True confession time! Frankly and in all authenticity I have been hiding at least since I retired from the corporate world at the end of 2007. Of course I have many excuses for this. But Rosemary’s question is not about “why” I’ve been hiding, good reasons or excuses, but rather about “how” I’ve been hiding. So, here’s the story:
I’ve been staying in the background, in a sense hiding behind Rosemary these past five plus years. I retired so we could start a business together. If you have been reading her blog or my blog, subscribing to her newsletter or know her in any way you realize the incredible talent she has on many levels, including the ability to communicate with The Other Side! She is a powerhouse and it’s easy to hide behind her.
Our business partnership was at least in part organized around this talent. She is the front-person for the business and I am the “operator.” She does all the outside work with clients and I run the back-office, the technology for the internet-based program, the financials, legal stuff, etc. This doesn’t sound too much like hiding out, does it? And it was certainly a plate-full for both of us as we started up our business in early 2008.
We did a lot of work, heavy lifting, to launch this business. We attended seminars and workshops, we did the research, we built websites and wrestled with emailers and auto-responders, Rosemary went to coaching events to help “jump-start” the business and I sometimes attended as a “free” guest at these events. We worked hard at this.
At these events I often felt awkward. Was I attending to understand better how to build her business, improve her internet presence, help market her talents? Sometimes I had the feeling I should be taking in the coaching, suggestions, technology patterns and marketing ideas for myself; in exercises during the events I would be half thinking about Rosemary’s business and half thinking about how I could apply the material to something I could offer.
And often I sensed the implicit and sometimes explicit motivation from the leaders and speakers at these events to apply what they were teaching to my own practice! (Whatever that might be.)
But I had too much to do to develop any kind of practice for me. What did it matter that I am an ordained minister in an Interfaith Tradition? What did it matter that I too have talents, sometimes even in parallel with Rosemary’s? Did it matter that I am this unusual male being, so often operating in this wonderful world of feminine energy I constantly find myself in? Rosemary’s coaches, mostly women, did seem to think it mattered!
I continued to hide through the upheaval of our down-sizing exercise, sale of our house in Colorado and move to Maryland (three separate truckloads of our stuff!) to hang out with daughter for a while as we catch our breath. We continue to work on the business and I continue to hide out in the back-office. But all of this is changing! I am not only processing Rosemary’s MuseLetters, shooting the videos, handling the blogs, keeping the website updated and running the business end of the business; I am also reading Rosemary’s prodigious volume of material and taking it all to heart.
I am done with hiding. The excuses for doing so are empty. There is more to me than “Chief Operating Officer.” And I have launched; I have begun to shine a brighter light out into our community! My first Qigong Class this past Monday evening was great: well attended for a first time offering, smoothly delivered and positive feedback received.
This time, 2013 and beyond, as we’ve written many times in these blogs, is a time of transformation. It is not a time to hide. We can no longer hide from ourselves or behind anyone else.
Answer the question for yourself: “How are you hiding?” Then look for ways to break down the barriers, open the doorways of opportunity and step through!
PS: There are beings you can’t hide from: your angels, guides, spirit guides and loved ones who have crossed over! Oh, you can ignore them; pretend they are only part of your imagination. But they won’t go away because they are here to help you! On June 14, at 7:00 pm, either online (internet or phone) or in person in Annapolis, you can join Rosemary for a Conversation with The Other Side to hear what those beings have to offer you. You can’t hide; you may as well listen! Get more information here.
Mystic Messages 
ROSEMARY’S EXPLORATION: The Power Is in You – Richard’s Commentary
August 1, 2013 — RichardRosemary’s Exploration this week contained a lot of good advice. I too have the sense that there is tremendous energy for change building in the World. I think a lot of this energy build-up is from the extreme polarity that we are experiencing. Whether it is political factions (both within and between political parties), economic debates about the best way forward, religious extremism or raging debates about social issues, people seem divided into camps of widely differing views and value. This polarization is creating the environment that will force change.
And there is another source of this change energy; as Rosemary observes: “It is time to transform. We’re still feeling the effects of the 2012 energy that gave a huge boost to the transformation energy. It’s not over yet!”
Rosemary and I are going through tremendous change ourselves as we are in the midst of packing up for our move to larger space and a greater degree of freedom. With any change of this magnitude comes the combination of excitement and trepidation. The questions: is this the right thing, am I taking the right steps, can I do it, do I have the energy, can we afford it, are followed by answers: yes, this is a necessary step forward, we have the way and the means, … and in the end, we trust!
And where does that sense of trust come from? Inside!
And this is the key response that Rosemary urges: as we face the building powers that are bringing about the changes we sense, we need to go inside to find the empowerment needed to make the best choices, to decide on our next steps for forward progress.
As I’ve written before, I am completely committed to writing my “morning pages” as urged by Julia Cameron in her book The Artist’s Way. I have been practicing this approach to inner work for years and for me it works very well. As I sit with my pages I move inside and let words flow up and out onto the page; I gain insight, strategies, confirmation, hope, trust…Where does this support come from? Inside, from both my self, and my Self!
If you have been reading this blog much at all you probably already know I have many practices for inner work (and outer, physical work): Qigong, Yoga, sitting meditation, breath-work, cooking (yes, I consider this a spiritual practice!) and even household chores (I enjoy doing laundry!). But when I really need answers I seek my pages and write.
I wrote in my pages this morning about the move, the strategies and logistics, the concerns and the excitement. And I ended the pages with a tremendous sense of hope and trust. Yes, this is a big change; this is a time for big changes and hope, trust, and courage. Fortunately both Rosemary and I are Leos, both born on August 2. We both have courage to spare!