Awakening Your Sleeping Beauty

By Darla Meulemans

Spring is upon us. Everything is beginning to bloom and you can see evidence of new life all around you. You can see the leaves budding and smell the fragrance of new blossoms lingering on the wings of the wind. You can feel the warmth of the sun peaking through the clouds that have covered you in the months gone by. You can hear the birds singing a new song and you can experience the waters swelling with fervent energy. The world is waking up around you so what better time than now to awaken YOUR sleeping beauty.

We have all been in a deep slumber through winter and to some extent, through most of our lives. We get up each day and do the things we do, often without even thinking about why it is we have chosen to do these things. So, did you end up where you are because you made a conscious choice that this is what you desired for yourself; or now that you are asking, are you finding that you are simply going through the motions and that you desire to have more meaning in your life?

You can walk around living your life without really living — without feeling and without knowing that YOU are the creator of YOUR experience. Your body is awake, you are upright, but your spirit remains dormant and sleeps on. Have you forgotten what it feels like to be alive? When your spirit is awake, your senses become intoxicated with enthusiasm. You shine in everything you do because you are happy. You are aware of the most precious gifts you have within you and you are aware of how precious life itself is. You make the best choices to nourish your whole self — YOUR body and YOUR spirit. Your sleeping beauty is the part of you that has been longing to be revealed, like a butterfly pressing against the containment of her cocoon. Your sleeping beauty is the answer to the question, “What have you always wanted to try but never thought it possible?” Your sleeping beauty is awakened when you respond to “What makes your heart sing?” and “When are you at your best?”

Your sleeping beauty is the part of you that got forgotten or overlooked because you thought there was something more important to pay attention to. Your sleeping beauty is the part of you that, as a child, was curious and delighted with all you discovered. It’s the part of you that became dormant when you were told you couldn’t, and you believed it.

So now look within yourself and ask all those fun-filled questions and fear not the answer. This is YOUR life and YOU deserve to create all that you desire. Dream big! What do you have to lose? Marianne Williamson, author of A Return to Love (1991), points us in the direction of reconnecting with our inborn gifts. She writes:

“We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? Your playing small doesn’t serve the world. There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we subconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we’re liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

This is the act of awakening. You begin to see and become aware of the fact that YOUR choices — the thoughts YOU choose to magnify and bring forth — will become manifested in the world around you.

Liberate yourself. “Free your mind and the rest will follow” (En Vogue from the Funky Divas’ album). Discover and embrace your authenticity. Just be! Live in integrity — allow your actions to match your desires so that every thought, word and deed reflects YOUR truth — not what you’ve been told is your truth. What do YOU want? What makes YOU happy?

Do what makes you happy and be with all you create through every experience. If you are grieving, grieve. If you are joyful, celebrate. If you are overwhelmed — allow yourself to sit in the experience and be fully present with it. There is always another experience to come. Feel it baby! Do not get lost in your misinterpretation of your experience. You are happy at your core. If you have another experience, other than happiness, it is simply information for you, guiding you to create again, this time in a new direction. Are you happy? Does this make your heart sing? If not, choose again.

Wake up! Lift the veils! Open the blinds! Shed the weight on your spirit! Live the life YOU desire. Move past the poisoned apple of spiritual pollution and Awaken Your Sleeping Beauty.

Darla Meulemans, MA, founder of Northwest Insight, LLC, is a master’s trained counselor and life coach who works with individuals and organizations to foster resilience, promote mental well-being, and enhance the quality of living. Visit www.nwinsight.com or contact her at 503-757-9557 or darla@nwinsight.com.