In February, 2014, ABC News online published an article listing the 20 fastest growing occupations in the US and 14 out of the 20 were healthcare related occupations. Number one on the list was “industrial organization psychologists.” In March 2014 another report, from U.S. News online, healthcare was cited as the profession that would witness the most growth between 2012 and 2022. The number one spot on their list was “personal health care aide,” a profession predicted to grow by almost 50%.
This is where we’re at folks; one of the most industrialized countries in the world and people are getting sicker. I recall Ron Finley’s TedX talk (Finley is the gangsta gardener from Los Angeles). He commented on the increase in the number of dialysis clinics in South Central. He says there are as many clinics as there are fast food joints, and he thought the relationship was undeniable. I live in Philadelphia, and I rarely go three blocks without seeing one of the national chain pharmacies. Some are open 24 hours.
There is no scientific proof for what I am about to say, and the only way that you will know that what I am saying is true is by observing your own life and becoming intimately acquainted with your feelings. It’s an intimacy that you don’t hear much about. But if we are going to discuss how we get separated from expressing our passion, then we have to talk about the heart and feelings.
When we come into the world, we bring what some call passion, calling, talent, highest excitement, and bliss. It is not only what we come to share, it is what, when shared, makes life on the planet joyful and peaceful. It is our contribution to the planet operating for the highest good of all life on it. The belief system that we live under, the belief in separation, does not and will not in the future support or promote the idea of the expression of passion. Its sole purpose is to maintain a state of internal discord to insure external discord. The strategy for maintaining this discord is the separation of the heart and mind, thoughts from feelings.
We live our days on this planet ruled by beliefs about sex, race, religion, politics and economics. These beliefs are filled with conflict: women deal with all manners and forms of gender oppression; if you are a woman of color, then it is compounded by race. The gap between the wealthiest 1% and everybody else hardly needs to be mentioned. Race and racism has infiltrated every American cultural and political institution. Republicans in the White House? Then the Democrats are angry. Democrats in the White House? Then the Republicans are angry. And Christianity, the so-called religion of the United States, has become so infatuated with the state and upholding the status quo that it vaguely resembles anything that Jesus Christ was purported to have taught—love, peace and forgiveness.
There is very little to feel good about if you accept your identity as determined by the belief in separation.
While it seems as if the choice is a no-brainer, it is not. Most of us live our lives in conflict because we accept the belief that conflict is a part of life; and the only way to expose this untrue belief is to turn to the guidance of the heart. What this means is that the heart becomes your new eyes and ears; you allow your feelings to direct your thoughts rather than the beliefs that have been served up to you. This shift calls for an unyielding trust in your Self.
Remember that this is all about the reunion of the heart and mind, a reunion that will allow you to express the gift, the passion that you bring into the world to share. Shifting from the guidance of the belief in separation to the guidance of your own heart is all that will allow this expression to come forth. Admittedly, the new way requires a starting point for building trust. You need to be assured that your heart will guide you rightly.
Small steps can be taken in the beginning. Let’s say that your passion is poetry. You believe that you cannot express this passion because poetry cannot pay the bills and put food on the table. So be it. But you could say to yourself, “No harm can come to me if I just spend 10 or 15 minutes each day imagining my life as a poet. Later on, when you become aware that no one is going to starve to death if you spend 15 minutes imagining, you might say, “No harm can come to me if I spend 20 minutes on Tuesday night, writing poetry.”
This is an easy way to build trust in your feelings. It is also a way to reprogram the mind to accept, gently and gradually, another belief system—that of the heart. These two small steps can make you start feeling whole, or holy, again. As you become more intimately acquainted with your heart and feelings, your heart will be the only guidance that you require. It will attract everything and everyone into your life, at the right time, before you become aware of the need.
You will be pleasantly surprised to find out that resolving the conflict between your old belief system and the desire to express your passion leads to the resolution of other conflicts that you may have been experiencing in your relationship with others, abundance, your career and even your body.
Finally, we have enough talent and passion on this planet to address all of our needs so that we could live in joy and well-being. Denying ourselves the joy that comes from expressing and sharing passion is undoubtedly all that is making us sick.
