So many times, while growing up, my generation would use the phrase “get real,” or you would hear people frequently talk about ‘getting real.’ Really, it is a concept that has been around for quite some time.  Mostly, however, it has been used in a way that indicated someone that was not living in the practical world, perhaps a dreamer, visionary, or artist.  It was the person that didn’t seem to fit in with ‘reality’ or maybe just didn’t fit in, be it fitting into the box or in general. This person may be someone that works more from the right brain instead of the left.  However, where would we be without those stretching their limits and working outside of structure?  Really, most everything we have in the modern world comes from those that weren’t ‘real.’ What is interesting in all of this is that ‘getting real’ has so much more going on with it than just being practical or tapping into the creative self.  The aspect of getting real really has nothing to do with fitting into a box or looking at things in a more practical manner.  The real essence of this phrase takes more strength and integrity to live by than many are willing to give.  The irony is that living real is so much easier than living in a fake and superficial world focused on material things. When we start getting real, for real, we come to a point of a strong honoring of the self.  This is a space that we enter that is free from judgment, struggle, conflict, and settling in life.  Yes, we may still have challenges but it is not a draining fight.  When we choose to get real, we really have chosen a very transparent life, one that is full of truth, honesty and integrity (especially with ourselves), honoring everything within each moment.  It opens a door for us to walk through, where when we are tired we allow ourselves to rest, when we need to provide ourselves with extra nourishment we do it, when we need to say no to others because we really need to care for something that is going on for us then we say no. I recently did this during the Eclipse.  It would have been way too easy to work away justifying all that needed to be done.  It would have been easy to just say “ok, I will do this for you.”  However, inside of me, every fiber was screaming for something different.  I was getting the insight that I needed to honor myself in this time and I had to get real with what was flowing through me, regardless of what the practical world beckoned me to do. Most of the time, as we begin to get real with ourselves, we find that the things we are doing and have been doing are not really what we are wanting to do.  We are usually doing them for some material means.  Day after day we push down what we need to do to love ourselves and put our attention on helping someone else.  Now, of course it is great to help others, but when it gets to the point that doing so is a drain, saddens our heart, or is continuing to push our own needs aside, we are no longer living real. So, let’s see what happens in our life through the eyes of codes when we get real.  In codes, getting real is about partnerships and relationships of all kinds.  When we take a path of getting real, what we are doing is opening a door to being in a relationship with ourselves and others.  It is the foundation for connection.  It opens us to be able to enjoy loving and fulfilling relationships and partnerships in our lives. When we focus on what is real, it brings us to look at those aspects that we have, that lock us into victim patterns.  This is why people tend to have a sense of fear with being real because they are afraid of being hurt by others, being betrayed.  We see this most in love relationships.  With codes, we realize that it is important to look at the truth of where we are being manipulated by others, and where we are allowing ourselves to be controlled. As we open this understanding, we realize that getting real has a lot to do with becoming free.  It is about not playing into these patterns and to take the actions to release the people and situations in our lives that are trying to keep us silenced.  It is about freeing ourselves from captivity, be that from others or our own thoughts.  In essence, we are freeing ourselves from limiting conditions, both by acknowledging that we have them and where they are in our lives, as well as taking the action to follow through on what is best for us and allows us to be loving with ourselves. While getting real is the process, to get real becomes the action.  In codes, when we get real, we are creating an aspect of redemption for ourselves.  This is about adjusting our sails or course.  It is about implementing our wisdom in a way that allows us to move forward supported and in success. An example is that someone in the past has laughed at the comments and jokes of a group, even when they were cruel, because they wanted to be accepted or maybe had fears of not joining in.  Along the way they learn this isn’t really the thing to do, and that it is hurtful.  They realize not only the pain that it inflicts, but also the aspect that their actions are being manipulated by the group. They also feel a piece of themselves ‘die’ every time they participate in this behavior. In the process of getting real, they see the hurt being done.  They realize their role as a victim and how they are being manipulated in this group.  As they choose to get real, they stand up and shift the nature of the group, or stop interacting with that group.  They turn the topic to something different or something positive, or they choose to make a change in their life and step away all together from those participating in these types of activities. As they do this, they acquire a strong amount of freedom.  In addition, they are now redeeming themselves from their past choices as they free themselves from the cycle of peer pressure.  This brings successes that were not available previously because they are able to act on their own.  This person has freed themselves from their victim cycle by showing themselves love, and to create or be in a different type of energy. To get real, is one of the greatest gifts that we can give ourselves.  It is truly one of the most freeing things that we can do.  This is the space that opens the door for our soul to soar, and this is the space where we find connection with divine presence and blessings are able to pour into our lives. I like to do regular checkpoints with myself to see where I am and am not being real, both with myself and with others.  When we cannot be real with others, it is really something to think about because it shows that we are not in a true relationship.  The more real we become, the more we break open and drop the chains that bind us. I hope that you will take some time to think about and check in with yourself as to where you are being real and thus living free and where you are allowing yourself to be manipulated or interact in control and victim patterns.  ]]>