Do you ever run into someone, do business with someone or have a fleeting friendship with someone that makes you wonder, “Why in the world have we been brought together?” Are they just random encounters? Meaningless contacts? For me, I personally don’t think so. I believe we are all here to clear the air with each other

Up close and personal with the warrior goddess within

As I’m painting, sometimes–okay a lot of times–I wonder what is the purpose of the connection between the recipient and I. What higher purpose is there that this person and I have been brought together to exchange energy? Ultimately, we will never know. Thankfully, we don’t need to know. All I am certain about is that I am doing my “cleaning” as I paint. Any memories that come up while I am painting, I offer them up to divinity to transmute with love so that the energy I am sending out is that of pure light. I do this by responding to the memories with “I love you. I’m sorry. Please forgive me. Thank you.” Not only am I saying those phrases, but I am admitting that I really don’t know what is going on in me or in the world. From each of our standpoints, we only have tiny pieces of the universal puzzle, and it seems absurd to me that we presume to “know” so many things based on the information passed on to us from others (who ultimately don’t “know” anything either!). Don’t get me wrong, while none of us ultimately “know” anything, as divine beings and physical representations of the spiritual whole, the oneness that we are, we also know everything there is for us to know on an intuitive level.

A closer look into expressing sensuality

So how does this relate to Aura Art, you may be wondering? Well for example, I did a painting recently for a woman. I did not know this woman (save for reading some of her posts on a forum) and I had only a few bits of information on what kind of colors and such she might like to see in her painting. I had a few images pop into my mind of what color combinations and possible patterns might appear on the canvas. As I started painting, I had a memory pop up in my mind. It involved a time and scenario when I felt violated and ashamed of my inner sensuality and sexuality. Negative emotions replayed in my mind for a second, and I did not enjoy the energy. I worried for a second that this energy was going into the painting, or maybe it was coming from the recipient, who knows? Either way, I appealed to divinity, asking “What is it in me that I am experiencing the replay of this memory? I am sorry for whatever I have done in part to create this, and thank you for the opportunity to clear it. I trust that divinity knows what needs healing, and will transmute this energy to pure light. I love you. Thank you.” I continued for awhile, and gradually felt the energy shift. It was not sudden, or like a huge “Aha!” moment, it was subtle. When I let go and let the universe be the one to handle it, then I began to feel relief. Insights slowly started flowing in. I knew what I needed to do in the moment, and I felt great healing in the areas of my sensuality and sexuality. I did not know what the recipient would take away from this, all I know is that I am doing my part, and that is the cleaning. Cleaning the memories that surface from the subconscious mind’s database.

Up close with enchantment

When the recipient received the details of the experience via email and glimpsed a photo of the painting before receiving it, she commented on how this all seemed to bring out a part of her that she’d buried for some time. I still do not know what she is ultimately receiving from the painting, but I am feeling good about the energy between us. I feel ‘clean and clear” so-to-speak! Like whatever past karma we may have had between us or our ancestors has been forgiven and we can simply move on with love for ourselves in a new light!

A piece of Rejuvenation

That is how I feel after I finish every painting! Refreshed, relieved, uplifted, renewed, and full of love and compassion for myself and the world. I am simply doing my part, by following my intuition, mind,  heart and soul. By cleaning all the “stuff” that emerges in me as problems or  challenges. By constantly renewing, refining, and restoring my passions and doing what I love to do. And most importantly (I feel), surrounding myself with pure divine light, offering this love to anyone in the universe who wishes to share it with me.

Having discovered Ho’oponopono about a year ago, I have had tons of opportunities to apply it in my everyday life. Taking responsibility for one’s own creations sounds so simple, but I have experienced some intensity around this concept! One of the toughest and ironically, the easiest and most efficient areas in my life to apply this process has been with my children.

As we all know, children are extremely receptive beings. They hold the gift of simplistic truth and the ability to live in the present in all moments. The beauty of this is that we are each of us still children at heart, so we too still posess these gifts. The children in our lives are here to remind us of this. In my own life, my children seem to really test my ability to keep my cool, especially in public! One such incident (that inspired this post!) occured at K-mart the other day.  My son and I had had a discussion before going to the store that we weren’t buying anything but a picture frame, and he seemed to understand this pretty clearly. I reminded him that we’d be going to grandma’s store afterwards and he could enjoy a smoothie and a cookie as a treat for the day. He seemed excited and content with this information. As we passed through the electronics area, he was distracted by a locked display case containing DVDs of well-known characters that he loves. He begged and begged. I reminded him of our discussion, the later treats, and also that the display was locked and we couldn’t just take one out. He started screaming. I felt the tension coming, and I remembered Ho’oponopono. I immediately offered the situation up for transmutation. Connecting first to my subconscious, I repeated the phrases “I love you,” “I’m sorry,” “Please forgive me,” and “Thank you.” As I was repeating them a few times, he kept begging and screaming. I kept the cart moving toward the picture frames. The incessant Ho’oponopono kept me centered at the least, and also kept me in a non-reaction mode. By taking responsibility that I had somehow created this situation, that the tension I was experiencing was a memory in my subconscious rising to the surface to be cleared and “cleaned,” I was able to remain open to divine transmutation. The conversation in my mind went something like this:

I love you. I love my son, I love myself, I love all, because we are all one and the same. Divinity, I am sorry that I am feeling this way. I do not want to feel this way or experience this, and I understand that you have brought this to my attention for a reason, and that reason being that I have some cleaning to do. Please forgive me for any resentment or rage I am feeling towards you, myself, and my son. I do not understand the infinite complexity of this moment, and it is okay to not know. I’m sorry. Please forgive me. Please forgive me for disconnecting from your love that is always pouring over me and my son. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. Thank you. Thank you for loving me. I forgive myself. Thank you. I love you. I love you. I do not know why my son is experiencing such intense energy. I ask that with your love that is within us, anything that is not right be transmuted. Any unwanted thoughts, feelings, energies and ties that are binding us at this moment, please release them now. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I love you.

Keep in mind that while this was all going on in my head, my son was still screaming, and I was just quickly going about my business, letting him know that I hear him, that I can feel his struggle, and that I love him. That I know he really wants something, and that I am listening, but must do what I am doing. With the Ho’oponopono going on in my mind, I was able to stay centered enough to respond ti him in this way. If I hadn’t (and there have been many instances when I did not!), I may have reacted with guilt, blame, and shame. Thinking more along the lines of:

Why can’t you be quiet? I know you want the DVD, but you are really irritating me right now. We already talked about this and now you are just throwing it back in my face, trying to ruin my day! This sucks! I am feeling like crap, people are staring at us, and I’m starting to feel utterly frustrated and confused. Why are you doing this to me? Be quiet!! No! You can NOT have the DVD, we are leaving NOW and I am not getting you anything! Maybe we won’t even go to grandma’s store! 

For me, that is a huge difference. Practicing incessant Ho’oponopono leaves no room in my thoughts for a conversation like the second one mentioned! And with my kids, these conversations can make or break my day sometimes! It really comes down to remembering to practice, and the more frequent the practice, the more it becomes my natural and dominant response to any situation.

I want to mention that I also practice Ho’oponopono out loud around my kids when I feel so inclined. Sometimes I feel like the crazy mommy barely awake with frazzled hair, sitting on the floor surrounded by cheerios and yogurt that have been spilled everywhere, sand creaming children in the background. Yet there I am, sitting, repeating out loud “I LOVE YOU. I’M SORRY. PLEASE FORGIVE ME. THANK YOU!” Sometimes in my raging monster mommy moments, these phrases come out of my mouth as militant commands, as though my ego is fighting against me. Sometimes the conversation during these intense at-home moments goes a little like this when I’m having an “off” day:

I love you. I don’t know that the heck is going on right now but I love you. Thank you for this opportunity for me to let go of my rage. I’m sorry. I don’t know what the heck for, but I’m sorry. I’m sorry I feel like ripping my hair out and just walking out the door, yogurt  dripping off my shoulder and all. I’m sorry for not wanting to be a mommy right now. Please forgive me. Divinity, please forgive me and transmute these feelings with your love. With my love. I love you. I love my children. I love my children. I love my children. Do I really love my children? Yes, I think I do. They are driving me nuts. But I love them. Thank you. I love you. I’m sorry I am seeing this situation as a problem. I’m sorry I cannot see the blessings in all of this right now. I forgive myself. I forgive myself. I forgive myself. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I love you. I love my children. I love myself. I love you. I love you. I love you. Thank you! 

Indeed, Ho’oponopono is a wonderful process for me to practice. It helps for me to remember that I am not doing it to see results. I am doing it to feel better in the moment. And that is the most important result there is.