Step 1. Maintaining Conscious Dialogue

When last did you have a bad day and blame someone else for making it that way? Yes, I’m talking to you, dear Reader!

What if every time you spoke or interacted with someone, you could leave the conversation feeling better than before?

Relationships define our lives.  In every aspect of our lives, whether it is work, family, social gathering or even your relationship with yourself, your interactions with others define your day, your success in certain situations, being seen, heard and understood.

To find true balance in life you need to maintain sacred relationships.

Relationships in which we all make a commitment to support each other’s growth and wellness because we believe in each other’s innate goodness and  highest potential, are sacred relationships.  

In this 14 step blog series I’ll be sharing more on how to maintain sacred relationships and find balance in your life.

Today we’ll look at the first step:

Step 1. Maintaining Conscious Dialogue-

This means using active listening and listening with the heart. Are you preparing to respond, disconnect, question or interpret everything that is said – or are you JUST listening? silhouette heart

 In order to maintain a conscious dialogue you must always check in with yourself. Ask yourself if you are feeling defensive, anxious to speak or eager to give advice or respond.

Instead of reacting, ask what is expected of you and what is being asked of you. Does the person you are interacting with want assistance understanding something? Do they need a response from you? Or do they simply want someone to listen? 

A good tool to ensure understanding between you and the person you are speaking to is: Repeat to them what you have heard them say and confirm that you have heard them correctly.  Say, “What I hear you say is…”

When providing feedback, remember that you are responding honestly, but in a way, that is going to support the growth and wellness of the other, doing no harm to either yourself or the other.  Think about how will they best accept what you are sharing and reflecting to them.  This usually requires a certain degree of self-awareness as well as your ability to be aware of other’s needs.

Do you maintain conscious dialogue?    Think about this and answer it honestly.

What outcome have you experienced from a time when you listened with the heart?

Let me know your thoughts, dear Reader. Let’s support each other in our quest to maintain sacred relationships.

 

RUNNING THROUGH DARKNESS
MEMOIR OF A SPIRITUAL WARRIOR

BY SANTA MOLINA-MARSHALL ‧ RELEASE DATE: MAY 3, 2022

This debut memoir chronicles a woman’s spiritual exploration and growth as she overcame a disturbing childhood and helped others heal.

Brought to America from the Dominican Republic as a youngster, Molina-Marshall should have led a happy life. Her father was a diligent worker, and his large family wanted for nothing. But the author recounts that her dad had a drinking problem and was a serial philanderer. Molina-Marshall’s long-suffering mother left him for a woman. Then it was all downhill for the bright, 12-year-old girl, who was shuttled between foster care and relatives. According to the author, she was sexually abused by the husband of one of her siblings. This resulted in Molina-Marshall becoming alienated and moody. By 15, she simply tried to survive. In her favor were grit and a restless intelligence. She quit school, rented a room, and found a factory job. Time went by, and for a while she was happily married. Yet when her husband left her, her life truly began. She turned to religion for answers but decided that blaming God for her woes was a cop-out. 

In this absorbing and moving memoir, Molina-Marshall’s vivid storytelling is fearless. She frankly discusses the truths she discovered and the indignities she suffered. These admissions are disclosed with a touch of resignation and plenty of bite. However painful, everything she experienced was a lesson, and she bravely realized that she was part of the problem: “The fear of being hurt, rejected, or abused often led to me feeling lonely and misunderstood. No one knew the agonizing pain I felt being trapped in my thoughts and anger. I was becoming my biggest threat.” 

The author skillfully recounts her intricate spiritual journey. To deal with her psychic wounds, she searched for an inspirational system. Her open-mindedness led her to the interfaith concept—cherry-picking from various religions and spiritual movements, yoga, and Indigenous beliefs as a way of finding peace. Along with her female partner, she built a therapy practice, making use of every spiritual element that aided her and others. The road was bumpy, and she found that women of color in same-sex relationships were not welcomed everywhere. To do good works—and finally live on her own terms—she effectively overcame bigotry.

An engrossing, cathartic account of empathy and success through determination and confidence.

Pub Date: May 3, 2022   |    ISBN: 978-0-578-38315-6  |   Page Count: 264    | Publisher: From Trauma to Triumph  |   Review Posted Online: June 13, 2022