By Steve McCardell
The winter holidays give most of us a reason to celebrate, but they can also challenge us with family tensions and, of course, those annual resolutions that are too easy to give up on after a couple of weeks.
We don’t want to abandon either family or commitments to improving ourselves, of course, and this is where a talk on chi and consciousness can come in handy. Because, in the end, many of our struggles come from facing off with surface matters rather than where they really stem from.
Chi is an ancient idea of life force energy, stemming from traditional Chinese medicine but with similar concepts in healing modalities worldwide. While I see it interacting with the body and sustaining life and health, it goes deeper than the physical alone. Chi is the force of the universe that sustains all; it is “love” by another name, as long as we don’t confuse this with a simple human emotion. It is the all-powerful, ever-present drive of creation.
In my book, Who Moved My Chi?, I explain how humans tap into this force through three consciousness centers associated with the body, brain, and heart. And, importantly, how these centers tie us to our past, present, and future.
This has meaning in our holiday gatherings and our New Year goals because we’re all leaking our creative energy to the past and future and retaining little in the present moment. The less energy we have at this moment, the less presence we have to interact with others consciously; instead, we react from our programming, putting us into patterns of reactivity with certain people. And the less energy we have at this moment, the less power we have to follow through with our goals; our fears and desires keep dragging us off the path.
There’s a reason the great masters have always spoken of fear and desire as key elements that hold us back. It’s because they tie us to past and future energy, leaving us weak in the only time we can function.
While it’s easier said than done, we address these energies with two keywords: forgiveness of the past and peace about the future. The more we engage in these, the more we bring our energy into the present moment and gain power.
How do we work on this at family gatherings?
If we can look at the past with love, recognizing past mistakes as experiences that people learn from – and we’re all here learning – this is one of the most powerful ways to shift our dynamic with someone as we alter our own program of who they are and how we should respond to them.
If we can let go of our image of how a family event should unfold and be at peace with how it does unfold, then we can better embrace family, friends, and experiences as they are.
And what about New Year’s resolutions? Again, connections to the past and future may be our greatest hurdles. So often, what we believe about ourselves comes from old programming, even from childhood, based on what was said or done to us, and often from our mistakes. Forgiving the past not only retrieves our energy into the moment but can also change our subconscious beliefs about ourselves. And sometimes, this is the key to allowing ourselves to follow through on things like resolutions. Key to allowing ourselves success.
Likewise, our connection to the future can drag us off balance in part because we have a vision for what we want that doesn’t yet align with our experience. So, we can become disappointed in the present and give up on our goals rather than allowing them to unfold. I believe in the power to manifest instantly … but only for those 100% in the present, which almost no one is. Anyone short of that stage in development needs patience in the creation process.
We’ve all heard the wisdom of being in the present moment. But, like anything, it’s hard to appreciate the power of something without experiencing it for ourselves. The present we experience is driven so much by our past and future, which means that this is what we know and are ready to create more of. It takes an effort to break into a new and better pattern.
But doing so first relies on this: recognizing a better pattern and experience to be had. And then deciding that this is what you’re after.
We’re humans, and we stumble. Becoming master creators with the power of the present moment is a lifetime process. But what better way to spend our time on the planet? The present allows us to live our purpose and absorb every possible beauty from relationships and experiences.
So, as you move through these holidays and into the new year, take time for reflection and action. Look at what can be forgiven, genuinely seek to let go, and allow relationships to change, including your relationship with yourself. And seek out greater peace at the moment, embracing the good of right now and allowing future goods to unfold in their time.
Steve McCardell is an author and teacher on freedom, health, consciousness, and personal development. He hosts a podcast for holistic entrepreneurs at www.HeartBodyBusiness.com. His latest book, Who Moved My Chi? It is available on Amazon
