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Wake the Bear Gently - One Way to Use Writing to Uplift Patterns Gently
Published 12 months ago • 3 min read
April 12, 2024
Mark Basarab, Unsplash
WAKE THE BEAR GENTLY
Dear Reader,
If we think about a pattern as a bear blocking the door to your heart, it may become obvious that poking the bear will most often make it angry and react by attacking.
This isn’t helpful. It triggers your nervous system into a flight, fight, freeze, fawn response which is quite the opposite to the relaxed, calm, and natural state needed for effective pattern work.
But to make pattern progress and open the door to your heart, that bear needs to move!
The entire Rex Xue system is designed to help with this - progressively helping our state and giving us tools to develop awareness, compassion, and clarity.
But what do we do if there is a particularly persistent pattern or triggering event? Instead of attacking the bear we can use a few tricks to gently coax it away.
Today I offer one writing technique to work around this. It’s intended to be used with life cultivation practices and works best when we begin in a relaxed, calm, and natural state.
It’s helpful if you haven’t learned the Yuan Gong pattern practice Ling Yuan or if you’re finding Ling Yuan a bit quiet. Perhaps your bear knows Ling Yuan is effective and sets up some guards right away? Maybe if you write, you're pattern won't notice you are still working with Ling Yuan and feel lulled into your game of uplifting patterns:)
It’s also helpful if you like writing and want some ways to help write from heart and Shen vs. circling in a False Self narrative. This is one of the ways I’ve used.
The four step process is also in this video if you prefer to listen.
1) Choose an event which represents a pattern you are working with. While learning the process, try something that isn't too triggering or reactive - maybe 6 on a scale of 1-10 with 10 being traumatic and 1 being nearly no felt reaction.
2) Have a timer and writing tools ready. Find a quiet place and bring yourself to a relaxed, calm, and natural state. Build a Qifield if you know how. I like using Tong Yuan just before writing but do what works best for you.
3) We'll borrow from epistolary writing which just means writing a letter. But instead of you writing it, write to yourself from the perspective of the pattern you are working on.
For example:
Dear Stephanie,
I wanted to talk to you about that event with your neighbour yesterday......
Kind regards,
Avoiding and Hiding
TIP: If you have a pause and don't know what to write, just write anything (like I don't know what to say, I don't know what to write...) Have trust that something will come. This helps move you into deeper layers of information by not stopping. You can write longer than 7 minutes but try not to write for less.
4) Read aloud what you wrote. It helps you hear your own voice and often layers of meaning you didn't notice while writing. It's also good for working on patterns around self-expression and Avoiding and Hiding.
Notice what your pattern has to say and how you react to those words. Notice how you feel reading and writing? Does anything surprise you? Do you feel like writing back to your pattern. You can add that as an optional step if you do.
I hope you find this helpful and insightful.
Quick news: Free Verse from Your Heart is postponed until September.
I will hold you in my heart while there. You may also connect via the Qifield.
The Qifield extends beyond space and time. Connecting with it can help your state, your own healing, and your inward journey to realization.
You can join the Qifield in several ways:
1) Hold the community, Yuan Tze, or me in your heart and remember to stay Relaxed, Calm, and Natural.
2) Join the healing sessions by connecting to the Qifield (as explained in number 1) at these times: 7-8:30 pm PDT, April 13, 17, 20.
3) Connect with the Qifield and practice Yuan Gong at the same time as the group: 7-8 am PDT, Sunday April 14-April 23rd and 7:30-8:30 pm PDT April 14,15,16,18,19.
With gratitude for your courage and life cultivation efforts, Stephanie
I'm Stephanie Ross, a senior Ren Xue Yuan Qigong teacher, poet, and writer living on Vancouver Island, Canada. You can learn more about me and life cultivation or read some of my poems and articles on mywebsite.
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