GREGG BRADEN GREGG BRADEN - Earthstar

Intimate Wisdom... Continued from page 25“hawww” sound and focusing yourattention on the pelvis. Smile andbreathe.• Bring the arms up. Shake faster.Smile, breathe, and continue to makethe “hawww” sound.• Bring the arms down, and shakefaster. Send the sound “hawww”down through the pelvis and the legs.Then send the sound up the bodytoward the crown of your head asyou move the arms upward.• Repeat three to six times.• Start to slow down.Notice the pleasant vibrations inyour body. The body is vibratingwith heart energy. This exerciseopens and awakens your physicalenergy for love.TransformingNegative EmotionsThat Block IntimacyOur ability to create a successfulrelationship has a lot to do with ouremotions, which we can address invarious ways, including throughmental, spiritual, and physicalavenues. Let’s explore our emotionsand how we can transform them tocreate the love that we want.Confronting OurGhosts of IntimacyWhen we hold onto our fears and oldnegative emotions concerning relationships,it is challenging to be fullypresent for intimacy. We seek diversionsto prevent ourselves frombeing really open and available forlove. Work, television, children,housework, and exhaustion are someof these prime examples that cankeep us from finding a great relationshipor strengthening our currentrelationship. The following practiceswill aid you in letting go of yourrelationship fears and negative emotions,allowing you to claim the richrewards of great love and intimacy.Letting Go of Your GhostStories About IntimacyMental and Spiritual Practices toTransform Negative Emotions thatBlock IntimacyWe all have different make-upsthat draw us to specific practices andactivities at different times. The followingpractices offer several possibleways you can confront and clearyour own ghost stories and intimateemotions in the way most appropriatefor you. As you practice the exercisesdetailed here, you will developan intuitive feel for the methods thatbenefit you most. Choose the exercisesthat most resonate with you.Getting Your Ghost StoriesOut of Your HeadMost of us have a ghost story thatholds us back from experiencing thelove that we desire. Take out yourjournal and write out your ghoststory, or stories, that still haunt yourexperience of love and sexual fulfillmenttoday. Take about twenty minutes,or as long as you need, to dothis exercise. Read your words aloudand acknowledge the feelings thatsurface about your ghost story.Making Your Ghost StoriesDisappearTo make our ghost stories disappear,we first have to give ourselves permissionto let go. Often, we don’trealize that we are holding on to ourstories, because they provide us afalse sense of safety. That’s why wecan get into a pattern of hashingthem out over and over again andresisting letting them go.Now, close your eyes and askyourself: am I ready to let go of thisstory?Your mind may immediately say yes,but move your awareness down toyour heart and ask your heart thesame question, then do the samewith your body. If you feel resistancein any area, ask that part of yourself,"What do you need from me to letgo?" If the answer is, for instance, "Ineed you to forgive yourself," thendo that. If the answer includes seekingsomething from someone else—such as an apology, love, or physicalcomforting—there is no guaranteethat will be possible. Instead, givethese things to yourself. Apologizeto your heart, comfort your bodywith a bath or a massage, and 'be lovingtoward yourself. Once yourwhole self has given you permissionto let go, it is much easier for yourghosts to move On. Make them vanishby transforming them intoempowering love lessons.Finding the Love Lessonsin Your Ghost Storiesto Enhance IntimacyNow that you have explored yourghost stories and given yourself permissionto let go, you are ready tocast your intimate history in a positivelight. In your journal, I want youto write out how this intimate historyhas shaped you for the better. Takefifteen minutes to do this exercise, oras long as you need.Here are some questions you shouldask yourself:• What are the love lessons andskills that my ghost stories havegiven me?• Have they given me better discernment?• Have they helped me develophealthier boundaries?• Have they made me choose a partnermore carefully?• Have they helped me discoveranother person’s blind spots orchallenge areas more quickly?• Have they helped me avoid a disaster?• Has my history given me betteremotional skills to communicatemy truth in a loving way?• Has my intimate history given methe courage to become more lov-30 EARTH STAR FEBRUARY / MARCH 2008 www.earthstarmag.com