082 - Standing for Truth

Hey guys! Nicole Gabriel here. As some of you know, my first book is titled Finding Your Inner Truth and in my book I share what became true for me during a period of time in my life. Throughout the book I tell my stories and ask the reader “what is true for you?”

The concept of truth I believe is based on our personal experiences…what is true for you may vary from someone else. These days it seems we are all asking what is true. For me (many years ago when I wrote my first book) when something was outside of the norm and different from what I was expecting or used to I began seeking answers. In many cases, especially early on, I went seeking outside of myself for these answers.

Why did this happen? Who is to blame? Why didn’t I know? Who’s responsibility was it to tell me? Do other people know this? If so, where are they and how do I find and unite with them? And what code of ethics or system can I apply my new found truth to? And, once I accept, process, or reorganize all of these things in my mind, body, and spirit—how do I live my life differently? Is there something I need to act on and what is the proper action I should have anyway? How do I stay connected to my truth, stand in my strength, and relay my meaningful findings with effective and authentic communication?

The journey I took in my first book was one of personal awakening. I traveled in and out of Central and South America working with shamanic healers, I upped my game and challenged myself through many years of training in kundalini yoga, I studied every form of spirituality and metaphysical practice I could absorb for years during this phase of my life. I was seeking both answers to questions I had when I began and questions that developed during my awakening. I was finding my inner truth.

As I worked my way through all of my personal challenges and the provoking questions that initially led me on my seekers journey, I began awakening in ways I didn’t know where possible mentally, physically, or spiritually. Did I just grow up in a way that isolated me from these things? My answers grew harder and hard to find as my questions grew bigger and broader. I began to outgrow my friends, my family, and my community as I sought bigger and bigger. I was lead on journeys all over the world not just seeking, but being led. My faith was strong…but in what, or who, I really didn’t know then. From a larger perspective I knew that I made no wrong choices, but as I went back to my communities I was either viewed as a hero for having the courage to leave and follow a greater calling or a fool for wasting my time and seemingly returning with nothing.

I’ve heard many hateful comments over the years. But, you were the educated one. But, you were the successful one. “You did all that but you gave up on success!” Was the message I received from many.

But, wasn’t I really just being told that a life doing something more seemingly “familiar”…like getting married, having kids, and solidifying tenure in an employed position somewhere was more meaningful to that person? What about my truth? And did anyone ever ask me what I was seeking or why? I had countless milestones of success, but they looked a little different than the norm.

I have been faced with life and death and massive transformational challenges that had me fighting for me life, my sanity, my faith. And I had days where success was simply getting out of bed and doing my day. I’d pray for strength to find the positive during deep depression, the body strength to physically function, a kind face or a trusting friend…any guiding light to uplift me and get me going on a purposeful and meaningful path…if even just for the day.

Success is a personal thing. It’s like art—it’s in the eye of the beholder. And ones personal truth, as based upon one’s personal experiences, is what drives how an individual sees success. How many people I’ve met over the years my spiritual and metaphysical practices that talk about going on a journey to find peace and freedom. I’ve met many that quit successful careers—walked away from everything—to seek something greater. Some might ask what is the inspiration or why would one do that to their loved ones? And how long will it take to find what you are looking for? And how will you know? Is success in the financial reward of an abundant material life? Or is it in the metaphysical or spiritual journey? Is there ever an end and what is the ultimate truth?

I was told that the yoga I began practicing was called the “yoga of awareness” but it was many years before I asked what it would make me aware of. A few decades later, the best way I could answer that now is that it is infinite. But, we do have access to a kind of intuitive state as we begin to delve into many of these alternative or spiritual practices.

In today’s day and age I’d say this basically gives us the ability to smell a rat. There is a kind of ultimate truth one begins to awaken to. This has nothing to do in particular with one type of religion. I believe it isn’t something that chooses you based on how many days you sit in church or the yoga mat, but these most certainly do help. There is a level of genuine authenticity that seems to be working its way to the surface in these days.

Truth is like an onion. It has many layers. In the conviction to remain in personal steadfast commitment to its awakening…truth in essence begins with your experiences. But, its ultimate becoming is enhanced in an authentic persistence to expand beyond self. My practices have taught me a variety of ways to look at explaining the presence of god. It can be said that god is in everything because god creating everything. So, god is around us, next to us, and is us. Perhaps I’ve already lost you here. But, if you’re still hanging with me…I think the truth, trust, commitment…it’s all summed up in how the energy of creation exists within your own awareness. Intuition becomes active when one builds a kind of faith in the relationship…some say with Jesus, others say god, and some say with the higher self that perhaps is god.

Anyway you put it, the expansive state that awakens your intuitive nature…that self-sourcing information becomes more readily available and truth, trust, and how you move into action with the knowledge you receive becomes a massive collaboration in where you stand in actionable positions…walking with faith…intention…purpose…your ultimate truth.

Faith is the awareness of being guided even when you can’t see behind the veil of who or what is guiding. It’s knowing that the journey is and always has been meaningful, purposeful, and you’ve gathered all the appropriate tools for the onset of every challenge. It could be stated that if you give up faith you never understood faith to begin with. True faith is knowing you are always where you need to be with all the development you need to have to be effective being there in that moment.

So let’s talk about marrying faith with stepping into your becoming and how you access truth. I won’t claim myself to be Christian, so I won’t get all preachy here, but the Bible says that in the last days there will be a strong dissolution.

We can clearly see that there are some potholes to navigate in 2020. The idea of our freedom is in question. People are tired and scared. Some are saying that if democracy fails in America it’s going to affect the entire free world. Is this opinion or fact? What is true for you?

Let’s take party affiliation and put it aside for a moment. I want to approach this as neutrally as I can. Let’s look at simple facts. An election of a United States president is in question. There appears to be mounting evidence stating there was a problem in the voting process in many states. There are folks in a variety of functions standing up for what they believe to be true based on their experiences. If the truth is being covered up - this should matter to you as an American citizen.

I like to learn from the past and I listen to and study smart leaders. This means spiritual leaders as well as business leaders. I’m not defined by one faith or practice. Many would say that the gospel is based on truth and if truth is really all we have…then we really do have a part to play, right? But, which truth do you believe? And who holds the truth you choose to follow? Are you willing to stick your neck out for the truth? Are you willing to choose a side and commit to it? And how do you know it’s the right side? And are you going to choose this side because you are following the social norm, a hunch, a trusted advisor, the media? Or, do you go inside and trust your gut?

I was listening to a sermon the other day where there were many parallels given to relate this time we are in now to Hitler’s rise and there was a point made how good people allowed this to happen. Let me give you the parallels that were made:

It was stated that the Nazi’s controlled the media and everything they said was propaganda. They told the people that every day the Germans were winning even though they were loosing.  The sermon talked about 3 things that characterized Hitler’s 3rd Reich:

• Naziism was based on science
  
  • It all started as a health initiative—fumigating factories against tuberculosis
  • Hitler would kill off sick citizens “out of compassion” to keep healthy ones safe
  • He enforced ethnic cleansing and the nazi’s rose as a health initiative
• Naziism was based on control of free speech—everything was propaganda
• Naziism grew subtly and unopposed
  
  • It was noted that Romans 13: tells one to obey the government. It was noted that only god deserves to be obeyed.

This sermon ended with a note on Revelations 13:17 “and he provides that no one will be able to buy or to sell, except the one who has the mark, either the name of the beast or the number of his name.”

And let me add that 13:16 says: “And he causes all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free men and the slaves, to be given a mark on their right hand or on their forehead…”

It might be implied that the vaccine initiative would be this mark and that our freedoms would be limited…no access to travel, the ability to work, etc. if we couldn’t show the mark.

So does this perhaps mean that truth has a cost? What would you be willing to do (or not do) to avoid the mark? Perhaps this means that you go without something essential to stay in your truth? What if you were unable to fit into a social structure because you are not willing to sell your soul. Would you still have faith in the truth?

There’s something rather interesting about the human race… Many of us seem to be programmed with the idea that someone will come save us but what if no one ever really does save us? What if it is our responsibility to save ourselves? What if we were wrong in our exceptions on how, say god, might show up? Perhaps we have been calling out for help wondering why we are alone. But, wouldn’t new levels of awareness in oneself be god coming through? Your ability to see something that you didn’t know was there or something you might have passed over a thousand times that now you have eyes to see…would you acknowledge that your creator has spoken through you if you now have eyes to see? Are the subtle gifts in your day simply new levels of awareness? Perhaps this is how god works…showing us new angles of the same thing?

Perhaps today you have become awakened to a new reality and because of this you are keenly aware of a new truth that you now feel compelled to stand up for.

Thank you for indulging in my random thoughts around the subject of my first book…Finding Your Inner Truth. May your day be blessed!

As always…wishing you peace, love, and light!