Read an Excerpt
VISUAL MEDITATIONS
The Book of Hope
By Jo-Anne Taraba Balboa Press
Copyright © 2013 Jo-Anne Taraba
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4525-6869-0
CHAPTER 1
Why Hope?
Each path encounters a dark night of the soul, a time of challenges where we are tested to our very core. Life seems to change for us in a split second and we may suddenly face the loss of a loved one, loss of a career or a marriage, or loss of our health through an illness. Whatever the loss, the impact to our soul is a hardship of unimaginable proportion which has come to shadow our lives and our lives are forever changed.
The movement through the emotions that are created in reaction to the experiences encountered during this time is the pilgrimage of survival that is to be taken. It is through taking this journey that we are able to emerge on the other side of the darkness, tragedy and loss into the light of hope.
Hope is the gift we give to ourselves. Hope is an inner feeling, a choice to hold an attitude of well being regardless of the current situation. Hope is light and fills the soul with possibilities. Hope is our connection to God and the fabric of life that weaves us all into it's tapestry as a united whole. Hope is forgiveness and hope is peace.
This book offers images and words to find a better feeling place in hope. It is an invitation out of the darkness and back into the light of your soul's wisdom. A natural journey back to the priceless and precious gift rooted in the depth of your being to remind you who you are, for without hope, we are lost.
"Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us"
Romans 5:2-5
How do you find hope? In the midst of shock and chaos, how do you reach for a place of hope?
When suffering is so personal and intimate within the mind, body and spirit, what offers relief? The answer comes from the wisdom and faith which is rooted in the core of the soul. It is in making the choice to reconnect with this inner wisdom and using that wisdom to choose to move through the darkness, doubt and despair. Simply put, it is giving yourself permission to feel better. How can this permission be granted in the early hours of loss when shock begins to subside and we begin to feel the pain of what we no longer have, with feelings of guilt or thoughts of what should have been or what could have been if only another action was taken? In these times it feels as though our mind becomes a dark rival challenging every positive step we take with numerous reasons surfacing in our mind of why we shouldn't take them. Turning the volume down on this inner critic is a process, a gentle slow process where by we open ourselves to the possibility of feeling better and see what comes up. As with any journey, there are two basic options, to stop completely or to continue moving. You may find your journey becomes a balance of movement and stasis. To make the choice to feel better and courageously take that first step, wherever you are, allows the process of moving towards hope to begin. And gently, with each small step, some backwards, some forwards, the willingness to show up and be present in the process will guide you on the path to hope.
I want to take you on a creative journey full of inspiring images with words of hope and love that trace the delicate path towards feeling better. We will look at the process that unfolds when dealing with loss. There will be moments of reflection and opportunities to dialogue with your own inner wisdom. Let the book be your companion and witness on the necessary odyssey back to a place of spiritual peace and inner balance following adversity. In taking this journey I ask only that you open yourself to the possibility that there is a greater force working on your behalf that you may be feeling out of touch with presently but regardless, it is lovingly present for you in guiding your return home to a place of optimism and hope. However this book found it's way into your hands, let its arrival mark the desire present within you to return to who you already know yourself to be, divinely wise and spiritually magnificent.
"There is no medicine like hope, no incentive so great, and no tonic so powerful as expectation of something tomorrow."
Orison Marden
How do you know you are moving towards hope?
Hope gives us strength to carry on. It fills us with optimism for new thoughts, new ideas and new ways of being. It is worth fighting our inner demons to attain and hold tightly onto. We have been gifted with an inner guidance system, our feelings. By opening up to the flow of emotions through our energy system, and checking in, we can guide ourselves to a better feeling place just by paying attention to that one response. Ask yourself each day "how am I feeling today?" When you are moving towards hope you feel better. When you are moving away from hope, you feel worse. By being willing to check in with your own feelings and lovingly choose to take actions to feel a little bit better, you are on the path of inner peace moving towards hope. It is a journey worth any pain and risk to return to.
"Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul– and sings tunes without words– and never gives up at all."
Emily Dickinson
One Dove
Through love, through light, my soul guided, we are never alone. Letting go, moving out of the darkness, faith and courage, my fuel through obstacles.
Where are you today?
The process of dealing with loss is as unique to each individual as the loss itself. Elizabeth Kübler-Ross identified a framework of learning to live with loss as having five stages; a model which has since been expanded by other professionals. These are some of the main stages which may be experienced for short periods or longer periods of time on the journey through grief towards hope.
shock denial pain guilt anger bargaining depression loneliness rebuilding acceptance hope
Although presented here as such, they may not be experienced in any certain order and some may not be experienced at all. Other stages may seem to last a very long time. We will spend time with each stage. The path to healing from loss is neither typical nor linear.
Begin wherever you are, with whatever you are experiencing. The more you commit to feeling each stage fully, the more healing movement takes place.
As we journey, space is provided for you to record your own process of healing.
My Journal of Hope
My shock, my denial ...
What am I feeling shock about?
How do I feel right now? What am I in denial about?
"Bad things do happen; how I respond to them defines my character and the quality of my life. I can choose to sit in perpetual sadness, immobilized by the gravity of my loss, or I can choose to rise from the pain and treasure the most precious gift I have - life itself."
Walter Anderson
Shock & Denial
This loss or event may have left you feeling numb, or in a state of disbelief.
Shock protects you emotionally from receiving the full overwhelming impact of the experience affecting you now. Basic functions of getting through the day may seem overwhelming.
The natural urge to recoil is a protective response.
It is time for stillness, for drawing inwards and being gentle with yourself.
Take shelter within while you calm your mind and spirit. It is a time of gaining strength and pacing the penetration of the loss within your spirit, psyche and life.
At this point we can still not face the full impact of how life has changed for us, nor do we have any desire to.
No one can understand the impact of this experience within you,
but know that although you may feel alone, you are never alone.
Spirit is always present, always there for you.
You are never alone.
The process has begun as reality brings up other emotions, questions and feelings.
"Releasing fear, opening the heart to share all the glorious gifts waiting to be released. Courage. An offering of protection. Healing by the sea."
Bird in Flight. Spirit soars when we follow our passion
"In the night of death, hope sees a star, and listening, love can hear the rustle of a wing."
Robert G. Ingersoll
Pain, Guilt, Remorse ...
Naturally and gradually there is movement to another phase of feeling. It may be pain, it may be guilt or feelings of anger or remorse. During this phase of feeling we may question why is this happening? We may cycle through the time leading up to the event wondering if we could have affected the outcome differently. We begin to judge ourselves and those around us as having an impact on the outcome. The power of these emotions can feel so overwhelming like a tidal wave washing over you. We go over and over all the things we feel we should have done, said or been We get entangled in a bitter war with what could have been and what actually is. In this stage, the past swallows up the present as the enemy of the future and attempts at healing and progress seem thwarted. Trying to undo what has been done becomes not only an impossible task but a source of perpetual suffering. An unending cycle of self-inflicted pain. Feeling this anger is a necessary and important part of the journey. Allowing the safe expression of it moves us through the process.
When it feels right for you, can you allow that feeling to soften just a bit? Can you ease up on the battle within you, step out of the cycle of pain and allow yourself to see what you have been gifted with in this moment? What blessings are you grateful for? It may be inconceivable to think of at first but is there one small gift you can glean from this loss? Begin where you are. What are you grateful for right now? Choosing this perspective is a message of self-love and healing for your wounded psyche to visit while you are engaged in this dark part of the process. A soft place to land made up thoughts to balance and refocus.
"There is no person so severely punished, as those who subject themselves to the whip of their own remorse"
Seneca quotes
My Journal of Hope
My pain, my guilt, my remorse ...
What am I feeling the most pain over today?
What do I feel guilty or remorseful about?
What am I grateful for right now?
"When you lose something in your life, stop thinking it's a loss for you ... it is a gift you have been given so you can get on the right path to where you are meant to go, not to where you think you should have gone."
Suze Orman
Angel We ask for your help, bless us as we grow. Protect us in our travels.
Nesting
I give myself time and space to grow. I nurture myself then nurture others. My circle expands as loving friends and family unite. I give thanks for all I have been blessed with.
Taking time to create your space of comfort and being compassionate with yourself allows your inner guidance system to turn back on. Fertilize the creative impulses that percolate within you now. What message is guidance inspiring you with at present? Allow yourself to move with the flow of inspiration to express what has been trapped inside. Write it out, dance it out, paint it out, bake it out, garden it out, sing it out, play it out, sculpt it out, build it out, run it out, swim it out ... one by one give birth to these new gifts of inspired expression.
"Every time you don't follow your inner guidance, you feel a loss of energy, loss of power, a sense of spiritual deadness."
Shakti Gawain
In the dark of night, there is still light ...
There is no straight path through the darkness, no roadmap for this suffering.
Frustration, excruciating pain, explosive anger and sadness can power through us within a short period leaving wreckage and havoc in the wake. Tread carefully through these times, we may cause harm to those relationships that are closest to us from the intensity of the emotions coursing through our bodies.
Feel whatever comes up and find safe ways to express and release it. These emotions are guiding you through your own healing process. Know that you are loved. Be ever so gentle with yourself as you move through this time. Open your heart to the flicker of light on this path. Those whose kindness, presence and support circle around you praying for you and holding you up when your own courage and strength seems to have vanished.
Reach out for support, allow your spirit to be cradled and comforted as you heal.
"God will either shield you from suffering or give you unfailing strength to bear it."
St. Francis de Sales
Light and Shadow
Balancing the energy, honouring the light and dark within, facing fear, harmony.
My Journal of Hope
My anger, my bargaining, my fear.....
What am I feeling angry about today?
What "if only's am I experiencing today?
What do I fear the most?
"Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned."
Buddha
Finding Soul Connection
Losing hope means disconnecting from your inner knowing and wisdom. Anger can eclipse reason. Can you allow your reactions to your experience be softened into guidance? Reach for the one feeling that will feel better than where you are now. Source is always with you. Revel in the knowingness that spirit comforts through the kindness and connection of others. Take time to connect and listen to your own soul.
What do I need most right now?
What gives me the most comfort?
What am I most thankful for right now?
Why would my soul choose to experience this event?
What have I been "gifted" with through this experience and time of healing?
"Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around."
Leo Buscaglia
Soulmate
Our world is full of chaos. You fill me with peace. I am calm with you, feeling connected in spirit.
Path Unfolding
"My destiny, my direction, my choice, magic unfolding."
Every choice we make creates our current feeling place of experiences. We have no control over the choices or actions of others but we have complete control over our own thoughts, choices and reactions. By releasing the emotions and feelings that are not serving us on our journey, we free up creative energy to channel towards healing, redefining and rebuilding. These potent lessons, the learning curve so steep, so fraught with chaos. Forgive yourself, forgive whoever was involved. Release it. Let it go. Feel the creative power within you to create whatever it is you wish to experience and find the feeling place of those thoughts that match it. Do you want peace? How would that feel right now within you? Close your eyes and feel it. Do you want a healthier body? How would that feel for you? The goodness of what you are mourning will always be a part of you, hold it close to your heart, carry that forward and let the rest go. These feelings pave the path in the direction of change you are desiring. Build a relationship with those feelings and allow them to guide you into taking the actions that will lead you to this new place.
Circle of Support and Connection
Care about being aware of what you offer because of how you feel. Care about what you offer. Care about who you are with because of what you offer. Care about who you are with. Care about who you are with because they mirror how you feel. Care about how you feel. Care about how you feel because this is what you will offer.
"Every person we meet adds to our life in some way. We help each other learn about ourselves. We help each other grow. All we need to do is extend a hand."
Floating Hearts
Harmony, finding balance, peace, we are all teachers, we are all mirrors for one another, flow.
Flow
Going with the flow means finding the place of least resistance and allowing energy to move there. When everything you have known changes in a heartbeat the challenge of change can teach that we can find power and balance in small actions. Finding a better feeling thought, helps to move towards hope through whatever action feels better.
"Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don't resist them; that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like."
Lao Tzu
(Continues...)
Excerpted from VISUAL MEDITATIONS by Jo-Anne Taraba. Copyright © 2013 Jo-Anne Taraba. Excerpted by permission of Balboa Press.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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