Guest blog contributor, Chris Sopa’s daughter, Natalie Sopa, 19 years old.
“Above all, don’t lose hope”
~Pi, “Life of Pi”
When you look up at the stars, what do you see? Do simply see stars? Do you see beauty? Do they make you feel insignificant? Or do you look up at the sky, with the stars reflecting off your eyes like fire above a stagnate lake and feel possibility and hope?
Most of the time when someone looks up at the stars they don’t see the beauty or the possibilities that hold ungodly amounts of hope. They see a sky that is too large to comprehend; a large quantity of space that holds mysteries not yet known to the human race. Many feel themselves shrink back, feeling smaller and smaller by the second until they feel like an empty void of space.
Sometimes in life, things can make you feel small, unimportant, and insignificant. They can tear you apart piece by piece, ripping your soul so you feel like nothing but a deep, unexplored sea. Whether it is a divorce, a breakup, the death of a person or dream, or something as small as a deceptive lie told to you, these kinds of events can hurt you more than you would ever possibly think. The wound may heal, but most of the time there is always a scar left over on your soul. Then, once something happens that is similar to the event that created the scar, the wound is ripped back open.
Feelings like this should not be ignored. Like my Mom always says, most of the time if something keeps bothering you and ripping open a healed wound, there is a lesson that you need to learn from it. It may not always be so obvious because pain can leave such rough scars on our souls, our subconscious always remembers the pain, so; unless we do something to heal the wound to make the scar fade we will always feel reoccurring pain. We must strive past the pain and get to the source of the sorrow. You must keep digging until you get to the center of the earth. There you will find the lava that is fueling your pain.
Cooling that lava is where the peace will rise like evaporated water. As many experts say, “This is easier said than done.” The journey to peace might be more painful and rigorous than the wound itself, but the result is worth the fight.
Whether you feel like an endless space filled with stars or a deep sea filled with mystery, there is always hope for something new to be discovered. What will you discover at the end of your journey to peace?
For your FREE copy of Chris Sopa’s 7 Steps to Changing Any Behavior click on the photo below.
Chris Sopa is founder and owner of Chris Sopa International, Inc.
Chasing Unicorns and Other MythsAriana Langford is an emerging motivational speaker and writer. Her main theme, “Finding My Voice,” is directed at dispelling the shame of being a victim, while finding hope and forgiveness. She encourages compassion and personal growth in groups which include victims, offenders as well as general audiences. Ms. Langford lives in Oxford, PA with her husband, children and a variety of pets, all of whom she adores.
When I was young I loved unicorns. These mythical creatures of purity and strength captivated me. As the stories go, these elusive creatures could not be hunted. The way to catch a unicorn was to have a young virgin sit alone in the woods. The unicorn, attracted by her beauty and purity, would come and lay down next to her, resting its head on her lap.
I never heard of any cases where this actually worked. As I matured, my interest waned. Today I wistfully remember that youthful belief in myths when I come across an old unicorn keepsake.
These days, I find myself pursuing other myths. I move through the landscape of my life seeking inner peace and forgiveness. I live a blessed life, have a wonderful husband, children I adore, and a job that allows me to make a difference. Still, inner peace and forgiveness can be elusive.
Just like everyone else, I have been scarred while traveling through this world. For me, it was five years spent in foster care, only to be adopted into a nightmare of abuse and torture. Escaping from that environment landed me in a place I thought was safe until it no longer was. Completely on my own at 17, I was a victim of violent crime only a few years later.
Somehow, I always managed to survive, and by my late twenties, I even learned to thrive. I largely put my past behind me, and found the first cornerstone to a good life: hope. I still struggled with depression, but according to the mental health providers, this was an expected outcome for the trauma I endured. The depression could be controlled if I was willing to take a low dose anti-depressant – basically for the rest of my life. I wasn’t willing to do that, so occasionally I suffer.
As part of my healing process in my mid-twenties, I had to accept my adoptive mother as the broken human being she was. In retrospect it is clear that she hurt because she was deeply hurt. I got to the point where I basically forgave her, and as an adult we had some semblance of a relationship. That doesn’t mean I would leave my children alone with her. Forgiveness does not mean forgetting.
I was able to come to acceptance, if not quite forgiveness, with some of the other people who hurt me. Yet I continue to carry anger and bitterness. I know these things only hurt me, and hold me back.
The people I need to forgive represented systems that betrayed me. The doctor who said nothing when my mother claimed that I hurt myself after the incident with the wire hanger. The policeman who walked away, believing my screaming had been the result of a simple spanking. He left me to pay the price for attracting too much attention. The list goes on. Systems put in place to protect people never seemed to work when it came to me. These experiences left me with a lot of fear and hurt that decades later I recognize surfacing in my present life. Gathering love around me, I face these, head on, one at a time.
Perhaps the hardest area to heal is the one that is hardest to see. For when I get just a bit more honest, there is someone else I need to forgive. Myself.
Wait. What? What do I need to forgive myself for? When you grow up like I did, you have to make sense of the world somehow. I did it by believing that there was something wrong with me that caused all these bad things to happen.
While my head knows that this is an invalid belief, somewhere, deep inside me, this belief lives on. Now that I recognize it for what it is I am actively working on eradicating it from my belief structure. I cannot use a machete to cut it from my psyche. I can only coax it out with love and forgiveness. I need to love myself despite choices I made while trying to survive, forgive myself for habits built up over the years which grew out of fear-based notions. I am working to set aside the shame I carried for the better part of a lifetime. I was taught to keep secrets as a child, and I was very good at remaining silent. But this silence added to the conviction that there was something wrong with me, that people would turn away if they knew who I really am.
I know that we are all beings of Light. Our very essence is pure, and it manifests in the experience of love. Up until now, the silence I kept acted as a gatekeeper – only allowing so much light out at a time. I am removing the blockages, dismantling the dam that limits the flow of life inside me. As each piece of detritus floats away, it tells its story, allowing more light into the shadowy places. Amazingly, I find my voice grows stronger with every step.
I notice that inner peace comes, not when I am chasing it, but when I calmly sit and experience the Light that is within, the Light that I am allowing to fill me more fully.
I remain a work in progress, a traveler on a path still shrouded in mystery and magic. I walk forward with faith in the Love and Light that resides in each of us. And while the destination is unknown, I am certain I will find a deeper sense of forgiveness and peace.
Who knows? Maybe I will sit down in a beautiful wooded clearing, and a unicorn, attracted by the beauty and purity of my Light, will come and lay beside me, resting its magical head in my lap.
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For your FREE copy of Chris Sopa’s 7 Steps to Changing Any Behavior click on the photo below.
Chris Sopa is founder and owner of Chris Sopa International, Inc. You can learn more about her at www.ChrisSopa.com. Find her at Facebook.com/ChrisSopaInternational, Twitter @ChrisSopa, LinkedIn, and Google+.
Choose Your Illusion Wisely“I believe that everything and everyone is healed right now. I choose to focus on this truth instead of on illusions of fear.”
Everyone has seen a magician at some point in their life. David Copperfield is my all time favorite. I still remember watching when he made the Statue of Liberty disappear.
Even though I do believe in magic, or some may call it miracles, I also know that the brain is an amazing organ. With a small shift in attention and focus, an entire reality can change…making a several ton statue in the middle of one of the busiest cities in the world seem like it disappeared. Did it really disappear or were you just distracted enough to shift your attention?
Where we place our attention is the very energy that creates the reality we see in our lives. Do you look around and see hatred or love? Do you see the good in people or only judge the bad? Do you choose to focus on what can go wrong or what can possibly go right?
The way to change what we see in the world is simply with one thought at a time. Reacting to others programmed behaviors only keeps us all in the same energy that got us here in the first place. Be the one to shift your attention first. Change the “illusion” and create a new reality. If so many follow such a negative one, as we have created, imagine what would happen if someone, anyone, shifted their attention to a positive illusion?
If you are going to be living in an illusion anyway, why not choose one of healing and joy rather than fear? Why not choose one that is your own that benefits all of mankind so we can finally come out of the darkness we have created?
No harm shall befall you, my friend, for Divine Presence attends your way and guards you into The All Good.
Loving kindness awaits you at every turn of Life’s road.
Guidance is yours along the pathway of experience,
And an Infallible Power protects you.
~Ernest Holmes, “The Science of Mind”
Living in a beautiful “illusion” of my creation,
Chris
Purchase your copy of Chris Sopa’s new book, “Choosing the Life You Were Born to Live: How Changing Your Thoughts will Change Your Life” published by Balboa Press.
“That which you seek is within yourself. Teach by example that which you are inclined to share. For your actions speak far more clearly than any theory you may feel inspired to impart.”
~Rasha, “Oneness”
I always found truth to be an interesting word. It seems to mean different things to different people. Our truth center lies above our eyes in what is energetically called the “third eye.” Many who seek the truth, not so much about others but about themselves, find that this energy center (their head) tends to be a bit sore as of late. I have found in life that we can only go so long “playing the game of life.” Just when we think we have found the trick to life the truth finds us. What truth you ask? The truth about who you really are and why you are here.
Since we have been talking about energy centers and chakras all week, let me finish up our discussion to shed some light on this whole idea of the truth that we are seeking…
Your fifth chakra is located in the middle of your throat and has an energetic theme around “surrendering personal will to the Divine will.” This is our center of personal power and where we make our choices. Click here to learn more about the throat chakra. Every single illness has a center here because choice is involved in every detail of our lives…including illness. This is where you learn the nature of the power of choice, strength of will, personal expression and using your personal power to create what you want in the world. Have you been having a raspy or sore throat, mouth ulcers, gum difficulties, laryngitis, swollen glands, thyroid issues, stiff neck, colds, hearing problems or nose issues? Look to the choices you have made lately…are they serving your highest good?
Your sixth chakra is your “third eye” located in the middle of your forehead. Click here to learn more about the third eye chakra. This is your center of truth. In life, whether we know it or not, we are on a continual search for truth vs. illusion. This is the energetic area that helps us define our true self-image…that we were made in the likeness of God and God lives within us. Truth or illusion? You decide. The freedom to define God as you choose is your God-given birthright. There is no one that knows better than you what that is. What is the most gratifying path for you? That is your truth. An imbalance in this energy center shows itself via problems with the head, eyes, ears, nervous system, brain and even nightmares. We learn our truth through life lessons. Allow yourself to experience life…detach from the experience and see the truth that is happening underneath everything in your life. It is there…I promise.
The last chakra is located at the very top of your head and is called your crown chakra. Click here to learn more about the crown chakra. This is the area I like to call your “prayer center.” We receive information and the answers to our prayers through this energy center. The sun even acts as an information source for us believe it or not. The top of your head is a very sacred space. Did you ever wonder why the bones in this area take so much longer to close on an infant? I am sure there are scientific, physical reasons but I choose to believe it is because the longer this area stays open, the longer that infant is connected to God. This energy center is focused on “living in present time.” Our entire life is about building our relationship with God to one where we can go about our physical lives as a Divine being…constantly connected to our source…God. Have you ever had a life threatening illness or a “wake up call?” That is a perfect example of this chakra trying to get your attention. How would you define your relationship with God right now? Is he your “bud” or a distant stranger?
When you finally drop your guard and begin to believe the truth, that there is a Divine plan for your life, fear disappears and your life purpose suddenly presents itself. The truth has been there for you all along…you just have been blind to it.
In your darkest hour, can you believe there is a higher presence guiding your life? What is your truth?
Become someone great!
Hugs to you always,
Chris
Chris Sopa is founder and owner of Chris Sopa International, Inc. You can learn more about her at www.ChrisSopa.com. Find her at Facebook.com/ChrisSopaInternational, Twitter @ChrisSopa, LinkedIn, and Google+.
Chakra…Chaka Khan…Huh?“Within each of us is a hidden store of energy.
Energy we can release to compete in the marathon of life.
Within each of us is a hidden store of courage.
Courage to give us the strength to face any challenge.
Within each of us is a hidden store of determination.
Determination to keep us in the race when all seems lost. ~Roger Dawson
If you have done any reading or research at all in the field of eergy medicine, you have at one point come across the term “chakra.” What is a chakra? The best way to describe a chakra is an energy center. No, this is not woo-woo like you may be thinking…chakras have been proven to exist scientifically through a special form of photography and simply through life experiences and healings of individuals throughout the globe (including myself). Our entire beings are made of energy. Our cells are bundles of energy; we communicate because we exchange energy with another person (why do you think it feels the way you do when you kiss somebody? You are exchanging energy with that person)…energy drives everything we do. Doesn’t it make sense that we would have “energy centers” in our body, kind of like power plants, to direct, clean and balance the energy coming in and out of us on a daily basis?
We have 7 main chakras. Each one of them has a theme, so to speak…a spiritual life lesson that surrounds it and the amount of energy flowing through it dictates how well we are doing in that specific area of our development. Chakras are one of the main centers where we can heal ourselves if we understand how they work and know how to keep them balanced.
10 years ago I suffered from severe ulcerative colitis to the point where it almost took my life. At the time, I was not as aware of energy medicine as I am today but what I did learn is that the exact area where I was having physical issues pointed to the exact area emotionally and mentally that was the cause of my physical issue (the theme of that chakra).
Lately I have been coming across many people who are going through some major things in their lives…emotionally, mentally and physically. All of it is related to energies moving through that are causing you (or in other words, asking you to) look at certain parts of your life. See if any of the areas below are synchronistic with what you may be experiencing lately. (I am only going to cover the lower 3 chakras here today and the rest this week…FYI):
If any of these areas of concern sounded familiar, have no fear, Chris is here! (I’ve always wanted to say that!)
Take some time today to focus on one of these areas that rang most true for you. Attached here are three sheets, one for each chakra that will help you understand what you can do to balance those areas…things such as colors to wear or surround yourself with (colors are all of a certain vibration), scents to surround yourself with, specific music to play, etc. Click on the following to view the information: First Chakra (Root), Second Chakra (Sacral), Third Chakra (Solar Plexus). All simple things to get you started.
Stay tuned for the next couple of days and we will dive deeper into how you can heal what is going on for you. We all have a lot going on in our lives. Let’s stick together, ok? 😉
Chhhhhhhaka Khan, Chaka Khan…LOL!
Chris
Chris Sopa is founder and owner of Chris Sopa International, Inc. You can learn more about her at www.ChrisSopa.com. Find her at Facebook.com/ChrisSopaInternational, Twitter @ChrisSopa, LinkedIn, and Google+.