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An Intuitive Life

 Illuminate life's questions via intuition.
Kay Taylor  

The Value of Nurturing

December 18, 2008 8:56 AM by Kay Taylor
Our chakra system is a very elegant system to channel, filter and hold energy. When we are loved and cared for by another person, our heart chakra opens and we actually receive energy from their heart to ours. This actually feels good physically and we can often feel a sense of fullness and peace. We might be more inclined to be loving towards others, thus spreading and expanding the feeling of love.

On the other hand, when we receive harsh, angry, critical or judgmental energy from another, it normally comes into our power chakra in the upper stomach area, around the solar plexus. The sender of such energy generally has a desire to control us through these words and energies, and the normal reaction is to contract in this chakra, causing a feeling of tension, stress and perhaps even an aching feeling in that part of the body. Seeking to avoid these feelings, we often create our own inner critic to criticize and judge ourselves before anyone else can, thus carefully keeping ourselves in line, long after the original person has left our space.

One of the antidotes to this is to deliberately cultivate our own inner nurturer, our inner lover. Even though many people are familiar with the concept of not being able to have love until they can love themselves, sometimes this is so challenging to do initially that we have to work with the baby step of self nurturing. Creating a list of twenty things you find nurturing and healing for yourself and making a commitment to yourself to do at least one of them every day can be a valuable exercise in reversing the pattern of stress, anxiety, low self esteem and constant activity that satisfies the inner critic. These things can be simple and inexpensive, like taking a walk, having a candle lit bubble bath or turning off the phone and reading a book. You can also buy yourself flowers or chocolate or the kind of gift you wish someone else would give to you.

Sometimes when I suggest this exercise to people who long for a relationship partner, a part of them fears if they do these things they will somehow take the place of the desired lover and then never find a real one, or that somehow these actions will be selfish or 'unspiritual'. This is actually the opposite of what normally happens. When we nurture and care for ourselves, our heart and other chakras open and circulate a healthier energy. This energy is more attractive and appealing to others. We will have more to give to others and find ourselves spreading positive energy without feeling drained or martyred. The holiday season is a time when we think a lot about giving gifts to others and donating to charities. Our hearts will open all the more in this holiday spirit if we are relaxed and filled with the peace of being fully self-nurtured.
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Yours in Spirit!
Kay Taylor

4 Comments

By Jen on December 19, 2008 10:04 AM

Perfectly put if I do say so. I'm very impressed and believe in this with a passion. The world is turning and nurturing is coming in at full force-for ourselves and for others. For the first time in my life it revolves endlessly around the postive energy I consume and it will be the only way to make me wake every day with a smile on my face. Very inspiring blog Kay! Keep being magnificient!

Sincerely, Jen

By April Ramos on December 22, 2008 11:32 AM

Reading your insightful comments is on my list of 20 nurturing things. Thanks for your empowering and healing words, Kay.

By lillian on January 19, 2009 6:13 AM

To Kay Taylor, I liked and agree with you concerning your remarks on the chakras,this is Eastern psychology. Regarding Western psychology (self-actualization theory) a la Abraham Maslow, Carl Rogers and other humanistic psychologists , would you agree that their method is different but the results the same as Eastern psychology?

By Kay TaylorAuthor Profile Page on January 21, 2009 12:37 AM

Thank you for your comment. Actually I don't think there as many differences between the Eastern and Western approaches as there are similarities. Even though a Western psychologist might not talk about the chakras, there is an understanding that emotions are stored in the body and in therapy there might be a great deal of focus on the felt sense within. One might not discuss the actual energetic boundaries that I would see clairvoyantly around a person, but the understanding of the need for healthy boundaries is part of psychology as well. As we move forward I feel there will continue to be blending and sharing of ideas throughout cultures.

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