental, emotional or a behavioral habit. There are many methods of self reflection (including therapy), this passage focuses on how an action (and the feedback it yields) can provide insight into a pattern and thus yield an opening for opportunity:.
Below are a few random examples, I suggest beginning small.
Move your shoes (the ones you take off when you enter your home) to a different place near your entrance. Move your toiletries from one side of the sink to another.
Add a small step to your morning (or evening) routine; for example, when you wake up stand by an open window in the morning to experience the sun on your face before you start your day
Call someone you’ve been meaning to reach out to, just to say hello
Make a meal with a vegetable you never cooked before
Go to a friend's house, walk through their yard or a nearby wooded area and identify plants never seen before.
Shaking up a pattern can be challenging, I remember I had a patient once look at me with surprise when I suggested he move his shoes in the entrance of his home. Pick something that can can take you a tiny bit out of your comfort zone.
I’m going to give a small example of my own.
I did something different (for me) this weekend, I found myself in a in a field identifying wild edible plants and herbs. A friend suggested I use an app to familiarize myself with an area, I thought little of it and downloaded it.
What came of this experiment was a total surprise. A field of all-green-weeds became an expanse of hidden treasures (amongst some weeds) including wild Rose, St. John's Wort, TONs of burdock, common sorrel, vervain, buttercup, stinging nettle, I could go on.… I was excited as if I discovered something, when in fact I was learning to see.
A field of ‘green stuff’ became a timetable of history (Romans chomped on sorrel), nutritious food (oxalic acid, calcium, protein, fiber, how nettle compares to wheat) and healing properties (anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-histaminic). The latter anchored my understanding of food as medicine in a tangible way. I realized it’s easier to learn plants in their habitat (a challenge) which informs my studies of essential oils. The pattern for me here was regarding my studying habits of the past, what I thought was the right way versus one that works for my brain/learning system.
Feel free to share this with anyone you think this might help. I hope you had a peaceful Memorial Day weekend.
Cellular Vitality Meditation