What do you really feel?

One of our most important responsibilities to one another, and to ourselves, is to own and communicate our own truths. Saying what’s on our minds as purely and simply as possible, without being unduly attached to the outcome, or to the drama—taking the initiative to have a conversation, and being willing to open ourselves to hear what others need to say to us—is a precious offering that creates a table of clarity and integrity for our relationships to open and expand upon.

Some of us have become more comfortable sitting in the victim seat, than in the owner seat, of our own lives. True communication scares us, because we’re afraid to make waves. What we are failing to realize is that sometimes it’s the waves that move us all forward.

If you’ve been choosing to suffer in silence rather than to communicate your true feelings to the people in your life, it’s time for you to figure out why you feel so unworthy!

Learning to value your emotions might sound a little self-centered and selfish . . . but when we keep hedging our words, swallowing our truths, and spending most of our energy trying to hold up the earth and all its wounds and misgivings with our own minds and hearts, we are doing ourselves and the people we care about a great disservice. We’re missing out on opportunities, for ourselves and others, to take steps within our purpose, and we’re postponing our mutual journeys toward our Good.

Excerpt from From Trouble to High Places: Meditations for Women Who Are So Ready to Cross the Bridges that Lead to Joy! Copyright 2009 Esther Davis-Thompson.

How do you handle your true feelings?

Our relationships and our personal power are so closely related that they are often, imperceptibly, intertwined. Just looking at the way we approach our relationships with others can make us aware of innumerable aspects of our relationship with Self.

For instance, in your major relationship, are there things you need to say, but are reluctant to share because you’re trying to spare someone’s feelings?

Have you been trying to avoid a particular response or reaction from someone?

Do you fear that speaking the truth in a certain relationship would be so problematic as to end the relationship . . . and you really don’t want it to end?

One of the first steps out of your Trouble Zone is to acknowledge, and assume responsibility for, your feelings. What’s true for you has to be honored and accepted, first, by you.

When the continuance of a relationship seems to hinge upon your willingness to swallow your truths and ignore your feelings, you really have to give serious consideration as to the potential-damage-factors of that relationship.

Excerpt from

Are you going in the same direction as your journey-partner?

If you are unequally yoked with someone close to you, you will know it. The more you begin to consider a High Places life as a viable option, the more you will become aware of the true intentions of your partner, and of the vast amount of energy it takes to keep walking at crossed-purposes with someone close to you. Before too long the rope that ties the two of you together will probably start to feel like a noose.

Many of our relationships in Trouble are like this— unbalanced, draining, and restrictive.
While occasional bouts of tug-of-war in our relationships can make us grow in good ways, we need to keep in mind that constantly feeling out of sync with the people closest to us often leads to our feeling defensive . . . and out of sync with Self. If you are in a relationship where you always seem to feel uneasy—not just by the other person’s responses and actions toward you, but even by the person’s just being in your soul-space—it’s time to really question whether this relationship could be keeping you from moving forward emotionally and spiritually.

Our relationships are an integral part of the fabric of our lives and they play a huge role in determining the climate and quality of our journey. As difficult as it may be to accept, any relationship that doesn’t offer encouragement and support, for the changes you’re trying to bring about, has to be seen for the hindrance that it is—whether you choose to stay in it or not.

With Whom Are You Walking?

Today, think about the people around you. Do they stir a high energy within you, or do they make you sink down into the lowest places of yourself?

Is there someone who seems to help you to step up higher into yourself every time you talk to them? Is there someone who intimidates you? Is there someone who frequently belittles you? Is there someone who seems to understand you without your having to go through undue explanations about things? Is there someone who makes your mind and spirit feel good?

As you become more and more aware of the nullifying effect that some people have on your ability to move forward, you will come to understand the importance of associating with people who are a positive force in your life. You will free yourself to be able to offer some Love to everyone you come into contact with . . . yet you’ll also know when to stop short of throwing your beating heart to hungry lion-folks.

You’ll be free to give of yourself to anyone who has a true need, but you’ll also know to think twice before offering your last bit of water to those who have a habit of, somehow, cracking every glass they own.

You’ll be free to love others strong, yet, you’ll know to be wary of those who keep refusing to heal . . . and seem to ex-pect you to stay in their unhealed zone with them.

In all of your relationships, listen carefully for the intuitive voice of your spirit-woman. Pay attention, and she will tell you everything you need to know.

Staying in relationships that we know aren’t good for us makes it harder for us to move forward out of our Trouble.

Trying to walk, for too long, with people who aren’t going in the same direction we are, just drives us deeper into Trouble.

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Excerpt from From Trouble to High Places: Meditations For Women Who Are So Ready to Cross the Bridges That Lead to Joy! Copyright 2009 Esther Davis-Thompson

Are You Aware of the Power Exchange Within Your Relationships

Being part of a relationship is like being in a certain kind of box. Every relationship has its own foundation, specific boundaries, and special rules. Each relationship has its own flavor and brand of love. Our relationship boxes become an invisible field of energy that surround us as we go about doing what we do. And although our circumstances and other outside affectations can cause our relationships to evolve, alter and morph into another stage of the same thing, our roles in a particular relationship only really change into something different when one party or the other initiates that change.
 
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Today think about the most influential relationship in your life . . . the relationship that most determines how your day goes. . . the relationship that paints a picture of you in your mind. Is it with your husband or significant other? Or perhaps with your mother, your child, your sibling, or a friend? 

What color is the box that defines this relationship? 

Is this a color that pleases you? Or disturbs you?

What seat do you sit in, in this relationship? 

An authoritative seat?

A partner seat?

A beloved seat?

A capable seat?

A powerless seat?

A happy seat?

A frightened seat?

A sad seat?

And inside the box of this relationship, when you look in the mirror at yourself, what do you see? How do you look?

Do you look good . . . or no?

Do you feel good?

Does this relationship enhance your well-being? 

Does this relationship offer you opportunities to enhance the well-being of another?

Does this relationship encourage you to become your Highest Self?

How would you like for this relationship to stay the same? 

How would you like for this relationship to change?

Are there steps you need to take to change who you are in this relationship? …..

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From Trouble to High Places: Meditations for Women Who Are So Ready to Cross the Bridges That Lead to Joy!