“People say that what we’re all seeking is a meaning for life. I don’t think that’s what we’re really seeking. I think that what we’re seeking is an experience of being alive, so that our life experiences on the purely physical plane will have resonances with our own innermost being and reality, so that we actually feel the rapture of being alive.”
~ Joseph Campbell
Joseph Campbell’s wise words reflect a universal law, or truth, that we often forget. This truth relates to the resonance and connection between what we experience in our innermost being and what we experience outside ourselves.
Campbell’s words can just as easily be applied to ANY feelings we may have in response to what is happening in our physical world. Because after all, being alive is not limited to the rapture. It also includes sadness, disgust, anger, guilt, fear or any other shadow aspects that we experience.
As we watch and debate the environmental and humanitarian situations unfolding around us in all corners of the globe, we are called to question our attitudes, lifestyle, and priorities.
But while we search for physical solutions to the problems we recognise on both a personal and global level, we also need to search for those parts of ourselves we need to change within, old patterns and beliefs that are not a reflection of our true values.
For when we KNOW that the material world about us is simply a reflection of our inner landscape, we understand that in order to reach a solution for the earth and its people and wildlife we must first change our inner world to align with our true values. The outer world will mirror whatever exists in the inner world, providing us with a reflection of the health of our inner world.
The World Is Our Mirror
It is vital to first identify which factors we consider are the primary factors contributing to the problem in the outer world, and then to observe how, and where, those same factors are present within ourselves.
For example, if you see a lack of transparency in government as a problem you need to consider where and what, you are hiding behind smoke and mirrors within. If you see restriction and loss of freedom as the issue consider how you are restricting yourself. Do you speak your truth, or do you prefer to hide behind silence? Or do you not allow yourself to follow your passion but place blame for that on your commitments to others? Perhaps you see the use of fossil fuels contributing to climate change. However, you won’t see actual fossil fuel as a problem for your inner world. Rather, consider what it is about our use of fossil fuels that is the problem and ask how and where this attitude, belief or habit also applies to your own attitudes, beliefs and habits.
Look beyond the actual issue to what is upsetting to YOU about it, to what YOU see as the crucial catalyst. This is the signpost to the area within you that is out of balance.
And consider whether you are using excuses to avoid changing within. Adopting blame, shame, smallness or many other tactics to escape accountability for your thoughts and actions, leaves you in the role of the victim or the martyr.
In many indigenous cultures the passage into becoming a man or woman, the point where you are recognised as an adult by the group, requires the person take full responsibility for whatever then happens in their life. It requires them to OWN the pathway of their life. It calls on them to be accountable for all that occurs and to recognise they always have a role in both the creation of the problem and the outcome.
This is Responsibility.
It’s time to take responsibility for both our worlds – starting with our inner world as we also begin to change our habits in the outer material world.
When Everything Seems Hopeless
Whenever we experience negative feelings, feel overwhelmed by what we observe in the world around us, or become ensnared by the emotions of fear, restriction and helplessness it can seem as though there is no way out. At such times we become locked into to the energy of the 3D plane and our vibration becomes dull or muddy.
In order to change this we must own our responsibility for our experience of the world around us. We need to make a conscious decision to take back control of our destiny with wisdom, trust and courage. Simply by making that conscious decision our inner world begins to change and shift. Just like the first tiny stirrings of an avalanche the process begins to slowly gather momentum.
WE CHANGE THE WORLD BY CHANGING OURSELVES
When the problem we see seems huge we may feel we have to take a big momentous stand to bring about the change we desire. But in fact, all journeys begin with one small step. We only need to change one little thing to start the movement. We might seek self-improvement through self-study, connecting with nature, taking time to engage with our inner voice, or even just improving our nutrition.
Essentially, it’s about moving ourselves out of our comfort zone and reprogramming our belief systems in alignment with our authentic truth. Once we do this our vision clears, our purpose becomes deliberate, and we can take aligned action.
This is not about attracting things to us to elicit change in the world around us. Rather, it’s about directing the nature of our experience in the world to come into alignment with our inner truth.
And this is hugely powerful. This is how we truly bring about sustainable change.
5 Simple Ways to Transform from Within
1. Know yourself
Self-knowledge is vital for living an authentic life.
2. Love yourself
You cannot fully love another person until you love yourself.
3.Let go of fear
Fear locks us down and holds us back. We can become stronger when we release it.
4. Take time for you
Invest in your wellbeing and in your growth. This refines your vibration, calms your nervous system and supports your growth. Many people maintain they don’t have any time for themselves. But in reality, we always find time to do what we value. So ask, do you value yourself?
5. Engage consciousness
This may sound silly, but most people are fully conscious less than 10 percent of the time. Most of the time they react to life based upon programs within their subconscious minds without really being aware they are doing it. In fact, many of our unconscious thoughts aren’t even our own. They were put there by others including our parents, when we were very young, and they reflect the fears and values of others. One of the reasons so many people feel stuck, trapped or unhappy is because they’re still under the influence of other people’s expectations. They do not have control of their own thoughts and therefore their life, because they have given their power to others. So they have no control over their experience of the outside world. Master your thoughts and you will have the freedom to direct your destiny with wisdom, trust and courage.
