Higher Dimensions Network founder Becky Pascal talks ego, meditation, gratitude and an open heart in her latest blog.

I’m  feeling inspired to write about a recent meditation.  I have been utilizing various guided meditations by Dr. Joe Dispenza (a.k.a. Dr. Joe)  for the past couple of months.  In the various CD tracks, he asks the meditator to imagine and also feel the state of being for which she or he is meditating to achieve.  I continually find myself coming back to this same state of being, which is GRATITUDE.  In this state of gratitude, my heart is open.  I’m in a state of graciousness and forgiveness; not only for others but also for myself.  I don’t know about you, but I find it easier to forgive others than it is to forgive myself.  When I examine why this is so, in its purest sense, I believe it is my ego.  My ego holds myself to a higher standard than others.  Somehow I believe that I should be performing at a higher state of consciousness because I spend so much time in meditation, contemplation, study and prayer.  Perhaps, I have devoted a significant amount of time and attention to aggrandizing my state of consciousness and awareness through egoic awareness.  It’s through contemplation of why I am not achieving my set goals that I become aware of my state of being. 

Pulling in the Reigns of Ego

It’s at this realization that I “pull in the reigns” of the “little I”…a.k.a.,” the ego.”  I have to accept that despite the inordinate amount of time and attention I am expending to raise my consciousness that I have stumbled, once again.  I’ve stumbled over the foot of ego, but I have not fallen flat on my face, yet.  I caught myself before the face plant…BOOYAH!  So now,  I can make a different choice.  That choice involves reacting gracefully to adversity, and most of all, forgiving myself for the ungraceful way in which I have reacted.  This is the hard part, for me.  I proceed with the litany of shoulda, woulda, coulda and it becomes a spiral.  Then come the questions, Why am I not better at controlling my emotions?  After all this meditation, contemplation, study, and prayer, why am I not able to react consistently with love and kindness for myself and others in the face of adversity?  I’m from Indiana; I was born and raised here.  Why am I not able to always be ‘Indiana Nice?’  When will that magical moment materialize for me when no one, nothing, and no situation will shake my foundation?  Why am I in a complete state of love and bliss at the end of my meditations, and within a half hour after that meditation, I’m right back in a state of impatience?

Can I get an Amen if you’re feelin’ me?

Countless people from all walks of life have spoken and written about this phenomenon.  I guess it is sort of the human condition.  Slowly, I have learned to be more forgiving with myself, but I’m not there yet.  If I’m honest with myself, I’m not even close!  But isn’t this what “the work” is all about?  Isn’t this what many of us are striving for when we engage in all these consciousness-boosting activities?  If it were easy, everyone would be doing it!

And as those who do the work know, once you become extremely efficient at being in the state of the proverbial “watcher” or the “observer,” it’s maddening!  Just as Dr. Joe talks about, you get to a point in your spiritual development in which there is not one thought you think, not one word you speak nor one deed you perform throughout the day that slips past your consciousness.  You are instantly and painfully aware of all the mean or unkindness that you perpetrate on your spiritual brothers and sisters.  However, you are also aware of those beautiful moments where your heart is open, and you’re thinking enlightened thoughts, or performing loving acts, or speaking highly of others, and in those times know that you are raising your frequency.

Open Hearts

I felt pulled to write about this subject because I’m feeling the struggle in doing the work.  I just am.  It seems like it should be easier to think, say and do the heart-centered thing every time.  I am confident, however, that I will continue to improve day-by-day and moment-by-moment.  My focus lies in exploring and implementing forgiveness for myself and others.  So how do we do it?  We start by acknowledging the divinity in all of our brothers and sisters, and the divinity within ourselves.  Also, I believe that it’s imperative that we begin to open our hearts, which can sometimes be very difficult to do.  However, the road to forgiveness lies in the opened heart.

Forgiveness

Since I began writing this, I became aware of an event here in Indy on September 20, 2017, at the Vogue Theatre on the subject of “Forgiveness!”  It’s part of the Walk the Talk Speaker Series. Those who know me know how I feel about the subject of forgiveness.  It is paramount to raising our vibration and ascending our consciousness, so  I am planning to be there!

Next Up for Higher Dimension Network: James Morrison from The School of Remembering

Also, since I began writing this, I have secured a speaker for a March event!  His name is James Morrison, and he is a certified instructor for The School of Remembering.  I’m sure some of you out there are familiar with the founder of this organization,  Drunvalo Melchizedek.  He has been teaching metaphysical concepts for decades.  If you are not familiar with Drunvalo, you might be familiar with the animated YouTube video series called Spirit Science.  This clever series of videos is the brainchild of Jordan Duchnycz.  Dunchnycz sourced a large portion of the material for the videos from the teachings of Drunvalo.  If you haven’t seen any of these, you should check it out.  They are brilliant!

Our workshop presenter, James Morrison,  is a gifted spiritual teacher who excels in helping participants get in touch with their hearts.  I was extremely fortunate to have attended his workshop some time ago, and  I feel that this experience was a defining moment in my spiritual development.  He and the participants managed to construct a safe and loving environment for me to begin to open my heart during that workshop, and I have never been the same since.  I am so thankful to have had that experience.  I would be honored to be able to share that experience with you.  I will be posting the details to my website, so please keep checking back.  I will also post information on the Higher Dimensions Network FB page for details on this event!

And finally, with all this talk about opening our hearts, I would be remiss if I concluded this piece without mentioning a highly respected spiritual mentor of mine, as well as a genuinely cool guy, Dr. Henry Reed.  He co-wrote a book called The Intuitive Heart with Brenda English that catapulted my awareness of just how closed down my heart really was many years ago.  This book contains a variety of exercises to fix that!  Please check it out!

The subject of forgiveness is a pressing issue of the human state of being.  I feel that recognizing the divinity in ourselves and others, and continuing the work of opening our hearts is key to raising our consciousness and ultimately, allowing us to be forgiving and filled with gratitude.  If you share the same experiences that I have mentioned here, then I hope you realize that you are not alone.  I also hope that I have been able to provide you with some resources to explore this topic, and ultimately make some positive changes in your life!

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this.  Your time and attention are valuable, and I thank you for sharing those with me by reading these words.

Love and Light,

Becky