THE JOURNEY OF TRANSFORMATION
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BLACK BEANS

the mind:  friend or foe?​​

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​I am tending to the task of developing discernment

of all that takes place in the expanse of my mind.






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AN EXCERPT FROM MY  JOURNALING:

I am becoming increasingly aware that my beliefs govern all of my choices and thus all of the creations in my garden (circumstances in my life) are a reflection of thoughts that I have put faith in.    Anything that is a problem in my garden, originates as a problem in my head.    My beliefs that are not aligned with Truth are the foundation for choices that aren’t aligned with Truth.    

I realize that if I don’t examine my beliefs and take self-responsibility for what I choose to believe, that I will just keep experiencing more of the same old problems manifested in yet another circumstance.    My garden will never change unless I make the effort to change myself.




​Problems that come up are a result of beliefs that aren’t aligned with Truth.  For example, when I was a little girl I believed that 13 – 7 = 5.  Over and over I acted on this belief.  This caused all kinds of problems until I became aware that I had a belief that wasn’t true.  Once I aligned my belief with Truth, 13 – 7 = 6, the problems ceased to occur.  Problems in my life are just like red ink on the math worksheet, an indication that a belief is in need of correcting.    

My Journey of Transformation is about seeking ever-expanding self-awareness.  It is about seeking awareness and then tending to the task of aligning myself with Truth.  When my beliefs are aligned with Truth I naturally make choices that are aligned with Truth and I find myself living with ease.
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I have been working on Awareness of the different kinds of thoughts that I experience.  Inspired thoughts feel good. They are fresh and new. Recalling beliefs that are based on Truth and Love feels good as well, because I can rely on them to function in a healthy way.  But when I put faith in any lower realm thought that 'crosses my mind,' I get a sense that there is a force that seeks to inhabit my mind.  These thoughts seem like they to happen ‘to me.' I feel like there's a broken tape recorder that drones on and on in my head.      

I feel uncomfortable when these thoughts are ‘on my mind,’ because they are not natural. They disturb my stillness. Awareness is my opportunity to quiet this beast that plagues me. These thoughts aren't consciously brought up to remember something useful, instead they tend to happen as a result of old energies that were triggered. Meaning that an event happened and I put faith in an old fear-based belief, thus triggering old energies that I carry to sort of wake up and say:

"Hey, here's an opportunity to get fed the energies that sustain me.  If I keep her thinking and putting faith in the old fear-based thoughts that created me in the first place, she will experience all of the fear-based emotions and maybe indulge in low energy comsumptions/exchanges and I will get fed the energies that sustain me!"
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​S
o I end up experiencing a mind
full of stinkin' thinkin'  
and if I don't catch it,
I will find myself putting faith
in an old fear-based belief
and acting out an old pattern
all over again
and be back
​stuck in my old rut.





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​Awareness is a Light that dissipates this darkness.  
Practicing Journaling for Transformation is my tool for consciously choosing my thoughts during the upheaval after a fear-based thought is triggered.  
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Sometimes when my mind is still I can receive an Inspired thought.     I find that Inspired thoughts can quickly be followed by lower realm thinking.   After experiencing Inspiration, the low energies within me get all yitzy from the high vibrational frequency of  Inspiration.

​Inspiration can be followed by doubt, unworthiness or any other lower realm thought form that flares up.   If I put faith in these fear-based thoughts, I will stifle the Inspiration before it has a chance to manifest in my garden.  Thus, lower realm beliefs  block Potential.



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​Sometimes after an Inspired thought I may feel justified in thinking it through and making a choice based on my learned beliefs rather than honoring the Inspiration.    If my mind is full of fear-based beliefs, I will likely feel justifed in putting faith in these beliefs and I will stop short of experiencing the unfolding of the Inspiration.   ​
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My spiritual strength of creating my life with Truth & Love lies in being aware of the false thoughts that follow Inspiration and not believing them. The more I deny believing in false thoughts, the more they weaken. The more I deny doubt, the more the belief weakens. The more I deny believing in thoughts of unworthiness, the more this false belief weakens. Each act of denying a belief in falseness and seeking awareness of Truth strengthens me.     

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​My first step to over-coming lower realm beliefs is Awareness.  The second step is acceptance.  Acceptance is the bridge from the lower to the Upper Realm. To get to the bridge I must get past resentment, blame, worry, anxiety etc. 
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I developed a tool to help in getting to the bridge of Acceptance.  It is a bowl of white and black beans that sit on my desk.  I imagine that the beans represent my beliefs.  Upper Realm beliefs are the white beans, and lower realm beliefs are the black beans.  I imagine that humanity has been handing down the same handfuls of beans (beliefs) for centuries.  I imagine that no one was aware of what they were passing down, they just passed on what they knew.  This imagery has helped me to get out of the pattern of looking for someone to blame.  

​I imagined my great great grandmother handing down her mixture of beliefs/beans to her daughters and them doing the same.  I look back and saw that generations of women were repeating the same patterns over and over again as a result of this.  Much of what was passed down was good and functional, but some of it was not.  And so I decided that I was going to sift through my inherited 'bowl of beans.'   Slowly and steadily I am examining my beliefs, and releasing all that no longer serves me, thus helping to put an end to the cycles of lower realm circumstances.  

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I begin each day with
​Jouraling for Awareness.  
Slowly and steadily I am shedding Light
on the black beans
​and eliminating them.  

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 READINGS RELATED TO BLACK BEANS in Live Beautifully:  A Book to Sit With

Reflections on thoughts...  p. 34
Reflections on clearing the clutter...  p.  36
Reflectins on clearing the static...  p.  37
Reflections on the antidote for pain...  p. 47
Reflections on becoming the silent watcher...  p. 49
Reflections on becoming aware of the veil...  p. 50
Reflections on 'Who's in charge here?"...  p. 56
Reflections on a peaceful slumber...  p. 57
Reflections on letting old wounds heal...  p. 78
Reflections on taking charge...  p. 106
Reflections on a clean abode...  p. 138
Reflections on changing our minds...  p. 140
Reflections on changing my mind...  p. 151
Reflections on a sly old fox...  p. 156
Reflections on a mad mad world...  p. 158
Reflections on my brain...  p. 161
Reflections on a day gone bad...  p. 189

Options for Embarking

on the
​
Journey of Transformation

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BE MINDFUL OF A LOWER REALM PATTERN:  

Take a look at the 
Upper/lower Realm Mind illustration on this website or on page 13 of Live Beautifully:  A Book to Sit With.  Choose a lower realm thought from the list and then watch for it.  
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WHERE THE LOWER REALM PATTERN MIGHT BE SEEN:
  • In your own mind
  • In the verbal expressions of yourself or others
  • In the actions of yourself and others
  • In the emotions of yourself and others.  

Watch the ripple effect of thought, actions and emotions.  Watch the creative expressions.  Watch how people may get hooked into a 'line of thought, action or emotion.'    

BE ON THE LOOKOUT AS YOU OBSERVE TV OR VIDEO:  

You may want to pick something like blame, shame or unworthiness and then watch a drama tv show and see how often you can be aware of it.  Try not to shift into judging it.  Just practice being able to see with Awareness.   Watch yourself for patterns of what happens when you witness lower realm situations.  

  
SEEK AWARENESS OF A BLACK BEAN BELIEF IN YOURSELF OR IN OTHERS:
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Observe how these lower realm beliefs become lower realm choices, lower realm spirits, etc.  Look with curiosity rather than judgment.    See how the patterns get repeated and thus the past repeats itself.  

(For me the image of a black bean getting passed down helps for me to look to the situation from a place of curiosity and wonder instead slipping into the habit of blame and resentment.)



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Tools for the Journey:
Upper/lower Realm Mind
Intentions for Transformation



​
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