Teachings of the stream

As many of you know I was talking about flow over two decade ago, before flow was such a big thing in spiritual circles. I had been reading, “The Power of Now,” in 1997 when I first thought to myself. “OK, I’m present, now what?! How do I focus on the present and still proceed towards my desired future?” It is question i’ve since been asked many times.

The angels didn’t answer me outright. Instead they told me to follow my heart and I’d find the answers. I didn’t realize they were giving me the answer! So I followed my heart right up to Sedona for a few days off. I followed my heart to park on the side of the road and walk down to a secluded spot by the creek. I followed my heart right to a big flat rock in the middle of the stream that fit my body perfectly – face in the sun and feet in the flowing water. I fell asleep.

When I woke up in a half dreamy space and realized where I was, a strange thing began to a happen. I felt the energy of the water moving through me. I became highly sensitized and started to hear the various “voices” within the stream. I heard the murmured whispers of the softly moving currents bubbling over stones, the passionate roar of water pouring over boulders, and the soft “ssssshhh” sound of water barely moving in the shallower areas. I heard and felt the joyous splashing, and was massaged by the sifted sounds of water moving swiftly through the reeds along the bank. It was all flowing water, but it had so many different voices. It was all one stream with many different personalities…

Then I started to watch the flow, mesmerized by the shapes that its everlasting movement formed – endless streams and currents of water that had no solidity, and yet appeared solid as the flow was shaped by the rocks and the banks of the stream.

The water began to teach me.

It spoke to me in my heart and feelings and showed me that I wasn’t solid either. We are streams of love – with our lives and bodies shaped by our own self concepts, our focus and feeling. I started to see myself as a fluid stream of ever-changing energy rather than the solid being I once thought I was. I was a collection of self concepts shaping the eternal stream of God’s love into an “Ann.” It is hard to put into words.

“FEEL the voices of the stream.” I heard the angels whisper. I noticed that when I focused on a gentle bubbling sound I felt fizzy and at peace. When I focused on the roar of water over the rocks, I felt energized and dynamic. When I focused on the barely perceptible movement in a quiet pool, I too went deep. I understood. When we focus on something, we experience more of the same.

“What would happen if you flowed with any current you focused upon, right here, right now?” the angels asked. “I’d move with the flow,” I answered. “Yes,” they smiled. “And what would happen if you resisted the flow?” “I’d feel it push against me,” I replied. I realized that If I chose a gentle flow it would be no big deal. If I chose a powerful and rapid flow, then it would push me over into its path if I tried to resist. (I experienced that years later while trying to stand still in a swiftly moving river that knocked me over! I ended up floating downstream rather than standing!)

The angels kept smiling. The water kept teaching me.

We choose a “flow” in life by focusing on what we desire. In much the same way a gentle current doesn’t push us very hard at all, a weak desire doesn’t yield guidance as powerfully as a strong one. Conversely, a strong feeling of joy, faith, and passion for something in our lives puts does put us in a powerful flow. Things move quickly. We enjoy synchronicity. However if we doubt, suddenly we are standing in a powerful stream resisting it with disbelief and we notice that in a far more pronounced way as well. We may even, like me, get knocked down so we surrender to our own hearts once again.

It is both blissful and challenging to want something badly because you can enjoy the peak of knowing God’s creative force if you have faith that goes with the feeling, but you can also feel the discomfort of standing in resistance to that very force if you have fear and doubt.

We can much more easily feel spiritual attainment and contentment when we want nothing. How much more exhilarating it is to set the forces of creation in motion with desire, jump in the river of Love, and go for a ride!

Here are some pointers this week to help you enjoy a graceful ride in the streams of grace!

1. Remember you can choose the current that will carry you

Take time to search your heart and focus on what you want. Perhaps you are in a dormant time and you’re satisfied and happy. This can be a very gentle time. Don’t fight it. Enjoy routine, cocooning, and rest.

Perhaps you do have strong desires. Align with them. Focus on what it would feel like to have them. We’ve been speaking about this a lot lately because the energy is so strong, that we are in swiftly moving currents. Make use of this energy by being honest and admitting your hearts desires to yourself.

2. Remember you can change any time.

Sometimes you think you want something. You get it, or you learn what you’ll have to change to get it, and you realize you don’t want it after all. Not a problem. The minute you change your desires the universe changes with you.

I often talk to people that say they want a relationship but as we dig further, they say,”Well, sometimes I do, but sometimes I don’t…” They keep redirecting the stream.

When you can remain consistent in you desires you will be guided towards them. Any time you like, you can redirect the flow.

3. Keep your energy aligned with your desires

To stay in the streams of grace that you set in motion, you must continue to use the power of faith, focus, and feeling. Have the faith that you have the creative force of the universe behind you. Remind yourself often.

Focus on what you want rather than what you fear. If you fall into fear, refocus.

Feel the desired outcome. Take time as we mentioned last week to ask, “What would it feel like to have what I want.” Spend a minute or two a day fantasizing the feelings. This tunes your energy field into the desired outcome.

The energy is SO strong lately. It is propelling us more quickly towards what we want and thus also making us feel our own resistance more acutely. If you find yourself in doubt, fear, or other forms of resistance, just go back to step 3 and re-align yourself.

The angels remind me constantly that we can create “man’s way” and do more work in our outer world, or we can create “God’s way” and do more work between the ears 🙂 I personally think God’s way is a lot more fun!