Last week a dear friend was sharing a story with me. As she was talking, she said, ‘I don’t know how I went from guilt to the bottom of the rabbit hole, but that’s what I did.’
She continued on with her story, and I attentively listened. But that phrase stuck with me.
I didn’t say anything, but I knew the answer to that rhetorical statement! The rabbit hole is the bottom of the guilt journey. It’s where guilt leads when left unchecked.
Energetically, guilt is retained story, a form of invalidation.
Let’s say you’ve ‘done a bad, bad thing’ as the song goes. You’re not alone. We’ve all done a bad, bad thing. At least once. Maybe twice!
When that bad thing is owned, acknowledged, does that bad thing become something else? Yes, it does. It becomes a lesson, a teaching, an experience that opens you to growth and awareness.
Guilt is a heavy, dense feeling. Most people who describe the sensations of guilt use those words. I also hear words like gut twisting, sinking and paralyzing. Feeling like the lowest of the low.
Here’s an interesting reframe to consider. What happens when prolonged guilt is thought of as an indulgence? Because I think it is. Holding on to guilt keeps us at the bottom of the rabbit hole. It can be sort of comfortable to remain bogged down, bypassing the opportunity to grow and move beyond the energy and awareness that caused that bad, bad thing. Recycling guilt keeps us unchanged, stuck in self-flagellation and self-hatred.
That sounds horrible! Why is that an indulgence?
It’s an indulgence to avoid being here and taking up the work of personal growth and evolution. We’re here to have experiences, to create and manifest, grow and evolve. We’re here to be present, conscious, in the moment.
If we’re stuck in there and then, we don’t have to be here. Yet the growth opportunities created from our there and then experiences can only occur here. Now.
Hanging out in guilt indulges the place within where growth is not desired, where stuckness is acceptable and where ownership and self-awareness are put on ice.
Been in a rabbit hole lately? Instead of focusing on climbing out, face the guilt head on. Take ownership. Make amends (or not, depending on the circumstances and what is appropriate). You’ll be out of the hole instantly and back on your path. Then step forward to grow, learn, evolve, shift, become. That’s all that’s needed.
Care to share any lessons you’ve learned as you’ve put down your guilt and picked up your self-awareness? I’d love to hear them. Know anyone who’s at the bottom of a rabbit hole? Toss them this post – see if it helps them climb out!
By the way, my friend told the story from the place of ownership – she was out of the rabbit hole and well down the path. It works, I’m telling you!
Keep your vital energy flowing!
