posted September 08, 2007 08:45 PM
The Armor Used By The Spiritual Warrior!!!!!The third path also offers lessons in Armadillo medicine, or boundaries, which shows us how we feel when our own boundaries are not honored as well as why we should honor the boundaries of others. If a person does not feel comfortable being asked to discuss personal information, that boundary should be honored without any comments that could make the person feel ill at ease. If we are actively embracing our own healing process, there are times when we may feel vulnerable or ultrasenitive. It is totally inappropriate to force anyone who is feeling that raw to interact with others in LOUD or BOISTEROUS activities. On the third path we are asked to develop our intuitiveness and sensitivity to the degree that we can respectfully observe the boundaries of others in this manner. These boundary lessons are a part of honoring the Sacred Spaces of others and respecting our physical and emotional boundaries as well.
As we learn more about what is appropriate for us individually, we gain more of ourselves through the healing process. We are then asked to extend the same compassion and understanding toward others. I observed one woman years ago who was very sensitive when she was experiencing personal trauma or hurt, but who acted loud, rude and inappropriate when someone else in her circle of friends was vulnerable or hurting. She was swept away with the high drama of the situation and gossiped about the person, who was already traumatized. She never realized how hurtful her lack of boundaries was to those of her friends who eventually heard the intimate details that she dished out without thinking.
When she was confronted with being the source of these hurtful rumors. she would say only that she heard it from others, and she refused to be accountable for having passed the information on. This woman would scream and yell and slam the phone down when confronted with her behavior, laying BLAME outside herself. This behavior pattern is far more common than we would like to think and is an example of another way we held accountable for our THOUGHTS, WORDS and USE of AUTHORITY. If we GOSSIP, we are missing our AUTHORITY and we RAPING ANOTHER'S PERSONS BOUNDARIES. When the TABLES ARE TURNED and WE ARE RECIPIENTS, we RECIEVE THE FULL IMPACT of HOW that BEHAVIOR FEELS.
FROM TIME TO TIME, ALL of US are DRAWN into COMMENTING on something that MAY NOT BE ANY of OUR BUSINESS. The lessons can be VERY PAINFUL if something WE SAID is TWISTED BY ANOTHER or is REPEATED in a RUMOR that HURTS OTHER PEOPLE. LEARNING WHO to TRUST with CONFIDENCES can take time and SOME HARD KNOCKS. Learning how to be CAREFUL with statements of OUR PERSONAL OPINIONS requires that WE be FULLY PRESENT when we are SPEAKING to ANYONE. The fact that today's media will misrepresentfacts and misquote people's statements in order to get a SENSATIONAL STORY is a SAD situation and SHOWS that INTEGRITY is a RISK in ALL SEGMENTS of HUMANITY. WE are not ASKED TO POINT FINGERS but RATHER to LOOK at OUR OWN BEHAVIOURS and TO CORRECT the PATTERNS that WE DO NOT LIKE.
During the third path we often meet up with others lessons regarding boundaries. Crow Medicine is Native American concept that teaches US about DIVINE LAW. Crow shows US that if WE FOCUS ON THE POSITIVE, WE are given more POSITIVE EXPERIENCES. IF WE FOCUS ON THE NEGATIVE, the SHADOW SIDE of HUMAN NATURE will be FED by OUR NEGATIVIITY and WILL COME ALIVE, FEEDING our EXPERINCES with FURTHER NEGATIVITY. These lessons can APPLY to INTERNAL MENTAL CRITICISM or to EXTERNAL VERBAL REBUKES that DEMEAN OURSELVES or OTHERS. There is a BIG DIFFERENCE between ACKNOWLEDGING what is IMBALANCED or INAPPROPRIATE and then WORKING to CHANGE that BEHAVIOUR, and BEATING OURSELVES UP with SELF REVILEMENT or SELF-HATRED. It is just as INAPPROPRIATE to ALLOW OUR SHADOW NATURE to STRIP US of OUR DIGNITY or SHAME US into HOPELESSNESS as to ALLOW it to CONVINCE US WE are SUPERIOR. IN ALL SITUATIONS , WE FEED OUR LIFE FORCE to the POSITIVE or to the SHADOW and GIVE OUR AUTHORITY to ONE or the OTHER, HARVESTING EXACTLY what WE HAVE FERTILIZED with OUR LIFE FORCE.
The set of lessons that Crow brings into our lives may ask us to FIND POSTIVE THINGS or THINK or FEEL ABOUT ALL PEOPLE AND ALL SITUATIONS. WE do not HAVE to JUDGE ANY PERSONS'S SHORTCOMINGS, but INSTEAD WE can LEARN to SEE any SITUATION OR PERSON as a MAGNIFICENT TEACHER. ANY PERSON WHO is MISBEHAVING can BE SHOWING what we do not wish to BECOME or HOW NOT TO BE SOMETHING. Through THANKING the PERSON FOR the LESSON, WE can LEARN to HONOR the FACT THAT EVERY HUMAN BEING is a MESSENAGER or TEACHER for US. WE are also asked to USE DISCERNMENT, or OWL MEDICINE, and we are given the CHOICE to FORGIVE and TO LET GO OF PAST PAIN. It is OUR CHOICE whether or not to ALLOW the OFFENDERS, WHO have BEEN FORGIVEN, ACCESS to OUR SACRED SPACES at ANT TIME in the FUTURE. I would like to say, however. that it is not necessary to LET COYOTEBACK INTO YOUR HEN HOUSE to ATTAIN SPIRITUAL ENLIGHTMENT!!!!
Taken from " DANCING THE DREAM " By Jamie Sams