Align! Module Five Self-Study

Align! Week Five Self-Study: Stepping Out of Illusion & Into the “What Is” Now that we’ve been clearing out some of the energetic density and pain bodies through the processing of our emotions, we can begin to deeply examine the mind patterns that can unconsciously block the higher vibrations we want to welcome into our body and life. This week play with these various tools to help you begin to cultivate a neutral mind in order to more fully accept the “what is” in your life without moving into illusion or avoidance.

When we can come into a place of true acceptance of all of what is, without needing for things to be different for us to feel safe or joy-filled, we come into a deeper relationship with Universe, with others, and with our own hearts. This means letting go of a long internalized sense of entitlement that things “should be” the way that we want them to be.

Humility, surrender, gratitude, compassion, understanding, trust, and faith are what naturally flow when we release ourselves from the constructs of our own mind—and we come to realize we have been the ones holding ourselves back this whole time.

Vocabulary/Concepts: 5D (Heart-Based) Living Neutral Mind Mind Patterns Innocent Perception

Reactivity Chains Limiting Belief Systems

Stepping Out of Duality: Simply put, many of us reside in deep entitlement. We suffer when we think that things should be different from how they are.

Once we are able to get more of a handle on our emotional landscape, including our pain bodies, our unworthiness stories, our fear responses, or victimhood responses, and our triggers through Feel and Process, we are able to come to a place to begin to observe our mind patterns. And they are fascinating!

One of the biggest lessons on the spiritual path is coming out of duality.

Our minds want to make some things (and people!) “good” and other things (and people!) “bad,” some ideas (and people!) “right,” and other ideas (and people!) “wrong.” But things are never black or white—they just are. No single person, event, situation, or idea is entirely “good,” or “bad.” They might look that way in the immediate, or from our perspective, but as we begin to pay more attention to the mind patterns and belief systems unconsciously shaping our existence, we are able to begin to move to a much more whole, complex, nuanced way of understanding everyone and everything. Not only is nothing under our control, but life also often chaotic, random, and discordant. As we come to accept that, we no longer need to place rigid filters of interpretations of events that are not easily boiled down to a single meaning or interpretation.

Loving our “enemy” might not be where we are at. We need to come to a place to be able to send compassion and understanding to people and situations that we cannot wrap our ego minds around before we can grow in to that. Eventually, we might even begin to realize there are no enemies, only people who are hurt or lost, and project harm on to other people to make themselves feel safe, big, and important.

Unlearning and Relearning: It can be extremely disorienting to

watch our previous convictions and perspectives begin to shift and change.

Many of us have deep patterns of self-righteousness or moral superiority about the belief systems that we espouse. When we find ourselves beginning to understand ways of being in the world we had previously labeled as “bad” or “wrong,” it might feel as though we are losing touch with ourselves and our truths. But often these shifting perspectives are just guiding us into deeper heart truths without the accompanying judgement or ego-feeding. We can simultaneously soften and open to compassion and believe what we know in our hearts to be true more deeply. This shifts the energy surrounding ego “beliefs” and heart “truths.”

5th Dimensional Living: When we can begin to move into a

place of acceptance for how things are without our mind trying to convince us that they should be otherwise, or that we need things to be different than they are in order for us to feel happy or safe, we begin to move into a deeper presence with all of life. This also means that we judge ourselves less, because we are not constantly assessing whether we are “good” or “bad,” or if what we say is “right” or “wrong.” We just ARE. Others just ARE. Beautiful, messy, imperfect humans! As we transition into this space we spend less energy (prana) worrying about what we think other people are thinking of us, and we stop worrying about other people’s business, too. This is the shift from 3D (Ego/Fear/Judgement) to 5D (Heart/Love/Understandings), which allows us to come to a place of deep compassion for ourselves, others, and the planet.

This is a journey and a process! There are many steps along the way and there is no “arrival” point, or “right” way to get there! Neutral mind is one of the ways for us to retrain/rewire out of our habitual mind stories and patterns. Here is an overview of some of the stages you might encounter: • Identifying what our underlying mind patterns and stories are.

• Becoming more conscious of when we are in one of our mind patterns and be able to interrupt it by asking questions to loosen its hold on us: “Is this what I want to be thinking?” “Is this true?”

“Could something else be true?”

• Eventually catch ourselves when we are headed towards an old mind patterns before we have fully merged with it.

• The more distanced we become from these old mind stories, the less they “rattle” us, and the more we can even begin to have a sense of humor about them (“there I go again!”)

• Retraining our mind patterns through the use of mantras and affirmations is a simultaneous process to them fading away.

• When we catch ourselves overthinking something or the head being loud, we can identify that we are in fear and simply ask ourselves what the fear is attached to while shifting ourselves back into our hearts.

• Eventually the rational mind becomes used as a back-up tool to our heart’s wisdom. We can “try on” decisions in the body and trust our heart’s wisdom and intuition. The rational mind plays a supporting role in helping us to figure out the logistical pieces surrounding our choices.

• As the 3D realm of judgement and human drama begins to fade away, so does its charge, and we can come to a place of fascination for situations that used to trigger us.

• We begin to spend most of our time in 5D, in our hearts and awareness body.

Where People Get Stuck: One of the biggest places where people

get stuck is deciding to take the leap into trust and faith. If we say we want to live in the heart but we continue to play out old fear programming and ways of being, or without relinquishing ties to the 3D realm, we will become increasingly disoriented from vacillating between 3D and 5D. Shifting out of Ego Mind is a conscious decision. It is a complete and utter trust fall with Universe. And it does come with what Ego Mind

would judge as “sacrifices,” what a Neutral Mind perspective would deem necessary “shifts” to come into deeper union with Higher Self and Divine.

Recognizing Mind Patterns:

As stated above, we suffer any time we cannot accept the “what is” (which is different from acquiescing to a situation).

Often this suffering is from a “runaway” mind, resulting from a culture where the mind is constantly overstimulated and overworked. Neutral Mind allows us to bring awareness into our typical thought patterns and add some checks and balances. If our go to is “doom and gloom,” it helps us not to leap to the worst-case scenario. If our go to is rainbows and butterflies, it allows us to stay out of illusion and acknowledge the less positive aspects of an experience.

In other words, although Ego=Mind and Soul=Heart, we need the ego and mind to effectively navigating our 3-dimensional landscape. This middle path isn’t about overcoming the mind or ego, but training them to work for us instead of against us. Below are common ways our minds have their way with us: • Negative Thought Momentum: Incessant focus on what we don’t have and can’t do Sense of entitlement that we “deserve” things to be different than they are • Judgment: Comparison between ourselves and others Sense that things “should be” a specific way, and that we know best Labeling a situation as good or bad instead of holding it in all of its complexity Inability to (duality creates separation)

*Remember: Love is flexible, withholds judgments, seeks understanding • Pleasure Seeking & Avoidance:

Numbing Addictions Feeding pleasure centers temporary high • Projection: Guided by limiting belief systems that keep us in illusion Projecting our unworthiness stories onto others Paranoia Distorting reality to fit our worldview • Storytelling: Leaping to conclusions Taking the “data” from a situation and filling in gaps to create meaning that we cannot know to be true • Need to Know: Convincing ourselves that we “know” and are “right” to feel safe.

Over researching and achieving The truth is, while our rational minds (i.e. reptilian brains) are doing their best to keep us safe by creating mind manipulations that allow us to feel safe (i.e. mind illusions), the truth is that we can never really know. We have no control over anyone else’s actions or world events. Ever.

In fact, by trying to control outside circumstances, we shut ourselves off from trusting ourselves and the universe. The more we come home to our hearts and begin to live in alignment with our truth, the more we are able to show up fully in the present moment without needing things to be different to feel safe and happy. A favorite spiritual saying is, “Relax!

Nothing’s under control!” As we release the ego-mind, we allow a complete and utter trust fall into universe and surrender into heart.

Practices: Innocent Perception: This week note how your mind responds to undesired situations and circumstances. Rather than rushing to “know,” or judging a situation as “good” or “bad,” see if you can begin to stay curious about what is happening around you. Note any overarching mind patterns that prevent you from staying with the full “what is” of a situation.

As we begin to train the mind to become more flexible and curious, we allow ourselves to stay in heart and in the present moment. Ask yourself: • Is this thought true? How do I absolutely know that it is true?

Could something else be true?

• Is this thought helpful? Is it taking me out of the present moment?

• Can I stay curious and fascinated by this situation instead of judging it?

• Am I able to collect the “data” without jumping to value judgments?

• Am I able to navigate the uncertainty and ambiguity of the situation without trying to control it or “know” the “right” way?

Identifying Reactivity Chains: Once we realize that everything is a potential lesson pointing us in the direction of personal growth, we realize that our imperfections offer profound learning opportunities. It’s not about flipping a switch and becoming perfect, it’s about holding ourselves in compassion and love as we start to rewire our well-worn pathways. The more we practice loving awareness and accountability, the more gently we learn and grow from our lessons. As we do so, the fallout of our actions become smaller and smaller and we begin to welcome our lessons with grace.

Reactivity Chains allow us to begin to piece together several of the tools and practices that we have been cultivating over the course of the program. They are an opportunity for us to map out our heightened responses when triggered and to recognize how we got there by breaking our response into smaller pieces in order to get the “data.” One of the things that happens to us when we are triggered is that everything speeds up and suddenly feels very urgent—that is one of the telltale giveaways that

we are not in a fully present, conscious state. Reactivity Chains allow us to use these experiences to heal and grow from.

For this practice consider a recent event that left you triggered.

• What physical, emotional, mental vulnerability set you up for this reactivity?

• What was the external happening that triggered the reactivity?

• When did the seed of the issue begin? What was going on when it started?

• What were you doing, thinking feeling before it all happened?

• What is the vibration in your body as you think about the trigger?

• Where do you feel it? What does it source down to?

• What was your Fear Response? Fight, Flight, Fawn, Freeze?

• How else could you have responded to the situation?

• Were there any “check engine” lights that warned you your system was run down?

If it feels productive, spend some time doing Feel & Process with this Reactivity Chain. See if you can get underneath what was happening in the moment—what it was really about. Then watch yourself making a different choice that is in more conscious alignment with what you needed

and how you wished you had responded. Watch that alternate route play out in your mind’s eye. Working through the Reactivity Chain allow us to learn how to better set ourselves up for success.

*Remember: this work isn’t about being perfect. It’s about becoming more resilient and taking responsibility for our part of an equation. Be gentle with yourself and to have a sense of humor! We all have our triggers, no matter how much work we do.

Limiting Belief Systems: Another way we self-sabotage is through ideas that we have learned and internalized about ourselves and about life.

These Limiting Belief Systems are learned very young through our family and friends, as well as through the social and cultural environments we were groomed within. Because we are so entrenched in them, we believe them to be “natural” and “right” and “true.” It can be incredibly challenging to find our way out of structures of belief that we do not even know are there!

When we can begin to bring some awareness to these less than helpful— limiting—beliefs, we can begin to ask ourselves if we actually know these things to be true, and if it’s possible that they are not. From here we can get curious about where they come from, where we learned them, and begin to heal these parts of ourselves that learned to shrink ourselves for other people’s comfort.

Many of these beliefs are connected to needing to be “good” and to “belong” (i.e. people pleasing). When we release our dependence on outside validation, we allow ourselves to heal from phantom fears and other people’s attempt to project their fears onto us out of their own traumas, insecurity, lack of awareness, and internalized limiting belief systems. By saying “no” to these limiting stories and belief systems we also ourselves to move out of an ethos of self-denial and scarcity and into abundance, prosperity, and gratitude.

When we begin to say “yes” to ourselves regardless of the what others around us think, we honor the expansiveness of our souls and begin to

move into a space of self-sovereignty. We learn to nourish and trust ourselves. We flow into worthiness, we honor our needs, we allow ourselves desires and wants, we allow ourselves to take up space. We allow for the opportunity of radical self-love. By releasing ourselves from external constraints, we allow.

Journaling Exercise: Get into the habit of asking yourself, “is this true” about your Limiting Belief Systems. By identifying our stories and staying curious about whether they are true, we can begin to do our own “fear chasing,” investigating where ego stories (fear) are keeping us stuck and playing small.” Ask yourself: • What Limiting Belief Systems do I hold about myself and my worth?

• What fears do I hold onto?

• Where do they come from?

From here, begin to ask yourself the following questions about each belief: • What is this really about?

• Do I want to believe this to be true?

• Is this belief serving me?

• Is it possible that something else could be true?

Examples: • • • •

“I’m a small-town girl. I shouldn’t set my sights high.”

“I can either have a relationship or a career. I can’t have both.”

“I am bad with money. I will never have a savings account.”

“I am not good at X, so therefore I can’t do Z”

*Warning: Limiting Belief Systems can be very embarrassing to admit to ourselves. They can be even harder to say out loud! For that very reason, I encourage you to say them out loud to yourself as you identify them.

Often once we hear how ridiculous these stories are, it can be enough to shock us into telling ourselves a different story!

Remember that the vibrational imprint of our energetic field is connected to our unconscious stories that we tell ourselves. This is why it is crucial in bring awareness into our mind stories that we are telling ourselves, as these unconsciously affect what we are attracting into our life. As we begin to excavate these stories and belief systems into our conscious mind to examine and release, we are purging these outdated aspects of ourselves that work against the life we are calling in.

Violet Flame Practice: This is an energy clearing practice that can be used to clear situations and circumstances, your energy field, and your energy entanglements and relationships with others. The Violet Flame allows us to “fast track” our spiritual path by burning our accrued karma, whether its past life, ancestral, or collective. The Violet Flame comes out of the lineage of St. Germain. It is the highest frequency of light and is thought to transmute anything that is not of the Light.

• Invite Protection: Begin by asking the Divine to place a white tube of light around you for protection • Set the Intention: You can do this through a visualization of the situation or person, or you can name a specific intention, or both.

• Decree (Mantra): Repeat “I AM a being of Violet Fire, I AM the purity God desires” OR “I AM the Violet Consuming Flame in Action” for 15 minutes a day, all at once or at different points throughout the day (shower, morning meditation, commute to work, before bed) • Seal the Intention: “And so it is” This is a beautiful practice that leads us into a practice of non-attachment.

Since we cannot “know” all the pieces to a situation, this practice allows us to set an intention and clear lower, denser energies while opening ourselves to trust that the universe will resolve the situation for the greatest and highest good for all those involved. You can also use this practice to

clear past situations or to preemptively clear upcoming situations (ex. holidays).

Further Reading:

The Violet Flame: Alchemy for Personal Change, Elizabeth Clare Prophet

Healing Mantras: Using Sound Affirmations for Personal Power, Creativity, and Healing, Thomas Ashley-Farrand