Respecting Boundaries

         Human beings all have boundaries by virtue of the fact that we exist as separate sovereign individuals.  We are gifted this space to be whoever we choose and the power to express our uniqueness.  We also get to choose if we will respect the choices of our fellow beings and allow them the same space to be themselves afforded us by Source.  

         By nature of its inherent design, the ego seeks to control circumstances in an attempt to guarantee our safety and security.  This may and often includes trying to push our vision of how we think the world should be onto others within our sphere of influence.  Cocreating our realities is our divine right, but forcing others into line with our way of thinking through manipulation and shady practices belies the love that we are.  

         Let me give you an example from my own life to fully illustrate this point: during my young adult years, I was extremely shy around girls to the point of physical difficulty actually speaking.  In college I would wake up so nervous every morning at the possibility of having to interact with a girl later in the day that my throat would partially close - it would take almost half the day to work out and release this frog sitting on my vocal cords.  

         I was absolutely terrified of rejection, terrified of failure and the resulting embarrassment and humiliation.  At the time, I didn't know how to feel and process my feelings, face my fears, and open my heart.  I became desperate, and in my desperation turned to the underground world of pickup artists, lotharios who taught men how to improve their skills picking up women.  Sadly, many of these professional pickup artists did not hold women's highest and best interests at heart and engaged in shady practices akin to emotional and psychological manipulation.

         I am not proud of the time I spent in this world nor condone any techniques to build attraction not based in love and earnest desire to create intimacy and explore sexuality with open-heartedness and mutual respect.  For a time in my life, my fear-based ego took the reigns and sought to control outcomes to protect me from the hurt and embarrassment of rejection. 

         We humans all do this in subtle, and sometimes not so subtle ways.  As you delve into the world of intuition, it becomes even more important to learn how to respect the sanctity of other people's boundaries.  If you go down the path of manipulation and control, you may one day find yourself embodying a very low vibration and attracting some quite negative experiences into your awareness.

         Rather than go down the path that leads to more pain and suffering, consider opening your heart by focusing on expanding your awareness and seeking to purify the egoic part of you still holding onto old hurts and fears.  You are a free will being capable of change - it's never too late to choose the path of love over the path of fear. 

         Sometimes subtle manipulation may seem to be the easy way out.  Sometimes dealing with people can be so unpredictable, messy, and chaotic that we are tempted to exert some measure of control over the situations that pop up in life.  When you feel this temptation come on, remember that we are all one and every human being deserves to be treated with respect, dignity, and grace.  Don't let your ego fool you into thinking you are not safe, you are not loved, you are not worthy, or you are not capable.