Pictoral History

(c) 2011 Joan M. Newcomb

I've been sorting through hundreds (or more) of family photographs. They're from the 1920's onwards.  Sifting through them you gain a feeling of the people in these photos as they grow from chubby infants and grinning toddlers to smiling but tired adults and seniors.  This one was taken when they got their first tooth.  That one happened when his wife was dying. 

Energetically, we're made up of pictures.  As we come into physical form, we are creating and absorbing pictures.  We view the world through our perceptions, but they're organically a part of us as well.  "Stuck" impressions can create physical discomfort that can lead to manifestations of painful ailments over time.

I'm fortunate that my mother still remembers most of the people in the pictures (although neither of us can recall the name of the cat we had in 1974).  As my mother's Alzheimer's continues , it's as if those picture files are being erased from her brain's harddrive.  She's either in the present moment or instantly in 1946, depending on the memory that's jogged.

What's interesting to realize is that some of the details are distorted.  One of her stories is that my father gave away a bunch of important children's books, and yesterday I remember that it was my mother who gave them to a friend of mine in high school.  We rewrite our personal history and sometimes even delete or add characters to the scene.

Emotions color our mental image pictures.  We hold on to resentments and pain and it distorts the storyline.  We can embellish our childhoods or marriages, making them happier than they really were as well.

Releasing the untruths about our past we're left with what is.  What is, is. 

After we die, that's what we're left with.  The Essence of who we are.   The pure energy that flowed through our lives is what is retained, and the distortions disintergrate.

In physical form, we're frightened to see What Is without our story.  We're afraid that if we do that, we'll see all that it is not.  Our Essence *loves* What Is, because we see all it is Everything.

Acceptance of What Is leads us to embracing the All.  In becoming neutral to the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, in letting go of the drama of our past, we can open up to the greatness of it all.  It opens us up to infinite possibilities of Now.

This is a great time of year to start doing this.  Every person you come into contact with is a walking gallery of pictures and emotions.  Holidays are especially charged times because gatherings with families bring in entire libraries of matching (or mis-matching) pictures and impressions.

Start by deciding not to react dramatically to anything that is said or done, even if it seems dramatic.  At parties or meals, choose to be a half step above the set energy level (or imagine watching it from a director's chair).  You can be involved but not engaged.  Or you can dive into it with the gusto of a seasoned actor, fully aware of the part they're playing.  It can be fun.

Try this for the next week (or month) and see what happens!