How to Deal With Stress

A recent Gallup poll found that more than a third of the world’s population experiences a lot of worry and stress. Stress is having such a negative effect in the U.S., where nearly half of Americans say they’re suffering from it, that it’s eating away at their overall well-being, according to the American Psychological Association.

Stress itself is not always negative. In its basic form, it is a built-in physiological response that is triggered in emergency situations when we believe we are facing a threat or danger, whether real or perceived. Or, during times when we experience heightened expectations for performance regarding a particular task, whether the expectations are self-generated or come from an outside source.

In a temporary form, stress can help us to function quickly under pressure and motivate us to give the best of ourselves. But when such a stress reaction is prolonged, it can be extremely harmful to us. Our body, mind, and emotions are not designed to live perpetually in an emergency state.

If you surrender continuously to stress, it will enslave you. Whatever people constantly tolerate or consent to becomes their norm. That is why, if we give in to anxiety or fear in our lives, it will begin to define us. This is the point where stress is not just something we experience from time to time in certain circumstances, but has developed into something that has taken hold of us. When this occurs, we are dealing with spiritual factors as well as physical and emotional ones. Many people don’t recognize this spiritual element to their stress, and that is why they remain in its grip.

Two Types of Stress

For the purpose of these blog posts, we will define stress in two ways: natural stress and spiritual stress.

Natural Stress

Natural stress remains largely in the physical, emotional, and mental spheres, although spiritual elements can influence it. Natural stress can produce physical symptoms such as headaches, neck and shoulder tension, back pain, fatigue, stomach problems, and sleeplessness. It can also produce emotional and mental symptoms, such as anxiety, sadness, anger, impatience, irritability, trouble concentrating, a certain degree of memory loss, and negative thoughts. Although we might temporarily feel stress when we are placed in new situations or are challenged to meet high expectations, in many cases, stress manifests as a result of upsetting situations we are exposed to over time.

Spiritual Stress

When stress is in a natural stage, an individual has the ability to learn to manage and control it. However, when it has entered the spiritual stage, it cannot be controlled using natural methods, and therefore significant spiritual issues must be addressed.

With spiritual stress, there are several types of controlling “yokes” that can manifest, such as jealousy, fear, anger, and depression. For example, when a person crosses over from feeling under pressure regarding a situation to living in a state of depression, they become imprisoned in despair. The yoke of stress shapes or molds them into certain ways of thinking, which are reflected in their behavior. When we live in depression, we have no expectation of anything good, and we cannot see a way out of our problems - even at times when a challenge may be relatively easy to overcome. 

If we are in a state of advanced stress, but do not understand what has us bound, we will not recognize that we are being oppressed by an outside force and not just our own inward struggles. Only the power of the Warrior’s Way can free us from such a tyrannical influence. When we allow ego and self-importance to gain a foothold in our lives through a prolonged period of stress in which we hold on to fear, anxiety, anger, or hopelessness, we will become oppressed.

However, we can be assured that no matter what type of yoke comes upon us through stress, the Warrior’s Way has more than enough power to break it and remove every burden from us. The warrior wants to be set free and we can learn to live continually in the Warrior’s Way if we choose AND do the work.

Managing and Defeating Stress

It is not our natural state for us to live stressed, depressed, and on the verge of collapse. We need to be set free and begin to trust in the Warrior’s Way which will cure our circumstances. If you recognize that you have some symptoms of oppressive stress, then you need the help of the Warrior’s Way. I invite you to begin recapitulation and your stress can begin to change to peace, your sadness to joy, and your despair to hope. 

As you make your recapitulation list, you can meditate: Realize that there are situations beyond my control that have robbed me of peace, bound my emotions, and caused sickness in my body. Stress has progressed into spiritual oppression and taken over. I recapitulate for the mistakes I have made, and I ask the great Spirit to forgive me for allowing stress to invade my life. Today, I need your help to be free. I accept the forgiveness you have provided for me in the past. I receive you, great Spirit, into my heart, and I ask you for the power to recapitulate as long as necessary to bring peace, faith, and freedom to my mind, soul, and body. 

Warrior of Lite

Robert Moss - Lucid Dreaming and Shamanic Dreaming

Robert has some great posts and wanted to share his site on Substack. His work fits right in with Castaneda and don Juan. Here's a bit from his profile:

Robert Moss is the creator of Active Dreaming, an original synthesis of dreamwork and shamanism. He is a bestselling novelist, poet and historian. His books include Conscious Dreaming, The Secret History of Dreaming and Dreaming the Soul Back Home.

Warrior of Lite

Freedom From Bitterness Pt. 5

Living free from bitterness is a journey that requires honesty, action, and dependence on the Warrior’s Way. To start, we must fully acknowledge and confess our bitterness to ourselves. See it for what it is – self-importance that has no place in the life of a Warrior. Bring it before yourself and perform recapitulation. Then, as you clear out one ‘bitter’ event at a time, you will taste freedom sooner than you think!

Next, take action in your relationships. If you’ve hurt someone, seek their forgiveness and then recap that person and event. If you’ve been hurt, extend forgiveness - even if they haven’t asked for it, and then recap them and that event. By doing this, you make room for more energy in your being. We do what we can to make things right, even if the other person doesn’t respond as we hope. Our motivation is to get that lost energy back, not to seek a particular egoic outcome.

Remember, bitterness has a way of resurfacing. You might think you've let go, only to be reminded of past hurt by a word or action. When that happens, choose recapitulation again. Continue to forgive as often as necessary, but let the strength of recapping sustain you. Also, you can surround yourself with people committed to this warrior’s journey - those who inspire you to walk in freedom rather than encourage resentment. Bitterness is contagious, but so is the grace that comes from a forgiving heart.

Put away all bitterness and fly on the wings of a warrior’s intent.

Today, ask yourself: Are you holding onto anger or a grudge? Will you bring it forth, recap it and let go of the burden? Then, reconcile those relationships with recapitulation, as far as it depends on you, trusting the great Spirit with your heart and your future.

Warrior of Lite

Freedom From Bitterness Pt. 4

Bitterness can take root in our hearts, subtly influencing our thoughts and actions, and distancing us from the freedom. But the Warrior’s Way offers a clear path to freedom - one rooted in impeccable actions, such as recapitulation, thus losing self-importance and ending in controlled folly. (And then ultimate freedom, joining the physical body with the energy body and burning from the fire from within.) 

When we truly understand the enormity of our own impeccable work-on-self, there is no debt so large that we cannot forgive others. In the Warrior’s Way, our immense debt of self-importance has been wiped away, compelling us to extend the same behavior to those who wrong us.

This realization is foundational to overcoming bitterness. Forgiveness is evidence of a heart transformed by the Warrior’s Way. Our kindness, compassion, and willingness to forgive reveal that we’ve internalized the warrior’s path that we’ve worked so hard to reach. (Then, the real Work begins!)

So, how do we live out this forgiveness practically? It begins by acknowledging any bitterness in our hearts. If the Spirit is bringing to mind a person or situation where forgiveness is lacking, that’s an opportunity for surrender; make your recap list and go to work. Recognize that holding onto bitterness not only grieves the Spirit but also keeps you from experiencing the full joy of your new life in freedom.

Now, consider who in your life you need to forgive. Is there someone whose debt you’ve been holding onto? Meditate for the strength to release them. Reflect on the Warrior’s Way and what it has shown you, and let that soften your heart. Choose today to replace bitterness with kindness.

Doesn’t freedom sound, and feel, more positively energetic than bitterness? Do you want to fly on the wings of intent, or be stuck on the ground with a bunch of turkeys? :0

Let me be quiet now.

Warrior of Lite

Freedom From Bitterness Pt. 3

Bitterness stands in direct opposition to the future we have with the Warrior’s Way. As warrior’s, we are called to live in impeccability in regards to the promise that one day we will stand before ourselves and the Spirit, complete and fully transformed. The Warrior’s Way points us toward a future where our own tonal work is complete - where bitterness has no place in our hearts.

One day, each of us will stand before the great Spirit. What will we say about the anger we’ve held onto, the fractured relationships we never tried to mend, or the forgiveness we refused to extend? It’s a sobering thought. We’ve struggled to recap in this here and now - how will we explain our unwillingness to love and reconcile on earth? Our future within eternity and the second and third attentions should motivate us to pursue peace and wholeness within, right now.

How do we start living this way? It begins with a visualization of the moments of bitterness, making a list of all the bitter moments and then recapping them. We recognize that bitterness is completely out of line with our identity as followers of the Warrior’s Way. It’s not enough to recognize bitterness; we must eliminate it. The great Spirit gives us a roadmap for this transformation: letting go of bitterness through impeccable recapitulation and then embracing controlled folly. 

Kindness and a light heartedness are a couple of the clearest indicators that bitterness has been rooted out. It’s impossible to act kindly toward someone when our heart is still hardened against them.

Next, we are called to be tenderhearted through controlled folly. This means that we genuinely care about others, even those who have wronged us. Tenderheartedness replaces the hardness that bitterness brings, allowing us to understand others. It acknowledges that everyone should be treated light-hearted through controlled folly. Even those who have hurt us deeply. Then, we can extend compassion instead of resentment, once we are ‘clean.’

Finally, forgiveness is the ultimate test of a bitterness-free life. True forgiveness means letting go of the desire for retribution, releasing the debt owed to us. It’s a willingness to wipe the slate clean. Ask yourself: Is there someone I’ve struggled to forgive, someone I’ve refused to show kindness or compassion toward? Could that be the bitterness I need to address?

Take a step toward the freedom that aligns with your future in the Warrior’s Way. Think of the relationships where bitterness has lingered, where forgiveness has been withheld. Choose to release that anger through recapitulation to extend kindness and to be tenderhearted. As we grow in this, we prepare our path with heart for the day when we will see fellow warrior’s in the third attention, face-to-face, knowing that we’ve lived an impeccable life.

Warrior of Lite