Today I want to write about the necessity of true “down time” for the committed spiritual seeker. Traditionally, aspirants spent years…even lifetimes…in relative seclusion from the world. The higher you go in elevation, the less you feel the impact of the collective consciousness, which is why mountains have always been very sacred places and why many of you feel so at peace when you are among them. The life of a spiritual seeker requires that the nervous system be fine-tuned in order to be able to move into the higher states of consciousness which he/she aspires to attain. What people do not understand, and can’t understand until they have reached a certain level of dissolution, is how detrimental the current construct of life is to anyone doing serious spiritual work. For instance, it is very difficult to attain spiritual advancement within the very dense energies found in large cities, yet some of us are called to do our work within them, despite its challenges.
What is needed is to prioritize the importance of alone time in your life. It is not a judgment on those you love. Friends and family members often take it personally when you assert that you need time away. The fact is that just being in others’ energy fields all the time is very draining on your own vibrational resonance in direct relation to the levels of consciousness you are surrounded by. When you sleep next to your partner at night, you are affected by his/her level of consciousness, whether beneficial or not. When your kids run around the house playing, you are bombarded by their energy. But, you say, they are happy children. That’s not a bad thing. Of course it’s not bad. However, the higher your level of consciousness, the more refined your energy is and even the energy of happy, playful children can be enough to make you feel as though your nervous system is being fried.
I have taken two trips in the past month to go into seclusion so that I could do some writing, which is quite a challenge as a wife, mother and guide. I was amazed on the first trip that it took me a full five days to get through the exhaustion that came upon me as soon as I got to my destination. It was an entire week before I could write anything, as my energetic resources were completely depleted and had to be recharged first. I was equally amazed at how quickly my newly built-up resources were wiped out when I returned home. I observed over the course of several days how my energy got lower and how my experience of being “tapped in” had completely dissolved within a week. All the signs of Spirit, or synchronicities, that I had been observing during my trip vanished in the barrage of daily wife/mother/guide activities. The constant pull from the world took its toll on me and my capacity to do deeper levels of my work. For anyone who does energy work, or who has been called to function as a spiritual teacher or guide, I cannot stress enough how imperative it is that you figure out a way to remain attuned energetically. Granted, this is far easier for some than for others and I am equally speaking to myself as I write these words.
The bottom line is this. People won’t understand. You have to do it anyway. People will think you are just selfish. Do it anyway. People will think you are being lazy and shirking your responsibilities. You must do it anyway. If your loved ones truly love you, they will not stand in the way of what needs to be done, even if they don’t like it.
Do you understand? You see, unlike the seekers of old, we are challenged at this time to hold the highest levels of Light possible in form AND live among those who are incapable of doing the same. We are called to keep on keeping on in the face of incredible adversity, but we are NO GOOD to anyone if we are depleted. You can’t be of service to others if you are too exhausted to raise your own vibration, no matter how much physical and mental effort you put in to it.
The world doesn’t understand this. People will judge you as they would judge an accountant. It’s no big deal…just get the work done. Except, we aren’t here to do worldly work, are we? It’s time that we honor our calling and give it the attention and respect that it deserves. We aren’t here to fit into a mold of what our lives “should” look like and how we “should” function within them. We absolutely must learn to trust our own inner guidance, regardless of what anyone thinks. We need to do the best we can in our daily lives, lean on the help of others when needed, and learn to recognize when it is time to walk away from it all for a little while. Your sacred calling must not take a back seat to your worldly life. It is not life-denying by any stretch, but it does require your constant attention. After some time, you will learn the signs of depletion to be on the lookout for when you are engaged with the world. When they pop up, be kind to yourself and do what you need to do to get back to your center.
No excuses and no apologies!
Shusara