Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me - watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on your. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly. ~ Matthew 11:28 - 30, The Message When this Bible verse came into my awareness, I read it and really took it to heart. Anyone who truly knows me, knows that I am not a religious person, meaning, I practice Spirituality, not religion. I do believe that there is a higher power: sometimes I call it God, sometimes I call it the Universe. And I've come to realize that it doesn't matter what I call it, because it is all one. But the truth that I found in this scripture was that, 1) I really needed rest, and 2) I needed to be still in order to listen to God.... In order for me to progress on my spiritual journey and be in a place of service to others, I needed to still myself, I needed to rest, and I needed to surrender.
One of the experiences I had, up on the mountain, was during a moment of meditation. I had a hard time settling in to the meditation. After several attempts to quiet and still myself, my attention was directed outside to the rain. I then heard, "Go into the rain." Well, even though it wasn't raining hard, it WAS lightening, and I WAS on a mountain - which made me closer to the lightening! So I argued with my guides. (Again, those who know me well, know that I tend to argue with my guides when I don't want to follow their directions, for one reason or another). Well, after some debate, I relented and went out to the balcony. Once I got out there, and in somewhat of a snarky response to the conditions, I asked, "Now what?" And I was told, "Surrender." Again, I went into debate mode, "I'm outside, in the rain and lightening, how much more can I surrender?" Again, I was told, "You need to fully surrender." So, I followed their directions, sat down in half-lotus in the rain and lightening, and continued the meditation. After some time, I slowly came back into my body and I realized that the rain had stopped, and it was sunny out. I sat longer, taking it all in: the smell from the fresh rain, the beauty of the mountains, the warmth of the sun. Indeed, I did surrender, and the payoff was more than I could have asked for. The gratitude I felt was overwhelming! There was another point during sabbatical that I was feeling so exhausted and I asked if I could just unplug for five minutes. Unplug from it all - spirituality, my life, my health, etc. I felt like this question was not just ME asking, but several of my clients that had brought that question into their session and I haven't quite known how to answer it. These particular clients were either new to their spiritual path, or are so tired of peeling the layers of healing that they just wanted to stop for a bit. And all of a sudden I found myself wanting to unplug. So, I asked it here. And the answer I received was, "What then?" Huh, I pondered that answer. Indeed, what then.....I pondered this answer for some time. Do we not create our own reality? I realized I COULD choose to unplug, but that would mean that I am either dead, or at the least, not growing or healing. Therefore, I have made a conscious decision to keep on keeping on. My reality is that I am here to serve. The journey may be bumpy at times, but with the help from God and the Universe, I am strong. And, I vow to still myself, as often as necessary, to learn the unforced rhythms of grace, to live freely and lightly.
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One of the things I love to do is read. If I had my druthers, I’d have a library in my home….or in my office. The bookshelves would line walls, from top to bottom. I’d have to use a sliding wooden ladder to reach the top shelves. There’d be a nice writing desk, and a fireplace with an area rug in front of it and a few comfy chairs. Ahhh, yes, a beautiful library, indeed! I love the feel of books in my hands. I love to touch and turn the pages.
My current library of books includes many genres. So when I decided I was taking sabbatical this summer, I took several books that I already had in my possession, and I took a few new ones. After resting for a few days, I decided I would open one of my new books. Boy was I in for a treat! Life’s Golden Ticket by Brendon Buchard blew me away! I happened across this book on Facebook. It popped up as an advertisement in my timeline one day, and said something like, “This is the book of the summer!” Because I believe things don’t just happen “by chance”, I researched the book and then quickly ordered it. Well, I was not disappointed! Not only did I read the book in only a few days, I also ordered another copy WHILE I was reading it and sent it to my daughter. She, too, read it in just a few days. It really captured our attention and we couldn’t put it down. I give it five stars! Another book that was new to me is Present over Perfect: Leaving behind Frantic for a Simpler, More Soulful Way of Living by Shauna Niequist. Once again, this just showed up when I was looking for something else. (Funny how that works!) Well, when I researched it, I was almost not going to order it because it was listed under Christian Self-Help. Now, I’m not against Christian authors, but I didn’t want someone preaching to me. I was on sabbatical to listen to God, not others tell me their views of God. I ordered it anyway……and I have fallen in love with this author, her stories, and her very down-to-earth way of bringing God into Spirituality. I give this book 4.5 stars. My next book will not be a book, but rather an audio of a book: Thrive: The Third Metric to Redefining Success and Creating a Life of Well‑Being, Wisdom, and Wonder by Arianna Huffington. I am quite excited to listen to this audio, as my husband has already listened to it and shared it with me. Whatever you decide to read or listen to, find what it is that feeds your soul, then spend time there. Believe me, you’ll be glad you did! What have YOU read lately? What is YOUR favorite book? The end of summer is almost here, which means, so is my sabbatical. When I started thinking of taking a spiritual sabbatical earlier this summer, I couldn’t wrap my head around being away six or so weeks. However, I felt this strong urge to be still, be silent, sleep and just be. My body was exhausted. I started talking with my husband, my colleague, my friends, and found that I was fully supported in taking this much needed time. Then I read author Kristi Ling’s post on Facebook: “One of the best ways to keep abundant energy, joy, and wellness flowing is to rest when your soul calls for it. Truly rest. When we ignore this call from our soul, that's when we can invite in a boatload of messed up things that can screw up our world (illness, stress, major mood swings). A tired soul needs reflection, nurturing, laughter, and empty space. A tired soul needs TLC, freedom, a slower pace, mega down time, and the opportunity to do nothing for a while.” I do not know who this person is, but her words left an impact on me. I realized that it wasn’t just my body that was exhausted, it was body, mind and soul. And so it was agreed, I was taking sabbatical.
Doors began to open for me. My colleague said she’d keep the office running. My friend invited me to their mountain home in the Great Smokey Mountains to stay as long as I needed. My husband was on board. It was all coming together. Then, as if I needed further validation, I met a perfect stranger that said the perfect words at the perfect time. In a nutshell, she said that I was a servant of God and that he was getting ready to do great things with me. She said that I was tired and needed to rest. I told her I was going on sabbatical soon and thanked her for her words. I didn’t know what to expect during my time on sabbatical. It knew it would be very different than anything I had ever experienced. I wasn’t sure what to do without working (I’ve been working since I was 11 or 12 years old), without my kids or husband to tend to, without responsibility to anyone or anything but me! I knew I didn’t want to plan much, and when I set out, I only knew three things for sure: when I was leaving, where I was going and that I was going to build my drum. So, with my car packed and loaded, I headed out on July 16th. I drove for two days and finally made Bryson City, North Carolina, and was greeted with a beautiful rainbow. Then, a few nights before I was to leave, it was as if the sky opened up and I was shown the great Milky Way. I was told that it almost never is seen in the mountains during the summer months. It was a dark night with a clear sky. I felt like it was my message from the Universe that it was time to leave the mountains, to head back to my family. A few days later, that’s exactly what I did. I stayed in the mountains for a total of 16 days. Such a wonderful, profound experience, of which I’ll be sharing in future posts. And so, soon it is time to come out of sabbatical and return to life. I now know the importance of taking time to care for myself. Truly care for myself – body, mind and spirit. I now know that it’s okay to say “no” or “not right now”. I now know that when I listen to my body and use it as my barometer, my life can run so much smoother. |
AuthorsBetty Segerdahl is a Diplomat of Pastoral Science, Certified Holistic Health Practitioner, Reiki Master Teacher and Spiritual Coach. She specializes in Energy Medicine, and also has a background in Psychology, Human Growth & Development and Holistic Health. Archives
September 2016
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