By Lucia Amsden
SITTING IN THE BALCONY
In Part 2 of the mini-series, the message below suggests making a covenant between myself and the Universe. It is a profound commitment of becoming more aware of my mutual relationship with the Universe, my Higher Power to do my part in softening my own heart toward myself and bringing more love to others. In return, as I deepen my relationship with my Higher Power, I become more open to receiving all the coaching and loving that is within and surrounds me.
With this commitment growing, I feel a higher frequency of energy that is guiding my Spirit to lead the way in my thoughts and actions and often to allow my ego to step back and take a back seat.
As a first step, I try to listen closely to how I communicate with others. What are my intentions? How do my words affect them? Are my expressions based in kindness, a sense of acceptance and love in my heart? Words, body language, and tone have power to elevate or diminish others. How do I relate to the people in my life?
I often use a mental exercise I call “Sitting in the Balcony” to see my relationships more clearly. It’s something I especially turn to when I feel emotional and confused about a circumstance or repetitive pattern with others that I want to change. I visualize myself climbing stairs in a theater to a balcony seat that has a high view of the stage, so I can observe the drama below from a distance.
With the intent of kindness for myself and the others, I watch the situation below me unfold. I think about my behavior and that of the other people. How am I communicating with others? Am I being thoughtless, exaggerating or ignoring what is going on? Is it any of my business? Do I want my actions and attitudes to change? There are lots of questions to consider.
As I watch the play unfold, I mentally consider ways of thinking and behaving differently, so my responses flow more from love. I remind myself to be kind as I am in this process. This is not about laying on self-criticism; it’s about learning and changing. I don’t always follow my own balcony advice, but observing from a distance is a good step forward in changing myself for the better. From the balcony view, I am able to accept the situation and let it be!
We all have the power to add harmony to our relationships with our families, local communities, and even to the global community by altering our thoughts, words, and actions. The life we have been given is precious, and it really does make a difference if we live from a place of lightness and higher perspectives whenever we can. There are many times where we fall short, but that’s what practicing is all about.
As the poet, Mary Oliver tells us in her poem of gratitude, “Crow”:
And thus the world is full of leaves and feathers,
and comfort, and instruction.
