Setting
Millwood State Park, Ashdown, Arkansas, USA
Wisdom
I had a belief that Winter meant frozen Earth. Sitting in 50 degree (10C) today, I came to realize that this is a false belief. And, if Winter does not have to mean frozen Earth, what other beliefs have misled me?
Sound advice from mentors filters in through my memories:
“If you feel it, it is real” and “Trust your knowing not your believing.”
Deeper Dive
January is Winter in North America. Growing up in the snow zone, I had always equated the Winter season as frozen Earth: below freezing, often below 0 degrees F (-18 C), frozen lakes, ice fishing, frozen car seats, frozen crunchy snow, frostbitten cheeks, nearly frozen toes. That’s what Winter has always been. I believed if it is Winter, then it is frozen outside.
Winter Redefined
Last Fall (2017) and Winter (2018) we traveled 1,000 miles south of the USA border into Mexico. It was our first winter outside the snow zone. And, though we were in 80 degree F (28 C) for most of January and February, it did not really sink in that it was winter. We had left northern USA in the warm fall months and never hit cold. So, being in Mexico all winter was simply a tropical oceanside that felt like perpetual summer.
This Winter we stayed with family inside the snow zone until early January. We felt the biting cold and could not wait to leave (the weather not our family). Since then we have traveled through the central states where the temperatures are an average moderate 40 degrees F (3 C).
Today I sat in the grass by the tranquil waters of Millwood Lake, and I tried to tell myself that we are in the Winter season. “But it’s not frozen outside. There is no ice on the lake. How can it be winter?” I thought. I looked around. Nature around me was not conforming to what I had always believed Winter to be. I would have to find a new definition of Winter.
Beliefs Examined
It occurred to me that I have carried a belief about what Winter is. A belief that proved true all my life… until now. Wow! If my belief of Winter being frozen is an untruth, what other beliefs am I carrying around that are untrue? Beliefs that I use to guide my daily decisions. Beliefs that have shaped who I am. Beliefs that locked me into conforming to society in one way or another. Wow, what other beliefs should I be seriously looking at?
Beliefs about how I should dress, what job I should have, how I should act in public. Beliefs about what it means to be female, a mother, a wife, a business owner. On and on. Where did my beliefs come from; parents, church, school, media, past lives, on and on. What should I believe?
Knowing Versus Believing
As you can see, I became quite fixated on this process of questioning my beliefs. And I found that there are too many to address all at once effectively. So, how to deal with this? Then I recalled advice I had received from two wise men on different occasions:
January 2018, Norberto; a Brazilian Shaman
“If you feel it, it is real.” His guidance told me to look into my heart to know what is truth. So, rather than question all my beliefs, all I need to do is see how each one feels. Does it feel right? Does it feel real? If yes, then it is my truth.
December 2018, Dr. Dan Mathews; Holy Divine Healing
“Trust your knowing.” He explained that if it’s a belief, it was put there by someone else; a childhood influencer, the media, etc. He further explained that a knowingcomes from your higher self, your divine spirit. Therefore, “trust your knowing not your believing.”
Wise men indeed.
Conclusion
Through one’s everyday life, one engages with a multitude of beliefs. As one moves further into one’s truth, a belief may suddenly feel rigid or mis-aligned with one’s truth. Realize that it is okay to question every belief. Stop and observe the belief in a detached manner. What about it feels mis-aligned? Allow yourself to modify the belief until it feels right, feels real. Move into your knowing and allow the truth to come through. And remember to trust your knowing not your believing.
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Aho, Nakeetah.
With loving intentions, Lila