First, my apologies to any of you who might find it challenging to look for very long at photos of our current Unites States President, Donald J. Trump. (That would include myself. . .) Sorry! I tried to pick a fun one.
And I know you can handle it. We’re resilient, we humans.
My aim here is to do a flip-around and see how we might re-frame a reality-story some of us are carrying — about ourselves, about the President, about all of us as a collective. Are ‘ya with me?
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Here are some slogans from the campaign of President Trump:
“I’m With You, I will FIGHT for you, and I will WIN for YOU.”
“We’re going to win so much; you’re going to be so sick and tired and winning.”
“I am your voice!”
“Make America Great Again.”
The man is clearly a less-developed Ennegram Eight. This personality type values power, self-confidence, strength and assertiveness. Less developed Eights attempt to hide their terror of being harmed or controlled by others by flexing the power muscles of their small self, the ego. Because the small self always comes from a position of insecurity and separateness, the less-developed Eight’s drive for power and individualism is expressed as power-OVER others.
Now, if you’re willing to step back for a minute and read those campaign slogans from an as objective perspective as you can muster — hearing them as another fellow human being’s hopes and dreams — what do you hear? Can you hear a championing, a fearlessness, a drive, and wish for others to be powerful? Perhaps what Donald really wants, way deep down in his un-wounded Essencel, is for his people for to be powerful (and thereby safe). And by gum, he will pull out every trick he knows to ensure that they (and especially he) are never hurt by the bad guys again!
Imagine now that Trump’s circle — who he considered his people — includes everyone on this planet. Imagine that suddenly, in his mind, there are no bad guys. Imagine he includes all living things and all the processes of earth! [A good indicator of development is who and what you include in your circle of care. The bigger your circle of care, the further along you are.}
Then imagine his opened heart bursting with joy at the thought of all people being powerful enough to speak out and claim their place of belonging in the big web of Life.
Good job stretching your imagination with me!! That was a big one!
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I am hearing what Trump really wants, despite his small way of understanding it — this call to personal power. I’m doing the translation, and hearing a call in these pandemicl times to mature power, enlightened power, power-WITH.
So how do we do that — find and stand in our own autonomous power, while remaining authentically connected to and caring of others? Here’s what I’ve been learning (getting daily lessons from the Mystery, because I really wanted to know).:
I. Create the Conditions
Make a strong intention to be given what you need in order to learn what this kind of power feels like. You have to actually WANT these lessons. They hurt a lot, so be very clear that this is what you really want.
Wait for life to give you a situation where you are triggered by someone or something, Something happens that pisses you off, scares you, flips you into anxiety. This is the first clue that we’re giving away our power in some way. ANY time you notice that you are reacting overly strongly to a situation, praise Jesus because this is the way in.
II. Going IN
When youI feel the charge of getting triggered, stop. This is hard to remember to do. We all have automatic reactions that try to get rid of the emotional pain of getting triggered. If you are lucky, you will get more chances to stop if you miss the first one. :)
“Feel the charge” means literally feeling it IN THE BODY. Here’s where the work gets real. Stopping allows you to shift your attention to what is happening in your body, in the moment. Is your heart racing? Do you feel burning in your throat? Do you have butterflies in your stomach? What’s going on in there?
III. Stay & Watch
Your mind will come up with strong reasons to get the hell out of those uncomfortable sensations. It will appeal to your survival instinct. Running, freezing or fighting are what a part of you will want to do. Be strong. If you are not in physical danger, STAY. Stay with the sensations. Relax into pure sensation, whatever it is, and be present with them. And most important, allow them to be there. They are there, so let them be there.
As you allow yourself to feel your self, stay with your self, and watch the sensations, notice what they do. If you keep all stories out of the experience and focus only on the physical sensations your body, allowing them to be there, they will change. Everything changes, always.
IV. Notice Love
Your Essence is Love. (Note: Donald Trump’s Essence is also Love). Your Essence is watching your sensations and all your attempts to make them go away. As you stay with your self, watching, allowing all parts of yourself to be there, see if you notice anything underneath your experience. What is the space in which all of this is happening in your consciousness? What happens when you see That which is watching?
What happens in your body when you identify with that space, the watcher? Notice the sensations.
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Real power comes forth when we identify with our Essence. This is a skill that, like any skill, takes practice. In my case, a LOT of practice. More and more people are practicing turning toward sensation and allowing themselves to FEEL. As we get better at it, we also get better at feeling into others’ worlds, while staying centered in our Essential selves. The collective cohesion and creative power that is possible boggles the mind.
I am committed to that practice now, with my self, and others — because I know that’s what our President really wants.