A Closer Look at "TRUST"

We are so excited to be a part of the “Declaration of You – Blog Lovin’ Tour” book launch!. 

Authors Jessica Swift and Michelle Ward invited hundreds of bloggers (check it out here http://thedeclarationofyou.com/press/) to share their thoughts on topics that include:

Enthusiasm

Uniquity (yes it’s a word!)
Intention
Self-Care
Success
Money
Celebration
Trust

Karen and I decided to join the tour and talk about TRUST

All of our Engaging Inner Wisdom posts address trust in one form or another, but a few speak more specifically to trust than others - "Honoring Your Process"

"Engaging Inner Wisdom Using Runes"

 "Deepening the Connection with Our Inner Self"

Today's post takes a closer look at "trust"

After a lot of reflection, free writing, pondering, and sleeping on the concept, I came to my own personal awareness around trust. First off, there are three distinct life areas where trust spreads its influence:

The personal realm – trusting self

The relational realm – trusting others
The communal realm – trusting large groups, governments, systems etc.

My pondering lead me to trust’s complete opposite, “distrust” – given recent world events – rampant war, neighbors who kidnap and hold people for years, child sex trafficking, Mr. Snowden’s leak about our government spying on us, and many other horrible events, it’s no wonder that distrust abounds.

If within the world around us we feel distrustful, and rightly so, then how in our personal world are we supposed to begin to trust? Can we count on ourselves? Can we count on others? What about counting on our close relationships? More importantly, can we cultivate trust, and if so, how?

In truth, I hadn’t thought about any of this prior to taking on the “Trust” topic, but I’m glad I did. Considering this topic helped me recognize that trust has to start at the personal level, move into relationships and then, once I cultivate trust and demonstrate that cultivation, perhaps it will spread to others and eventually to institutions, large groups, and even governments; after all, each of these groups is made up of individuals who have a choice to be trustworthy, or not.

Let’s begin by Trusting Ourselves

It’s so easy to not trust oneself. If we were to rely solely on the mass media marketing that bombards us on a daily basis, we would “know” that we don’t “know anything” – that is to say, all the advertisers seem to “know” better than we do, and they have a commentary about it al, so do talk show hosts, the evening news, Oprah Winfrey, Deepok Chopra, Luise Hay and all the other self-proclaimed “gurus” out there that tell us how we “should be” leading our lives*. Not to say that there isn’t relevant information, and that some of these individuals have the best of intentions, but when aggregated as a whole, the message is “trust us, because we are the experts, and you are not”.

It’s no wonder that many people experience self-doubt and question if they are on the right path, or are afraid to put their art into the world, or take the first step toward living a fulfilling life. Many people avoid situations in which they could be wrong, get embarrassed, make a mistake, etc.

We’ve got to shake this off and start listening internally to the voice that gently screams, repeatedly urging us to “do this”, or “try this”, or “take a risk”.  We need to know that our inner wisdom is awesome! We can, and should in my opinion, trust our intuition, trust our gut, listen to the messages that come to us throughout the day. We must count on ourselves to be our own advocate. If not you, then who?

Trusting Others 

Trusting others can also be tough. How many times have you trusted someone, and they’ve fallen short, not only of your expectations, but maybe they even intentionally “burned” you. ”Wow, that came out of left field,” you say to yourself. It’s amazing how knowingly, and unknowingly, people can erode our trust in them, and ultimately in others.

When we experience painful situations in which someone breaks our trust, we remember these situations in relation to new experiences, and may therefore act with greater caution, thus limiting ourselves and putting “distrust” onto others who do not warrant it. This is apparent in love-life situations, racial situations, work-related experiences, and opportunities for risk-taking as a means of personal growth and development.

Trusting others requires becoming vulnerable, and suggests that we depend on another to have our best interests at heart. Truthfully, we must continually open ourselves up and trust others, even if untrustworthy people have impacted us in the past. If we are listening to ourselves, and trusting ourselves, then the choices we make around others will most probably reflect our good judgment and our deep knowing.

Communal trust

Here is where I got stuck. What I repeatedly returned to was that only by modeling trust, by being trustworthy ourselves, could our institutions begin to change. Institutions, communities, societies, etc. are all made up of individuals – it is the quality, character and trustworthiness of these individuals that define the entities. Trusting in a better world may be utopian, but it inspires people to become whistle-blowers, to fight for what is right, to be honorable, and to speak their own personal truth – even if in doing so one risks ridicule, their freedom, and maybe even their life.

Trust is deep. Trust is profound. Trust is tantamount to so many other feelings. Without it, we wouldn’t move forward personally, we wouldn’t engage in meaningful relationships, and our world would experience even worse tragedy.

As you cultivate trust it compounds, in other words, trust begets trust. You trust yourself, you are trustworthy, others trust you, you trust them, and so on.

Engaging Your Inner Wisdom: Cultivate trust

Personal Trust –

Begin to listen inwardly, become silent and still, so that you can hear your own truth.
Act on your “gut feelings” – whenever possible and appropriate.

Keep your promises to yourself! Jennifer Louden, author of "The Women’s Retreat Book” says,

"Self-trust grows from a history of promises made and kept."

Say what you mean, and mean what you say.

Relational Trust –

Be trustworthy – model this so that others will be trustworthy too.
Check out the “Four Agreements” by Don Miquel Ruiz – 1.) “be impeccable with your word”, 2.) “don’t take anything personally”, 3.) “don’t make assumptions”, and 4.) “always do your best”.

Communal Trust –

Get to know your neighbors – create a neighborhood block party.

Walk or bikeride in your community.

Shop locally, and get to know your “mom and pop” vendors.

Volunteer for a local project like a food pantry, community garden, or sitting on the board of a local non-profit doing work that benefits the community.

“The Declaration of You, published by North Light Craft Books and available now, gives readers all the permission they’ve craved to step passionately into their lives, discover how they and their gifts are unique and uncover what they are meant to do! Find more info and order the book at http://thedeclarationofyou.com

“We can’t wait to be a part of The Declaration of You’s Facebook party this Friday at 9:30-10a PST/11:30a-12p CST/12:30-1p EST. We’ll be chatting in real time about TRUST over at http://facebook.com/TheDeclarationOfYou

Hope you can join us!”

Make a point of liking

The Jera Institute at http://www.facebook.com/JeraInstitute

and Art and Soul Lab at https://www.facebook.com/artandsoullab

A Mid -Year, Summer Solstice Ritual with SoulCollage® Cards

Inspired by my friend and co-blog creator, Karen Paquin, who recently celebrated the 2^nd year anniversary of her blog “The Wonder of Runes” (Yay Karen! Congratulations!), I decided to conduct a ritual for the upcoming summer solstice.

You may remember that Karen and I launched Engaging Inner Wisdom on the winter solstice, and then started the new year by reflecting on the past and envisioning the future. We began planting seeds of intention, and doing the work necessary for the seedlings to grow. We’ve been nurturing our projects since the vernal equinox.

On Friday, June 21, 2013 we will experience the longest day of the year (shortest night), aka the summer solstice, and as a result we will have an abundance of energy, time, and the vibrant enthusiasm associated with the sun at our fingertips.

This bold energy of encouragement brings with it the opportunity to expand, work hard, play hard, and move forward, thrust into our big, bold adventure that began earlier this year. Soon, on the autumnal equinox, we can harvest all that comes from this exuberant, vibrant, energy-filled time. What we harvest doesn’t just come from work, it can come from the time we spend with family and friends, vacationing, enjoying leisure time, and basking in the sun.

Intent on knowing how to put my best foot forward as I move into the second half of the year (we are after all, at the midway point) I enlisted my SoulCollage® cards to use in my ritual. These cards are considered a “personal oracle” because I created the cards and selected the images used on them,  I ask the questions and I answer the questions – in doing this I tap into my subconscious and receive powerful insight. If you create your own deck, you can do the same thing. I will talk more about SoulCollage®  in upcoming blog posts, but for now, I will share my summer solstice ritual with you, and the meaning I derived from my SoulCollage® cards.

When I work with my cards I like to set sacred space, so I set off with my altar to regale the sun in my backyard. I lit a candle, shuffled my cards and decided to ask them this question: “As I step into the second half of the year, with the sun’s energy at its height, which Neters (cards) wish to guide me and move me forward?” After selecting four random cards I engaged in several SoulCollage® writing activities, and here is what the cards had to "say" to me (abbreviated for the post):

Card #1

This card provides me with peace of mind and a sense of clarity. I am reminded that when I listen to my intuition, I can trust in the future. This card tells me to hold on to summer’s light and energy, but don’t cling too tightly. Its green color suggests that my heart chakra plays a role in the upcoming months. I am also reminded to lay out a plan, and gently follow it.

Card #2

This card focuses more on a path, a narrow path. It speaks to the importance of structure and passion. It encourages me to follow my path, and to make sure that I don’t sacrifice structure for passion. I can see clearly, and I am encouraged to engage in joint ventures.

Card #3

This card is all about peace, harmony, loving kindness and compassion. It reminds me to stay heart centered and open my heart to both give and receive. When I do this I will benefit from the marvelous gems that are near and dear to my heart. It suggests that even though things may get strewn about at times, and seem chaotic, as long as I am operating from my heart, I will be ok.

Card #4

 

This card encourages me to “jump on board” and not get weighed down by my "wet blanket" i.e. my negativity, whining, and comparing myself to others. I need to turn my thinking around and see the marvelous opportunities that are just waiting around the bend for me. It reminds me to be grateful! I need to turn and look at the blessings in my life! There are marvelous, golden opportunities awaiting me on the horizon.

So, what do I get from all this for the next six months? -

Follow my true heart’s path. Fill myself with passion, but remember to create a structure from which to operate. Stay true to my heart, remain loving and kind, and be grateful for all that I have and all that awaits me. Things are fine and moving forward splendidly. I don’t need to doubt or second-guess. I just need to do my work, keep the faith, and remain true to myself.

Engaging Your Inner Wisdom – What rituals do you engage in that support you as you move through your year? Have you ever thought of doing SoulCollage®? Maybe you would be inspired to celebrate the summer solstice by walking a labyrinth. Perhaps you use art making as a ritual. Maybe you rise every morning to pray and meditate? Engaging in rituals helps us to connect more deeply to the activity. I'd love to hear from you about your rituals and encourage you to find meaningful rituals that can enrich and deepen your life!