SPOILER ALERT!
Powerful new tapping suggestion at the end!
But, read this article first, to see why I wrote what I did about EFT.
I love to watch TV programs like American Idol, So You Think You Can Dance, and The X Factor, or programs like the Olympics. For me, it is never about the competition. There is something so moving in human beings expressing themselves from the deep creative center of their being, stretching beyond what they thought was possible. So many of the people we watch are overcoming major challenges in their lives. All of this often brings me to tears.
What is it in our human spirit that invites and generates this supreme manifestation of beauty, strength, creativity, imagination and self expression?
I am finding a surprising answer to this question in the ancient history of our humanity that we traveled through in my August retreat, Standing in the HeartSong of the Earth. In this wonderful weekend we learned about our human cousins the Sidhe (pronounced “shee”). The Sidhe are a race of humans who did not come all the way into complete physicality like what we know as humanity did. They stayed in the realm of spirit to explore the use of fluid creative manifestation, while we descended further into the earth to learn how to work with matter.
That means that creativity and self expression in their realm is instant, and beautiful, but “ungrounded.” For us here, expressing our creativity can be powerful and also beautiful, and we can experience how it evolves to change us and everything around us. But we find that creative energy can be a struggle to access and express, because the material realm is so slow to respond. And then we blame it on ourselves…
After the sort of glamorous, exciting idea that we are leaning to reconnect with these mostly unseen but sometimes felt beings, I have been wondering…why should we be trying to learn about the Sidhe? After all, as sensitive people we already seem different and odd to some of the people around us. It is hard enough to feel a sense of belonging, without taking up yet another weird pursuit.
I think it comes down to the X Factor.
I am thinking of the X Factor as that indefinable sense in us, a deep impulse toward expression, a knowing that we have something of value to offer. It doesn’t have anything to do with whether or not we actually have “talent” in a given field.
It has everything to do with our ancient human roots as the source of our creativity, and with the sense of loving wholeness that we have been missing.
As you might guess, I come to the question of “Why explore this?” directly from this perspective of understanding exceptional sensitivity, emotionally, physically, psychically. Sensitive people have a very finely tuned felt sense. We have always thought there was something wrong with us because of that. The people around us when we were growing up, or even now, just re-enforce that idea. Sensitive people have developed lives that revolve around desperately seeking connection. Some of us can sell our souls to feel like we belong…even if that “connection” could look to someone else like abuse.
Many of us have, as one person put it, “a fear of density.” We feel that this world is not a safe place to be. So much is overwhelming. We may be easily bowled over by the strong emotions of events in the world.
As I sat with it, the essential answer to my question “Why learn about the Sidhe” began to emerge. It seemed to be about learning how to awaken our deep humanity, the original blueprint of our ancient ancestor, that contains all of the elements that we need for feeling whole.
At first glance it looks like we should be more like the Sidhe. They are beautiful, spirit-filled, gracious and creative beings. There is no war or destruction in their realm of the earth.
I found myself thinking though, maybe it is not so much that we need to be more like the Sidhe, but that we need to be more like us, more like our deeper capacity to be fully us.
I began thinking of the Sidhe as a window for us humans, a portal…. maybe a better image is a mirror? Learning about them, we can see into the wholeness of our ancient human ancestor, and the qualities and possibilities that are there in our heritage as humans.
I have been thinking that knowing about the Sidhe, whether we can “see” or “hear” them or not, is a window into the natural wisdom of our ancient roots. We can sense reflected there what we have been missing, in our world and in ourselves.
This is the X Factor.
I wonder if knowing about the Sidhe is not so much about THEM, it is about what they show us about ourselves. Can we learn from them to awaken and honor our deeper sensitivity, our subtle senses? Could they be a window into seeing the qualities that are our legacy as Human? Obviously, I think so!
We need to learn from each other. I am understanding how the Sidhe need to learn our groundedness and specificity. We need to learn their light, fluid creativity and their magical skill in generating a conversation among people, elements, earth and function when they are bringing something into being.
But actually, for us to be really helpful to them, WE humans need to learn how to be more grounded and present!
Enter EFT…
So many people have trouble saying “I deeply and completely love and accept myself.” Many of us are even deeply challenged by being human. We may look around at all the pain humans cause to each other and the earth, and say, “I hate humanity! It’s awful to be human!”
What if we could understand that we can look deeper? That as a species we are learning? Can we be more compassionate with ourselves, universally and individually? Can we learn to believe in ourselves?
If we could reconnect with the essential qualities of the human ancestor that we are descended from, we will awaken our imaginations, and our natural ability to be creative, flexible, free. We will be comfortable in being individual, instead of feeling alone. We will know how to recreate wholeness in everything we do, instead of getting lost in an abstract idea of oneness. We will believe in ourselves.
Learning how to believe in ourselves—that would change everything!
My colleague and mentor David Spangler has produced, in collaboration with the Sidhe, a wonderful card deck that can give us a window into these deep human resources.
Although I usually am not a “card-deck person,” I love these cards. They truly are about the wisdom of the earth, and the power and beauty of being human souls called to participate in the World Soul.
Recently I did a reading with the card deck, holding this question in my mind and in my heart:
What do humans need to know about being Human, to believe in ourselves?
Here is an inspiring and heartful list of beliefs about the X Factor that I came up with from studying the cards that I drew for the reading. I invite you to explore them, and experiment with using them in your EFT set-up statements. Notice how they feel different from the standard, “I deeply and completely love and accept myself,” which always brings up so many internal disagreements.
When I use these phrases, I don’t usually find the automatic “Yes but…” response arising in me or other people. I feel like I am saying something true about me. Each belief sends me on a journey inside myself to find how it is true about me. We know that a belief is just an often repeated thought. What if we repeated these thoughts, often? How would we change?
Take the time to read through each X Factor belief, and let it rest in you. Notice how you feel. Try them out in your EFT or other energy work, and in your life. Meditate on them. Have you noticed that the root of the word “contemplate” is “temple?”
I believe in my body and my everyday self identity.
I believe I am here for a reason.
I believe that I am here to begin something new.
I believe in my love of the earth.
I believe that I am in harmony with the earth.
I believe in my broad vision of what is possible and what is really true.
I believe that when I am in harmony with the earth, I have hope for the future.
I believe in my creativity.
I believe in my ability to begin something, to initiate.
I believe in my power to shape my world.
I believe in my power to express myself in the world.
I believe that I have the power and energy to do what I need to do.
I believe in my power to bring forth.
I believe in waking up to a new day, each day.
I believe in paying attention to possibilities.
I believe in the promise of growth.
I believe in the abundance in my life.
I believe that if I pay attention to opportunities that present themselves, and do the work, that my work will bear fruit.
I believe that the earth gives me a place to grow.
I believe that I am open to direction and guidance from within.
I believe that I can form positive relationships, and that something new emerges from them.
I believe that I create a place for myself in the community of life.
I believe that I am here to make connections, within myself, and between different realities.
I believe in my imagination, my intuition, my wonder, my inspiration, my yearning, my trust.
I believe that I can open to new possibilities.
I believe that I can move into the unknown, and still stay grounded.
I believe that there is something in me that will carry me toward my aspirations, even if I can’t see where I am going.
I believe in letting go of what I no longer need.
I believe that new perspective and deeper insights can always emerge in me.
I believe in letting cycles end, to open to the new.
I believe in the space between what has been, and what can be, between the known and the unknown, the seen and the unseen.
I believe in contemplation, rest and renewal for myself.
I believe in my generous spirit.
I appreciate myself.
I believe in my gifts of creativity.
I believe in appreciating my own and others’ unfoldment.
I believe in appreciating my body.
I believe that the inner worlds (God, spirit…) are aware of me, and want me to feel I belong here.
I believe that what I offer will be nourishing, appreciated, and valued.
I believe that what I offer will be received, and multiplied abundantly.
I believe that abundance is available to me.
I drew a card at the end of the reading to represent the essence of the answer to my question. The card I drew has a beautifully evocative picture of a landscape (all the cards are paintings by Jeremy Berg). In the foreground is the image of a hand, extending itself into the picture from the bottom right of the card.
Here is the description of the card from the book that accompanies the deck:
A bird sits and sings happily on the fingers of a hand, while the sun shines behind a nearby standing stone. In the background is a river with an image of a new land on the horizon towards which the finger is pointing.
These are the beliefs that I found when I contemplated this card:
I believe that I am part of the world, part of the universe, part of the cosmos, and that I belong here.
I believe that I am here to foster a partnership between humans, nature, animals, and Gaia, the World Soul.
I believe that I am here to foster the wholeness of the Human Spirit, through my own life.
I believe that I am doing the best that I can.
With my love and blessing to you,
Rue
