being human
In this episode we learn more about the Inner Landscape, our Parts and Authentic Self. We explore the framework and learn why and how to apply our skills (Awareness, Kindness and Curiosity) to develop our Inner Society with the dynamics of cohesion, connection and collaboration. All in service to you making chosen changes in how you think, feel and act.
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Podcast
This podcast explores the nature of the unconscious, how it interacts in our life and ways to shift our relationship to it. Developing our awareness and learning to interact with our unconscious is a game changer. For more insights and exercises check out the website SoundBodyWisdom.com.
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being human
This is the first podcast in the series and it took the shape of an interview between myself and Sam Fisher. He asks questions about this practice and why I began developing and sharing it. This podcast will explore our being human and offer tools and insights through the Sound Body Wisdom practice. It’s a space of possibility expanded by science, mind-body practices and personal wisdom.
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philosophy
…..we strive, yearn…..
for this Love……and it is here…..within us…..deeply and purely…..
I witness and take in this ‘being human’……so many people…..so many common threads riding along side the diversity……so many…….the desire for connection, being seen, to love and be loved…..whatever that means to us……
I weep such resonant tears……all the incredible beauty all around….right there with the challenges and the struggles….the beauty each of us is………
I see all of us and everything connected……so incredibly radiant……
and I see it fray too….the divisiveness of words, judgement, fear, conditioning…..all these and more that can limit, separate or numb us……
And I practice…..bringing myself back time and time again…..to see the radiance…….because it will never vanish even when I am temporarily without my vision……
being human
Does the change you desire for yourself come from comparing yourself to things externally or does it comes from your own intuition or inner sense of constriction/limitation?
So often we look at the world around us and through a process of judging, comparing and critiquing we create a list of ‘shoulds’ that become our guide towards personal growth. The challenge of this, I have found, is that it becomes more of an imbalanced ego based directive that is rooted in this system of ‘greater than/lesser than’.
It is tricky to write about because there is such subtlety in all of this and no ‘black or white’ definitives……..
We certainly want to strive to grow and sometimes it is an external ‘reminder’ that can help us. But I am talking about the process of seeing someone/something outside of ourselves and then feeling a sense of ‘lacking’ based on comparison and judgement completely entrenched in a sense of ‘greater than/lesser than’….completely based on reaching for something outside of us. We then push and pull and critique ourselves toward trying to look or be this perceived better way.
The missing piece quite often in this process is personal reflection that allows you to ask what these certain qualities or outcomes mean to you. How might this ‘change’ serve you and how does it inspire you?
It’s possible to see the external stimulus and take it inside of yourself, allowing your own authentic intuition to be your guide…..not starting from a sense of ‘lacking’ or ‘less than’ but of curiosity. To have a personal barometer for your own needs toward the growth that will most supprt you.
Each of us is completely unique, not just in fingerprints and DNA, but our personal journey and map of who we are and what is essential for our livelihood. We might find similarities and affinities with others….of course….but ultimately we are beautifully unique and each of us needs to take responsibility to get to know ourselves and ‘tweak’ our personal journey as we go.
Much in the same way that a medicine someone is taking at a particular moment might not be a medicine I need to take in that same moment (in fact, I could possibly get sick if I do) we must remember to listen to our own needs and experiences.
For me it starts with being an ally to all my parts. A place of unconditional love and not self deprecation and criticism. A place of feeling whole already and yet open to growth, increased wellness and evolution.
Feeling inspired to grow and cultivate parts of yourself is beautiful work. To do this ‘work’ authentically I think it is essential to discover where your motivation is coming from. Too often our endeavors for ‘personal growth’ become set ups for perceived failure or unhealthy comparisons of merit. This seems to create an idea that ‘personal growth’ is not really possible or that it’s something we are perpetually ‘chasing’. I often hear people joke about the possibility of ever reaching enlightenment, as if it is a lofty goal only certain ‘elite’ reach. The truth is we all have it within us already…..it is only our perception of where it is, what it is and who we are that can limit our connection to it.
All this ‘personal growth’ is already within us. We need to do the simple and yet complicated practice of being curious to know ourselves because even the best tools can fall short without personal knowledge. All practices and tools involve you walking the path and doing the work of you. Nobody can do it but you.
I was watching a movie where a character said “You need to choose your thoughts the same way you choose your clothes”. I thought this was a great reminder to how simple it can be….with practice. Getting to know our thoughts and discerning….choosing……this is the art and practice of being human. The choosing of our thoughts completely shifts the playing field to one of empowerment and personal reflection…..not just being pushed and shoved by models of ‘lesser than/greater than’. We get to choose these thoughts that in turn affect how we feel and how we choose our actions toward ‘personal growth’.
You have all the tools you need within you….there is nothing to obtain that is outside of you.
Why not cultivate them……..
Truly.
Reach within and discover.
Be open to the surprise and the challenge.
Be curious.
Be Loving.
Unplug from so much that you have been taught when it comes to the journey of personal growth and begin to know what medicine you need right now and what might be limiting you.
Only you can discover it.
Why not dive into the ocean of you…..is there anything more precious and amazing?
Thanks for reading.
blessings
jacq
being human
The act of putting someone (anyone) on a pedestal, elevating them above yourself or others, disregards the essence of ‘being love’. Anytime we do this we maintain the system of ‘greater than/lesser than’ in which there must be some who are above and others who are below. And how do we decide who is above and below in this social policy that is reminiscent of the caste system? Are we not continuously positioning ourselves on this scale through our actions, thoughts and perceptions? Do we not subscribe to it when we say something as benign as “I know I should just be happy because there are people worse off than me….” We comfort ourselves by reminding ourselves we are not at the bottom. We ‘mean well’ but it still feeds this system and allows it to continue.
But who does it serve?
The truth is we are all equal in essence and yet unique. We are all equal and also have our own challenges and our own strengths.
What would it take to behold your own radiance simply for breathing….no exceptions.
When you cultivate a space for authentically dwelling here….in the reality of your beingradiance whether or not you have moments of ‘falling short’ or rising up……you have found your own personal expression of ‘enlightenment’. A space without praise or criticism, judgement through comparison or greater than lesser than mentality. If you can embrace this space then all paths for honoring others as unique and equal are free from attachments, limiting stories or comparisons.
Who has defined enlightenment and doesn’t its potential and unfolding exist in each of us? Expanding and contracting from within……not a carrot dangling outside of us we are trying to grasp.
We have been taught from birth to be ‘better than’…… to compare, judge and certainly not believe that we are all equal.
I remember speaking with someone and sharing that I don’t believe that anyone is better than another and they had an example to offer. They said ‘what about a brain surgeon and an unemployed alcoholic that watches TV all day?’ My reply is still the same……it is not conditional. If we start making subjective exceptions I think it becomes a fast slippery slope as far as who gets to decide the ‘greaters’ and the ‘lessers’. And depending on the judges….each of us at one time or other might end up on a less favored ‘end’. We get to have our opinions and ideas but it all changes when we try to make our opinions right. Why would we be so attached to being ‘right’ when it comes to this?
I certainly don’t have all the answers and I don’t believe there are ‘answers’ for everything. But I believe we are all equal and yet different and it is from this place that I can love not only myself unconditionally…. but every single person. Sometimes it takes effort to remind myself but I arrive there none the less.
Try saying this statement out loud…….
‘everyone is truly equal, no one person is better than another’.
Sit with it and take it in……
How does it feel?
What thoughts and feelings arise?
All each of us can do is notice what arises. Notice what you are attached to as right and how you feel about it. Be a loving witness to this ever unfolding of you.
being human
I find it curious why so many people look consistently outside themselves to ‘know’ themselves or to elicit change for themselves/in the world (looking outside themselves even for Love which is inherently ‘within’ each of us). If each person no matter their age, income or faith (including politicians and CEOs) were to look inward, observe and inquire…… how might things change? (And how might that look on the level of government and corporations? Perhaps it would dissolve the qualities of dishonesty and ‘power’ for profit.)
And if each person were to meet themselves in this self reflection/inquiry with loving-kindness, gentleness and compassion…….how would that utterly change the experience you have living in your own skin? (Not a warm and fuzzy concept alone…. but truly ‘living’ it)
Most things in our society begin with a person(s). An idea, perpetuation, action, reaction and so on. Whether it is fashion, social mores, viewpoints, language, emotions, stories or Love…….the common denominator is people. We each are ‘ripple points’ from which so much may emanate. And it is the same with this choice of looking inward and choosing a perception of loving kindness. When we choose to shift the accepted ‘norm’ of how we behave as humans, toward ourselves and others, we create a ripple point.
I know for me that when I engage these qualities within myself that I find it difficult to perpetuate unkind words, actions and thoughts. They simply dissolve as they no longer are fueled from a sense of ‘lacking’ within. When I find ‘peace’ within myself there is no need to judge by comparison or create a ‘greater than lesser than’ perspective (which underlies so much of our forms of criticism & judgement). And if I am not acting on this standard behavior I am creating a contradiction that ripples out and perhaps offers invitation or resonance for someone else to do the same.
(And I know it certainly ‘frees up’ so much of my energy since it is not tied up in chatter of beating myself or somebody else up…..or deciding where myself and others fall on the scale of ‘good/bad’, ‘right/wrong’, successful/unsuccessful’, ‘greater than/lesser than’ etc.)
This superficial barometer plays out in most avenues of our lives. It is woven into the very fabric of what we consider ‘normal’ existence. We compare ourselves (and others) to our neighbors, friends and media etc….. to decide where we fall on the scale of ‘success’. The scale of ‘greater than/lesser than’. We look to the outside to understand merit and value instead of from the inner sense of self. We tend to tune out our ‘intuition’ and override this with external source information that doesn’t always serve us. But what if we interrupted this process and let ourselves witness all of it from a place within us that is not ‘lacking’? A place that is not ‘small’ but infinite and loving…..a place that honestly knows nobody is ‘better’ than anyone else, just different.
We get to choose the behaviors we keep alive and pay forward to each generation that comes. In all my teaching and travels I have yet to meet someone who says they enjoy or find positive tools in this unique human quality of self deprecation, feeling bad about oneself, the system of judging that inevitably puts someone at the bottom so someone else can be toward the top, the lens of always looking outside yourself to know how to feel inside yourself…..etc.
How do you relate to any of this……?
Do you find any curiosity…….
Take a moment and see if you can touch this……2 minutes. Just sit and breathe and relax. Invite (slowly) the feeling or idea of there is nothing lacking within you and that nobody is actually ‘better than’ anyone else (yourself included). See if you can touch that calm truth for just a moment. Notice the ‘chatter’ and thoughts that come and what you touch upon. Just notice…..nothing else. Perhaps once a week (or once a day) revisit this little practice and see how it shifts…….and again simply notice what comes without judging it. No pressure….just curiosity.
Thanks for reading….
blessings
Jacqueline