Excerpted from Spirit Recovery Medicine Bag: A Transformational Guide for Living, Happy, Joyous and Free
By Lee McCormick and Mary Falkner, co-authors of Spirit Recovery Medicine Bag
Spirit Recovery Medicine Bag is a guide for finding the way back to one’s personal truth, authenticity and purpose by shedding the stories that we tell ourselves about or own lives. The book draws on Native American and shamanistic traditions, Eastern practices, universal spiritual pathways, and a medicine bag of other heart-opening methodologies developed by two seasoned experts, Lee McCormick and Mary Falkner. Readers are given the tools to step away from addictive, compulsive behaviors that hold them back, so they experience real happiness and joy as their spirit soars– Living Happy, Joyous and Free!
The following exercises from the book are highly transformational. You will be awakening aspects of yourself that you have possibly been out of touch with for a long time. Work slowly and repeat exercises as needed.
Exercise 1–Exploring Your Hopes and Dreams
Your journey in consciousness begins by exploring your hopes and dreams. This is the first step in claiming your truth. To explore your hopes and dreams, consider these questions:
* What do I long for?
* What does it feel like?
* What about life hooks my imagination?
* What does that feel like?
* What would I do if I weren’t afraid?
* What would fearlessness feel like?
Writing down your answers in your journal makes them more powerful. Sharing them with someone else makes them even more powerful. While transformation is personal, it happens best when we work together. Keep your list handy, as you will be referring back to it during these exercises and as you practice them in the future.
Exercise 2–Dreaming the New Dream
Find a quiet place where you won’t be interrupted for an hour or so. Get comfortable, relax, and allow yourself to get in touch with your deep hopes and dreams. You might begin with the question we often ask kids, What do you want to be when you grow up? If you have any trouble finding an answer, give the question more time. Put it on the back burner. There is no need to rush to find your answers. Your brain is wired for curiosity and creativity-it likes wondering, and it will find your answer. You don’t have to know before you know.
Next, change the focus from your career goals to the type of person you want to be. What qualities or characteristics do you want to embody? For example, transformation encourages us to live from the heart, cultivate a positive mind, be of service, and live honestly. What values or characteristics would this require-for example, creativity, bravery, humor, cooperation, peace? In your journal, make a list and don’t worry about how you can develop these qualities. They are on the human hard drive; you just have to download them and live them. From the items on your list, pick the top three-the ones you most want to have in your life. Now select one, and imagine how it feels to have this quality.
Experience this quality emotionally, and breathe it in fully. Keep imagining your life with this quality until you can feel it physically. Notice where in your body the feeling resonates. Toxic beliefs that cloud your new vision begin to come to mind, giving you the opportunity to choose to invest in them further or let them go. Some will dissolve on their own. Others may require deeper investigation. This is you transforming into you.
Stay tuned for part 2 of this article shortly…..
– Lee McCormick and Mary Faulkner are the co-authors Spirit Recovery Medicine Bag; A Transformational Guide for Living, Happy, Joyous and Free (HCI Books.) an essential and life-changing resource that is half autobiographical journey and half medicine bag filled with spiritual healing practices for those who are struggling with any aspect of life. Offering a way out of life’s maze, Spirit Recovery Medicine Bag is a guide for finding the way back to one’s personal truth, authenticity and purpose by shedding the stories that we tell ourselves about or own lives. The book draws on Native American and shamanistic traditions, Eastern practices, universal spiritual pathways, and a medicine bag of other heart-opening methodologies developed by these two seasoned experts. Readers are given the tools to step away from addictive, compulsive behaviors that hold them back, so they experience real happiness and joy as their spirit soars– Living Happy, Joyous and Free! For more information, go to SpiritRecovery.com or hibooks.com.