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Reclaiming Authenticity, March 18, 2022

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Reclaiming Authenticity
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The Courage of the Buffalo: Weathering the Storms

Reclaiming Authenticity with Dr James Houck

Title: The Courage of the Buffalo: Weathering the Storms

Reclaiming Authenticity

Reclaiming Authenticity with Dr James Houck
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Dr James Houck

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Reclaiming Authenticity: The courage to reclaim that which has always been in you.

No matter who we are, where we were born, and into what family we were placed, ours is a world full of relationships. Indeed, we are social beings who spend our lives making sense of our world by trying to find our place in the world. As social beings, it is often within the context of relationships that we experience tremendous pain and suffering. From overt acts of betrayal and cruelty that someone may have inflicted against us or vice versa, to simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time, many people bear the scars of physical, psychological, emotional, and spiritual wounds. And yet ironically, just as we experience our woundedness in relationships, it is also within the context of healthy relationships that we find our healing and authenticity. The difficulty, then, is often finding the courage to discover that which has always been in you.

For over 25 years, Dr. James Houck has been helping people discover their authentic selves by integrating spirituality into their mental and emotional health. As people are able to integrate these disciplines, they often discover core issues that have been keeping them wounded in relationships.

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dr. James house

Rite Aid good afternoon everybody want to know where ever you are in the world at this time welcome to reclaiming authenticity finding one's courage to reclaim that which has always been in you very excited to be with you here today each and every Friday at 3 p.m. Eastern Standard Time noon Pacific Standard time now just wanted to say it's been an interesting week it's been steady but hasn't been crazy and hopefully they light savings time didn't throw you off too much but with an extra hour of daylight I hope you're feeling better most people do one of the things that I noticed in this profession that people's moods tend to improve slightly it October typically call that the October slide when we go back into you know turn the clocks back an hour and that's when people complained about getting up in the dark and coming home from work in the dark but we'll see how things go

Chris has been busy to kind of eliminate this and so we have just one one time so just again welcome to reclaiming authenticity each and every week these broadcast focus on the integration of spirituality and our mental health all within the context of our relationships with ourselves and others and God or the Divine I am dr. James how can if you would like more information about me or if you want to leave me your comments about Today Show invite you to visit the website it's www.pbs radio.com reclaiming authenticity www.pbs radio.com reclaiming authenticity

s h r a s half of the show I should say if you'd like to be part of the show invite you to call the other number and put you on live and he can speak with me that number is 888-627-6008 that's 888 6 to 7 6008 you would like to go back and listen to other shows you can go back into the archives and listen to previous ones and also the podcast are available for download on Audible iTunes and Amazon music the greatest before we get into the show today I just want to mention that if you would like to subscribe to these broadcast I do so by visiting the website and click on these subscription link now slow caveat there you do not need a subscription to listen to these shows but it is greatly appreciated so I guess just find the link on the website and it will

further well for those who are tuning in for the first time and I just want to say welcome thank you for finding this show and again like I said these shows are dedicated to mainly the integration of spirituality and our mental health I know a lot of times depending on either who's doing a show or who do you talk to there might be enough assess on well we need to keep these topics separate and so let's just talk about spirituality or let's just talk about mental health but you know an interesting day comes when we begin to integrate these two we find that they are not exclusive in fact they support one another quite nicely and in fact it really opens us up into improving our relationships and gaining insights who are perhaps we felt stuck or perhaps we're just running into a mental block

or perhaps another issue in our lives so again just welcome to the show and I'm sure you've heard me say this before if you are continuous was thank you but I just wanted to say that I am just a firm believer that all of us come into the world already equipped and graced with everything that we need in this life in terms of our giftedness and skills and talents and strengths and the character traits excetra however you know as we go along and life and due to some unpleasant experiences we may tend to hide our giftedness or we push that those talents way down so that others cannot see it perhaps you know if we felt like we are being exploited or if we open. Somebody took advantage of that and then we just kind of shut down because we don't want to feel that kind of betrayal or that pain ever again or perhaps

baby growing up we can think back that we were told that we would never amount to anything or whatever other voice we heard from adults or friends or whoever telling us that there's really nothing special and that's just not true but at any rate when we do not realize our giftedness that we do not realize that the very best of us who we are is within we have to go through life functioning from a place of wounded as they at where we fall into living out Life Through The Eyes of being a victim and we do that instead of you know coming from you know that we're coming into relationships from a place of healing and wholeness and embracing our uniqueness and everybody is certainly unique so that's what I mean by integrating in a spirituality with our mental health tours

focus on what we come into the world with and in fact that when we think about it there's so much more to us than what we have become so far and again this is what reclaiming authenticity is all about and we we have to find the courage to be able to reclaim that which has always been in US these things are there from the beginning please things we came in the world and so where are they what are they and so forth because we are so much more than what perhaps we even realize that this very moment so when we become aware of our own internal logging but should say to be more authentic in relationships and truer to ourselves this aspect alone will compel us to begin the process of reclaiming Who We Are

CLR voice our uniqueness are this hness and in his book The Return of the Prodigal Son Henri nouwen writes that the people discover that there is tremendous strength in healthy relationships

because there are people who heal each other's wounds who forgive each other's offences who share their possessions who Foster the spirit of community and celebrate the gifts they have and live in constant anticipation of the full manifestation of God and so just focusing on that first sentence people discover that there is tremendous stress in healthy relationships and this is how we heal because when we think about it we receive our deepest wounds in unhealthy relationships maybe there was something you know psychological one thing or an emotional lunatic or a physical wounding or even a spiritual one day and they resulted from unhealthy relationships but when we find healthy relationships and as we heal our healing is continuous its ongoing and we find again the irony

bring us back into relationships to heal those say mental emotional physical and spiritual lives so entitled the courage of the Buffalo weathering the storms

well it's interesting that you have been out to the Great Plains or let's say you even live in the Great Plains area animals and Run for Cover when a storm is coming up okay in fact one of the characteristics of severe weather in this area is due to shall we State our lack of natural obstacles the mountains you know lots of trees and what nots that would redirect air to flow towards storm systems but because there's nothing really blocking the wind or the rain or the snow and the ice you know as a result explosive thunderstorms you know can come up very fast during the warmer months and powerful and Bone chilling blizzards during the winter can also occur

well I have quite a few Native American friends that live on the Great Plains and the Great Plains area is and they reminded me of this phenomenon one day when I was visiting with them in South Dakota interesting enough the topic of discussion turn to the courage of the Buffalo a sacred animal of the Lakota Sioux and we are out running around and I we are just out you know in a little bit of sightseeing they were showing me all kinds of places and given me a history and all that and just really loved it and just phenomenal and we came across a buffalo and we got out and kept our distance you know because he and so while I was marveling at the impressive size and strength of this animal they shared with me something that is really profound

and I find it to be true time and time again you know they said that the true power of the Buffalo doesn't lie and its size or its physical strength or even its swiftness to run across the plain but rather the true power of the Buffalo lies in its current

because you see we're as most animals will literally turn tail and run away from Fear storms the Buffalo instead will put his head down and walk directly into the store

Buffalo doesn't give up its looks danger right in the eye and walks towards it and that's an impressive point we can take away from this Majestic creature we can draw all kinds of parrotlets so what I would like to share with you now it's just the reason why the Buffalo is considered so sacred to the Great Plains Native American Indians and there is a tale told in the book blackout speaks that communicates how the Buffalo came to be

one summer so long ago that nobody knows how long they are set the Chicago and the Seven sacred Council fires of the Lakota Nation came together and camped

the sun Shone all the time but there was no game and the people were starving everyday they send scouts out to look for game but the scouts found nothing but early one morning Chief standing Halo horn said two of his young men to hunt for game they went on foot because of that time the suit did not yet have horses they searched everywhere but they could find nothing

and seen a high heel they decided to climb it in order to look over the whole country and half way up this hill they saw something coming toward them from far off but the figure was floating instead of walking and from this Vision they knew that the person was walking or holy

at first they could only make out just a small moving Speck and they really had the squint to see that it was a human form but as a came nearer they realized that it was a beautiful young woman more beautiful than any they had ever seen with two round red dots of face paint on her cheeks. You are a beautiful white Buckskin outfit and until it Shone a long way in the Sun

it was embroidered with sacred and marvelous designs of porcupine quill in radiant color is no ordinary woman could have made this walk-in stranger was White Buffalo Woman in her hands she carried a large bundle and a fan of sage leaves she wore her blue-black hair loose except for a strand at the left side which was tied up with Buffalo fur arrives show dark and sparkling with great power in them

and the two men looked at her open mouth one was overawed but the other desired her and stretched out his hand to touch her this woman was considered very very sacred and could not be treated with such disrespect and lightning instantly struck the Brash young man and burned him up so that only a small heap of black and Bones was left

or as some might tell this story that he was suddenly covered by a cloud and with it he was eaten up by snakes that only left his skeleton just as a man can be eaten up by lost

well to the other Scout who had behaved rightly White Buffalo Woman said

good things I am bringing something holy to your nation a message I carry for your people from the Buffalo Nation

go back to the camp and tell the people to prepare for my arrival

tell your Chief to put up a Medicine Lodge with 24 poles let it be made holy for my coming

all this young Hunter returned to the camp he told the chief and he told the people what's this sacred woman had commanded a chief told the Cryer and he told the people and he went out throughout the camp calling out someone's secret is coming a holy woman approaches make all things ready for her

so the people put up a big medicine TP and waited and after 4 days they saw White Buffalo Woman approaching carrying her bundle before her

her wonderful white box green box can dress shown from afar the chief standing Hollow horn invited her to enter the Medicine Lodge she went to an encircled the interior sunwise the chief addressed her respectively saying sister we are glad you have come to instruct us and then she told him what she wanted done

in the center of the teepee they were to put up a sacred altar made of red Earth with a buffalo skull and a three stick rack for a holy thing she was bringing

they did what she directed and she then traced a design with her finger on the smooth Earth of the altar she showed them all how to do this and then they Circle The Lodge against unwise halting before the chief she now opened the bundle she was carrying the holy thing contained the chanupa the sacred pipe

she held it out to the people and let them look at it she was gasping or could she say she was grasping the stem with her right hand and the bowl with her and that's the pipe has been held ever since again the chief spokesman saying sister we are glad we have had no meat for some time all we can give you is water

so they dipped some Sweetgrass into a skin bag of water and gave it to her and to this day the people dip Sweetgrass or an eagle Wing in water and sprinkle it on a person who is to be purified

The White Buffalo Woman show the people how to use the pipe she filled it with red willow bark tobacco she walked around the lodge four times after the manner of the great son this represented the circle Without End the sacred hoop the road of life

the woman placed a dry Buffalo Chip on the fire and then lift the pipe with it

this was the fire without it the flame to be passed on from generation to generation

she told them that the smoke rising from the bowl is Tonka Sheila's we're God's breath the living breath of the great grandfather's mystery The White Buffalo Woman showed the people the right way to pray the right words at the right gestures

she taught them how to sing the pipe filling song and how to lift the pipe up to the sky toward the grandfather and then down toward grandmother Earth and then to the four directions of the universe with this holy pipe she said you will walk like a living prayer with your feet resting upon the Earth in the Pipestem reaching into the sky your body forms a living bridge between the sacred beneath and the sacred above Walkin talkin or God Smiles upon us because now we are as one Earth Sky all living things the two-legged the four-legged ones the trees

the grasses

together with the people they are all related one family the pipe holds them all together

look at this bowl it's stone represents the Buffalo but also the Flesh and Blood of the red person

the Buffalo represents the universe and the four directions because he stands on four legs for the four ages of humanity

the Buffalo was put in the west by Walkin Talkin at the making of the world to hold back the water every year he loses one hair and every one of the four stages he loses the like the sacred hoop will end when all the hair and the legs of the great Buffalo are gone and the water comes back to the Earth

the wooden stem of this Chattanooga stands for all that grows on the Earth

12 feathers hanging from where the stem and the back bone joins the bowl the skull are from the spotted eagle very sacred one who is the great spirits messenger and the wisest of all who cry out to tuck a Sheila

look at the bowl engraved in it are seven circles of various sizes they stand for the seven ceremonies you will practice with this pipe and for the seven sacred campfires of our Lakota Nation

The White Buffalo Woman then spoke to the women telling them that it was the work of their hands and the fruit of their bodies which kept people alive you are from the mother earth she's told them what you are doing is as great as what Warriors do and therefore the sacred pipe is also something that binds men and women together in a circle of love

it is the one holy object in the making of which both men and women have a hand the men carved the ball and make the stem the web and decorate it with bands of colored porcupine quills they both hold the pipe at the same time and red cloth is wound around their hands this time them together for Life The White Buffalo Woman had many things for her Lakota sisters in Her Sacred womb bag corn was not wild turnip

she taught how to make the Hearthfire she filled a buffalo punch with cold water and drop the red hot stone in it and she said this is the way you shall cook the corn and the meat

The White Buffalo Woman also talk to the children because they have an understanding beyond their years

she told them that what their fathers and mothers did was for them that their parents could remember being little once and that day the children would grow up to have little ones of their own she told the children you are the coming generation that's why you are most important and precious someday you two will hold this pipe and smoke some day you will pray with it

and then she spoke once more to all the people

this pipe is alive it is a red being showing you're a red light and a red Road and this is the first ceremony for which you would use the pipe you will use it to walk and talk in the great mystery Spirit the day or human being dies is always a sacred day the day when the soul is released to the great spirit is another four women will become sacred on such a day they will be the ones to cut the sacred tree for the Sunday

she didn't totally Kota that today were the purest among the tribes and for that reason tunkashila had bestowed upon them the holy Chattanooga

they have been chosen to take care of it for all the Indian people on this Turtle continent-continent she spoke one last time to standing Hollow horn the chief saying remember

this pipe is very sacred respect it and it will take you to the end of the road

the four ages of creation are in me I am the four ages I will come to see you in every generation cycle and I shall come back to you

the sacred woman then took leave of the people saying I shall see you again

and the people saw her walking off in the same direction from when she had come outlined against the red ball of the Setting Sun

as she went she stopped and rolled over four times the first time she rolled over she turned into a black Buffalo

the second time she rolled she turned into a brown Buffalo the third time she rolled turned into a red one and finally the fourth time she rolled over she turned into a white female buffalo check a white buffalo is the most sacred living thing you could ever encounter The White Buffalo Woman disappeared over the horizon

sometime she might come back as soon as she had vanished Buffalo and great herds appeared allowing themselves to be killed so that people might survive and from that day you're on our relations the Buffalo furnished the people with everything they need meat for food skins for their clothes and tipis and for there are many tools

indeed the Buffalo is an impressive animal not just in its size but also for it how it stands as a lesson that despite the storms of life that people will survive because they have everything they need

but I would really love to hear your heart on this matter so again if you would like to call in that number is 888-627-6008 and I'll be taking your calls after the break again you are listening to reclaiming authenticity and I am your host dr. James house I'll be back with you in one minute

alright welcome back I'm Doctor James how come you're listening to reclaiming authenticity just want to share with you a quick word about next week's show entitled A Line in the Sand what divides our hearts

now in next week's show I'm going to be talking about boundaries that are drawn on a map and how courting the history how they those lines on a map of fact us you know almost as if all those lines were drawn on our hearts or in our hearts to biting people based on external appearances of race and color created nationality and our religion excetra and how often do we allow ourselves to be defined by another person's limitations of what they think they see instead of realizing that we are souls Souls that are at Limitless and vast and eternal so join me next week right here on BBS radio.com station one or do one of the other podcast formats for a Line in the Sand what divides our hearts

well earlier in the Shell I was talking about the courage of the Buffalo actually yeah I was kind of marveling at its strength and its size and When Storms come up on the Great Plains how people and animals often Run for Cover and and rightly so in fact if I mentioned that one of the characteristics of severe weather in this area is due to the lack of natural obstacles like mountains are trees and so forth that redirect the air to flow toward storm system so they're not as severe as a result explicit thunderstorms you know just come up on the Great Plains during warmer months and then do you also have a very powerful blizzards Locker during the winter

and I would happen to be out there during the summer and no I was not in the middle of a storm or anything but there was just just wonderful wonderful time that I was having with my Lakota friends they have taught me so much and just very impressed with their friendships and you know we talked quite a bit about the spirituality and they shared with me quite a bit about their history and some of the pain that the people still feel today as a result of being betrayed down through history by governments and then other entities and so we engaged a self-healing ceremonies as well as just talking through some of these issues and where are the people still struggle to find healing and their life find perk

find direction find that the sense of pride in who they are instead of you know being made to feel like a second-class citizen or not being understood or ridiculed or shamed

well as we were out and about and they were sharing with me and many many stories we happen to come across as Buffalo and I just didn't know where it was all by its Lonesome distance from it nobody went up and pet it because after all it is a buffalo sound so I was just really awestruck by the impressive size and strength of the Buffalo out it was just a massive creature I'm just really admired it and you know of course as with any great moment anything can be turned into a lesson and so they saw that as an opportunity to share with me that the true power of the Buffalo doesn't lie in it size doesn't lie in its physical strength or its swiftness but rather the true power of the Buffalo lies in its courage

and so they pointed out that whereas most animals will literally turn tail and run away from Fear storms the Buffalo does not do that the Buffalo walks directly into the storm in fact it'll put his head down and just keep moving it doesn't give up in other words I did looks danger right in the eye and walks toward it

at that moment when they were sharing you know my I was coming up with all kinds of images and and connections and drawing parallels of wow this is something that we can learn from this beautiful beautiful creature about the storms that we face in our lives and and how do we you know either turn tail and run or do we have enough courage to put her head down and walk toward the storm but have you ever thought what is it about the courage that empowers the Buffalo and to be able to do this I mean just some people to our just Fearless you know as we would describe and then that's what I would probably got it rises do you know what the characteristic of the Buffalo that they are fearless

play just you know it's not as they disregard the danger but they just like okay whatever kind of walk toward it and the answer is quite simple when you think about it that for people to be able to have the courage to walk toward a storm they realize that there is more to life than to store

send the Buffalo can walk towards the storm because it knows that storms don't last

storms are temporary there's something better on the other side

we too can walk toward the storms in our lives because we know that storms don't last storms are temporary there's something better on the other side

in fact when were able to look beyond the storms and know that the sun will come out again

the rain will stop

the clouds will part

let me know that the sun's going to come out again or that even while there is a night that she is filled with our morning and crying and weeping there's going to be joy and peace in the morning because then that's when we see the storm for what it is

it's an illusion that wants us to believe that it is the end-all-be-all of our life

and yes there is danger you know the danger is real yes the pain can be excruciating a x but

please don't believe the illusion that you are powerless

the Buffalo walks towards the storm because it knows that storms don't last storms are temporary something better is on the other side

and you are not without power

well at any rate when we do not realize our giftedness as I said at the beginning of the program and we go through life functioning from a place of wounded nsor being a victim or thinking that we always have to go into victimhood instead of a place of healing and wholeness and then embracing who we are our uniqueness think we need we realize that we have more courage than what we think

just that perhaps we haven't discovered it yet or perhaps we haven't trusted it yet

but there's so much more to us as I said then what we have become so far every storm teaches us something teaches of something about ourselves teacher something you know to us about our relationships and so forth it teaches something about courage

and teach you something about what does it mean to turn and face the storm

in spite of the don't know what this going to look like afterwards but we know that the storm is not going to last

so we can walk to the storm and through the storm knowing we're going to come out on the other end

and you know I said this is what reclaiming authenticity is all about and we we have the courage to find that courage and to use that courage to reclaim that which has always been in US

and Trauma is really not the only thing that has been passed down through the generations you know it's one of the things that my Native American Indian friend shared with me there's a lot of energy generation of trauma within the Sioux and the Lakota that the coat on when the Cheyenne and just a lot, which is characterized as let's say the first generation who experiences something so horrific so painful that it's they've never healed from it and those characteristics or how they then you life or how they then view themselves is passed down through the generations and maybe three for five generations after that you know those Generations believe that that's all they are

they feel the pain of what the first generation who had something very traumatic happened to them they feel that even though they have never gone through something you know they never they they never had that experience

so trauma is not the only thing I've been passed down through into these Generations but it's also the very systems that fuel prejudices and feelings of contempt and fear at a distorted view of life that have been galvanized or reinforce that often leads generations and voiceless disparity

a huge part of healing intergenerational trauma and moving people towards a healthy sense of self

involves not only understanding these historical distortions but also grieving that which has been taken from you or taken from them for example you know I often end up explaining this kind of process in counseling therapy with client says something very similar to the movie The Wizard of Oz you know something I'm sure we've all seen ya year after year comes on I think it's coming up this spring but anyway the storyline involves powerful lessons because most people can typically relate to this movie on some personal level

and perhaps one reason why this movie is such a beloved classic is that there are two stories going on at the same time

on one hand we are taking on a journey with the companions of Dorothy the Scarecrow the Cowardly Lion in the Tin Man and they are all in search of something they believe is lacking in themselves so their Adventures take them to see the wizard

the Tin Man needed a heart the Scarecrow need a brain the Cowardly Lion deeded courage and of course Dorothy just wanted to go home

great great story

get on the other hand this trip this journey to see the wizard is really about an inward Journey that they make in order to discover who they are

as they set out their journey is filled with dangerous encounters and harrowing escapes from the Wicked Witch of the West in her creepy little minions

but after the witch is defeated the you know as the wizard commanded them and they bring back the the witches broom and all that stuff and all you know was well for companions go back to the wizard to receive their reward and The Wizard then takes them back in time and explains that through their ordeal they each displayed what they lack

and then that's where we're reminded of here's the irony

see the Tin Man displayed a tremendous heart of devotion and loyalty

scarecrow turned out to be the brains of the outfit the Cowardly Lion she go he too showed remarkable courage in the face of overwhelming odds and Dorothy as we all know have the ability to go home anytime she wanted

all she needs to do is just click her little heels and say there's no place like home and it was in that moment she finally realized that there was no other place more magical than her own home surrounded by those who loved her

well in this story of The Wizard of Oz we have a classic example of how often people search for things that they believe they lacked but later come to realize that they had these characteristics and traits and strengths and gifted us all along

it's interesting in my line of work that and yet I know I have yet to meet anyone who begins a journey of self-discovery that sooner or later must work through personal and family traumatic experiences as well as those also needing to come to terms with their own trauma

in this sense are the perspectives and interpretations of traumatic events seem to go hand-in-hand in fact sometimes trauma becomes a way in which individuals or families and generations have to find themselves which internally perpetuates the cycle of integer in additional trauma

but again Karen lies the healing

how do we tell those stories

if you like me though you know growing up and family picnics and Gatherings and you know any other time holidays you know when the family gets together you're going to hear some stories on a true story but it's interesting that at a very very young age we've heard these stories for so long that we could tell those stories

in fact how we tell the story is very important to the people who are listening it's almost as if

we have to include every little detail and every little emotion even the painful ones

and do we pause at the right place do we you know allow our voices to you know in select a certain anger or certain disappointment or rage or sadness at just the right time to be able to tell the story correctly

however

when we find our healing when we find our voice when we reclaim our authenticity we began to tell her stories differently

this is a phenomenon that is just characteristic of how we heal yes we're going to remember the historical aspects of Our Lives will always have those memories that's just the way it is but again how do we tell their stories do we tell those stories from a place of wounded s or now do we tell these stories from a place of wholeness and healed and peace

with reflection with a proper perspective and so forth

how we tell our stories is just as important telling the story itself

I came across one of the great quotes that I had found in my life from Marianne Williamson just want to share that with you now cuz she says this right here she says that our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate but rather our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure it is our light not our darkness that most frightens us

we asked ourselves am I to be brilliant gorgeous talented fabulous actually who you not to be

you are a child of God

you know you're playing small doesn't serve the world

there's nothing in lightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you

we are all meant to shine as children do we were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us

it's not just in some of us it's in everyone

and as we let our light shine we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same as we are liberated from our own fear our presence automatically liberates others

well down through the centuries shame and guilt has often been used in society as a means to control people that is to shame them into feeling a certain way about themselves or endure to make them feel guilty in order to get them to do something and unfortunately Society has on more than one occasion interchange these words to convey its disappointment in others you know example you people often hear you no shame on you or you ought to be ashamed of yourself and let me know there is a sense that something's wrong someone is disappointed

I would shame people internalized that message to mean there's something wrong with me I am flawed in some way I don't measure up to another's expectations of how they see me

it on the other hand guilt is not necessarily a negative feeling okay it does communicate to us that we did something wrong or perhaps we need to go back and fix the air works as for forgiveness no excetera but in this context also has the potential to be healing and life-giving relationships

and a side of that guilt can also be manipulated by some coerce others to do what they want them to do I mean you might hear certain phrases like well after all I've done for you or even so and so thinks it's about you so it must be right and yet shame and guilt as well as setlist a stereotypes prejudices sexism classism racism excetra can find no place in the language of the Soul

because once we become firmly rooted in our social Consciousness manipulation in the form of Shame and guilt no longer affects us

therefore in this one example the more we see ourselves and others as Souls the more we are able to transform and transcend beliefs that no longer serve us

and when this awareness occurs not only do our relationships take on a healthier tone that transcend time and space but also we understand the futility of waiting for let's say systems the change

we are all beautiful souls made in the image of God full of inherent value dignity and worth we may struggle to accept this truth because our attention is often diverted to focus solely on our appearances and behaviors in other words we all live with some degree of ignorance of our social Consciousness is everybody we never attained the full extent because the physical emotional or and or psychological issues a cloud or a vision of who we truly are

guess it's true diseases and illnesses do afflict Us in the body we do feel physical and emotional pain and we might believe that we can't take any more cuz it's going to break us into Times our lungs May struggle to take a breath or hunger or diseases causes our stomach and intestines and Bones muscles and blood to scream in agony

and these experiences just might make us question whether or not we got the soul whom God has created

however this solution lies not in the suffering and pain and Agony we experience but rather it's our perception that there is nothing more to us than an emotional intellectual and physical body

yes indeed physical and emotional pain and suffering can temporarily drown out the Cry of our soul but our soul is never silence

the truth is that our greatest strength of who we are as Souls lies in our ability to be able to transform and transcend the physical emotional psychology program at Asians

for as much as history has shown us the horrific crimes that Humanity has done to itself there's just as many stories of humanity Rising above such tragedies to heal and to reclaim their soul

there's a long road of suffering ahead of you writes a Levi's out

but his courage you've already escaped the gravest danger selection so now muster your strength and don't lose heart

we shall see the day of Liberation have faith in life above all else have faith drive out the spare and you will keep death away from yourselves hell is not for eternity and now a prayer or rather a piece of advice

Let There Be, rotary among you we are all brothers and sisters and we are all suffering the same fate the same smoke floats over all of our head heads but help one another it's the only way to survive

well in addition this week to Tony turning the clocks ahead and not on a Saint Patrick's day but today is officially marks the celebration of Holi or Holly h o l l i e this is typically of the Hindu people living throughout the world and especially in India this is something I'm sure you've seen it that it's a it's a celebration with so much color and Holly is a Hindu festival wins widely popular all over India and then Indian communities around the world and its known as the Festival of Color and celebrate it actually for two days. Which begins today and it's the festival based on Hindu mythology and for centuries the religious holiday has been an important part of the Indian culture and recounting the story of Vishnu and his triumphs over evil King

each of the colors as it is thrown a hundred you know people in there they're covered with just you know lots of colors you know the colors all carry a specific meaning for example if your splashed with red shall we say this is like a red powder and it's not red liquid but I read powder red is the color of Love passion and fertility or let's say you're splashed with blue Powder at the blue is the colour of krishna's face and also the sky and the oceans yellow symbolizes the color of knowledge and learning symbolizing happiness meditation and peace if you are splashed with green that's the color of nature symbolizes the start of spring and New Beginnings if you are splashed with the color pink that is the color of caring and compassion

and finally if you are splashed with the color purple this may mean that it symbolizes magic and mystery

so all-in-all Holly symbolizes the celebration of the spring it celebrates friendship family and the Victory of good over evil are communities Gather in the streets to throw these bright colored powder and splash each other with colored water and they said these colors carry their own specific meaning and families also gather to share in this tradition by decorating their homes and sharing food and indulging and Suites and I certainly had marks the beginning of Spring so if you are celebrating Holly for the next day or two keep in mind that you just might come out looking like a rainbow but that's okay you don't need to be splashed with colors to be reminded that the joy and Bliss of the rainbow is inside of you

and you are empowered to face every store on dr. James Howard and you have been listening to reclaiming authenticity and bite you back here 3 p.m. Eastern Standard Time noon Pacific Time next Friday when I will be sharing another hour with you and I told Dad to take care of be safe and may God Hold Us in the palm of God's hands by by

4000 comments it's all there, and we'll see you next Friday at noon Pacific Time on PBS radio TV