Let it Bleed

Reflection is not the same as reliving what happened, dwelling on the past, and obsessing about the future. Reflection is the power to remain aware as our souls bump up against experiences in this life. Without practice, this can seem hard. Our reaction as human beings is to experience emotion. An event, a person, or a thought leave us feeling happy, hurt, sad, angry, excited. We have a tendency to latch onto these emotions, and lose our awareness of the reality of the situation. We create stories about Who We Are, who they are, why things happen, and what we're here for. We start believing these stories. Self-reflection is not the process of overthinking everything that happens in life. That's called torture. So how do we knock it the fuck off? We are doing our best to understand and make sense of life. We are humans. We think. We analyze. We evaluate. How do you stop this madness? 

Pretty sure the answer is in the heart. It's always the heart. Real self reflection comes when you have the courage to keep an open heart. Get your popcorn, this might take a while. Listening to your heart can be hard. We aren't taught this in school, and there isn't much on-the-job training. But I promise you, you will not think straight until your do it.  

Fine, you say. How the hell do I do that? One rarely opens their heart by using their mind. It is possible, But left for the great Masters. The rest of us are blessed with outside experiences to crack us open. The opportunity to be broken, deeper then before, will always present itself. God is consistent like that. The birth of a child, a deep tragedy, the big things that eclipse our minds and cut straight to the heart. And we bleed. This is our opportunity to keep an open heart. Instead of scrambling to sew it up, to stop the bleeding , to run from the hurt, we have the choice to Let It Bleed. To hold our hearts in our hands, and feel what it is telling us. It holds all of the Power. Don't rush through when your heart blossoms open. It's speaking to you. Shut up and listen.