Should or Could?

This journaling exercises is from the book, "You Can Heal Your Life" by Louise L. Hay. It is a really excellent book - I would recommend it to just about anyone. You can find this book, and others like it at www.hayhouse.com

In the book, Louise talks about changing your thought patterns from negative to positive in order to actually heal physical ailments, depression, anxiety, etc. In chapter two she discusses how we all have negative thought patterns - some are obvious but there are some that we aren't even aware of!! She says that the word "Should" is a very damaging word and ought to be removed from the dictionary! Confused? Try this exercise and you'll see.....

1) Write down a list of things that you feel you Should do, Should feel, etc....

I SHOULD
....
....
....
(For example; I Should be happy. I should have a clean house. I should lose weight. I should have a better job)

2) Look at your list. Now ask yourself WHY??

Why Should I?
...
...
...
(Why Should I be Happy? Why Should I have a clean house? Why Should I lose weight? Why should I have a better job?)

What are your answers? These answers can reveal the sources of some of your negative thought patterns or false beliefs about your life. ( "Because I should be perfect. Because my parents / others say I should. Because everybody else does. Because I'm too ugly, too fat, too lazy, too worthless, etc.....)
Don't judge your answers and don't spend too long thinking of them - just write down the first thing that comes to your mind, be honest with yourself.

excerpt from the book;
"You see, I believe that "should" is one of the most damaging words in our language. Every time we use the word should, we are in effect, saying "Wrong". Either we are wrong or we were wrong or we are going to be wrong. I don't think we need more wrongs in our life. We need to have more freedom of choice. I would like to take the word should and remove it from the vocabulary forever. I'd replace it with the word could. Could gives us choice, and we are never wrong."

3) Re-Write your first list, this time instead of saying "I Should", you are going to say "If I really wanted to, I could..."

If I really wanted to I could...
...
...
...
( If I really wanted to I could be happy. If I really wanted to I could have a clean house. If I really wanted to I could lose weight. If I really wanted to, I could have a better job.)

Wow! Just wording it differently creates a whole different feeling, doesn't it? Rather than those feelings of guilt and doubt, it creates a feeling of hope!

4) Next, instead of asking yourself "Why Should I?", ask yourself "Why Haven't I?"

Why Haven't I?
....
....
....
This can reveal much more about your list. Your answers will be a bit different than the first time. (They may be something like this... "I am afraid. I don't know how. I don't really want to. I'm not good enough / I don't deserve it. ")

from the book; "We often find that we have been berating ourselves for years over something we never really wanted to do in the first place. Often it was just something that someone else (or society) said that you "should" do. When you can see that, you can drop it from your "Should List" - what a relief that is!!"

For the things that YOU truly want to do or change, now you can work on changing your thought pattern from "I Should" to "I could", and you can work on healing or understanding the reasons why you haven't done it yet (Fear, self-doubt, lacking confidence, etc. ) In the end, it all boils down to Loving Yourself.

Try this affirmation on for size "I Love myself, and I CAN achieve my goals!"

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If you post the results to this exercise in your blog or website, be sure to post a link back to
http://journalyourselfawake.blogspot.com !!
Come back and leave a comment with a link to your site!

Strength

This week, take a moment to think about your strengths. Society teaches us to recognize strength as physical power, muscle, and control, but often through life we learn that true strength is our inner strength. The ability to overcome obstacles in life through love, faith, passion, and wisdom will show us where our true strength lies. In tarot cards, Strength is often related to the astrological sign of Leo. Leo is ruled by the sun and late July thru August is certainly a time when the sun is at it's strongest, and it is also the time when many crops are becoming ready for harvest; a time to celebrate the growth we have seen through the year and benefit from our hard work and patience.


So, let this be a time for you to evaluate your inner strengths, celebrate your victories; no matter how big or small. Take a moment to examine these two tarot cards by Kay Steventon and their meanings. How can you apply these lessons or meanings to your life right now?



Celestial Tarot by Kay Steventon & Brian Clark

Leo, the Lion-Hearted Heroine
"King of the beasts is a common epithet for the Lion, the zodiacal totem representing Leo. Traditionally Strength depicts young woman taming a lion, contrasting the brute force of the lion's body with the purity of the virginal spirit - the combination of Leo and Virgo . Atlanta, the huntress and personification of feminine strength, represents the virginal taming of the lion in Greek myth. Teth, the Hebrew letter associated with this card, means snake. It's head is lifted suggesting the kundalini has risen and Atlanta faces it's instinctual force. From a psychological perspective this suggests that willpower can channel the instincts in service of the self. On a divinatory level this card implies the individual is experiencing an initiation into their own strength by finding the will and courage to accept difficult and dark feelings."

The Spiral Tarot by Kay Steventon

"Ishtar subdues her lion nature. She loves her wild animal side, but does not want her instincts to gain dominance over her connection to the divine. Divinatory meaning: Strength to overcome those parts of the self which are no longer needed; able to overcome difficult situations with gentleness and love, not force."





In most decks the person conquering the beast is not using any weapon or brute force, but seems to have somehow otherwise subdued the beast. Through life, we are often called upon to conquer our own inner beasts, and no sword or muscle will help us in these battles. We must either learn to apply our willpower, courage, and compassion in these circumstances; or succumb to the beast and be consumed by it. Many people, out of fear or personal disillusionment, give themselves over to their base instincts and desires; this is okay, but we must learn that there is a time and place for our "animal within" to lead the way, but that there is also a time when we must take charge and use reason, compassion, love, or logic rather than simply follow these often selfish or fear based urges. In all the cards I have seen, the beast is not slain or killed, and I think this is important as well. Because while our base instincts and urges might sometimes lead us astray, they are not bad or evil. They are there for a reason and sometimes we must follow these instincts! The beast is there to be tamed, not killed! Denying our true inner desires is certainly no way to live, but we must find the balance and strength to not let these desires run our lives.... a balance is necessary in all things in life.



Journal about your Inner Strength. What strengths can you celebrate? What Inner Beast have you conquered? Or what Inner Beast are you currently battling? Have you been ignoring any instincts that you may need to listen to? If you need help or guidance for your journal, try these questions* to get your words flowing;

• How strong is your love?


• How are you being called upon to show courage and perseverance?


• What do you desire to create?


• What inner passions need to be expressed and reconciled?


• What is the "natural" or instinctive thing to do?

* questions from "Tarot For Yourself" by Mary K. Greer. I claim no rights or ownership of these questions.

The following questions are from www.TarotTeachings.com and are designed to help you examine the Strength card in depth and on a personal level;

How do you define strength?
In what way do your physical urges motivate you?
How can you approach the "need to feed" syndrome?
How do you exhibit self-love and compassion towards yourself?
What are your internal battles and how can you reach a balance?
What area in your life requires you to have the most strength and what different kinds of strength can you apply here?

**For more insights into the meanings of the tarot card Strength, check this website; http://www.learntarot.com/maj08.htm Learning The Tarot by Joan Bunning

Good Luck and Happy Journaling!If you post your journaling results on your blog or website, please remember to link back to this site! Leave a comment with a link to your blog or website!! Thank you & Namaste