#samplesunday Colors of Love-Introduction

I started writing this a couple of years ago. My first attempt at non-fiction on a subject I love. Colors of Love is a "help yourself book" designed to lead you through the exercises necessary to write your own book on healing with colors. In the next few weeks I'll be revamping my website and uploading many of the programs talked about here related to relaxation, visualization and healing with colors.

INTRODUCTION

Life is much like the water in a small stream. It flows gently around curves in smooth puddles until it hits an embankment of rock, tree limbs and debris. Here the water struggles, tumultuously pushing against the barrier, frothing, struggling valiantly until it makes its way to the smooth pool beyond the dam. If you think about it--each drop of water is an individual, but no single drop could make this difficult journey alone. And no individual drop will ever pass the same way twice.

In summary, life is chock full of smooth pools and difficult dams. We are individuals and yet at the same time, parts of a whole. And it is much easier to push past the embankments with a little help.

I have never truly been a proponent of self-help books. I have read many, and the information contained therein was informative, however as the title implied it was a self-help book. I was slightly depressed to find that simply reading it did not help me. There are many great books on many subjects that are titled self-help, and the information contained therein can be helpful, but it is not truly a self-help book unless you understand that YOU MUST HELP YOURSELF.

My purpose in writing this book was to share my own story, along with bits and pieces of knowledge gleamed along my journey in hopes that together the obstacles placed in your path may be more easily crossed. To help you learn the tools to help your self, and to guide you through writing your own self-help book.

The DVD’s **(programs will be uploaded to website) attached hereto contain step-by-step instructions and guided meditations to teach you relaxation techniques, imaging techniques, sensing techniques, and how to use your colors for enhancing your physical, mental and emotional well being. I hope you enjoy your journey, as much I enjoyed mine.

PART ONE
GETTING READY

CHAPTER ONE
“Give a man a fish and you feed
him for a day. Teach a man to fish
and you feed him for a lifetime.”
Chinese Proverb

PURPOSE
Have you ever driven through the country in fall, mesmerized by the beauty of the changing colors? Uplifted by the glorious, awesome beauty that God created all around you. Can you truly take this drive without for just a moment forgetting the outside world and just allowing yourself to soak in the picture of love painted all around you?

I ask this question because I awoke one day, looked outside and saw the trees beginning to bud. I was in my late thirties, and it struck me that I had never before really seen the trees bud. I felt so lonely inside. As if I had lived my life without ever opening eyes. This is where my journey began.

You are about to embark upon a journey that will hopefully enhance your life physically, mentally and emotionally. In this chapter I will share a little of my own story, as well as ask you to make a commitment--not to me--but to yourself. I will ask you to commit to take this journey one step at a time, at your own pace and for your own benefit.

There are many things that you won’t find in this book. For instance, you won’t find the history of colors in the following chapters. I’m not going to talk about molecular structure and pigmentation. Those subjects can be found in a thousand places on line, and will be available once you finish your journey should you care to study and become more knowledgeable in that field.

You’re not going to find a description of the twelve pathways to enlightenment, or the seven paths to the garden. Nor do I intend to explore herein religious backgrounds and the use of colors. I will mention religion and God only in this chapter wherein I relate a portion of my own story.

It is my intention in writing this book and taking this journey with you, to hopefully “teach you to fish”, thereby giving you the tools you need to create your own self-help book and make positive changes that enhance your physical, mental and emotional enjoyment of life.

INDIVIDUALISM

As we journey through life we are unique individuals. Outer appearances make us unique, but even identical twins have subtle differences, and they too are unique. Our thoughts, mannerisms and emotions make us the unique individuals we are. We have categorized ourselves into good and bad, happy or sad, wealthy or poor. If we are honest with ourselves we all have our good and bad moments. They don’t make us good or bad, they are simply a part of our individuality. We all have our happy and sad moments. We cannot always choose which one, but we can choose how long we stay within that emotion. We all have our wealthy and poor moments. Times are good, and then for some reason beyond our control, times are bad. Once again, we may not be able to control the outside forces on our lives, but we can take charge of our lives and control how these moments affect us.

WHO I AM

Often when people meet me for the first time their reaction is that I have it all together. I know who I am and what I want. I love people, love speaking in public, and just truly enjoy life. All of this is true on a minor scale. But I have not always been like that. In fact, there was a time when I considered suicide. A time when I hurt so badly inside that even the thoughts of my children were not enough to make me leave my bed. Many would say that the following was just my imagination, or perhaps an overload of stress. It really doesn’t matter. To me it was the miracle I needed to turn my life around and realize who I am.

MY TURNING POINT

I lay in bed in the early morning hours realizing I was broke, smoking my last cigarette, drinking my last cup of coffee. A voice whispered in the darkness, “Who are you?” I thought about this. And for the first time in my life realized that I was nobody. I had been my parents’ daughter, but they were gone now. I had been my husband’s wife, but the divorce was final. I had been my children's mother, but they were growing up and no longer needed me. I had been all these things for so long that I had no clue who I truly was. Who was this woman who smiled at the right time, laughed at the right time, and made her way through life as a walking talking Barbie doll? She had no emotions. She had no needs. She had nothing left to live for.

The pain hit then in riveting waves of raw emotion. Sobs shook my body, as I suddenly realized that it was all my fault. I couldn’t blame my parents, my husband or my children. I couldn’t even blame God. The decision to be where I was had been mine, and mine alone. I had decided to live my life for others. I had decided to exist in a world in which I played only the parts that were given to me. I had given up my identity, my individualism. I had given up God.

I cried until there were no more tears inside me. I cried until my body ached as if I had been brutally beaten.

The voice whispered in the darkness, “Who are you?”

My throat was raw, and though I wanted to scream out in frustration, I could manage no more than a whispered reply. “I don’t know.”

This was a turning point in my life. I had always believed in God, but until this moment I was unaware of His power. A warmth enveloped me, as if arms of love had suddenly been placed around me. The voice whispered, “You are my daughter, and you are loved.”

It was at this moment I took charge of my life. There will always be smooth pools and obstacles. I will always be good and bad, happy and sad, wealthy and poor. I no longer allow those things to control me. Instead I began a wonderful journey of internal exploration. I wanted to get to know the most important person in my life--ME. And I wanted to learn to love that person as God loved me.

It was at this point I started studying metaphysics. You may wonder why I chose this path instead of a traditional religious path, and the truth is I don’t know. I only know it seemed the path I was supposed to be on at this point in my life.

For many years I felt somewhat like a child, seeing the world through fresh new eyes. The beautiful garden of colors He had created for us. Eventually I learned who I was. I am a daughter of God. I am a co-creator of the world around me. I learned to love myself, which enabled me to love others. I sometimes imagine a world where only love exists. That world is glorious with the colors of spring, summer, fall and winter. That’s my idea of what Heaven must be like.

Through my studies in healing, meditation and hypnosis I learned that the colors of our garden have deeper meanings and many healing properties. I learned to use colors to alter my emotions, relieve stress and physical pain, and create a more healthy, loving environment around me.

YOUR COMMITMENT

If you decide to take this journey, you must do it as an individual. Colors have been categorized with universal meanings, but their application must be taken from an individual baseline. Many self-help ideas and books fail simply because in their universal approach they mistakenly forget that WE ARE UNIQUE INDIVIDUALS.

You are an individual and the meanings and benefits of colors will be unique only to you. I say this to you because I want you to experience your own Colors of Love. To do this, you must take your own beautiful journey. If you feel compelled to skip ahead instead of following the book, please stop for a moment and ask yourself “Whom am I doing this for?” The answer should be simple--you are doing this for you. So take the time to get to know yourself, the unique, beautiful, wonderfully multi-faceted you. Find your healing colors and use them with the meditations to create your own world with COLORS OF LOVE.

So before we begin, fill out the commitment form below, sign it, date it and read it daily, cherishing the unique wonderful individual you are.


I, _____________________________, do hereby promise that I will be faithful and true to myself, and that I will take this journey one step at a time, at my own pace and for my own benefit.
_____________________________________

This ___ day of _________________, 2______.