Deep Openings

An Opening has appeared. I find myself turning away. There is resistance. What’s up?

Going Deep

There are many kinds of Openings. Sometimes, they ask us to go deep and mine the depths of our experiences with their joys, disappointments, failures, relationships, feelings and perspectives. We are not always prepared for a dive into ourselves. Our society loves the superficial and keeping things smooth. Going deep brings up messy things.

We have noted before that some believe that life is a schoolhouse – that we are here to learn and grow.  To grow, we sometimes must go deep. Our life experiences are good at staying hidden because when we are young, we do not have the means to deal with them. At the same time, although hidden, they significantly influence our actions and beliefs well into adulthood. They can have a powerful influence on how we live our lives.

Socrates, the Greek philosopher, said that the unexamined life is not worth living. Perhaps his reasoning was that without examination we don’t really know who we are. We are complex beings. We are a mosaic of our experiences, emotions and minds. To know our full selves, we must look at every aspect of who we are. The hard part is finding a roadmap that works for us. Some find it on their own as seekers. Others use modalities such as healing or therapy. Others are thrown into self-examination by the tumultuous nature of their lives.

Choice and Courage

When we encounter a deep Opening, we are faced with a choice whether to enter it or not. Acknowledging and exercising our power of choice is a first step in going deep. Often, we overlook this power of choice. We feel we are being forced or are a victim of our circumstances. Or we feel obliged to do what others think is best for us. This doesn’t serve our best interests. We can consider outside factors but must make the choice ourselves.

We are always choosing. What to eat, where to go, how to live, who to be in relationship with. There are routine choices, significant choices and transformational ones. Our choices may not always be made consciously. When deep Openings appear, our choices need to be conscious ones. Getting good at decision-making and being clear about what we want for our lives helps us successfully navigate the choices we are faced with.

Courage is often called for when we face deep Openings. Are we willing to delve into ourselves, to the good and the bad that are part of us? Someone once said to me that those with courage go into the deepest part of their wounds and find the seeds of wisdom that are planted there.