Where You Open Is Where You’Re At: A Universal Guide to Healing

By Rod Painter

We all have different experiences that shape who we are. As a soul navigating and learning our human dance we all have equal access to the Universes love. It doesnt matter where you come from, how much you earn, or the challenges you are facing, social status, race nor religion should create any limitations to the accessing of love.

We enter the world without material possessions, and we will return to spirit leaving them behind. We come from pure love and we will return to pure love, so why is that so many of us fail to embrace the purity and magic of love whilst were here?.

Where You Open Is Where Youre At: A Universal Guide to Healing is a collection of quotes, writings and inspirations that were gifted from spirit to the author, intertwined with his own personal experiences and human understandings of science and psychology.

Rod begins by sharing how the passing of his mother changed something inside of him, inspiring him to fulfil his promise to her to attend University where he earnt not one, but two degrees. Every step of the way he felt her presence, watching him with pride.

Join Rod on a journey of self-acceptance, love, forgiveness, kindness and gratitude and discover how these ingredients can help transform your life.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Balboa Press AU
• Release date: Feb 1, 2018
• ISBN: 9781504311946

Rod Painter

Rod is a qualified social worker and counsellor and has been happily married for twenty years to his beautiful wife, Lesley, and is the father of two gorgeous boys, Travis and Mason. Rod’s inspiration in writing this bestseller is from his storytelling time he shared with his two sons as they were growing up.

Book preview

Copyright © 2018 Rod Painter.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Balboa Press

A Division of Hay House

1663 Liberty Drive

Bloomington, IN 47403

www.balboapress.com.au

1 [phone]

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

The author of this book does not dispense medical advice or prescribe the use of any technique as a form of treatment for physical, emotional, or medical problems without the advice of a physician, either directly or indirectly. The intent of the author is only to offer information of a general nature to help you in your quest for emotional and spiritual well-being. In the event you use any of the information in this book for yourself, which is your constitutional right, the author and the publisher assume no responsibility for your actions.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

ISBN: 978-1-5043-1195-3 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5043-1194-6 (e)

Balboa Press rev. date: 01/31/2018

I dedicate this book to the most amazing, beautiful, and influential person in my world: my mum, Stephanie Dolores Painter (1/8/1929–25/8/2003). I will love you forever.

XX

Introduction

I can remember from an early time in my life—I think as a teenager—words would just miraculously appear, and without filter, I would say them. I had no idea where the complex sentences came from, but unobstructed, they poured out. At first, I enjoyed speaking these words and shared them with anyone who would listen. I had no idea that these words were for a greater purpose—gifts, so to speak.

My own voice even woke me up as I slept. Initially, I believed in my intellect, but I soon realised that I was masquerading as something I was not, and I felt like a fraud. My internal dialogue started to say things like Who do you think you are? and You have no right or intelligence to converse with people, especially qualified people, in such a way!

I had a feeling deep within I regularly ignored—the feeling that I was supposed to help others. But I believed I was not worthy due to my limited education, and I did not think I possessed the intelligence to even venture down the road to becoming qualified. I believed that because I grew up in a government-housing suburb, I wasn’t worthy. I wasn’t permitted to associate with educated people, let alone share my words. So I set my sights on a life of mediocrity. As a result, words stopped flowing, and it parked any ambition.

Although I say that, my life became good. I had a great job working for the government, and I grew more confident in my own skin. I started a beautiful family, bringing into the world two amazing sons, who really changed the way I viewed myself. I had a deep desire to make them proud and lead by example, but self-belief that didn’t exist compressed the prospect. I still had something missing. I remember telling my mum many times, One day, I’ll make you proud and go to university, but of course, with life so busy and my lack of self-belief, I pursued no action—not until heartbreak occurred. In 2003, my mum passed away, and it rocked my world to its foundation.

My mum had a very difficult life, but I have no memory of her complaining. I was the fourteenth child of her fifteen pregnancies. I really didn’t know my mum throughout my early years growing up. We never spoke in much depth, but in the last few years before she passed, we developed a beautiful friendship, and I loved with all my heart the woman she was: strong, courageous, resilient, gentle, and wise. She didn’t always say much, but she had this look, a special gift that allowed you to know what she felt or thought.

I think her death provided one of my greatest life lessons, as this significant trauma in my life switched something on inside me, and I felt the need to fulfil my promise to my mum. I commenced my enquiries to every university, and many battles were had in the process. I eventually enrolled to pursue a bachelor’s degree in counselling, and then after obtaining that degree, I continued my studies, completing my second degree: a bachelor’s degree in social work. Even though my mum wasn’t there in the physical realm, I felt her watching over me with pride.

I then gained a different belief, once I was academically trained and qualified. It gave me a greater awareness of why humans react, respond, and feel as a result of my education, but somehow, it shifted my previous understanding of myself as well. The science of humanity was paramount to this, but something else welled up inside me. As my skills developed in my practice, my self-love grew, and I healed deeply within. I could feel the greater lessons of inner love and self-acceptance, and my words started to again appear.

Self-acceptance, love, forgiveness, kindness, and gratitude were the ingredients of this amazing and beautiful, love-filled dish. The more of these ingredients you include in life, the greater it enhances the flavours of life.

Once again, I started to share with my family, friends, and select clients, and I felt my heart open, bursting with love. Initially, I didn’t document what presented itself to me. Then, after a few failed attempts at recording what was gifted to me and several technical hiccups that resulted in the loss of what I had documented, I made a Facebook page, Rodney Painter: Heart of Spirit, and started using it to share my writings for all the world to see.

Where You Open Is Where You’re At: A Universal Guide to Healing is a collection of quotes, writings, and inspirations that were gifted to me, intertwined with my own personal experiences and human understanding of science and psychology and our reactions and responses in our lives. We all have so many experiences that shape us throughout our lives, but the one thing we all have and have equal access to is love. It doesn’t matter where you come from, how much you earn, or what academic embattlements you have; your race, colour, and religion don’t matter either. We enter the world with no material possessions. We are pure love. And we will return to love and take no material possessions with us.

When complications exist, you can access preventive love daily from the source through meditation, prayer, or any other way that works for you; that can get you back to the place of raw purity. Strip back your humanness to the source; love is your set point. Fill up your cup with love, and glow in your true essence. Truly dark days happen and can never be taken back. So learn and grow and continually visit the source for cleansing, as your answers, purpose, happiness, peace, understanding, compassion, gratitude, and love lie there.

You have no fear to fear when pursuing what others consider risky. As a spirit, if we are on an enlightened path, we can do no wrong, and every physical experience presented to us will provide us with the next lesson in our physical journey. Nurturing our soul through our physical experience also contributes to the location of this passion philosophy. The body, as a machine, needs to run well to provide ongoing assistance and fuel to the spirit. If we don’t keep our vehicle in tip-top shape, it won’t have reliable performance, and thus, the vehicle won’t be able to travel the whole distance within the required time frame of this experience. If the vehicle breaks down, we won’t make it to the next destination.

Our developmental life stages also support this idea; we cannot move through to the next phase confidently and completely if we do not respect and cherish the physical. The experience that leads us to enlightenment will not only be an opportunity for growth and positive challenge. It will be exhausting and full of struggles. We don’t need to have commenced this ideology yesterday, as each and every one of us is on a different journey and at a different stage in our development on this journey.

Some people have magnificent explosions of awareness, and others come and go and tinker with the idea that this experience is the bridge to the next. The question is, Do we wish to just walk aimlessly across that bridge and fall off before we reach true enlightenment, or do we wish to experience every moment and reach the other side with our purpose and spirit intact?

The reason you’re reading this now is because it’s your time, and every experience you have now is about growth and using this learning to inspire what you give back. Somewhere along this bridge, when you keep everything receptive and open to change, the necessary learning will present itself. It may be subtle, but when you’re prepared, you will pick up on these visions or opportunities, a bit like intuition or a sixth sense. Stay open to these opportunities, and allow them to flow through you. Before you fall into the peace and tranquillity of meditation, request to know your purpose,