Читать книгу The Woman's Book of Spirit - Sue Patton Thoele - Страница 20

ONE OF THE BEST WAYS TO RE-GREEN ARID places in our psyches is to cultivate the skill of accepting and absorbing love. What is more nurturing than resting in the tender embrace of a loved one? What revitalizes us as much as feeling gently and unconditionally accepted? Very little, and yet it is often hard for us to both accept love and to ask for it. As with any skill, however, we can learn how to do it.

Gayle, a client of mine, was going through a very painful divorce. As a result, she felt betrayed, enraged, terrified, and totally unlovable. Although her friends and family tried to love and support her, she found it almost impossible to accept what they, or I, offered. As we worked together and her anger and terror dissipated somewhat, Gayle realized that the “plexiglass dome” she'd erected around herself was only serving to alienate her kids and make everyone, including herself, increasingly miserable. In a wonderfully passionate manner, Gayle decided that the best way to “get even with the bad guy” was to be happy.

Knowing that the ability to accept love was a big step toward happiness, Gayle committed herself to mastering the skill. She began each morning by telling her reflection in the mirror, “I love you” or, on really hard days, “I'm, sort of, a little willing to love you.” A very determined woman, each day Gayle visualized herself being in the presence of a loving and caring spiritual being, and she practiced consciously accepting love from her. At first the exercise was very hard and felt phony, but she persevered. Next she practiced laying her hands on her heart and asking it to open when her children offered her love or she wanted to show love to them.

Although it took quite a while for Gayle to heal her hurt and learn to once more embrace love, today she is a happy woman with a close relationship to God, herself, and her family.

You, too, can become adept at welcoming love. Make a commitment today to be open to accepting love, and visualize being held in a loving embrace by the Great Spirit.

God is the Beloved who kisses me on the inside of my heart.

I am worthy of love.