WHY ARE YOU CRYING?

This has been a powerfully challenging couple of years.  It seems that every day, every week, there is some news that hurts our hearts, brings forth tears, makes us angry or leaves me in a state of bewilderment.

I have clients, young and old, coming to me in pain.  They are feeling, discouraged, helpless and even hopeless in some cases.  If I were to describe these experiences, I would say we are living in a world with a broken heart.

While I was writing my new book, Does My Voice Matter?  I had to look at my life from many perspectives.  During the process I cried many times.  Tears of sadness. Tears of regret. Tears of anger at injustice.  Tears of empathy for the pain around me.  After months of writing, I got clear that beneath the tears and feelings, there was a need.  The tears simply covered a desire deep within me.  That desire?  To love, be love, see love, and experience love on every level.

I am not just talking about romantic love.  I am talking about the energy of compassion, care, and nurturing.  This is a love that allows us to lean into the truth that we are interconnected.  I believe the world is crying because we have forgotten our connection to the oneness that unites humanity.  

One of the songs on my new album came from many hours of reflection on this topic.  It is called, “Why Am I Crying?” and that is what I want to share with you this month.  

I believe that every person on the planet wants to be loved.  It doesn’t matter what race, culture, religion, or political affiliation. We all want to be seen and feel that we matter.  What gets in the way, from my perspective, is that we begin to focus on the differences and create walls of separation.  The need to be “right” takes hold and we dig in, refusing to hear or understand another perspective.  

I know I am not saying anything you don’t know. We are witnessing it in the micro and the macro of humanity.  Children being killed by armed assailants, women feeling forced to do what others feel is right for them, people of color still feeling marginalized, teachers afraid to teach, and LGBTQ people around the world being terrorized.

WHAT ABOUT THE CHILDREN?

During my writing I got three calls from parents of teens that were deeply troubled.  One was afraid of being killed at school because of their gender identity, one felt misunderstood because of their emotional ups and downs, another was having an emotional breakdown and no one in their life knew how to manage the situation.  This last child had been a great student and appeared to have a bright future. In my work with each child there was a common thread.  They didn’t trust the adults and the choices we were making.  They didn’t feel free to express themselves authentically, and they felt that adults were not addressing safety and were killing the planet.  Basically, they didn’t feel the future had promise.  My heart felt broken, but I understood what they were saying.  Each young person was asking us to stop being so self-centered and put them first.

In 1994 I was starting to compose music and my own children were expressing challenges.  During that time, I wrote a song and I want to share a few of the lyrics with you.  It is called, “What About The Children” and was never recorded.  It was a performance piece.

We sip cocktails over contracts
Discuss the latest cause
How we’d like to make a change
But we have no time to pause

We complain about our leaders
As we listen to the news
The horrors of the system
And the depths of all our dues

We make guns that shoot through steel
Bombs that mutants make
Then we talk of peace around the world for the whole of mankind’s sake

What about the children
They’re running barefoot in the street
They’re making armies
They’re on their own
Why can’t we see …the dangers of the seeds that we have sown

What about the Children
What about the Children
What about the Children

WHAT’S BENEATH THE TEARS?

Whenever we are angry, hurt, anxious or upset there is something underneath it.  There is a desire for something that will alleviate the pain.  People want to feel safe, loved and connected.  Here’s the deal. We must be diligent to create the kind of world where harmony is the norm.  We must have tools that bring us back to center whenever we feel distracted or disconnected.  Here are a few that might support you transforming your tears to love.  It is all about awareness.

1. Be aware of your emotions.  They are indicators of a need within you. Some part of you wants your attention.  We often try to run from our feelings or push them down. What if you engaged with them and decided to inquire within on what you might need for peace and harmony?
2. Be aware of your thoughts. Are they taking you in the direction of your dreams or keeping you stuck in the past?
3. Be aware of the people around you and the energy they carry.  If you are surrounded by people that create drama, chaos or negative situations…..it might be time to look at a change in the relationship.
4. Be aware of your “self-talk”. What are you saying to yourself and how does it make you feel?  If you are saying negative things about yourself or others, it creates chemicals that anchor patterns that can keep you stuck in behaviors that don’t support you.
5. Be aware of reactions in your body.  If your body constricts in some way, it is reacting to discomfort on some level. It is asking you to pause and connect with your feelings and needs in that moment.
6. Be aware of the way you want to react in a situation.  Is it in alignment with who you believe yourself to be.  Peace creates peace. Respect creates respect. Breathe before you speak or act. Then, be the change you wish to see.

This month, my new single came out.  It is called Why Am I Crying?  The song was one of the catalysts for my writing this month.  Here is the single cover and a link.  It shares my feelings on what is happening today and what I truly desire.

 

https://cynthiajames.hearnow.com/chosen

Thank you for being in my life. I am honored to walk this path with you.

Much love and light,

Cynthia