IT has been said that awareness is the first step in any
spiritual transformation. Once you become aware of something, you can
then begin to work with it. Until then, it's just running the show
without you. Carl Jung said "Until you make what's unconscious
conscious, it will run your life and you will call it destiny." That's
powerful stuff!
"God can do for you, only what God can do
through you." ~ Michael Bernard Beckwith
If
God can only do for you what God can do through you, what's limiting
God? Well, that's right, you. But most often it's a particular part of
you: your 'un' or 'subconscious'. Therefore this "work" is most about
getting yourself out of the way. This is your self with a small 's'.
Life force energy, big 'S' Self, wants to flow through you but we tend
to block it up with resistance, dis-belief, and fears of all kinds, from
large to small.
Some of these are conscious, but many are unconscious.
 |
| Roger Kenneth Marsh |
It
helps to look at these unconscious parts of ourselves as old
commitments that we originally put in place to protect us, back when our
mental, emotional, and spiritual capacities were not developed enough
to be capable of withstanding some of the circumstances we were
experiencing. Hence, we created automatic protection mechanisms to
shield us from the pain. And they worked; they kept us alive and safe
for the most part.
However, now that we are older, more mature,
with much, much larger perspectives on the world, these childhood
protection mechanisms typically create more pain than they prevent.
We've simply outgrown them and it's time to thank them and let them go.
This is the essence of shadow work: discovering, acknowledging,
embracing, integrating, and releasing old commitments and old thoughts
about ourselves and the world, then creating new ones.
We could
call these parts of ourselves Subconscious Limiting Beliefs (SLBs), or
Previous Commitments Becoming Conscious (PCBC), because we typically
made these decisions about the world and ourselves long ago in our
lives. We then reinforced those beliefs over and over again, and kept
our commitments with integrity, until they went subconscious and became
just the way the world is (for us).
It's important to note that a
belief in and of itself is not limiting, it only becomes limiting when
you are inspired to grow beyond it. So you are, on the one hand,
inspired to a greater vision of yourself, but on the other you are
limited by old beliefs, habits, and patterns. As you might imagine this
can be a frustrating and conflicting place to be.
But on your Hero's
Path, your path of evolution, this will be a common experience. However,
over time, it's an experience that you'll eventually be able to
powerfully navigate with grace and ease. There is no one and no thing to
transform but yourself.
What we are up to here is no less than
the transformation of ourselves from victim to creator. We are freeing
ourselves in all areas of our life, even from our own subconscious. It
is a huge shift. Access to the world of the creator is through evolving
yourself. Evolving yourself means clarifying a vision for your life,
then watching yourself very carefully as you step into that vision.
Your
unconscious beliefs (and limitations) will make themselves known
through your behaviors. You have an opportunity and a moment of choice
each time you see yourself doing something out of alignment with your
vision. In that moment you are conscious, and in that moment you can
make a more authentic choice for your behavior. One that is more aligned
with the new vision of your Self.
Taking this moment of choice
opportunity over and over again is the path of transformation. This
leads you to the next and newest you - the one you desire to become! Try this:
To get a sense of how much your unconscious may be limiting you, and
limiting what God can do for you, ask yourself the following questions:
* How free am I? In all areas of my life?
* How joyful am I?
* How loving am I?
* How much love do I experience each day?
* How peaceful am I in my life?
* How present, in each moment, am I?
* How much awe and beauty do I experience each day?
* Am I fulfilling the highest vision of my life?
Your
transformational opportunity is to become that 'still point' at the center
of all creation, with complete and total freedom to move in any truly
authentic and Source-inspired direction. When you are fully connected to
this aspect of yourself, with no intervening unconscious beliefs,
naturally flowing through you will be deep levels of joy, peace,
presence, and the needed power to fulfill your highest and most
authentic life path.
Get your unconscious out of the driver's seat! Congratulations - you're one step closer to your mojo!
