How do we heal

A thought crossed my mind today. It might have been just a foolish thought, made without much preparation, but I felt it needed to stay written down somewhere. So this is how I break free of my lurking days here. 

Often, we find inspiring thoughts, ideas, teachings that lift us up. Then we wish to put them to practice, we wish to heal our life and change things around, even if just by an inch. But, life takes over and the wild wind of its different demands and circumstances grabs hold of any inclination towards a more spiritual life, or just any change that would go outside of the usual daily routine.

Even if a change is made, the impetus of the usual life in motion pulls it straight back into the “comfort zone”. Many different plans get shredded, over and over again. How can we make things work? Where do we find the strength to draw the line and stick to it? If we've chosen and learned to be angry, proud, lukewarm and indifferent, how do we move away from that in a real way? How to stop making it a temporary flip of direction, out of convenience, that will be replaced by the ye olde self as soon as the winds are no longer so favorable? 

This is one of the things that always perplexed me, ever since my childhood and the days of going to the church. I would study the Ten Commandments, trying to figure out how they work and how I can live by them. I felt they have a genuinely good purpose. However, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't grasp them properly, they seemed too elusive. I always failed in applying them. Even when I restrained myself from yelling, being rude, attacking someone, the thoughts and emotions remained, like a bad companion who I couldn't shake off. I realized that, although I haven't done anything wrong, even thinking about them, feeling their flavor, leaves a terrible feeling, a disgusting aftertaste. If I insulted someone in my mind, I realized it's just as if I've done it physically. 

When I looked within, trying to find the cause for this weakness, for this lack of strength regarding the change I wanted, I found a huge, gaping hole. I felt that I lacked something, just the ordinary, everyday effort, like the one put into gardening, studying, singing, writing, wouldn't do me much good. The wound still remains, the weakness never decreases. How do we heal this wound, where is the balm to help the aching heart? 

What do you make of this? It seems simple on the surface, but it feels much more profound on reflection. 

Re: How do we heal

Hi Matja,  Thanks for posting something for us to have a conversation together… You are all are invited!

When being comfortable with ourselves… being there in present time not allowing for distractions or interference… that is the time to notice these omissions.

So very well done on spotting these.

There are 3 parts to the mind… the analytical, the aesthetic and the part that is reactive. When something comes in to show the weakness you speak of it is coming from the reactive or unconscious part of the mind and something in the environment may be restimulating or triggering the thought that has the lesser strength you describe.  When I get back from my clients I will be happy to explain further. I just wanted you to know I am aware of your post and will give it more attention.

Re: How do we heal

Matija,
  Your post resonates with me as well.  I have similar memories of those days of studying the Ten Commandments and other items within the Bible regarding personal behavior.  I've always had trouble not saying just exactly what I'm thinking; one Biblical quote I used to read constantly was about the tongue.  But every time I thought about, I couldn't reconcile the fact that my beloved quote made no mention about my thoughts.  It didn't seem right that I could still have such thought just so long as I didn't say them out loud.

  Honestly, this general problem of making the most complete effort is still something I have a great deal of trouble with; I often feel like it eludes me.  I would greatly like to read others thoughts on this.

  Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts and bringing such an excellent topic to us all!

Blessings,

Jackie

Re: How do we heal

Matija, usually the best answer comes from the one who questions. When I read your post, and yours Jackie, and Kathy, I feel that I will find the answer here.

did something else come up?

Re: How do we heal

Some things I read I interpret them on how they make me feel in value and my own understanding of moral code and I read and absorb some of this type of material like going on a travel to a different land. Something I have learned is find a dictionary on line and that truly opens new doors to clarify things from the past. It is a fascinating concept to find a weakness as it gives a challenge to gain more knowledge in a new area or one that needs some attention.

Re: How do we heal

Thank you for your insightful replies, everyone. 

@Kes What you're saying about the present moment is so true, I can really relate to it. I once read a testimony of a journalist who fought in a war, he killed an enemy, who was a young man, and couldn't get over it once the fighting was over. Someone very wise told him that the problem is in a lack of time, so to speak. The society trains us to do certain things, highlighting some parts of the psyche, but neglecting others. That's why, when we have a choice between being in the moment and acting on a whim, it seems like there's no time. The force, the momentum of habit is very strong. The person I mentioned above told the journalist that he has to “make time”, so he doesn't react immediately. If you've ever tried not reacting to someone yelling at you, for example, you can feel that moment becoming longer and longer. It's amazing, but we don't have to react straight away, we can take a step back and do things differently. 

@jeam09 Yes, I think that's my problem too, I still don't completely understand that need to give something my full attention, to completely focus on something and make that step towards something different. With these things, I've learned that the psyche is really a multitude of things, like a city with many different citizens. There are rich, proud people, murderers, criminals, business people, but also teachers, prophets and students. The whole of world is reflected in the psyche, or perhaps it is the other way around?

@Meenakshi That's exactly what I was thinking of recently, how asking questions and having several insights into them brings about a more complete answer. Something new that come up for me was how my expectations in life are making me turn to the mundane a lot. If I think something should work out in the way I imagined it, there is a good chance it won't, since the world doesn't always work the way we'd like it to. Then there is the pain, the feeling that nothing will work out and the need to escape through the usual negativity, pleasure-pain mechanism, and more ideas about how things should work. That is really a vicious circle that sucks me right into the original starting point - chaos. 

@Lee That's a good point, on the weakness being an opportunity to learn more. From my own example, there is usually the tendency to just point out the strengths one has, while forgetting about the weaknesses. But it is precisely through overcoming the latter that we gain new strengths. Otherwise, we just stand still, stagnate, and end up getting new weaknesses. 

Keep the posts coming, :-)
Matija

Re: How do we heal

How do we heal ?
From the inside, out

Re: How do we heal

Hi Matija - I was just reading an article by Tom Kenyon and decided to write this..

Re: How do we heal

Re: How do we heal

Thank you for your thoughtful posts, everyone (and special thanks for that wonderful poem, Taikunping). Let's keep looking into this throughout our lives, reflecting upon it as we catch some breath in the rhythm of daily living. What is that healing, what is prayer, and what does it mean to heal from within? Is it thoughts, ideas, emotions, or is it something more? Can we really know something like that? Can we experience it? So many questions and so many answers. 

All the best,
Matija

Re: How do we heal

Thank you for your questions Matija, there are so many answers…..
There are “magical moments” which seem to offer glimpses of truth and beauty - maybe the more we experience this “beauty” the more inner light we are able to to reflect - the more “beauty” we all experience the stronger the “light” from within - we seem to ignite one anothers inner flame/spirit to burn brighter and stronger…
More energy/power/chi seems to flow freely when we are in a state of meditational bliss/ecstacy - we feel more “alive” or more “aware” - this acts like many “awakenings” - we become more connected with the universe/flow/God

Love Tai

Re: How do we heal

Yes, perhaps that is precisely a piece of this precious puzzle. There are moments when just walking down the street is an ecstatic experience. We can feel like we'll float if we jump into the air, carried by the scent of the sunlight, or the refreshing melody of rain. The entire world appears transformed. It would be good to know more about this feeling, to experience more and expand it. I wonder what kind of potential is hidden behind it. 

I think that, in life, we try to apply completely inadequate solutions to those spiritual “holes”, or wounds, as I mentioned them earlier. The solutions are not in addictions, in relying on someone else praising us or trying to bring us down, there is something else to it. 

Because, this sensation, this transcendental experience you mention, does not depend on the external world, it appears spontaneously. It can rain, or it can be sunny. Someone could be shouting at us or praising us. We might be burdened with work or be on a holiday. It doesn't matter, that sensation comes up and changes our perception. That's the cure, that's the way to get closer to healing, but there is so much we don't know about all of this. So much to learn. 

Take care,
Matija

Re: How do we heal

could it be that during these fleeting moments we are not so attached to our worries or maybe at those precise moments our chemistry is so well balanced?
namaste,roamer

Re: How do we heal

roamer - It makes sense that when we experience bliss/ecstasy moments that we are in a more balanced state physically - it is easier to attain a state of relaxation when our bodies are not experiencing pain/discomfort.  Maybe also the more that we attain these states of bliss/oneness the more balanced we become physically - then the more we heal on all levels.

Re: How do we heal

Matija - When we have ecstatic/blissful moments we feel at one with everything and everyone, it's like being in love with everything/everyone or a feeling of completion or freedom.  Sometimes the feeling is like energy running through the entire body and feeling empowered, like anything is achievable.  Visions become easier to manifest into creativity, dreams become easier to materialise, people seem more loving and helpful - in general it feels like with are flowing with the universe….

Re: How do we heal

Hi everyone,

Glad to see the thread going strong. :-)

@roamer That makes a lot of sense. It seems like the state of clarity you mention is completely different to the usual negativity we feel, to all the thoughts and emotions we're used to move around in. It's neither positive nor negative, it simply is. It might not give us the false sense of satisfaction, like pride, or a feeling of power instilled by putting down others, but it is simple it direct. We see things as they are, and, in that, there is a change, a way to perceive things differently and move closer to bridging the gap between the spiritual and ourselves. 

The ordinary states we swim in and the spiritual states seem to be psychologically remote, like the Sun is distant from the Moon. When I read the Pistis Sophia (there is one version here, with comments: http://www.gnosticawakenings.com/files/pdf/EN_Pistis_Sophia_Unveiled.pdf) one of the most inspring things was reading the description given about different psychological states. It is said that they are distant from each other, so that when we're in one state, we can't comprehend the distance nor the existence of a superior state without moving to it, without experiencing it.

The present moment, the spiritual strength that is held within it, has layers and layers, each higher than the one before, separate from it, yet a part of the same “musical scale”. Rather than playing around with the same old thoughts, the need to “jump” from one state to the next seems to be highlighted. I recently felt that healing spiritual wounds, bridging the abyss between ourselves and the spiritual within, takes the courage to abandon the old and allow new things, new experiences into our lives. Spirituality needs to bring in freshness and change into our lives, otherwise it's more or less reduced to standing at one spot and hoping for the best. At least that's how I see it. 

@Taikunping That is a beautiful description of spiritual states. And I do agree with you on what you posted about healing. It does seem that the spiritual has a much more profound strength on the pain and sickness of the body and of the psyche. There are, in fact, many wounds that can only completely heal if they're treated by something spiritual, that digs into the very depth of our minds, feelings and actions, removing the very roots of mistakes. 

I remember my late grandmother. She always tried to heal her resentment by feeding the feeling of being just but misunderstood. That psychological food destroyed her health. She was a very spiritual woman, had she fought against that resentment it wouldn't make her wounds greater. Perhaps she would have found another way. She spent years before she died confined to our flat. In the last few years, she actually couldn't get up. She would often suffer enormous pain, yet she had dreams where she was operated and found that her physical pain wondrously left her after those experiences. 

I think I could write an entire post about her, but the point is how trying to seal the wounds we have within with the wrong “medicine” causes even greater damage. We often chose what we eat, drink and who we share company with very closely, yet we disregard the inner state and the dark, dirty things we chose to consume instead of something higher. Something that would bring relief instead of bitterness and something new instead of the usual old cycles of feeling, thinking and acting. 

All the best,
Matija

Re: How do we heal

Matija - Have you written on your blog about your late grandmother - or maybe done a private journal on her life….  It sounds wonderful about her dreams of being operated on relieving her physical pain.  I too have received healing in the “dream state”.  Have you experienced this too…  Maybe higher levels of awareness are more accessible in this state and we are more free and accepting of our experiences….

Has anyone else experienced “dream healing”…

Re: How do we heal

I haven't. But I'm thinking about writing a post on how spirituality is really a part of the life of people who we usually think as ordinary, and is much more accessible than we think. I'd base it on her life, as it seems she had quite a few of interesting experiences. I'll place a link here when I'm done with it. 

I too am curious to hear about dream healing, it seems a very vivid way to experience how the spiritual things affect us, in a subtle, yet powerful way, not easily explainable. Shows us we're a part of a larger reality. As is said in a great book I've already mentioned: ““What is real is that you are not a form, and being life you are everything that there IS.” (Flight of the Feathered Serpent, pg 107 - 1st edition)

Thanks,
Matija

Re: How do we heal

Many thanks, look forward to your link Matija…

I've experienced angelic presence in dream healing, the use of crystals and what looked liked shades of coloured glass placed on my body and also hands on healing. 
The symbols we receive in our dreams are very significant too and link us into the ancient archetypal energies.  I've had several days of very powerful dream images - last night I was walking along past several waterfalls, thinking why I hadn't brought my camera along with me!

The book you mention above sounds like one I would enjoy too - I had read a little on Quetzalcoatl the feathered serpent.

I believe dreams are healing in themselves as we tap into the realms we aren't always aware of in our busy day to day lives.  Water is a powerful dream symbol, it is cleansing and clearing. Sometimes when I  meditate in the day I regain access to my dream of the previous night, this can help to shed light on the meaning of the dream/bring it into our conscious awareness.

Blessings
Tai

Re: How do we heal

Thanks for the reply Tai, those dreams sound amazing. They really show how life has a profoundness we just have to know more of! The one with the waterfalls must have been particularly amazing. I remember dreams of swimming and diving without ever needing to come to the surface for air. It's said that the dreams take place in a higher dimensions, where the laws of the physical world obviously don't apply. Perhaps that's one of the reasons why they can be so vibrant and profound. 

About the book, it's about Judas Iscariot, the Mayan terminology is used in some parts of the book. The book really is about how Judas wasn't a traitor to Jesus, but a part of a great drama. It kind of touches on some points from the Gospel of Judas, but it was published fifty years before that text. I'm sure you can Google it if you're interested, the web of the publisher has a nice synopsis: http://www.absolutepublishingpress.com/flight-feathered-serpent-2ed. 

I began my work on the blog post today. Just a basic structure for now, hopefully it'll grow soon. :-) I'll try to depict some details from here life which I'm aware of, as she had quite a bit of spiritual experience, although she would seem like the ordinary, everyday person on the outside. I think that's just amazing, how the spirituality can be so profound and be disguised in simple garments. I read once that simple people, unburdened by theories, are more in touch with their spiritual side when compared to the intellectuals. I think it touches well the original topic, the influence of the mind on spirituality. 

Take care,
Matija

Re: How do we heal

I too have dreamt about being under water and being able to breathe - I was walking on a river bed, observing all the life around me -  knowing that I could breathe under water was amazing, it was one of those dreams that you wake and think wow, can I really do that!!

I believe that if we get too much caught up in the intellect in regards to our life/spirituality  it can have an impact on our growth - it is better to live according to our beliefs - the material we find ourselves reading along the way more often than not confirms our feelings but I think it can be detrimental to force ourselves into beliefs that don't mesh with “our pattern”.  It is much better to live in simplicity and faith in our own self, our own consciousness - the beliefs which add to our wellbeing and sense of wholeness/holiness - the beliefs that energise and complete us.

Thanks for the link Matija, I too believe that each person whether depicted as a friend or adversary have just as much value in our lives, they are all part of the whole picture, each person that touches our life is part of our individual story…

If you can put a link here when you have finished your blog it would be much appreciated - looking forward to reading more about your grandmother and her healing way…

In thanks
Tai

Re: How do we heal

Matija, Happy Belated Birthday… One of these days we can have a place for parties at this group.  I found it on your grapevine and just know it was happy!

I am enjoying the cycle between you and Tai and look forward to a link to your blog on this subject.

I don't know of a dream book but I have heard that when we dream, it is our way of locating ourselves. When I put that into practical use after a dream, it made sense for certain dreams.

If we have a nightmare, that is a sign that the body is low on vitamin B-1.  I can attest this works… just 50 mm.

If a child wakes from a dream in fear of crying, remind them it is just a dream. That will help them go back to sleep and once it is acknowledged it doesn't bother them any longer.

Re: How do we heal

Thanks Kes. I've heard the same thing about dreams and nightmares. I've been told that having an upset stomach increases the chances of nightmares, interesting stuff. Shows how the body is connected with the psyche. I remember my grandmother comforting me after nightmares, and I had plenty as a child. Speaking of her, here's that blog post:

http://matgrippa.gaia.com/blog/2009/11/what-is-the-spirit—memories-of-an-ordinary-person

It's long, but I hope I haven't forgot anything. :-)

Thanks again,
Matija

Re: How do we heal

Thanks for the blog link Matija
Blessings
Tai

Re: How do we heal

I pushed the RSS to follow your blog Matija

Re: How do we heal

Thank you for your warm support. I hope I'll be able to keep enriching the community with my small contributions. :-)

Matija