Who Do You Think You Are?

©Nance Thacker 1990

"List 3 words to describe who you are, the kind of person you are; positive attributes." I said with eager enthusiasm.
I looked around the room at the Memorial Camp last weekend and saw that my simple request was being greeted with far less than an enthusiastic response. Some people closed their eyes and heaved a sigh. Others squirmed in their seats. The silence was deafening. Stillness followed, as if I'd caught a herd of deer in my headlights. No one was forthcoming so I chose the first person on my left to jump in.
"I think I'm..." he began.
I put up my hand and stopped him before he could continue. This was IT, I could see that many were having great difficulty acknowledging and owning their positive characteristics. Their reserve was made worse by having to declare it aloud.
"If I had asked you all to list 3 negative things about yourself. You could come up with them very easily and probably have more in reserve. Right?"
Nods all around.

And so I gave them this task which I'll ask you to do as you read this.

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Don't tell me what attributes you think you have. Remember a time when you acted in an admirable manner or you felt really, really good about yourself. What did that feel like? How did you feel about yourself? What qualities where you showing at that time? Tell me about those.

What qualities would you like to have? Maybe you don't have them right now or maybe you have their negative flip side but would like to develop the positive quality in the future. State them aloud as if you already have them. We don't know whether you have them or not, but we'll take your word for it. Mix in up a bit, those you already have with those you'd like to have. We don't know the difference.

Our body/mind, like the audience in the workshop, responds to our self-talk in the same way. It doesn't know the difference between something "real" or "imagined" but accepts a statement about ourselves (negative or positive) as if it were TRUTH.

If you can feel a quality in your body, it is familiar to you. It is familiar because you have possessed it at one time or another. So, though you may embrace the negative aspect as being who you are, if you can, even for a minute, bask in its opposite it is a resource within you and with cultivation can become your truth.

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So then I asked them, "IN THE FULLNESS OF ALL THAT YOU CAN BE, WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE? Imagine it, take it into every cell, declare it and bring the future into the present with your actions."

The room resounded with the joy, laughter and light as the positive declarations were stated aloud and released out into the room so that their vibrations could be supported by the dreaming that followed.

EZE EZE

Rod doin' EZE EZE Vancouver Island 2010

Last weekend I was one of the adult "campers" riding the big brown Tim Horton's bus on its 3 hour journey to the Tim Horton's Wellness Weekend at their Memorial Camp outside of Parry Sound. The air was filled with the excited chatter and laughter that only a bus full of women filled with anticipation of a weekend "off" from family responsibilities, can make. Let's just say that a very good time was had by all!

From Fri at 6pm to Sun at 6pm - 48 hours were theirs to be as active as they choose. Soapstone carving, massage and tai massage, educational talks on ageing parents and nutrition, spinning, pilates, yoga, nature walks, zip lining, meditation and dreamwork were some of the offerings. Also available to these hard working women (and a few hardy men) was the chance to: actually read a book, sleep in, sit by the lake on a beautifully sunny and relatively warm weekend, enjoy a wine tasting with hors d'oeuvres, and dance their butts off on Sat night to the sounds of MUSKOKA ROADS band.

48 hours - no cooking, grocery shopping or thinking about food; bliss! Whatever shall I try was my only thought as I perused the tray of appetizers presented for my consideration and as I stood by the tables loaded with fabulous dishes, beautifully presented by the hard working kitchen crew.

Not only was I an enthusiastic "camper" (I came home with a find soapstone carving of a turtle and zip lined this year - wooo hooo) but, for the 4th year, I was also a presenter.

In the first years we focused on: relaxation, stress management techniques and practical meditation. Over the years this has evolved into: creative visualizations and guided dream journeys with the voice and drum to gather healing, support and wisdom. We play dream games and explore the magic of synchronicity through everyday oracles and tapping into the wisdom that arises when a group gathers for this purpose.

I look forward to this weekend with excitement, anticipation and, I have to admit, some degree of anxiety. Each group is different, all contain people with varying degrees of exposure to the type of work I present. I come prepared to respond to what arises within the group and flow from its energy. Excitement and anxiety feel the same - so I can see this as a good thing or get hooked on any negatives that may be floating around in my mind ready to be taken up and amplified. Self-doubt threatens to overwhelm me.

As Rod drives me to Tim's head office in Oakville I relax my breath and take in the passing scenery. At the moment another wave of anticipation/anxiety begins to wash over me the words EZE EZE come into view. There they are blazoned on the licence plate on the car in front of us. Easy, easy; take it easy, you've got a lot of tools to draw from — relax. Not only did this synchronic event ease my self-doubt, it also provided me with a perfect example to use during the workshop to demonstrate synchronicity working through the appearance of an everyday oracle.

EZE EZE, such reassuring resources are available to us at all times. Sometimes we forget, that's all.

Note: All the proceeds from this event goes to the kid's camp!