This way reminds us to live in the light by living in harmony with time and change.
So often when change comes about fear comes up and we resist it – even when it is clear that it is inevitable and there is nothing we can do to stop it. It can feel powerless at times to go through change. At other times, change is welcome and we feel like our prayers have been answered when it comes about. Change is a natural part of life, and life would cease to be without it.
When you look to nature with its changing seasons to guide you through times of change, you will see that much of life and our experience is cyclic. While the event that changes may never be revisited, our memoires and feelings can be.
When you are in the midst of change, you can look back and see how well you managed change in the past. You know therefore that the current situation will pass, that order will be restored.
Having mantras and affirmations to guide you through change help you to stay in your power from a place of trust and acceptant. Here are a few that I find useful:
“This too will pass”;
“The Universe is bountiful and new opportunities come my way every day”;
“I welcome change with ease and grace”;
“I believe in myself and trust in my journey”.
Nature again teaches us that flow gets interrupted. There are times of bounty and times of drought and famine, followed by balance and harmony again. Rivers flow strong in the wet season, but may not flow at all during the dry. Storms can interrupt calm and gentle seas. Men and women, and even children, of the land and seas understand this. They don’t give away their power during the tough times, rather they dig in deep and search for resources from every direction to see them through, staying strong and watchful for the next opportunity to act on. If they are well experienced, they build their resources during the easy times, but they keep their power by not forgetting the lessons of the pass.
We hear the saying ‘forgive and forget’, and we hear the saying ‘the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different outcome’. Life is full of contrast, polarities, and contradictions, and Mana Wa Hele helps us to be strong and trusting within, to know when to let go and go with the flow, to know when to dig in and see something through.
And ...some would say if the path is not smoothe – easy and graceful – it is not the true path.
Shamanic wisdom teaches us that even when the path takes us through the mud, or we find ourselves awash in storms, swamped by giant waterfalls or destructive tsunamis, or flattened by raging winds - perhaps even ablaze in thick lava from volcanic eruption, or dragged down into dark, lonely caverns deep in the earth – we are in Divine Flow.
"Just for today, I believe in myself and trust in my journey, and stand by myself to traverse the way with ease and grace - and I stand by myself when I fail to trust - and rant and rave and blame, or find myself in grief and despair!.... And I am willing to hold space for you to do the same."
Practical ways to practice Mana Wa Hele:
ATTITUDE: Change your attitude and you can change your life. Look at the attitudes you have during times of stress and decide if they serve you or not. Let those go that don’t by challenging them every time they come up. Develop daily mantras and affirmations to support your new attitudes. E.g. You may have an attitude of poverty – does this serve you? Are you in your power with this attitude? What thoughts consistently run through your head during challenging financial times? Do these help you stay in your power or not? If not, let them go – change them, develop the attitude of abundance, trusting in the bounty of the Universe, and your own bountiful inner resources. Put in place the mantras of “this too will pass”, and “the Universe is bountiful and abundant” to support your new attitude.
DAILY PRACTICE: Commit to a daily practice of Self Care (see Betsy Mills list of Self care at this link – for body, mind, heart and spirit: http://www.betsymillscounselling.com.au/).
VISION QUEST OVER TIME:
Set yourself a long term quest that will allow you to step into and build your inner strength each day through focus and commitment. A hundred days of creating mandalas dedicated to the way of the TrueHeart Self for instance.
BECOME A GREAT OBSERVER: Take half a day or a full day off and go and sit in nature. Watch and observe how the tiny creatures of nature survive the massive challenges they face at every minute, and how Mother Nature has supported them to do this. Write a list of each creatures characteristic that helps them survive and thrive.
SPIRIT ANIMALS WILL HELP: Call on the spirit of the animals you have observed and know about to assist you. Look at your own natural strengths and coping mechanisms and build on these. Write a list of them. Remember and affirm them at every opportunity: “I am strong, wise and creative, I will find my way through this. I call on Ant to help me carry this load today”
PRACTICE DETACHMENT: Learn to ‘let go’ without attachment or resentment. Don’t take things personally – allow others to make their own decisions and learn their own lessons, trusting in them and their journey. This does not mean your withdraw you love or support – just try a different approach. Step back and allow rather than trying to control. Hand over the Big Stuff to Great Spirit. “Let it go, and get back in flow”.
LOOK INWARD FOR YOUR SOURCE OF POWER: Remember to turn to the World Within and to the Ancestors (your grandmothers and grandfathers will help you) to search our your power and take time to understand, validate, and heal wounds from your early childhood – seeking out professional help if you can to do this. Remember, your innocence and power, if seemingly lost, can be retrieved. The World Below may be where you need to go to bring to the light and illuminate the truth of who you are. The Second Way, Mea Hui (in an earlier post), will help you with this. You will see more about this in reference to the artwork below as I share my own process to reclaim the power of my Sacred Feminine.
These are just a few says to practice Mana Wa Hele, and I am certain you will have other ways that assist you to manage change and to stay in your power. Please be generous and take a few moments to comment with your own suggestions on how to stay in the light and share these with others. Loving kindness, gratitude and generosity of spirit are quality ‘attitudes’ that keep us all strong and connected.
Many blessings your way today,
Heather
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