Healing Patience

Why I am taking so long to heal?

As humans we all have an undeniable urge to fix ourselves and heal so we can then ‘get on’. We understand some changes may need to be made and seek help to evolve ourselves, but why does it take so long? and then once we heal one aspect another thing pops up!

I’d like to share a story with you which helped me to see the wisdom behind healing patience. One day I bought a beautiful little plant for one of my hanging plant holders which had the most amazing coloured leaves.  I decided to leave the little plant outside for a while to receive some fresh air, sunlight and rain.  When I returned, the beautiful leaves had been eaten by a slug and all that was left were stem stumps and a few half eaten remnants.  This poor little plant looked so sad.  I felt guilty as I had left it alone to the mercy of the slugs!

So I took this little plant inside and placed it on the window cil where I could look after it.  I gave it Reiki and made sure I watered it every day to help it revive and start to grow new leaves.  Sure enough, little shoots started to grow and then I saw a further opportunity to help it to grow…

This year we had the warmest summer on record for a long long time. So it seemed the perfect opportunity to give my little plant plenty of nourishing water and place it in the sun one afternoon while I was working in the garden (and watching out for slugs!).  When I came to take the little plant in doors I noticed that the tips of the new leaves were shrivelled…to my horror, in my attempt to help speed up the process of growth, I had actually helped it to burn in the mid-day sun!  I had tried to force the process of growth, rather than allowing it to unfold in its own natural way. With the best intentions, I actually did more harm that good, stunting the little plants growth. It will survive, but now the leaves must work harder to grown new shoots yet again.  If I had just let them be, the whole process of renewal and growth would not have been delayed.  This was huge learning for me…so no matter how much love and good intention you direct at something you can actually do it more harm if you don’t honour the natural flow and timing of renewal and growth.

​So how does this relate to our own healing & growth?

I often see clients who are desperate to work with their higher chakras because they want to attain ‘enlightenment’ or connect with the higher realms.  They want to jump ahead and miss out what really needs to be attended to first.  What they don’t see is that it’s crucial to work through the lower chakras first and foremost – the root of their being – because these are the chakras (or energy centres) that anchor us to the real world.  The first (or root chakra) shows us how we relate to our ‘tribe’ in society; how we gain our basic needs of shelter, food and safety and then the second (or sacral chakra) describes how we orientate ourselves within intimate 1:1 relationships.  Our third (or solar plexus chakra) represents how we navigate life using self esteem, self worth and what boundaries we set.  Only if we have established solid and clear connections with these 3 basic energy centres can we truly embrace the lessons of the higher chakras, otherwise we will be building foundations on very shaky ground.  Similarly, our little plant’s roots would be weak, and exposed to the elements, unable to nourish the growing leaves above.

Learn to Listen!

So how then should we approach our own healing journeys?  I believe that the best way to evolve is by really listening to what our body needs each day.  Like my little plant, some days, if it’s hot weather, it will dry out more quickly so it will need to be watered more often, but at the right time of day, not in the blazing sun!  So we too need to listen to our environments and how our own bodily needs interrelate with the world around us.

Our needs will be different on different days and the stresses and strains of life both on emotional and practical levels will also affect what we feel we need.  The world is our mirror and if we really take notice, we are given subliminal messages all the time.  Coincidence, synchronicity, surprises, seeing the same thing multiple times..all these are examples of how we can stay open to messages and if we take notice, we can then follow the right path towards what we need in order to heal.

For example, when I feel in need of a healing treatment because I am too ‘close’ to the issue myself and need an objective facilitator, I have learnt to trust my intuition.  If I think of it, it’s right and what my therapist can offer is right for now and where I am in my own healing journey, no doubts.  If I phone up to make appointment I very often get a cancellation that was freed up that same day.  Sometimes I will see signs or messages on passing vans or buses.  I will then hear people talking about the same thing or bump into a person I haven’t seen for ages and there will be a reason – they will offer up a connection for me, or say something that resonates with me, then that leads on to another solution or idea that I need to follow.

All these are examples of how, if we really take notice of our environment, we can follow the right path towards evolving our healing in the most appropriate, timely fashion.  But of course we must also learn to listen to our internal world too, not just our external world.  This is where meditative practices can help us to tune into the areas that may need healing assistance and for this we also need PATIENCE.

So next time you are tempted to leap into action and force expedient change, pause and ask yourself if this course of action is born of frustration and impatience or synchronicity and soul congruence.  Make sure you allow your leaves to flourish at their unfolding pace, get to know your layers…what lies beneath, knowing that with time you will eventually flower and blossom because you have been patient….just like the little plant I own who has know grown it’s first ever purple flower!