Shake Ups are Wake Ups

Shake ups can be our wake ups if we choose to take that road. It seems many people are experiencing more chaos than usual lately which makes sense as we are entering eclipse season once again....a time when circumstances tend to arise in order to push us forward on our life path whether we like it or not. Without shake ups we humans don't tend to wake up and live the life we were really put here to live. If we understand that the shake ups happen so that we are pushed to change, and ask ourselves why we are here and look at how we are using our lives for the greater good; we can use the apparent chaos as a chance for heart opening, self-awareness, healing and growth.

Shake ups come in many varieties...sometimes it's death of a loved one, loss of a friend through circumstances, a disagreement or fight, a house fire, news of devastation for a community, a forced house move, loss of a job, or a secret coming to light that brings us to our knees. The list goes on and on. The point being (and believe me, I've learned these things myself through painful circumstances) we can use the shake up to wake up or we can shut down and feel sorry for ourselves. The latter is playing the role of the victim which is the easy way out...if we play the victim, we get to pass on taking responsibility and can shake our finger in blame at the other guy...even God. We are NOT victims, unless we choose to be.

When our hearts are broken open by pain, we have a choice to shut down and become colder and more unfeeling than ever, or we can choose to let the experience open us up. You'll notice that when we experience chaos on a global level like the earthquake in Haiti for instance, how the devastation brought everyone to their knees and everyone felt the pain of the loved ones who'd lost loved ones and how through that devastation we were each made to 'feel' all at the same time. So there we all were, stopped in our tracks, feeling raw, open hearted and vulnerable, and the positive part was the world reached out and offered prayers and kind words and deeds and we were all just human in those days. We were in our heart space, we weren't the color of our skin, or our religion or nationality, or sexual preference, we were millions of souls having a heart opening human experience together! That's some powerful medicine.

It's so clear to me now how my personal shake ups have forced my heart open slowly. Every shake up cracked my heart so more light could eventually get in. Now that I can actually see this, I no longer resist the inevitable and have felt inner peace and joy on levels I never thought possible. I spent the majority of my years on this earth with my heart closed as many people do (usually as a result of an early childhood shake up). So much so that I couldn't fathom there was even a God or anything remotely positive in the universe. I'm happy to say I'm not that person today and I owe it to my shake ups and my choices to keep looking for the crumbs of good in amongst the debris.

When we are listening to our intuition and taking steps to change our lives, and when we stop hiding from ourselves and become more self aware and in the flow of life, the shake ups become less and less intense to experience. We come to understand they're part of the deal and stop dreading, and instead start accepting the opportunity for heart opening growth. Many people go through life trying NOT to feel, so sometimes we are brought to our knees simply for the purpose to 'feel' again. When we are forced to feel by something that has happened outside of us, it wakes our hearts up. So even though it can be devastatingly painful at the time, eventually we can find ourselves feeling other stuff, like joy and gratitude, at heightened levels. We can also help others who can relate to us by sharing our journey.

It's important to keep in mind as well, that often times the shake ups are actually answers to our prayers. We ask to become better people, to be shown what our purpose is, to become rock stars or the best mother we can be. If we are asking for help from Spirit to better our lives, then we need to get out of the way and be open to 'how' that might take place because I can guarantee you, from experience, it's not gonna go how YOU want it to! It's going to be uncomfortable because it's gonna mean change and change comes from shake ups! The bigger your dream for your life, the more open your heart must be so be careful what you wish for. :D

Here's a poem I wrote after experiencing a shake up eclipse season a few years ago now....you might relate to it more around mid-June ;-)

Peace, Love and Shake Rattle n Roll......


OUT OF THE ECLIPSES
Out of the eclipses
she emerges weary yet strong.
Left reeling from the preordained events
strategically placed for her soul's progression.
She wonders if it ever gets easier
at the same time knowing she is the only one
with the power to change her actions, her reactions.
She learns to use this energy
this gift from Grandmother Moon
to evolve, to emerge
from the inner to the outer her.
To find her power, her love, her purpose
understanding as eclipse time begins, chaos will reign.
She must stay grounded
while seeking higher perspective
until this energy passes
and all is calm again....
yet forever changed.

Written by
Barb Cote 2008 More poetry at www.barbcote.com