by Lynn V. Andrews: There is great power in knowing who you are. This technique is useful for anyone who is trying to gain a clearer understanding of themselves.
THE CIRCLE OF POWER
In your mind’s eye, envision yourself sitting in the center of a circle of stones. Imagine this circle to be like a compass, with north and south, east and west. Allow yourself to ask the question “Who am I?” over and over again. As you ask this question, be aware of your responses as you go deeper and deeper. Knowing who you are and being able to define your essence is one of the most important things you will ever do on your way to personal power. Do this simple exercise often.
THE CIRCLE OF THE FOUR DIRECTIONS
For centuries the ancients have used the circle in various ways to teach the many aspects of personal power. Here is another technique:
Place four stones in a circle around you or imagine sitting in a beautiful circle of stones in a place like Ireland or Monument Valley in Arizona. Each direction represents part of your being. Close your eyes and center yourself.
SOUTH: The south of the circle represents physicalness. As you try to determine who your true self is, first focus on your physical being. How do you express yourself physically in the world? Do you exercise you body though athletics, aerobic routines, or physical work? Do you promote your state of physical health? Do you feel comfortable in your own body?
NORTH: Now look to the north of your circle of stones. The north represents spirit and the strength and wisdom within your spirit. How do you relate to your god? This is a very important aspect of who you are and how you see and define yourself. How do you open yourself to inspiration and manifest that inspiration into the world? Are you aware of when your energy shifts? Are you open to your sense of power? What is your sense of god? Say a prayer for divine inspiration. Do you have a sense of oneness with all life?
WEST: Now look to the west. The western direction of your circle holds your feelings about death, dreams, and transformation. It is where your emotions live. What does transformation mean to you and to your emotional makeup? Do your emotions control you, or do you control your emotions? When? Have you learned to remember your dreams? Death is an important aspect of the west. Do you fear death? What do you think happens when you die?
EAST: Look to the east of your circle. The eastern direction is the home of mental activity, the meditations of life. How do you think about things? Are you logical? Are you disciplined? Do you approach problems logically? Also, living in the eastern direction is the old, wise aspect of self and that part of yourself that tests existing institutions and aspects of life that you consider controlling, such as the government and other political and social structures. Mediate and try to contact the old wise one within you. What does he or she look like? What does he or she have to say to you?
The circle provides an important focusing tool for understanding yourself. As you begin to understand yourself, you begin to heal yourself, and as you begin to heal yourself, you can then take your power and heal the world around you. We as humans evolve by stretching and becoming more than we ever dreamed we could be. So we must heal our fear of taking our power. The well-being of our world depends on it.
POWER “MAINTENANCE”
To find and maintain connection with your sense of power, never leave your center. If you sense a weakness within yourself, explore it. It may become the source of your greatest strength. As you sit like a sacred Buddha amid the pandemonium of your life, always remember that the situation or person who has the ability to upset you the most, to pull you off center, is your greatest teacher.
Power means that you have the ability to use your God-given instruments – your body and mind – to transform what is ordinary into the magnificence of a work of art. Having power means you act with integrity, complete focus, and clear intent, whether in writing a book, painting a picture or detailing a car. When performed with true power, washing a dish with love can be as nourishing an experience as buying yourself a diamond necklace.
Lynn Andrews is the New York Times and internationally best-selling author of the Medicine Woman Series, which chronicles her three decades of study and work with shaman healers on four continents. Her study of the way of the sacred feminine began with Agnes Whistling Elk and Ruby Plenty Chiefs, Native American healers in northern Canada. Today, she is recognized worldwide as a leader in the fields of spiritual healing and personal empowerment. A shaman healer and mystic, Lynn Andrews is widely acknowledged as a major link between the ancient world of shamanism and modern societies thirst for profound personal healing and a deeper understanding of the pathway to enlightenment.
