Are beginnings really the marker for what has just ended? Do beginnings have to come after destruction? Or are they built step by step on old bodies, old ideas and old ways. If we pile up new beginnings one on top of the other upon questionable foundations, eventually these new beginnings will topple over, crash down and collapse. The new beginnings will be destroyed. If you are seeking genuine change then there is a need to recognize if your new beginning is grafted onto old ideas that are incompatible otherwise your foundation will not be supportive. The new growth will not survive.
We can fool ourselves into thinking that we are starting afresh everyday. We may have made a mistake, acted hastily, hurt our selves or made promises we cannot keep, but we cannot continually begin a new page without sorting out what needs to be sorted first.You can have a thousand new beginnings, all bright shiny and new, full of promise or wistfully pretend that you can leave your past behind forever or wipe it clean and start again. It is too simplistic to think that way.
When I was a young child at school I made many spelling mistakes. There was no white out to correct them so I would start a new page. I had to do this quiet a lot. But every time I started a new page I would miss what the teacher was saying and I had to try to catch up. This would mean I would make more mistakes. I couldn't keep starting a new page again and again or I would have ended up with pages filled with meaningless scribble. There would be no substance to my work. Sometimes you have to accept the mistakes and move on. This is entirely different to just wanting to start something new every time you stuff up.New beginnings are enticing. They offer the promise of making things right, of doing things properly this time. They can also be a trap. New beginnings can be part of a cyclical process of life, birth, death, life. There may be many many smaller new beginnings that are easily mistaken for that break you've been looking for, the answer to your prayers but they ultimately end up being false starts. It is only when the larger pattern emerges in hindsight that we can see that new beginnings can only come after we truly release everything; our hopes and fears. When we have nothing left to loose ironically this is a precious time when we can genuinely start anew. Even when we start afresh we can never be completely devoid of the past because this is what makes you who you are....this is what has led you to this very moment in time. Where you are now is eternally linked to your past and for that matter to your future as well.
You can feel within your soul self when you are experiencing a genuine new beginning or a false dawn. Even when they are not the all encompassing change that you may be looking for these smaller false dawns or new beginnings are still a necessary part of the process. Even when you know they are not the "real thing" you may still feel compelled to begin them anyway. Sometimes you must begin them as they will lead you to where you need to go. The important thing is to be aware of the kind of new beginning that you are embarking upon. It is only through taking one step again and again in the direction you wish to travel that you will eventually wake up one morning to find you have genuinely reached a new path that leads to the mountain crest that you have been searching for.
Persistence in beginning again and again until you reach this new path is essential to help you in reaching your mountain top. But how do you know if you are performing mindless repetitiveness or are being caught in an endless cycle of new beginnings, without ever moving far along life's journey. You need to be aware of the trap of some new beginnings which keep you on an endless search for what turns out to be fools gold. You need to be aware that you cannot leave your past behind unexamined. Unless you take responsibility for where you are standing right now, you will be powerless to fully dispose of the negative aspects and find difficulty in integrating past experiences into who you are now. There can be no real new beginning until you own who you are, otherwise your past will simply follow you.
We have all been lured into thinking we have started again. New years diets, this year will be different, I won't accept poor behavior or I will do better with this new job only to find our motivation wanning or that we have inadvertently taken a wrong turn. You sense an impending repeat of past patterns. This can be soul destroying and you may wonder when you will find your genuine new beginning.
It takes great courage to start again, to pick yourself up, dust yourself off and begin again; but you must. You must keep living your spirit. The key to finding the new beginning which is right for you is awareness. You need acceptance of your past and who you are and of you current circumstances which you find yourself in. You need to take responsibility for the then, now and future actions. You need to be honest with yourself but also forgiving and gentle. Most of all you need to listen to the wisdom of your heart, your spirit and your soul. Have the courage to do what you know you must, what you know every creature, tree, star, moon and stream has to do eventually and that is to BEGIN.
The great cycle of life turns once again and you can start afresh but always remember you are the sum of all that has been and you are the part of what is to come. Choose your new beginnings wisely and know that if you listen to your divine inner spirit you will be guided safely.
Whatever your inspiration or aspirations are be it a spiritual, creative journey you are yearning for or a solid secure life for your family, a new job, relationship or house - Begin. You may have promised yourself that you would eat more healthily, exercise regularly, begin a creative pursuit, leave a damaging relationship or move away from negative influences. Well NOW is the time. Just summon your courage, gather divine support from within and lift one foot after the other. I urge you to begin even if it is not your "right path" this time. By beginning you have summoned the courage to live life, to believe in yourself and to care enough to know that you can carry yourself forward by summoning your spirit.
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