(This article originally appeared on goddessarriving.com on 11/2/17)
A few months back I bought this cute, little citrus juicer. It's purpose is to not only extract the juice from the fruit, but also provide a way of storing the extra juice. I don't know about you but if I'm going to go through all of the effort of squeezing a bunch of limes for a recipe and I only need a quarter cup, I sure as hell don't want to dump the leftovers down the sink. I always believe there must be some other recipe that can use up the extra juice.
So this practical impulse buy was the first thing I thought of when I watched a video this morning of Wayne Dyer on "Writing from Your Soul.
He has a profound metaphor that I am being called to share.
My delicious citrus chicken recipe calls for the juice of several lemons and limes and a splash of tequila which I usually leave out. Let's just say tequila and I parted ways in my twenties.
Anyway, when I squeeze the lemons and the limes I expect lemon and lime juice to come out of the fruit. I don't juice a lime and expect pineapple juice. I don't squeeze the lemons and hope maybe I'll get orange juice. I can only get lemon or lime juice because that's what's inside.
So now extend this metaphor to your own life. "If someone squeezes you, puts pressure on you, says something about you you don't like, someone disappoints you..." says Dyer, "what comes out?" Most likely anger, frustration, anxiety, fear and stress. And you think this stuff comes out of you because of who did the squeezing.
Dyer goes on to say, "you think it's because of the circumstances involved or the timing. But that's just such an erroneous thought. That the only thing that can come out of you is what's inside. And if anger and hatred and stress and fear...is what comes out of you it doesn't have anything to do with the circumstances that are taking place in your life. It has to do with what you've allowed to be inside."
In other words, if we are holding onto past hurts, if we cling to our victim-hood, then when we are in stressful situations we will respond with anger and pain. Heaven forbid we pour the extra "anger" juice down the sink. We can save it for a later, use it again when we feel wronged. I mean, hey, it took a lot of time to grow that fruit and squeeze out the juice, right?
But what if you could change what's inside?
What if you could forgive yourself for owning any limiting beliefs that were placed on you?
What if you could forgive your parents for living their own lives, with their own limitations the only way they knew how?
What if you could fill yourself up with love instead of pain?
See, what most people don't realize is that there is an unlimited supply of love available to you any time you want it. It's not some limited commodity that requires bargaining and negotiating.
The only requirement on your part is choice. You have to choose it. You have to allow it in. You have to make room for it to thrive.
And by the way, this juice doesn't like to share space in the fridge with anger and hate. So you will have to do a thorough cleaning out of the leftovers you've been holding onto...you know...just in case a new recipe calls for hate juice.
Make love the main ingredient. Sprinkle that stuff on everything.
Blessings,
Susan