Two days after my ayahuasca experience, I was struggling to regain my footing. I hadn’t eaten since the end of the ceremony because I didn’t want to “get off the ship”. In my mind, if I ate, the ceremony would be over. Most people who’ve attended a powerful retreat can relate to this feeling of not wanting the experience to end.
I went to a friend who had been at the ceremony. He reminded me not to hold it so tightly.
“You need to remember to smile,” he said. “I know it sounds simple. But it’s not easy. Especially when you’re angry or hurting. Smiling requires you to defy gravity. You have to do it anyway. You have to defy gravity and just smile. Smiling will help you create the shift you are looking for.”
Wow. Simple, but brilliant, words of advice. As if to underscore those words of wisdom, I developed a twitch in my right upper lip that lasted for about a week. Twenty or thirty times a day, my upper lip would twitch, reminding me to smile.
During daily walks on the beach, I made a habit of looking for reasons to smile. Children and dogs easily elicited a smile. I’d grin at surfers catching a wave. I’d belly laugh out loud at adults playing on the sand or in the water.
What if I could generate a smile without outside stimuli? It felt a little awkward to walk down the beach grinning for no reason at all. So I dedicated time each day for smile therapy. Swimming out into the ocean beyond the surf break, I’d turn around and look back towards shore. Softening my gaze, I’d allow a smile to spread across my face, then reach for happy thoughts to justify the smile.
Sometimes I’d visualize scenarios that would bring me joy or pleasure. Sometimes my smile was an expression of appreciation for blessings I’d already received. And sometimes the smile was a simple expression of gratitude for the sun on my hair, the gentle breeze on my face, the feel of the cool ocean on my skin, the beauty of the trees, sand, rocks, birds, clouds, waves, people and sky.
During a daily automatic writing session, I received this message:
Be free with your love, easy to please. Look for things to delight in. Seek joy in the world around you. Look for reasons to smile, reasons to laugh, reasons to feel surprise and delight in this world of wonders, marvels, mysteries. Hold your cares lightly. Let nothing weigh your spirit down. All is well. There is nothing that is not just as it should be. Events are transpiring exactly as they are meant to transpire. Witness their unfolding with joy, knowing your well-being is assured, as is the well-being of all who share this planet with you. There are none who are forgotten, none who go unnoticed. All are seen, known, and intimately loved. As a manifestation of love incarnate, offer love and healing energy freely to all you meet. Offer love and healing in your smile, your touch, the tone in your voice, your very breath. Laugh easily, love fiercely. Grace this world and everyone in it with your smile.
My smile quickly became a habit, second nature. Before I was even aware of the fact I was smiling, I noticed people smiling back at me. Their faces were so radiant when they smiled! It inspired a new game I played with my higher self.
“Watch this! Watch this!” I’d exclaimed to my higher self with the enthusiasm of a little girl. “I can do a magic trick!” I’d beam at someone walking past. And voila! Their face broke into a smile in reply.
“See! Did you see that? I can transform anyone into something beautiful! My smile is a magic wand!”
Just think. So many people are longing for human connection. And something as simple as a smile meets that need, transforming both smile-er and smile-ee into something more, raising the vibrational energy of all that is.
I’m smiling right now, as I write this message. I hope that you can feel the love in that smile because it’s meant just for you. Now it’s your turn. Pass it on!
