The past has a funny way of creeping up on us. Just when we thought we were free from it’s constraints, we suddenly find ourselves prisoners of the past once more.
So how do we free ourselves from this unwelcome visitor? The key is to recognise the patterns in Past’s behaviour.
When does Past come knocking? When does Past knock the loudest? When is Past’s presence so insistent that he imposes on your present day peace and happiness?
You may not be able to prevent Past from visiting, but you CAN be prepared. You might start by politely requesting he move on. If he is insistent, tell him to fuck off and jog on! You have a right to close the door on Past, just as you have the freedom to open the door to Present and Future.
The truth is, Past will always come knocking, and often unexpectedly. But YOU have the power to choose what to do when he does.
Be not a prisoner of your own home. Free yourself.
We’ve all experienced that split second when our emotions get the better of us. We think, say or act before pausing to take a moment to process our feelings. In the worst instances, we lash out, causing pain and upset to others including ourselves.
Holocaust survivor, Viktor E. Frankl reminds us of that subtle space in which we get to choose our response. If we take a moment to breathe, to connect and align with our inner being, we find peace from the past, and freedom to create a brighter future.
The way we respond to life is key to growth and expansion. In each moment we have the choice between fear and love; conflict and peace; blame and forgiveness.
Today, choose alignment before action. Free yourself from the automatic reactions that bind you to the past or instill in you a fear of the future. When you respond to life with love, peace, harmony and trust – you take back your power; you pave the way towards emotional freedom and inspire others to do the same.
The only time we ever have is NOW. Even when the next moment arrives, we begin to live it in the moment, which is always now. Yet so many of our present moments are squandered with thoughts of the past or the future. Ruminating and mulling over the past, which cannot be changed – robs us of the present moment. Day dreaming of the future, which is never guaranteed – robs us of the present moment.
Our mind, which swings back and forth like a pendulum between past and future thoughts, is what keeps us from fully experiencing and living life now. When we silence the mental chatter by breathing and becoming aware of our true self – the loving presence behind the thinking, we begin to immerse ourselves in life itself. Each moment is new and fresh. Old habits fall away as we experience ourselves and the world we live in as ever changing, ever evolving, ever new. We are limitless. Life is limitless. And the time to live is NOW.
Welcome to my twenty-fifth instalment of ‘Soulful Sundays’. A weekly share where I post a roundup of soulful reflections, each including recipes, songs, quotes, blogs I have read and/or any other inspirational discoveries to sooth the soul.
For me, Sunday’s have become a day of quiet contemplation and simple pleasures. A time to reflect on the week gone by and to consider my hopes and dreams for the week ahead.
My hope is to extend some love outward and to share some simple pleasures with anyone who cares to receive them.
Soul Reflections
I cannot stress enough the importance of beginning each new day afresh. Yesterday has been and gone. We cannot undo what has already been done, but we can bless yesterdays lessons with love, and embrace the joy of a new day.
When we drag our past forward into the present, we feel heavy with yesterday’s sorrows. After a while, the accumulation of upsets becomes too burdensome to bear. We must be willing to let go of the notion that things could have been any different. Accept that things were precisely as they needed to be, for those were the lessons we needed to acquire in order to move forward.
Let go. Free yourself from yesterdays sorrows and release the past. Don’t hold yourself hostage to it for a moment longer. Know that you did the best you could with the knowledge you had in that moment, and the same is true of others. Forgive and move on. Today is a new day, with fresh hopes, dreams and joys waiting to be discovered.
Soul Strolls
Since moving house recently, I have yet to discover a local park that is large enough to enjoy a good stroll. The hunt will continue. In the meantime, I took to the streets, but there is beauty to be discovered all around if our eyes are open to it. I captured these cute we flowers in someone’s front garden. Pretty and pink, to brighten these darker evenings in Melbourne.
Soul Food
I have been under the weather lately, and am in need of comforting foods which offer a good source of nutrients to support my health. So I am sharing this delicious Peppermint Chocolate Mousse by one of my favourite health and wellness bloggers, Alice at The Whole Daily. I use DoTerra Essential oils for their therapeutic, organic healing qualities.. This mousse can also be made using orange essential oils! Yum!
Soul Music
Today I am sharing James Bay’s – Let It Go. A gentle reminder to let things go, to let them be and to leave everything that’s broken to the breeze.
Soul Sisters
I am sharing Nina’s post How Did You Live Today? A gentle reminder to live each day to the fullest. To embrace the moment and to not allow another day to go by wasted. Thank you Nina for the reminder.
Life is too short to dwell in the past. So today, let go.
You are not your past. Although it can sometimes feel that way. We hear a certain song play on the radio; an innocent comment triggers something within us; we pass a familiar street and are suddenly transported back – but those spots in time are mere memories of seasons passed. They do not define us.
Once we become aware of our past hurts and disappointments, we can better prepare for those moments that provoke feelings of vulnerability and self-doubt. Sit with those feelings for a while. Recognise them for what they are, and then let them go. We can’t undo what has already been done. The past cannot be re-written, but we can untangle ourselves from the spell it holds over us. We can re-write our future.
Do not live a life of regrets. In every heartache there is a lesson. With every dashed dream a new one is waiting just around the corner. Be kind to yourself. Forgive yourself and others. It is time to set yourself free. For ‘one can never change the past, only the hold it has on you.’ Today, live for the moment.
There comes a time when we must be free. Free from the binds of the past and the limitations it has imposed upon us.
Have you been feeling trapped or misaligned from your truth? Maybe you relinquished control to another? Did you compromise on your values in order to keep the peace? We may lose our way momentarily and forget who we are, forget all that we stand for – but it is time to let go of all that. It is time to forgive ourselves. For it can happen to the best of us.
As we become attuned to our deepest selves we begin to recognise the ways in which we feel limited or constrained. In what ways have we handed over our power? In what ways have we sacrificed our own sense of joy and happiness to avoid rocking the boat?
Today make peace with yourself. Make a firm promise to never settle for anything less than your own self-respect and integrity. Now is the time to take back control of your life – to rewrite your story, to step into your truth and reclaim your forgotten sense of freedom. You are entitled to be free. So free yourself. ‘Stand up and walk out of your history.’
So far, my meanderings down memory lane have opened up some old wounds. I have relived painful emotions that I thought were buried long ago – as it goes, they were merely tucked away, hidden beneath the many depths and layers of my existence. One thing I have learnt during this process, is that reliving the pain of the past causes the original emotion, the one that was felt at the time, to resurface, making it all seem very real and raw again. I would be lying if I said I hadn’t cried fresh tears since embarking on this journey through my blog. So why, one might ask, would you put yourself through the trauma all over again? The answer is simple; revisiting the past after a period of healing is, for me at least, a chance to release some of the old hurts surrounding that time in my life – to unearth the tender emotions buried deep within so that I may replace them with meaningful substance. However deep and turbulent these waters seem at times, I know that they eventually lead to a beautiful, tranquil place; a place of freedom and a place of peace.
Dear Dad 