Turn Problems into Power and Potential!
"The things which hurt, instruct."
-- Benjamin Franklin
How
do you respond to the problems that continually surface in your life?
If you're like most people, you feel victimized. Moaning
"Poor me," we get angry, impatient, depressed and stuck.
We think problems spoil what life OUGHT to be. And we do whatever
we can to avoid the pain.
For those of us on a spiritual path, problems and
blocks are precious gifts that open the door to deeper self-knowledge.
Through them, we can identify and release the unconscious fears and
negative beliefs that hold us back from higher consciousness.
So what are problems or blocks? From a spiritual perspective,
they block the natural flow of energy through our being, creating
stress and pain. Operating in the mental, emotional and physical realms,
they indicate that something within us is out of alignment with the
true nature of who we are - our spiritual nature.
Problems involve two different aspects of our human
make-up:
Much of our behaviour is governed by our subconscious
mind according to our beliefs and habitual patterns and reactions.
Unfortunately, we are generally unconscious of the beliefs that sabotage
the best intentions of our conscious mind.
We also have both a personality governed by our ego
and a higher mind or soul. We see the soul as a unique expression
of the divine that bridges our individual physical being with the
almighty power, whatever you understand that to be. As human beings,
we all have some understanding of our personalities. Most of us, though,
have a limited awareness of our souls.
When we are willing to face and work through our problems,
we become conscious of what is now unconscious in us. We begin to
see our shadow side, the dark and unknown parts of our psyche that
reside in our subconscious mind. We begin to see the beliefs, misinformation
and defence mechanisms we carry that no longer serve us.
We also become aware of the divine side of our nature
for at the root of every block lies a soul quality seeking expression.
Our ultimate aim is to embrace the opposing forces within us, the
"bad" and the "good," and bring them together
in wholeness. This is transformation.
From the spiritual perspective, blocks offer our best
and perhaps our only path to growth. Paradoxically, we can only get
to the positive through the negative. Like it or not, pain gets our
attention. Pain also challenges the ego's perception that it is in
complete control of life. If we want to be rid of the pain, we must
do the work that leads us to greater consciousness.
So there are great blessings in problems. Our troubles
come to us for good reasons -- to invite us to connect with our souls
and to learn more about who we are. And we are wise to accept the
invitation. If we deny the pain and strive to avoid it, the problems
will keep on coming, and they'll be even more painful.
Our lives change when we become conscious that every
experience of resistance and fear has meaning and purpose. Working
purposefully through our problems helps us become whole and healthy.
Through them, we awaken to and can genuinely express new and more
powerful aspects of ourselves.
"In school you get the lesson and then take
the test...
In life you take the test and then get the lesson."
-- Unknown Source
Patrice Steen and John Robson
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