The Shadow, Instant Karma and Thoughts of Suicide

We all have a shadow, the dark part of ourselves that we sometimes deny or project on others. It comes out in times when we are triggered, in fear or feel separated from everyone and everything.

But the truth is that we are all in this together. Anyone who tells you differently is living in their own shadow. Anyone who thinks that they are more important than others is merely deluding themselves.

On the flip side, anyone who feels low and insignificant is also living in their personal shadow.

Each one of us matters. Every single one of us.

It has been said that something as seemingly insignificant as the flutter of a butterfly’s wing can ultimately cause a typhoon on the other side of the world. This is because everything is connected.

But then, you know that already. You might even call it the Internet.

My personal shadow has been a lifelong battle with depression. But I made a promise before I was born to get through this and shine as much light as I can. That’s why I started writing this blog.

My journey in this lifetime has taken me to the depths of despair far too many times.

My life has been a struggle for most of it. I live too much in my head trying to find solutions to my problems, many of which are money related. Whenever I put those solutions into action, they never turn out how I expected. In fact, many choices that I made with my head have made the situation worse.

My financial problems had gone from bad to worse. I wasn’t getting enough work at my job to support myself and last month my online sales were the lowest they have been in December. I usually make enough in the holiday season to get me through a few months but despite all my marketing, I lost money.

I was at my lowest point I’ve ever been.

Last Wednesday night, I sat in my car as I contemplated suicide.  I was going to leave the car running in the garage and attempt to kill myself from carbon monoxide poisoning. I didn’t because I thought that maybe the poison could leak into my neighbor’s condo unit.

The next day, I totaled my car.

It was a freak accident that was caused because of my thoughts and actions. The front of my little Ford Focus went underneath the bumper of a giant Hummer. That vehicle was left with a few scratches. My hood bent in two and was pushed into the windshield.

I didn’t die. I walked away from the accident.

I’ll get through this rough patch. I have to. My inner guidance tells me that if I take my life, I will set things back for myself and end up reincarnating in a much more difficult life.

What we don’t overcome, we are forced to repeat.

We need to embrace our shadow and love it. And to do that, we have to live from the heart. We have to be careful what we think and say because like John Lennon sang, Instant Karma‘s gonna get you, gonna knock you right in the head.

It got me. It changed my life. I don’t know what’s going to happen. The only thing I know is that I have to make it through this.

Maybe you are in a dark place also. Maybe something that I write will help in your life. Maybe we all need to get through the darkness together.

I am here to serve humanity. We are all pieces of a puzzle of life.  What if I am a piece of your personal puzzle? What if you and I had decided before we were born that we would connect our puzzle pieces to create a new, wonderful world? Ending my life would never allow that to happen.

Some of the things that I am planning to write in the future have never been written before. I know that I hold an important piece of the cosmic puzzle about imagination. I am not saying this to be elitist. I am merely speaking what I know, from my own heart and soul.

Yesterday, on a walk in nature, my beloved and I saw a young bald eagle. He later asked me to read about what eagle stood for in terms of Animal Spirit Medicine. I read the passage from Ted Andrew‘s Animal-Speak book.

I cried through the entire last paragraph:

To align yourself with eagle medicine is to take on the responsibility and the power of becoming so much more than you now appear to be. From a karmic aspect, it reflects that the events will now fly faster, and the repercussions for everything you think, do or say (or fail to think do or say)–positive and negative–will be both stronger and quicker. To accept the eagle as a totem is to accept a powerful new dimension to life, and a heightened responsibility for your spiritual growth. But only through doing so do you learn how to move between worlds, touch all life with healing, and become the mediator and the bearer of new creative force within the world. 

It reminded me that I have a mission to fulfill and I cannot leave until it’s finished.

So, until then, I’m gonna shine on like the moon and the stars and the sun.

Always,
Alice Always

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11 Illuminating Insights about Illumination

Since 2018 is The Year of Illumination and today is the eleventh day of the year, I wanted to present for your perusal, eleven illuminating insights about illumination.

How’s that for alliteration?

I repeated the title of this post 11 times out loud, hoping to get some silly stumbling of syllables, You know, like what happens when you say “Peter Piper Picked a Peck of Pickled Peppers”. The whole tongue-twisted and burst out laughing thing. Yeah, it doesn’t happen with this one.

Why don’t you try it for yourself? Let me know what happens.

I did a meditation using the phrase that pays that was quite illuminating. I will share my experiences in another post.

So here are eleven illuminating insights about illumination:

The first nine are meanings of the word taken from the Dictionary.com definition of illumination.

Wow! Nothing like getting it all done with a dictionary definition. I know, huh? But I like the Number 9 so much, I had to do it.

Illumination is:

1. an act or instance of illuminating.
2. the fact or condition of being illuminated.
3. a decoration of lights, usually colored lights.
4sometimes, illuminations. An entertainment, display, or celebration using lights as a major feature or decoration.
5. intellectual or spiritual enlightenment.
6. also called illuminance, intensity of illumination. Optics. the intensity of light falling at a given place on a lighted surface; luminous flux incident per unit area, expressed in lumens per unit of area.
7. a supply of light: a source of illumination.
8. decoration of a manuscript or book with a painted design in color, gold, etc.
9. a design used in such decoration.

We can mix all the various definitions in a soup or (as I prefer) a cosmic goop. We have colored light bulbs, gold manuscripts, science, the stars, sun, and the moon, all swirling at light speed in our heads, leading us to intellectual or spiritual enlightenment. 

Just imagine that. Now, take it one step further, and add the next item on our list:

10. 2018 is the Year of Illumination

Isn’t Number 10 redundant, as it was used in the first sentence? You ask.

No, it’s repetition. There’s joy in repetition.

This year we will all gain new insights and see things that we haven’t seen before. As our awareness expands, we will also open up to new ideas that we never entertained before.

Illumination is about bringing something into the light that was previously in the darkness.

Which brings us to the next number, which is about each of us:

11. It’s time to shine your light!

Illuminate the world with your light! Share who you are from your heart!

Always,
Alice Always

2018: The Year of Illumination

As I said in a previous post, Numbers are a shorthand code. As we live in a universe of vibrational energy, numbers are significant.

The year 2018 is broken down as:
2 + 0 + 1 + 8 = 11

 

Here is what Joanne Walmsley wrote about it on her Angel Numbers blog:

Number 2018 is a combination of the energies and influences of number 2 and number 0, and the attributes and vibrations of number 1 and number 8.  Number 2 relates to service and duty, balance and harmony, adaptability, diplomacy and co-operation, consideration and receptivity, fulfilment and happiness, and your Divine life purpose and soul missionNumber 0 resonates with developing one’s spiritual aspects and represents the beginning of a spiritual journey and suggests that you listen to your intuition and higher-self. Number 0 also amplifies the energies of the numbers it appears with, and relates to eternity, infinity, oneness, wholeness, continuing cycles and flow, potential and/or choice, and the beginning point.  Number 1 resonates with initiative, instinct and intuition, self-leadership and assertiveness, new beginnings and a fresh approach, motivation, tenacity, striving forward and progress, and also reminds us that we create our own realities by our thoughts, beliefs and actions.  Number 8 brings personal power and authority, inner-wisdom, truth and integrity, dependability and self-reliance, good judgement,manifesting abundance and prosperity, the concept of karma and the Universal Spiritual Law of Karma.

Since Eleven is a repetition of the number one, it doubles the energy, making it a pattern. Repeated numbers like 11, 22, 33 and 44 are master numbers. When the numbers within a year are reduced to a master number, it is a powerful year.

Here is information from Angel Numbers blog about the Number 11:

The karmic Master Number 11 symbolizes the principles of spiritual awakening and enlightenment, high energy, idealism, inspiration and intuition, illumination, visionary, enthusiasm, creative/creativity, self-expression and sensitivity, and mysticism. Number 11 tells us that to connect with our higher-selves is to know and live our soul mission and life purpose. Master Number 11 is usually called ‘the Illuminator’, ‘the Messenger’ or ‘the Teacher’ and relates to those who are here to be inspirational guiding lights, and their mission is to bring illumination to others and to help raise spiritual awareness.

Angel Number 11 brings a message from your angels to pay special attention to your thoughts and ideas as these are revealing the answers to your prayers. Your positive affirmations and optimistic attitude will manifest your desires and help you to achieve your goals and aspirations. They will also assist you upon your spiritual life purpose and soul mission.

Angel Number 11 encourages you to contribute your unique perspective and philosophy to instigate a new consciousness. Seek out some form of outlet where there can be active participation, whether it be through one’s own profession or some charitable organization. Working with others gives the opportunity to be the inspirational leader, setting an example for others to learn from.

Angel Number 11 encourages you to assist and inspire the human race via your natural abilities, relying upon your inner-wisdom and intuition to guide you.

Angel Number 11 encourages you to be an inspirational guiding light to bring illumination to others and help raise spiritual awareness.

There’s that magical word for this year:
i l l u m i n a t i o n

 

We are here to shine our Light this year in whatever way best expresses our soul, using our own unique talents and abilities., otherwise known as our gifts.

One of my traditional New Years rituals is listening to New Year’s Day by U2.

Here are the lyrics that have a special meaning for us now:

Under a blood-red sky
A crowd has gathered in black and white
Arms entwined, the chosen few
The newspapers says, says
Say it’s true, it’s true…
And we can break through
Though torn in two
We can be one

It’s so relevant that lyrics were written by an Irish band in the early 80s about the Polish Solidarity movement for an album entitled “War” could hold so much meaning in 2018. Especially here in the USA where “fake news” and politics have divided a nation.

I believe that there are enough of us who can stand together and break through this separation that we have been in way too long.

I feel it is time to light up the world with our joy. Time for new insights. Time to listen to our intuition if we haven’t been before. Time to be inspired and follow our inspiration to create new ways of interacting with each other. Time to imagine the endless possibilities…

It’s time for Illumination. Time to shine brightly this year!

Always,
Alice Always