DEEP SOUL DiViNG : Ropes Of Pearls That Start With A Single Grain Of Sand...
You know how Oprah used to end her interviews by asking her guests, "What is the one thing you know for sure?"
When you really sit with that question, it's actually hard to answer.
What do you KNOW?
For sure?
One thing I know for sure is that the part of me that thinks it knows, the part of me that thinks it's running the show, my conscious, intellectual mind, is so totally mistaken.
It is merely a servant to the real operating system.
The real operating system lives deep below the surface of my conscious understanding, and I am only able to access it through dreams, symbols, sensual engagement, metaphor and emotion.
As a lover of life's mysteries, I find this endlessly fascinating.
As a wounded healer, I feel it's vital information.
Wounded healers are people who have the ability to dive deep into the depths of their pain only to bob back up to the surface bearing treasure.
These are the people who have learned to appreciate that every grain of sand has the potential to be transformed into a shiny new pearl...
The thing about Deep Soul Diving is that Life invites us all to go there... again & again.
You really don't have to spend much time wondering how to get to the bottom of the deep blue sea.
You will be given plenty of opportunities.
All you have to do is stay open to hearing the call of the wild and willing to follow it's lead.
But- if you really just can't wait to go there- if you really feel you must jump head first into the icy cold abyss right this very moment, here are a few journal prompts you can use to get going :
★ What is your most painful childhood memory, where do you still store that pain in your body, and how do you continue to create more of that specific brand of pain either for yourself or other people still to this day?
★ What was your first romantic heartbreak, how do you now protect yourself from being hurt in that way again, and in what way does that prevent you from experiencing the fullness of love?
★ Commit to paper your deepest, most shameful secret, where you hold that pain in your body, and why you refuse to let it go.
★ Following your own inner hunch, name your mother or father's most shameful secret and then explore the ways in which that shame has become your own.
Again- you do NOT need these journal prompts, and I don't recommend forcing these things- mainly because it's not necessary.
My recommendation is to wait for the next disturbing dream, illness or trigger that comes your way and then treat it as an invitation to strap into your diving gear.
Instead of, thinking, "oh no- not again!", you can simply say to yourself...
"Okay. Life has presented me with an opportunity to add another pearl to my legacy of healing. And- I am going to sit with this irritating grain of sand, asking it what it wants and following it where it leads until it has no choice but to give up the goods."
Be patient. Be gentle. Trust the process.
And- add to your own rope of pearls one grain of sand at a time...
You may have noticed that from time to time I refer to The Neverending Story (that funky children's movie from the 80s), as one of my all time favorite spiritual teachings.
I am nuts about that movie and don't give one hoot if other people label it "cheesy" or put it on some unfortunate list called the "Top 10 Creepy Kids Movies".
Those people so don't know what's up!
And- they are seriously missing out on some of the most epic Deep Soul Diving to ever take place on the silver screen...
From the Swamp of Sadness to the flight of the Luck Dragon and everything in between, it is a spiritual masterpiece, damn it!
Case in point, this moment at the very end, which involves a single grain of sand & ties in so perfectly with what I've been going on about here today...
(Sorry, but I can't resit sharing it with you.)
SPOiLER ALERT : In the beginning it is always dark...
And- on that note... I will end this thing.
NAMASTE, Witches...
OCEANS OF LOVE to you...
When you really sit with that question, it's actually hard to answer.
What do you KNOW?
For sure?
One thing I know for sure is that the part of me that thinks it knows, the part of me that thinks it's running the show, my conscious, intellectual mind, is so totally mistaken.
It is merely a servant to the real operating system.
The real operating system lives deep below the surface of my conscious understanding, and I am only able to access it through dreams, symbols, sensual engagement, metaphor and emotion.
As a lover of life's mysteries, I find this endlessly fascinating.
As a wounded healer, I feel it's vital information.
Wounded healers are people who have the ability to dive deep into the depths of their pain only to bob back up to the surface bearing treasure.
These are the people who have learned to appreciate that every grain of sand has the potential to be transformed into a shiny new pearl...
The thing about Deep Soul Diving is that Life invites us all to go there... again & again.
You really don't have to spend much time wondering how to get to the bottom of the deep blue sea.
You will be given plenty of opportunities.
All you have to do is stay open to hearing the call of the wild and willing to follow it's lead.
But- if you really just can't wait to go there- if you really feel you must jump head first into the icy cold abyss right this very moment, here are a few journal prompts you can use to get going :
★ What is your most painful childhood memory, where do you still store that pain in your body, and how do you continue to create more of that specific brand of pain either for yourself or other people still to this day?
★ What was your first romantic heartbreak, how do you now protect yourself from being hurt in that way again, and in what way does that prevent you from experiencing the fullness of love?
★ Commit to paper your deepest, most shameful secret, where you hold that pain in your body, and why you refuse to let it go.
★ Following your own inner hunch, name your mother or father's most shameful secret and then explore the ways in which that shame has become your own.
Again- you do NOT need these journal prompts, and I don't recommend forcing these things- mainly because it's not necessary.
My recommendation is to wait for the next disturbing dream, illness or trigger that comes your way and then treat it as an invitation to strap into your diving gear.
Instead of, thinking, "oh no- not again!", you can simply say to yourself...
"Okay. Life has presented me with an opportunity to add another pearl to my legacy of healing. And- I am going to sit with this irritating grain of sand, asking it what it wants and following it where it leads until it has no choice but to give up the goods."
Be patient. Be gentle. Trust the process.
And- add to your own rope of pearls one grain of sand at a time...
You may have noticed that from time to time I refer to The Neverending Story (that funky children's movie from the 80s), as one of my all time favorite spiritual teachings.
I am nuts about that movie and don't give one hoot if other people label it "cheesy" or put it on some unfortunate list called the "Top 10 Creepy Kids Movies".
Those people so don't know what's up!
And- they are seriously missing out on some of the most epic Deep Soul Diving to ever take place on the silver screen...
From the Swamp of Sadness to the flight of the Luck Dragon and everything in between, it is a spiritual masterpiece, damn it!
Case in point, this moment at the very end, which involves a single grain of sand & ties in so perfectly with what I've been going on about here today...
(Sorry, but I can't resit sharing it with you.)
SPOiLER ALERT : In the beginning it is always dark...
NAMASTE, Witches...
OCEANS OF LOVE to you...
There's
nothing wrong with enjoying looking at the surface of the ocean itself,
except that when you finally see what goes on underwater, you realize
that
you've been missing the whole point of the ocean. Staying on the
surface
all the time is like going to the circus and staring at the outside of the tent.
all the time is like going to the circus and staring at the outside of the tent.
-Dave Barry
(original painting by Julie Bell)