Come Back to Center

I picked up one of my favorite books last night. Not to read, but to put away. I quickly skimmed through the pages looking for a burst of inspiration as I walked to my book basket. Instead, I found exactly what I was supposed to find. An unread chapter. A chapter I evidently needed to find and one that I desperately needed to read. Rarely do I get so caught up in the workings of my outer life, but I have been completely out of sorts over the last few months, swinging from one extreme to another. I’ve been all over the place with my thoughts and feelings, feeling good about things one minute and then the total opposite the next. I have also been frustrated, irritable and angry. Emotions I seldom need to deal with. I just could not get a grasp on my outer life and I was feeling powerless to the situations at hand. I didn’t understand what was going on with me and why I was so out of sorts. I know, without a doubt, the Universe will take care of me. I know, without a doubt, when I allow the Universe to take care of me, everything always works out in my favor. So, what happened? What caused me to abandon my relationship with the Universe, laying everything aside I know to be true? What happened is I lost my Center, which in turn caused me to be out of tune with my Inner Life, the greater and more powerful part of who I am. Of course, I did not realize this until I began reading this chapter. A book that has changed my life is so many ways ~ The Untethered Soul, A Journey Beyond Yourself by Michael A. Singer. It is the type of book that no matter how many times you read it, you will find a different and powerful meaning each time. “When you stop swinging between the opposites you’ll find that you have far more energy than you ever imagined. That which takes somebody else hours will take you minutes. That which wears out other people will draw very little of your energy. That’s the difference between struggling with the opposites versus staying centered in order to get something done.” – Michael A. Singer The more I moved into my outer life, allowing these outer situations to consume me, the more I began to sway from my Center. My Center being the place where I am balanced and grounded in my Inner Life. A place where I can just Be with no physical or mental attachments. A place of peace and stillness. Now, looking back, I can see how the littlest things began to build, one on top of the next until I couldn’t see at all. I knew something was not quite right, but instead of taking a step back to refocus and get back in balance, I allowed it to swallow me. The thoughts and conversations surrounding these challenges were in control of my life. I thought of nothing else and spoke of nothing else. The more I tried to take control, the more powerless I began to feel. In fact, I felt like I was falling into a bottomless hole. I was going against the natural flow of life. I was swaying from one end of the spectrum to the other, completely out of control. It was now clear, I needed to come back to Center. I needed to let go of my outer life and rest within my Inner Life. How did I do this? I simply let go of my outer life which naturally brought me back to Here and Now. It was like letting go of heavy buckets of water I had been carrying with out stretched arms for miles on end. Yes, it was that much of a relief. Obviously, there would still be the challenge of remaining in this refocused place, or maybe not. You see, when you go through a difficult struggle and can find peace on the other side, there is no challenge because peace is where you want to be. And when you have found that peace at the Center of your being and through your Inner Life, there is no turning back. This is when how you feel becomes your priority. It drives you to the next better place and it keeps you moving forward with the power of the Universe in your back pocket. “So again, it takes all your energy to do the extremes. The inefficiency of your actions is determined by how many degrees off center you are. You will be that much less able to use your energy for living life because you are using it to adjust for the pendulum swings. Extremes are good teachers. When you examine the extremes, it’s easy to see the effects of imbalanced behavior patterns.” – Michael A. Singer Yes, there will still be challenges and unwanted life experiences that come our way, but the important thing to remember is to react from, and remain in your Center, your Inner Life. Don’t allow what you don’t want to pull you away from what you do what. Don’t allow yourself to get swallowed up by the things you cannot control. You may not be able to control certain situations, but you can control how you feel and how you react. When you react and live through a centered place within your Inner Life, you will not experience the negativity as you would reacting and living through your outer life. Why? Because your Inner Life knows not of negativity, but only of joy, hope, faith, abundance, well-being and of course the greatest of all, Love. If true and lasting happiness is what you seek, seek first from within. Live, breathe and be your Inner Life. Quiet your mind, focus solely on the present moment and allow the power of your Inner Life guide you to where you want to be. – Cindy Ortiz Live, Love & Breathe Life Love & Light, Cindy