Standing
Don’t shrink.
Don’t puff up.
Just stand your sacred ground.
~Brené Brown
What an amazing struggle this can present. Not from a place of accepting the concept, but from a place of putting it into practice.
My familiar response is to shrink. The tension in my shoulders can attest to that. I attempt to hide as though there is something embarrassing or shameful in who I am, what I do or what I say. I know none of them to be true, but it sometimes feels scary to live in the honest truth of my beliefs. It’s almost as though I am waiting for an attack in response to me. And sometimes it does happen. Although I have a sense of what is going on with the other person, I can be overcome with exhaustion for having to explain, defend, protect or simply stand firm. The desire to shrink has been lessening, but it can still creep in, reminding me that there are always more nuggets to learn.
On the other hand, “puffing up” is another way to seemingly protect and guard myself. It puts a barrier up for the call to be compassionate and be with the wounding of the other person. It gets in the way of empowering another to move through their struggle in addition to interfering with my own personal empowerment. I tend to refer to puffing up as spiritual snobbery or superiority. In the honest reality of this work, there is no room for this type of attitude. It is a false front that only leads to passing blame or handing off responsibility. It is counterintuitive to the true calling for all of us…love. Awareness is love. Consciousness is love. Personal growth is love. Spiritual development is love. Mindfulness is love. Healing is love. Relationships are love. Spirit is love.
Standing sacred ground. What does that mean? How does one actually do that?
Loving yourself.
Being free of self-criticism.
Listening to your body.
Honoring nature.
Being mindful and aware.
Listening with your heart.
Having pure intentions without an ulterior motive.
Knowing your beliefs and honoring them.
Giving voice to what is real to you.
Speaking from your heart.
Honoring your needs.
Acting from a place of love.
Reacting from a place of love.
Seeing with your heart.
Honoring all living beings.
Nurturing yourself.
Taking time to rest and play.
Being free of all entanglements of others and their fear.
Know you are worthy simply because you exist.
Believe in the divinity of yourself and others.
Have faith in Divine/Spirit/God/Allah/etc.
Do what is best for you, not what others want of you.
Be free of expectations and attachments.
Always do your best.
Act and speak from a place of love and integrity.
Embrace your gifts and use them to your fullest.
The list goes on. The reality of standing sacred ground requires love, passion and conviction. There will be rough waters. There will be resistance. There will be upheaval. There will be denial. But the reward of standing sacred ground is beyond measure. The fullness of life-the joy, richness, love, laughter, flow-is worth every effort.