True Humility is in Knowing and Fully Embracing Your Gifts

People often ask how I became a professional palm reader.  Though I tell part of the story on my website, one of the deeper reasons is due to an experience I had in realizing my own worth.

In my mid 20's, I had been dabbling in palmistry for a while, but at the time, I would not have called myself a "palm reader". Palmistry was just a silly thing I did on the side, a parlor trick for people. Many people commented about my readings, but I never took their comments seriously.

I was at a point where I was questioning my life direction.  I remember watching the 1996 Olympics (Atlanta) on television, and the thought occurred to me that these athletes had made it to the pinnacle of achievement.  Those who were skilled and lucky enough to medal, were considered the top athlete in the world. 

Though it seems a bit ridiculous to make the comparison in hindsight, at the time I wondered if I would ever be "Number One" at anything.  I felt stuck in mediocrity.  I was a "B" student (OK, sometimes a "C" student), I had a normal job, making an average wage.  

So, I lamented in my head, "What am I good at? What will I be "Number One" at doing?  When can I call myself an expert?"

Immediately an answer, seemingly from a higher source, popped into my head, "What about your palmistry?"  

"My palmistry?  I don't know - it's just that dumb thing I do."

"How many times must I tell you that what you are doing is amazing, and helps people, before you will believe me?"

"Ummm... I don't think You have ever told me this.  When have you told me these things?  Surely had I heard it from You, I would have known, right?"

"Every time you have heard it from other people, that is Me speaking."

At this point, I suddenly flushed and got tingles down my spine.  Of course - Had I been rejecting the Divine all along, for years?  So many times when I would read someones hand, the person would often respond with positive feedback.  And repeatedly, I just brushed it aside.  Was the Divine really speaking through the people who tell me that I had a positive impact on their lives?

I immediately realized that what was being revealed to me was much deeper - I had been squandering my talent.  I had been dismissing my Divine gift!

That was a big change for me.  I started hearing the feedback from people completely differently. I realized that the feedback they offered was not just my client, but also the Divine speaking through them, and telling me that what I was doing was important, and was making a difference in the world.  I realized the value in my ability to read hands, and to see the Divine presence within my clients.  My work became cherished, special, important.  It was no longer "that dumb thing I do."

Today I embrace my ability to read hands as a gift.  I realize that to be humble in accepting my gift from the Divine, I have to live in it fully, and take it on completely.  No more false modesty detracting from the true value of my ability.

So, I pass along this challenge to YOU: where have you been rejecting the love and admiration of the Divine?  When others tell you that your art/cooking/music/writing/skills/talents are amazing/beautiful/transformative - do you honor those words as affirmation from a Divine source?  And what would your life look like if you did?

In love and light,

Jim Barker

www.TheDivineHand.com 

The God Umbrella - Learning to Revel in Divine Love.

In my many years of palmistry, one thing that I have often observed among people is a pervasive sense of unworthiness.  For me, and I believe this is true for many of us, I have a foundational and early belief about being unlovable, unworthy, not enough, etc.  These ideas are reinforced by a particular and insidious puritanical tenant that “we are all sinners, but God loves us anyway.”  So, we don’t feel worthy of Divine love, and operate from this place of unworthiness.  And operating from this place of unworthiness, we separate ourselves from feeling the presence of the Divine.  I coined the term “god umbrella” as a way to describe the way that we block the Divine energy.

When we have our “god umbrella” deployed, we experience a pattern of lack and longing in a very profound way and look for ways to pacify ourselves.  We pacify ourselves with overindulgence in the pleasures of the world: drink, food, drugs, sex.  (None of which is necessarily bad in itself, but only harmful when used to replace the Divine.) 

We also have a very strong desire to be “right” about the fact that we are unworthy of the Divine, so we indulge in elaborate ways to punish ourselves for our own failings.  Something that might be a simple oversight on our part is enlarged and enflamed by our self flagellation over it.

Finally, we have woven the “god umbrella” into our lives so expertly, that all of our motivations and even our political and economic systems are created around patterns of lack and unworthiness.  Thus we fear opening up to the Divine because we are afraid it will separate us from the world we know.  The thought that is often in my own mind goes something like, “Well, if I open up and start just basking in God’s love, what is going to motivate me to go to work, or do anything but just laying on the couch all day?”

Closing the “god umbrella” is an act of faith.  Not a “blind faith”, and not a faith that is dependent on anything, rather it is a faith in ourselves.  Faith that we are worthy.  Faith that we are lovable.  This is a faith which is a decision and a commitment rather than a feeling.  Closing the “god umbrella” is a choice to believe that you are totally worthy, lovable, amazing, and adored by the Divine.  A choice to believe that you are whole and complete.  A belief in this even if there isn't a feeling of it.

What happens when we are able to close that "god umbrella"?  Here are some things I have noticed in my own life.  First of all, some things that have not changed: I have not stopped being myself.   I haven’t ceased to have issues, concerns, hopes and desires.  I continue to fail and to succeed at things.  But I have stopped suffering in these experiences.  I stopped having to be “right” about my unworthiness.  Mistakes become simply that – mistakes.

What I am free of is the torture I put myself through when I fail.  I have noticed a grand acceptance of my being.  A comfort in my body, just the way it is.  My observation of being a bit overweight has transformed from a source of endless self-torture, to a simple observation.  And I have noticed that I have been eating less.  Not on purpose or because I am choosing to diet, but for another, more profound reason.  I have found that I am Satisfied (with a capital “s”).  This is one example of many areas of my life I am experiencing transformation.

I invite you to try on these ideas: YOU are worthy, lovable, and adored by the Divine!  Imagine the Divine loving you, as a parent loves a newborn child.  Look at yourself in the mirror and imagine the Divine loving you.  (do this regardless of how you feel about it – just take this action anyway).  I invite you to close your “god umbrella” and experience a deep and lasting fullness, one that allows all of our pacifying behaviors to melt away.

Love and light,
Jim Barker

Precious to the Divine

I was highly inspired by a client that consulted with me last night.

At one point I said to her, "Accept the fact that you are worthy and precious to the Divine! Cultivate a humble yet profound acceptance of the Divine. Allow that divine presence to fully inhabit you, call you, inspire you, animate you, to be your greatest self in the world."

This morning, I was thinking about all the ways we distance ourselves from the Divine . Addictions are one way: smoking, food, alcohol. But there other addictions that are more insidious and less mainstream: video games, television, the news, life drama, obsessions of any kind, really, anything that takes us out of being present in our bodies. These recreational activities all have their place, to be sure, but everyone knows they have that little vice they do a little too often.

Why? Why do we distance ourselves from the Divine? Well, it seems that in our society, we are taught how to do this very effectively. We are given negative reinforcement, we are surrounded with cynicism, some of us are taught that the Divine is something to be feared, some that it is something to be loathed. Ultimately, distancing us from the Divine also allows us to stay right where we are, in our "comfortable squalor" of lack and unworthiness.

I find myself distancing from the Divine by lazing in front of the TV and eating, and getting caught up in the news and politics, becoming overly involved in things that are both out of my control, and that are not directly affecting me. What am I doing -really- when I'm unbalanced in my use of food/TV/drama? Beneath it is often some strong emotion that I am not sure how to deal with, such as overwhelm, or fear and there is also a pervasive sense of lack and unworthiness.

What is the remedy? To re-connect with the Divine. To turn off the television for a moment, and sit in silence, allowing the Divine presence to enter and fill you completely. To know that you are precious to the Divine. To know that you are an essential piece to this vast puzzle. To know that there is a plan for you, and to ask for guidance to see that plan. Also, to pause and get back INTO your body, and revel in it's miraculous existence!

Even a moment's pause can really change and interrupt the pattern of distancing oneself from the Divine. It's in line with a psychological technique called "Opposite to Emotion Action" where one takes an action opposite to a strong emotion (e.g. depressed opposite action might be walking or going out with a group of friends). Some more examples can be found here.

Ultimately, as stated at the start of this post, it is a FACT that you are worth and precious to the Divine. Our only job is to learn to take that fact into our hearts and souls.