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PRACTITIONER CORNER
- by Jean Parcher, RScP
Be a Columbus to whole new continents and worlds within you, opening new
channels, not of trade, but of thought.
-Henry David Thoreau, naturalist and author (1817-1862)
Be a Columbus ... to worlds within you. Isn't this an exciting way to look at
the spiritual journey ... to sail off to undiscovered worlds and treasures?
And some risk-taking as well.
Researchers estimate that we think thousands of thoughts every day. They
find, though, that a big percentage of these thoughts are the same thoughts we had
the day before and the day before that. So we must ask ourselves if our
repetitive thoughts are advancing us or retarding us.
It also means we are not sailing into the unknown, but just skirting the
shore most of the time, seeing and meeting what we have seen and met before. And
reacting in the same way because we fail to REALLY look, REALLY listen.
We are so accustomed to what we think that we barely notice these repetitions
and do not recognize how negatively some of them affect our lives. Nor do we
recognized how embedded they are in our personality, our subconscious and our
habits.
How to change this pattern? Here are a few ideas.
Resolve to take notice. Start checking on yourself. Listen to what you say to
yourself in your mind and out loud to others. Journaling is another way to
notice the patterns in your thinking. The book, The Artist's Way, has a method
for journaling that works well. There are many others. You may wish to keep a
dream journal if this appeals to you. Jung says that every dream unexamined is
a message from your subconscious ignored.
Read and listen to new ideas. Re-read and re-listen to what you've read and
heard before, this time paying attention to ideas that slid past or that you
rejected or chose to ignore. Turn them around in your mind and see if you have
given them a fair hearing. Sometimes the point we most need to grasp is the
very one we are running away from.
Get serious about regular meditation. There are many books, magazines,
tapes, and workshops to help you if you need it.
Ask a minister or practitioner for some guidance. They will be pleased to
work with you. Also, think about recruiting a partner. It's fun and you can
encourage each other and share some your journey.
So, now the question.
Will you read this and say? ...
I know this already. Been there, done that, got the t-shirt
Will you read this and say? ...
Sounds good, but it's not for me
Sounds good, but I have to wait until x, y and z are over and done before I
can start?
Sounds good, but it's so much work, or I'm too old, or my life isn't really
that bad
Are you ready to CHOOSE to be "Columbus" and discover wonderful new world
within? Such a voyage requires a deep desire, a clear intention, and a mighty
vision. Do you have these?
Just asking!
Love and Light, Jean
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