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 R U on
Auto-Haunt?
by Marlene Buffa
My very favorite holiday of the year, Halloween, is a time when people honestly
pretend to be something other than who they are! By donning our masks and
putting on makeup and costumes, we cloak ourselves in a persona vastly different
from how we present ourselves every day. The new façade creates an illusion of a
new identity as we stay in character. We celebrate the goblins and ghosts which
lurk around us this harvest and introspectively examine the spirits within us
which haunt us as we roam the earth.
Own Worst Enemy — Haunted by self limitation, doubt, and insecurity, the well
known cliché that man is his own worst enemy resolutely demonstrates itself in
our spiritual awakenings. We repeatedly hold ourselves back from living a
fulfilling life when we buy into the negative self talk and doubt our
capabilities. Giving credence and power to the myth of our unworthiness of
whatever it is we truly want in life, we render ourselves helpless to the
mind-speak we create, thereby manufacturing the enemy in our own minds as well
as falling prey to it. When you consider that you created our own antagonist to
your higher self, you then take a look at what fuels the negativity and the
perpetuation of those fears.
Haunted By The Past — Regrets, mistakes, and “should haves” work together to
form the ghost of the past which hovers over our conscious thoughts. With fears
of repeating mistakes or behaving in a manner which results in more future
regret (?), we rattle the chains of self-imposed restrictions and remain frozen
in fear by the inability to move forward to our highest desire and potential.
Paralyzed, we spend more time reminiscing and revisiting the past than living in
the present moment.
Instead, remember you cannot undo anything nor can you ever “should have” right
now. Those are the dead end roads of your life’s path. Allowing your past to
dictate the vibrancy of the present, surrenders your power to fully engage in
the now — the only true lesson you ever own. Right now is IT; it’s all you’ve
got. Quit spending your precious “now” shivering in fear of the ghosts of your
past that you allow to haunt your potential awakening.
External Haunting Turned Inward — Along with our self-talk, we integrate and
assimilate the words of others into a ghost of our self-perception. Parents,
friends, bosses and those we allow to impose their opinions upon us formulate in
our psyche as a ghost of “what they think must really be who I am.” Believing
that others more accurately capture a depiction of you than yourself, you allow
a haunting of their perspective a higher position of authority than your own
self-awareness. Worse yet, you feel their expectations of you both expressed and
silent, must be met in order to live up to their definition of who you are.
Learn to separate and detach what others tell you about yourself. They are human
too, and their opinion of you is only that. As a child of the Creator, your role
remains to progress on your own path, not constrained by any implied obligation
to anyone else. Each of us arrived on the planet with our own lessons to learn.
As we share our humanity with one another, we exchange observations. By
identifying the differences between how others see you and what you know about
yourself to be true, you exorcise the ghost of external opinion.
Cultural Ghosts — Social ghosts haunt us into the restrictions of tradition,
cultures, or rituals. We sometimes feel bound to limit ourselves to the success
level of our family, peer group or perceived social strata. Tremendous pressure
exists on us as youths to achieve certain expectations as defined by our family,
friends, neighbors and co-workers. In some cultures, dumbing-down and
non-achieving is rigorously encouraged so as not to upset the group-think of
martyrdom. When others give no plausible reason for attempting to keep you in
the depths of failure, know that, “misery loves company” and the “I can’t”
mentality really means, “I’m afraid.”
Break free from the accident of your earthly birth and ascend into a higher
awareness that your life lesson may be to set aside the familiarity of your
surroundings and aspire to higher levels of consciousness. Only YOU decide
what’s best for you! Ignore the ghostly moans of agony or fear of success and
create your own vision of your highest and best.
Be Your Own Exorcist — Using a crystal ball of self examination, you identify
the ghosts of your essence which haunt your mind and soul. These ghosts exist
only as habits and thought patterns that you allowed to implant into your mind
and eventually control your life. The visions of fear you see are hollow myths
you created and project into your future and hinder you from living in the
present moment.
Leave the past where it belongs! When you hear the echo of self-doubt and the
repeated chants of external control by fears, close the gate of the graveyard of
negativity. Slam the door on thoughts which no longer serve you and invite the
light of illumined ideas and possibility-thinking to occupy your precious “right
now.”
Taking a quiet sideways glance at life, Marlene offers insight through her words
from experiences. A student of new-thought teachings, Marlene finds practical
spirituality around every corner and seeks wisdom through observation of life’s
inter-relationships. Sometimes playful, sometimes poignant, always
thought-provoking, her writing inspires readers in meaningful ways.
www.WordsOfMind.com .
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