“Are you missing the mark?”
Ciao and Sacred Sunday to you: |
Sometimes I feel that writing Sacred Sundays is a little like when I was a kid and going to weekly Confession. You enter a room about the size of a broom closet – close the door behind, kneel on a cushioned step in the darkened space, speak to a silhouette; in this case a priest or representative of God, recite your sins, then leave the cubby hole, walk into the church pew, kneel again and begin your prayer penance. Then off you go until next time. Don’t get me wrong, I love my Sacred Sundays. I truly love and appreciate you, dear reader, for staying with me week after week inspiring me and connecting with me when a message particularly hits home, either in agreement or not. What I’m trying to point to is sometimes when I rip my heart wide open, and the thoughts, feelings and words come pouring out, it feels a bit like confession. Writing to the silhouette of you in the silence of my safe cubby. The same sacred space where I speak to the Divine in the dark still morning hours. And then sit and listen. Circling back to the beginning – sin is an interesting word with layers of meaning, like Sanskrit words. I imagine that most of us agree with the idea that when a person has sinned, it’s not a good thing. But what is sin anyway? In a religious sense, sin is a “transgression” acted upon and against God’s will. A regrettable act the sinner has intentionally and deliberately chosen to violate Divine Law. Plus, keep in mind again in the religious sense that there are mortal sins, the very bad kind. And venial sins, the not go to hell kind. Honestly, the meaning of sin and its layers can be a year’s worth of blogs. But, for our purposes did you know that the origin of the word sin also means, “to miss the mark.” Again, in a religious sense, sinning is to miss the mark of upholding God’s will. Secularly, and from a yogic perspective, to miss the mark is to be misaligned in some way. To not be operating from your optimal blueprint and intrinsic goodness. Also, it need not be intentional. You can be misaligned and miss the mark because of … Karma, dharma and lila (the play of consciousness) Illness of body, mind, and spirit Societal and cultural imprinting Family of origin patterning Black and white thinking Limiting beliefs Unskillful choice making Ignorance Lack of awareness From a yogic point of view, we’re here on this earth to raise our consciousness, face our limitations and alchemize them into gold, learn to integrate the shadow self and become more of who we are. So, I’ve been wondering lately; in what ways have I sinned – missed the mark throughout my lifetime? How have I betrayed myself and subsequently have felt regret, sorrow, disappointment in my choices and actions How have I missed the mark in my dreams and desires Is it too late to grow, expand, transform, and hit the mark So, I’ve been wondering dear one, in what ways have you missed the mark throughout your lifetime? My invitation for you this week is to ask yourself those same questions. How have you betrayed yourself and subsequently felt regret, sorrow, disappointment? How have you missed the mark in your dreams and desires? Is it too late for you to grow, expand, transform, and hit the mark And to that I say, hell no! As I tell my clients, while you can’t have a do-over, you can choose to have a “do-forward.” However, you must promise to be radically honest with the beautiful being staring back at you in the mirror. No hiding, no BS’ng, no by-passing. Get down and real without judgement. Then, reach out to me when you’re seriously ready and excited, maybe even a teeny bit scared to ask for supportive love and a helping hand. Together we can do hard things. And you my friend, can have a transformative and brilliant do-forward. |
With love and appreciation, xoxo Paulette
“Paulette is a dynamic life coach, the guidance, and skills from every session with Paulette has propelled me forward into the best version of myself.” “I love how Paulette integrates knowledge, perspective, and a spiritual healing essence in her coaching.” “Paulette helps me see things more clearly to make the best choices that are in alignment with what I want to achieve.” |