Self-Love ~ The Ultimate Short-Cut

In the last several days, my past has been coming back to revisit me.  As I sit here at my desk watching my breath, grounding deeper into the Earth, feeling the sensations in my body in this moment....the dots are connecting with more lucidity.  I've been clearing a considerable amount of credit card debt this month, which for me represents places in my past where I used the short-cut of credit to get something in the moment that I didn't have the resources to purchase with cash.  Bear with me here, as I'm choosing to look much deeper than the surface of things where credit and debt are considered normal and a regular part of life for so many.  I'm choosing to look deeper than ever at my relationship with resources, and how the amount of flow of resources through my life is correlate to the depth of my trust and love in my Self.

A handful of people have been surfacing over the last few days with whom I'd had situations in the past at times when my sense of self was projected so much more onto how the world thought of me...or at least how I felt the world thought of me.  In each of these cases, I made decisions out of suppressed insecurity in the moment.  In a couple of cases, they were decisions to engage in purchases or deals where my part of the exchange would be handled "later".  Basically, on credit.  In both cases, my ego seduced me into believing that the service or product was urgently needed, and would dramatically improve the quality of my life.  And in both cases, in retrospect, I would've been fine without said "improvements" or waiting until I had the funds.

In these cases, the psychic energy coming to me has felt draining and more than a little aggressive.  It's definitely getting my attention and cause for me to slow down, pay attention, and humbly ask my intuition to teach me...to bring me clarity so that I can recoup my energy, release the investments that left me open to these "feeding energies", and return to expansion and Love here and now.

Engaging in these deals without the funds combined with the strong "expectations" that these deals were going to somehow quickly save me from something, set me up to have my personal energy supply be wide open for feeding.  The antidote?  Self-Love.  My real-time, in-the-moment practice of connecting with self-love has become deep, strong, and continues to grow.  However, because I'm dealing with situations from the past, my practice has to be strong enough to be in the moment and fill the void of insecurity lurking from the past.  It requires extra vigilance, extra clarity, extra neutrality, and extra self-love.

This is all coming to light as I'm preparing myself for David Elliott's next Global Healing Group on October 10th focusing on Psychic Boundaries.  As he mentions in the invitation letter, really consciously dealing with Psychic Boundaries is the steepest gradient.  It's steep because it's not obvious to most of us, most of the time.  We've been so easily distracted by the surface of life, and by the idea that happiness is something to be gotten in transactions with the outer world and the people in it, rather than an innate quality of the Self revealed through abiding self-love.

So I've been more focused than ever these last couple of days in noticing the thoughts crossing my mind...noticing which people come to mind, how often, and what happens to my energy when thoughts of them arise.  If my energy expands with a thought, I know it's probably based in Love.  If my energy sinks or dissipates, I know the exchange is off, and that I must go deeper into self-love as I'm setting these psychic boundaries.

As I've been paying off debt again, I'm noticing a lot more frequency in the last two days of thoughts of people that come with a drop in my energy.  This morning, the clarity from my intuition is strong.  It's showing me that I'm revisiting places in my consciousness, places that in the past I've pulled away from out of insecurity...I'm being given fresh opportunities in these areas to stay present, deepen my breath, connect with the feeling self-love, and remain neutral...even when, and especially when I'm uncomfortable or feeling triggered toward negative emotion.  As I choose love through the discomfort, I'm building stronger muscles for freedom.  As I choose love, I see more clearly that it's only the ego that is uncomfortable.  Love is my True Nature, and Love itself is content in itself.  I'm re-orienting more of my attention to the Truth of who and what I am.

For now it's a process.  I choose to make deeper peace with the process.  I choose Peace.  I'm demonstrating these choices to myself in the moment by consciously breathing into the old empty crevices with self-love, self-trust, self-appreciation, and recognition in the moment of who and what I am.

It turns out that Self-Love is the ultimate short-cut.  The ego will likely always think otherwise.  And in the words of Adyashanti, "Ego is always pretending to be the most important thing going on."

LOVE,
Scott

This Weekend ~ Bhaktifest, Global Healing Group, and Ecstatic Breathwork at The Hub

WOW!!!  What a Summer!  I hope you’re having as much fun and expansion as I am!

It’s been a whirlwind of healing, depth, fun, and laughter these last couple of weeks....two workshops and sessions in NYC, followed by a personal retreat in the lush vibrant green Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania, then another in the captivating ecstasy of the red rocks of Sedona with my friend and mentor David Elliott.

I’m here in Los Angeles just long enough to do some laundry, see a few clients for healing sessions, and pack up for Joshua Tree.

We’ll be out in the High Desert this weekend for Bhaktifest ( http://www.bhaktifest.com/ ).  David Elliott will be leading a workshop on Friday night from 5:30-6:45pm in the Sanctuary, and I’ll be leading a workshop on Saturday morning from 11am-12:30pm in the Meditation Hall.  Come on out and join us!!!

Then THIS SUNDAY, there’ll be 2 events back here in LA.  Sunday morning, I’ll be hosting the next Global Healing Group with David Elliott via online global broadcast out of my home in West Hollywood from 10-11:30am.

Then Sunday night from 5:30-7pm I’ll be filling in at The Hub in West LA leading ECSTATIC BREATHWORK.  The focus is THE PEACE THAT PASSES ALL UNDERSTANDING.

Scroll Down for details for Sunday morning and Sunday evening:

 DISCIPLINE: DEEPENING THE CONNECTION TO SELF-LOVE

”The September Global Healing Group is coming up fast!  The focus this month is on discipline and how to use it to deepen your faith and commitment to self-love.  This GHG will be a great opportunity to take a look at your spiritual practice and see if there is more room to love, laugh and play while staying committed to your spirit.” ~David

When:   Sunday, September 12th, 2010
Time:       10:00am-11:30am
Exchange:   $35
Where:  1226 Havenhurst Dr. #9
                (Havenhurst is 1 block West of Crescent Heights between Santa Monica Blvd and Fountain Ave)

Parking:    It’s best to park at a meter on Santa Monica Blvd or in the West Hollywood City Lot just South of Santa Monica Blvd behind Out Of The Closet between Havenhurst and La Jolla.  The City Lot is $1 per hour in quarters.  Other meters in the area are free after 6pm.

RSVP:      Due to size of the space, please RSVP to hold your place.  If need be, we’ll start a waiting list. 24hrs cancellation by phone. (310) 922-4890

BRING:      A folded blanket and/or yoga mat to lay on for the breathing meditation, water, and a smile!

SUNDAY, September 12th 5:30-7pm  ~ THE PEACE THAT PASSES ALL UNDERSTANING;
ECSTATIC BREATHWORK at The Hub

Peace is not a thought or an emotion, it is an expression of the very Nature of who and what you are.  Recognizing it, Trusting it, and letting it permeate the fibers of your experience is the focus of this night.  Let yourself ignite the passion for cultivating a deeper relationship with what is permanent, lasting, and whole...with The Peace That Passes All Understanding.
 

Breath Deep. Heart Awake. Body Soft. Attention Clear.

Join Us.

These workshops are for all levels of experience and are nothing less than a tool for setting yourself free.  We’ll use a simple yet powerful breathing meditation as the linchpin for the work.  I call it ECSTATIC BREATHWORK.

 

When:       SUNDAY night 9/12/10  5:30-7pm   
                    ((Arrive early to avoid being late))
Exchange:       $35
Where:      The Hub (http://thehub-la.com)
                    2001 S Barrington Ave, Suite 150, Los Angeles, CA 90025-5363 US
                    { S Barrington Ave between LaGrange and Mississippi }
                    Entrance for the Hub is located on street level at the ground floor of the
                    parking structure located on South Barrington Avenue.
Bring:          Yoga mat and/or blanket-we'll be sitting on the floor at first then lying down
                     for the breathwork.
RSVP:        You can reserve your spot through The Hub  310-575-4200


These ECSTATIC BREATHWORKSHOPS are nothing less than a journey deeper into the experience and expression of who and what you are, a journey into the Heart of Freedom within.  Through a simple and powerful breathing meditation, you gain and deepen the tools for seeing past your former limitations, gain muscle for being your own best ally, teacher, and healer, and deeply taste a place free of insecurity, full of self-love.

LOVE,
SCOTT
http://trustthebreath.com
http://scottschwenk.blogspot.com
http://huffingtonpost.com/scott-schwenk