 Photo by A.Almamour Do you have a go-to song that just seems to help you get through things? Or, when you hear a song, it immediately transports you back to the event or situation it reminds you of? We have our playlists that help us get through our breakups and our workouts. We have songs that soothe us and songs that get our bodies moving. There are songs that speak to the plight of humanity and there are songs that raise our spirits and bring us back to our humanity. It’s amazing how powerful music is. Over the past months, as I’ve been going through a lot of transitioning, there is one song in particular that I turn to. It’s called "Countless Roads" by Swiss singer James Gruntz. His music is a fusion of blues, jazz, pop, soul and beats. I was fortunate enough to see him live and have his CD. The first song on the CD was a little annoying to me because he’s repeating the same words over and over and over. Then, I really listened to what he was saying and that song has become my mantra. The lyrics are: Countless roads Countless roads Shadow and light Shadow and light All is mercy All is (in) mercy So don’t be afraid Don’t be afraid I can’t tell you how much I love this song and sing along to it when I need that boost of inner strength. This life takes us down countless roads filled with shadows and light, but in the end – there really is nothing to fear. We, as an essence of Divine energy, are greater than our fears. We are never really alone as we go down these roads. The shadow and light are there to show the contrast, to help us learn - it’s how we choose our roads and find our way. This is one of the greatest lessons I’m learning – to not be afraid. Love, Adrienne :)
2 Comments
 Photo by Aaron Harris I recently heard the saying: "We can either allow something to destroy us, define us or strengthen us." I get the point that's trying to be made - we should persevere by allowing our traumas, trials and tribulations to strengthen us instead of staying stuck in them. As I usually do, I thought about the quote to see how it applies to my life. I realized that all of the hardest experiences I've been through have in some way destroyed me, re-defined me and strengthened me. My confidence has been shattered, my trust in people became nearly nonexistent, my fears have maintained me in a chokehold, I have felt rejection at every level of my being, I have felt worthless and yes, my heart has been broken - multiple times. I have been abandoned, I have been put down, I have been misunderstood, I have been ignored and I have been defined as someone I am not. All of this has come about through different circumstances throughout my life. I have felt utterly destroyed. Yet, I realized that it was the false parts of myself that needed to die off. I have had to dig deep to find the healing and compassion that is innately me. I have had to stop looking outside of myself for something I've had inside all along. My happiness is internal. My love is internal. My confidence is internal. It's not out there or in someone else. It's like the Phoenix rising from the ashes - I was destroyed and through that destruction, I was renewed. For as long as I can remember, I've fought against the confines that I'd been placed in by myself or others. I was in an imaginary prison of who I was supposed to be and how I was supposed to behave and act. If I wasn't a certain way, how would so and so love me? I have learned that I can re-define myself - that I am not how others define me or even how I define myself - especially if it is contrary to the True Essence of who I really am. I do not have to live up to the expectations that others hold in order for me to be loved. I am loved because I AM. All of the hard times in my life have absolutely strengthened me. That's what the hard times are for. They are meant to grab our attention to make the necessary changes our Soul needs to grow. It's during these hard times when our hearts must be more expansive than ever. The ego may want to wallow, play the victim or the coward, yet we must take ownership of who we really are - an Essence of the Divine who is innately love and compassion. That's who I am, that's who you are, that's who the person who hurt you is - we just keep forgetting or are completely disconnected from that Truth. The events that occur in our lives can hurt us profoundly as well as introduce us to a pain we never knew possible. Be compassionate with yourself. Work to open your heart instead of the knee-jerk reaction of shutting it down. Let go of the emotions, thoughts and beliefs that hold you back. When life knocks you down - let it destroy you. Let it destroy all of the false aspects of you that no longer serve you. Let it define you - by re-defining YOU. Your ego may feel like it took a huge hit, but your Soul remains undamaged. You are your Soul, not your ego. And yes, let it strengthen you. We grow from every experience we have - in small ways or by leaps and bounds. When life knocks you down, take the time to acknowledge where you're at and how you're feeling. Take the time you need to heal and forgive. When you're ready, dust yourself off and stand back up - preferably with your heart more full of compassion and love. Love, Adrienne :)
 A lot of unsettling things have happened in the past week or so. Brock Turner's mild slap on the wrist, voter fraud and the massacre in Orlando have been quite the hot topics. Social media can be an incredible tool to promote awareness and move us towards change in a more positive direction. Due to the Brock Turner sentence, people are having a deeper discussion on rape culture. This case is a perfect example - he was the perpetrator, but his father, his friends and he himself tried to convince us that he's the victim - I guess they convinced the judge. This case brought to light the injustice that pervades our legal system. People should feel uncomfortable, they should get riled up - it's something that must change. It is NEVER o.k. to sexually assault another - yet it's occurring every day. There have been so many instances of voter fraud. One person filmed that every time they tried to vote for Bernie Sanders, their electronic vote would go to some other candidate whose name I haven't heard of. There were personal stories of people going to multiple polling places, but they all had run out of ballots. The system is either massively flawed or it is rigged - I'm guessing it's a combination of both. This should stir people up, it should get them talking - it's something that needs to change. Our vote is meant to count. The Orlando massacre is another sad and tragic situation. A lot of people, who were out for a fun night of dancing, leave behind grief-stricken family and friends. This should shake people up - it is something that needs to change. It is NEVER o.k. to hurt other people to satisfy a vendetta. On all of these topics, people have taken to social media to express their views and opinions. What's disheartening is so many are contributing more energy to the ugliness. The victim blamers and shamers added their 2 cents. A good deal of Trump, Clinton, Sanders supporters had their say, mainly by bashing each other. The anti-Muslim, anti-LGBT and anti-guns are all finger pointing. People are so caught up clinging to their beliefs and going at each other that we're ignoring the bigger picture that needs to change. We must stop grouping people and labeling or defining them by their gender, ethnicity, religion, social caste, sexuality, political view or culture. A person, is a person, is a person. What motivates someone to walk up and kill another or go into a crowd and open fire? What motivates a person to physically and sexually harm another? What we're seeing in the news today are not isolated cases. We've seen them in the past and we'll continue to see them in the future until we, as a society, do better. We need to acknowledge how desensitized we have become. All you have to do is turn on a movie, t.v. show or video game - most of which propagate physical and sexual violence. As I was doing some research for this blog entry, I went to the BBC site. Their top stories: the Orlando massacre, violence at the Euro 2016, a Dutch woman convicted by the Qatari court for sex outside of marriage (her drink was spiked and she was raped) and a Canadian hostage killed by a militant group. Yes, it is time for us to do better, to BE better. We must hold each other accountable, promote the best of our humanity and we must come from a place of LOVE - not hate. I leave you with Lin-Manuel Miranda's beautiful words from his acceptance speech at the Tony Awards. Love, Adrienne :)
 WWJD was quite the trend a while back. When you came across a situation, you were supposed to ask yourself, What would Jesus do? and act/react more like he would. Jesus was an amazing teacher and example of compassion. It seems that he truly practiced what he preached. I recently read an article about a lady who came across a young man holding up a sign asking for assistance. He'd been laid off and couldn't find work and could no longer afford housing or even a cell phone bill. She helped him out. What stuck with me is something that she said, "extend your hand, don't point it." When it comes down to it, many people will judge or look the other way instead of lending a hand. I love the image above because it reminds us that we're all here for a reason and a major part of that reason is to love, be compassionate and help each other out. I can see why people turn to God as some of the things we face individually or as a community are simply overwhelming. The issue lies in that people are either waiting for God to fix things or they just accept what is and say it's all part of God's plan. Isn't it possible that we are here to have this work done through us? That we are the ones we've been waiting for, but haven't realized it yet? That through our own individual and united actions, we can and do change the world for better? If we want this world to be a better place it all starts with loving ourselves. Then, that love and compassion we have for ourselves spreads out to others in a genuine way. It's time we start seeing the world and others through Source's loving eyes. I'm pretty sure that's what Jesus would do. Love Adrienne :)
|
Archives
October 2024
AuthorHello! I'm Adrienne Almamour, an empathic intuitive conduit. I assist people by detecting and clearing their subconscious emotional energy blockages. This blog is a commentary and reflection of life from an intuitive standpoint which also incorporates ways that allow us to be from our heart. |
RSS Feed