In today’s episode of Healing From Within, your host Sheryl Glick, a Reiki Energy teacher and medium and author of The Living Spirit which shares stories of spiritual awakenings spiritual communication healing energies and ways to heighten intuition for finding and developing your true Self, welcomes Alissia Jayne Thompson author of God Flips Burgers. Alissia is a licensed clinical therapist, personal trainer and contemporary teacher who shares the deep meaning of fun, laughter and childlike innocence, always important energies, needed to feed the heart and soul.
Alissia writes, in 1979, Jane Margaret Byrne became the first female mayor of Chicago. I was a first born; I had no older cousins, nor any cousins for that matter, so I was spoiled. Photos reflect a family unit that loved and cared for me, often captured with smiles and laughter, stuffed animals and strollers. I was blessed to be so adored, so it’s no wonder that this group would come together and marshal their collective creative forces to birth a moniker for me that has stuck to this very day, thirty-six or so years later. The name? Jaynie Burger, as inspired by the newly-elected city official at the time, as well as our common name. I recently asked my mother “why?” She laughed and said, “I don’t know.” I am “The Burger.” I always have been, but for many years I had forgotten.
In the chapters of Alissia’s book, she discussed curiosity, activity, creativity, spontaneity, resiliency, family, and generosity. Alissa picks the word simplicity to describe an important state of mind for the key to self-development and to bringing back innocence and awe of life to all of us as adults. Our attachments to people, things, and the alike create a very dependent state and a false sense of security. What happens when they are gone? Simplicity encourages a state of appreciation for what is right now. As children we delighted in simple pleasures, as our needs were basic. This is our chance to return to that state. All it requires is a little patience as well as a little gratitude for what we do have in our lives today. Trust me, you’ll feel more contented and joyful over the little things. And that’s a fun place to be.”
Alissia goes on to define innocence as a quality for ultimate success in life and says why she believes some people never lose this sense and that others may never even have experienced innocence. “Adulthood has a funny way about it. It is almost like a slowly progressing degenerative disease where we gradually develop pseudo-amnesia. Observing constructs such as “time” and “age,” little by little we lose our connection to our childlike innocence – the essence of our being – upon our arrival in this lifetime. Our once-cherished dreams become fodder for delusion, as we self-impose limitations, redefine what is “realistic,” and succumb to society’s expectation.
Sheryl likes the way Alissia described reticence. “Whether in action or speech, reticence is a powerful tool. It means to exercise restraint. So, when feeling the urge to impulse buy, to engage in gossip, to quit your job, or to say something hurtful to another, try giving it some time. Let your thoughts and feelings take their course. Do not let them overwhelm you into imprudent behavior. You will find that they will change. And if they don’t, then you can take a wiser form of action. This will give you time to discern your wants from your needs, and may prevent you from a little thing called regret. It might not sound like much fun, but it is a caring, loving thing to do for yourself and others.” These thoughts are indeed a good heads up to using our inner wisdom to produce positive results in our daily life experiences.
At an early age Alissia was obsessed with clowns and wrote… “I had no concept of my “age,” what was “realistic” at the time, nor what a clown’s salary was, and the benefits of being one. This was Jaynie Burger: a vivacious, imaginative, goofy child whose innocent worldview knew no bounds. I can still see her, captured in the photos of my youth: a distinct twinkle in her eye and a smirk on her face, as if she knew a great secret that no one else was aware of. She spent hours upon hours typing away on her typewriter, transcribing stories onto tattered notebook paper that she would eagerly share with her loved ones. There seemed to be an endless wellspring of energy and creativity for these tasks, and there was no concept of time, only pure creation and joy. She would sing and dance. She would ride bikes and slide down slides. Her days were spent seeing how high or low she could swing. Yes, these were the days of my childhood, and I’m not sure that I’ve ever been closer to God. I was afraid of the dark as a child, and I still am to some degree. I would cry out for my mother at night, secondary to hearing “bees buzzing” in my ears. I was often sick; For as much imagination as I had, I had an equivalent amount of fear and confusion. It seemed that my body just didn’t suit me. To compensate I learned how to run, how to move, how to discharge my awkward sense of being trapped in my own skin.”
Sheryl says “This sounds a lot like my early days….Our spirit or soul was forced to be contained in a vessel that didn’t allow the magnificent of our soul energy to soar and we couldn’t quite understand the people around us and the many emotions and fears that we were intuitively picking up as sensitive souls or empaths.”
In The Living Spirit, Sheryl addressed the innocent needs of many soulfully mature children by writing a way for parents teachers and caregivers to think about what is very important to assist in the development of emotionally mature adults.. Sheryl wrote…….. “We have been taught in our formal school days to read, calculate, and create through music dance art writing and verbalization. Yet most of us were not taught to understand the physical laws of energy and cause and effect. We were not shown how people’s interactions with us affect our physical emotional and spiritual well being. I believe that a well-balance healthy lifestyle requires being surrounded by supportive people and situations that enhance our positive thinking and produce positive results in our endeavors.
In Jayne’s search for her childhood innocence, she studied, read, and meditated became a therapist but still a sense of separation and loss existed within her..Yet, I knew in the depths of my being that it shouldn’t have to be so complicated, and that somehow I already had the answers. I needed to set aside the world of knowledge and delve deeper into the realm of experience in order to become my own Master
Like the song Just Be Just Be Just Be….. Alissia wrote “Innocence is never knowing (so we are always open to learn and observe and change; ignorance is having forgotten.(forgotten our true divine expansive soul nature….”
We were born of pure heart and mind, knowing no differently than to be connected with the God source as a natural state of being. Unfortunately as time passed, as we were habituated
into the world, we gradually developed that “pseudo amnesia,” upon which we began to lose sight of this Truth. We were led astray. This is ignorance. But rest assured, not all is lost. We can reclaim the spirit of our innocence; we can restore that awe and wonder that once existed, before our magnificent brains evolved and before we developed advanced capabilities, such as language. To do so, we must be willing to entertain a different path: a path representing a radical departure from traditional thought You see, the spiritual journey does not always have to be a serious one. History records that many of the great avatars had a wonderful sense of humor. To restore innocence, we must again connect with that which is innate. It must be simple. And the purpose of this book is to show you how.
Most of us walk around our day-to-day existence wrapped up in our own worries and with destructive thoughts, carrying abundant stress and poor health, feeling fatigued and lost in this ever-expanding world. We’ve become so incredibly serious…and our spirit pays the price. We try to meditate, we try to cleanse our bodies, we try to change our thoughts so that we can feel more at peace. Our success rate is low. It’s time to try another route. So I ask you, would you like to come out and play?
Some suggestions for Fun with Family and those you consider family who support and nurture you follow:
- Establish safety. Whether blood relative or otherwise,
surround yourself with people that will nurture and support
the innocent you. Create a family of your choosing. Seek
relationships that are reciprocal and nourishing to your
spirit.
- Ask for support. We all need spiritual/mental/emotional
encouragement, amongst other forms. You deserve it! Make
your family one of togetherness; a village.
- Be grateful for the education. There are many lessons to be
learned amongst family. Appreciate the education, and absorb
the lessons. Remain open to new ideas, concepts, and values.
Alissia tells us one of her favorite stories in the book and I tell her “I love the story told in the movie The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. It’s the intriguing perspective of a man born elderly who progressively gets younger and younger. In essence, he begins life in ignorance, and ends it in an innocent state. What a beautiful notion, one that strikes at the heart of this concept: so can we. Thankfully we do not have to endure reversed aging, but we can end our lives with a greater connection to God’s innocence. If you haven’t seen the movie, do. It is remarkable. Benjamin is surrounded by a tribe who have faith in him, who stand by him through his adversities, and he too lives his life fully despite his unique circumstances. He is as resilient as resilient comes, as are those around him. Faith is the glue that binds. My guess is that if you’re reading this book then faith is important to you in some form. So how does faith complement resiliency? Well, it gives us hope that the sun will rise the next day and we’ll have the opportunity to start anew. Also, it instills trust in the invisible; those things that have not yet shown up for us (example: the money needed to pay for health care, the job we want, the success we’re after). It keeps us moving forward in spite of our challenges, so that we don’t remain stuck. It gives us motivation, so that we don’t give up on our desires. It allows us to plow through with a smile on our face. It keeps us from playing the victim. Faith gives us trust in something much greater than ourselves: a plan much larger, much more divine then we could ever have imagined. And that plan, ladies and gentleman, is hatched by none other than God. So if faith isn’t an important part of the resiliency equation, then I don’t know what is. George Michael once sang about it; Tim McGraw’s wife is named after it: faith.”
Alissia wants her readers to remember the way she found and held God in her heart and the peace she found in that knowingness. Alissia wrote.. “In my eyes: I knew God, and I knew the Truth. And rooted in that Truth, there was nothing that seemed impossible. But again, adulthood has a funny way about it…The spiritual quest frequently seems to be synonymous with a few “S” words: stoicism, seriousness, and sacrifice. You must pray to reach God; you must meditate and contemplate to reach God; you must sacrifice your possessions, attachments, and occasionally your body, to reach God. My pseudo-amnestic condition had me believing this doctrine for years, so many hours were spent immersed in serious study and practice, foregoing “frivolous” pursuits in favor of a more godly life, and ultimately, “enlightenment.” At the time I thought it something to be attained, something to strive after through dedicated effort. Now, I see differently. Enlightenment is already here, ready and waiting. How do I know? Because Jaynie Burger was enlightened. With fervor and vitality she navigated her childhood, laughing and creating in the absence of time, limitations, and an overly-developed mind. There was no shortage of energy, no worries about the future; she could simply be, and allow the God force to move through herin waves of intense inspiration. This is enlightenment, and she had to do nothing to realize it, aside from breathe.”
Alissia’s spiritual journey has enabled her to be grateful for her beginning life in a loving and caring family It has helped her to develop greater compassion and awareness of the uniqueness of us all and the divine nature we all share. Alissia tries to understand why some of us are born into less than fortunate circumstances- without a prevailing sense of family, neglected, abused, or homeless. Why are some of us are not afforded the same opportunities as Burger – to simply be innocent – instead of having to fight for survival? Why don’t we all get to celebrate our birthdays with beautiful cakes and laughter? Ultimately, I know it is not for me to understand. What Alissia does understand, though, is that we all deserve that chance to experience innocence right here, right now. That understanding fuels my ever-growing, passionate conviction: we need our innocence back.
Alissia explains that life should be filled with fun, joy, laughter and happiness and the innocence of Spirit and love…. Most of us walk around, wrapped up in our own worries and destructive thoughts, carrying abundant stress and poor health, feeling fatigued and lost in this ever-expanding world. We’ve become so serious…and our spirit pays the price. We try to meditate, we try to cleanse our bodies, we try to change our thoughts so that we can feel more at peace.
Allissia asks you to consider your life. Are your days filled with calm and ease, or chaos and strain? This is your chance to begin stripping away the extraneous, and boiling your life down to its very essence. To do so effectively, we need to be able to exercise a brand of naked honest with ourselves that our ego may not enjoy. After all, our ego is rightfully protective of our ignorance and will not appreciate being exposed, seeing as its very existence hinges upon it. And Alissia Jayne wrote,
“Thankfully, as previously stated, many of us were provided for, and as adults are now able to provide a good deal of these needs on our own. Most of us. Therefore, these basic needs do not constitute the bulk of our safety needs today. What we do need, more so as adults endeavoring to reconnect with innocence, is emotional and mental safety. We need to identify a family: a tribe of individuals, blood or otherwise, in which we can experience trust, non-judgment, unconditional positive regard, and the kind of unabashed support that leads us to connect with our Highest Self. This runs in stark contrast to our ego, who warns us that exposing ourselves in such an honest and open way will leave us vulnerable to attack Look around you and take an honest inventory of who serves these purposes for you. With whom can you be authentic, vulnerable, and embody the greatness that you are? With whom are you safe, are your needs provided for respectfully and lovingly? Remember, without connection, we are harming ourselves and our innocence.”
Alissia and Sheryl would have you remember that our life is a journey of experiences to be gathered by the soul like flowers from the field..they are neither good nor bad but serve our personal and collective growth cycle or karma..Be open minded and open hearted and allow the joy to fill you regularly as it is your divine destiny to be happy and fulfilled.
|
