Using Your Pain to Help Others
Posted by queenbee on December 22, 2010 at 11:00pm in Empaths and Sensitives
Pain is a fact of being and one that permeates all of our
lives to some
degree. Since the hurt we feel may be a part of the experiences
that
have touched us most deeply, we are often loathe to let it go. It
is
frequently easier to keep our pain at our sides, where it acts as
a
shield that shelters us from others and gives us an identity-that
of
victim-from which we can draw bitter strength. However,
pain's
universality can also empower us to use our hurt to help others
heal.
Since no pain is any greater or more profound than any other, what
you
feel can give you the ability to help bring about the recovery
of
individuals whose hurts are both similar to and vastly different
from
your own...
You can channel your pain into transformative and
healing love that aids
you in helping individuals on a one-to-one basis and
spreading a tide
of curative energy throughout the world~
The
capacity to heal others evolves naturally within those who are ready
to
disassociate themselves from their identity as victims. In fact, the
simple
decision to put aside the pain we have carried is what grants us
the strength
to redeem that pain through service. There are many ways
to use the hurt you
feel to help others. Your pain gives you a unique
insight into the minds of
people who have experienced trauma and
heartache. You can draw from the
wellspring of strength that allowed you
to emerge on the other side of a
painful experience and pass that
strength to individuals still suffering from
their wounds. You may be
able to council individuals in need by showing them
the coping methods
that have helped you survive or simply by offering
sympathy..
A kinship can develop that allows you to relate more closely
with those you are trying to aid and comfort~
Helping others can be a
restorative experience that makes your own heart
grow stronger. In channeling
your pain into compassionate service and
watching others successfully
recover, you may feel a sense of euphoria
that leads to increased feelings of
self-worth and optimism...
Your courageous decision to reach out to
others can be the best way to
declare to yourself and the world that your
pain didn't defeat you, and
in fact it helped you heal~
For some
Native American tribes they represent swiftness and activity,
and for the
Navajo they symbolize pure water. Dragonflies are a common
motif in Zuni
pottery; stylized as a double-barred cross, they appear in
Hopi rock art and
on Pueblo necklaces. It is said in some Native
American beliefs that
dragonflies are a symbol of renewal after a time
of great
hardship...
In Japan dragonflies are symbols of courage, strength,
and happiness,
and they often appear in art and literature, especially
haiku...
In ancient mythology, Japan was known as Akitsushima, which
means "Land
of the Dragonflies". The love for dragonflies is reflected by the
fact
that there are traditional names for almost all of the 200 species
of
dragonflies found in and around Japan...
Drangonfly
aka
tombô
kare mo yûbe ga
suki ja yara
The red dragonfly -
In some
way or another
He likes the evening too~
18th century Japanese poet
Issa (一茶) (1763-1828) who writes many poems
about the little living things
that he sees every day - birds, frogs,
snails, spiders and insects. There's
hardly a tiny creature that Issa
does not write about...
Issa may not know
how, but he does know that each of these creatures finds some kind of happiness
in life~