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Several months ago, I found some helpful ideas in the book, “A Passion for the Possible” by Jean Houston. She writes about how we may sometimes feel in the moment, or remember experiences, as though we’re in a “cauldron of pain.” She goes on to encourage a shift in perspective…to recognizing the “chalice of opportunity” that these experiences can open us up to.
I added a few of my own ideas and then created my own style of “learning pages”… pages I created to help remind myself of these ideas and to help myself learn to shift…
I’m learning to shift from one perspective to another…it sure takes lots patience, persistence, awareness, insight and practice…and I’m in the midst of that right now…
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Of course, it’s usually not an “either…or” reaction…
each state of heart and mind
might be coexisting, in varying degrees,
but perhaps to learn to access the skills for transitioning more often
into a “chalice of opportunity”
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Throughout the past few days, I’ve been in the midst of so many reactions, so many feelings…(I really thought I was “further along” with acceptance and awareness than I seem to be)….but also with hints of of developing more understanding and awareness… learning, reflecting and opening to shifting…
Perhaps, some of these ideas might be helpful to others, too?
In the midst of difficult challenges, it can feel a bit like being in the middle of a “cauldron of pain”… of course, it’s natural, at times to feel immersed in “pain”…to feel caught off guard, to have deep feelings….but to slowly become more aware and to be able to open the heart and mind to the possibility of shifting…
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To keep an open mind, to develop an expanded awareness and to be able to make a choice… slowly shifting more positively into seeing the potential for living within a “chalice of opportunity”…to see an experience as an “entry-way” to developing increased compassion for all people and the deepening of the wisdom of understanding the underlying dynamics of our lives….
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It’s all here…the very natural thinking and emotional tendencies we each have, each of our own propensities to react…and the more positive choices we can make, if we can live with deeper understanding and an expanded sense of possibility.
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And so…
many possible natural reactions and other more potentially helpful choices,
if and when we can carefully and very gently open up and possibly shift
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naturally still feeling sad,
but opening up to greater understanding…
expanded compassion…
deeper wisdom…
possibility
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Realizing that “just like myself…all beings hope and long for…”
the wishes of “common humanity”…
to do what I can to help support us all in feeling these positive and supported ways…
all beings, everywhere
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And so…
to develop the compassion to see the joys and hopes…. the fears and sadness of all beings,
the potential times of happiness…the inevitable periods of sadness…
of all people on earth…
And to nurture the wisdom to support deeper understanding…
Such precious, ongoing potential to live within
“a chalice of opportunity”
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A chalice of opportunity to develop and live more fully…
living with a deepening sense of compassion and wisdom…
this is a wish that I have…
may I travel along this path, as part of our family of common humanity…
living with that passion…
tenderly and gently nurturing compassion and wisdom
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Pocket Perspectives 
I love this!!
I love the inner teaching and the gentleness.
🙂
I think I do this in my own way.
Blessings –
Laurie
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thank you Laurie… yes, I think the gentleness is so important. How special that you already do this… I’m still “a work in progress”…but progressing, so that’s good. blessings to you, too ~ kathy
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Oh, I am a work in progress too. 🙂
I think it is great to model this gentle way.
I want to study and do more to reach back to others who are still struggling like I was but i figured out I can model healing and gentleness from where I am at right now. Though I think I will continue to be a work in progress, it is nice to be able to leave some kind of trail.
It is really good what you are doing. Thanks.
Much love –
Laurie
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thank you Laurie
Well, I figure that since we’re all pretty much ongoing “works in progress,” doing the best we can where we are right now… we might as well get busy and share healing and gentleness at this point, not waiting until we’re further along. Maybe people can learn from other people who are in the midst of coping with challenges, as much or more than from those who may never have been there or only studied it or who are past all that?
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YES!!!!!!! 🙂
So glad to have crossed paths with you. Those are my thoughts..At first I thought I should have some simple steps to offer. But the more I hung around here, the more i realized this way may be even better.
I have studied psychology but didn’t go one for advanced work because I had to learn the heart way I think.So glad I have. I can’t imagine trying to help others not having done this work myself. I study all I can while raising my daughter who is five now. Then I plan to keep following my heart as far as what kind of studies. I panic sometimes that I don’t have more of a plan than that. But it feels right. I love all the connections I am making blogging…including you.
Namaste,
Laurie
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YES!!!!!!! 🙂
So glad to have crossed paths with you. Those are my thoughts..At first I thought I should have some simple steps to offer. But the more I hung around here, the more i realized this way may be even better.
I have studied psychology but didn’t go one for advanced work because I had to learn the heart way I think.So glad I have. I can’t imagine trying to help others not having done this work myself. I study all I can while raising my daughter who is five now. Then I plan to keep following my heart as far as what kind of studies. I panic sometimes that I don’t have more of a plan than that. But it feels right. I love all the connections I am making blogging…including you.
Namaste,
Laurie
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thank you
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Great post. Thank you! 🙂
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Thank you auntyuta….the ideas are helpful for me, so perhaps they might be for someone else, too? Even when I think I “know” quite a lot, I get a surprise and realize there’s so much more to understand…so much to learn in life…each unfamiliar or unexpected experience seems to provide it’s own life lessons… what a learning process life can provide. Thankfully, we have so many different wisdom traditions to pull from…
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The images and message will forever stay in my mind of “choosing either a cauldron of pain or chalice of opportunity.” Gave me little goosebumps.
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When I created those pages, this past winter, I was trying to make a strong impact on my thinking etc…with strong images for myself. I was referring, at that time, to experiences from the past…the “stories” I had created about various experiences.
In the middle of last night, I realized that in the situation right now…. a more tender situation….that gentler images might be more helpful or soothing…maybe choosing between being in the midst of a patch of sticker bushes or wandering over to a pretty little meadow, with a tiny little stream through it….right now, that might be more helpful. : )
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I really like the imagery you had in showing us how to transfer negative emotions from positive ones, thanks!
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Thank you… I hope the ideas or images might be helpful to others in making a shfit.
In the comment just above this one…my response to Marie/Sufilight… I mentioned coming up with a gentler image, for what’s happening right now in my own life… a gentler approach…
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