How do we integrate our divinity with our humanness? It's a question I've been pondering for some time.
I've seen within myself and others how spirituality can at times lead to a disconnect from our innate humanness. In spiritual circles, you will often hear the phrases, it's all divine, it was all meant to happen this way, just let it go, you're in your ego, they're just a mirror of you, and you created this, are often banded around like a spiritual band-aid. There is a deep esoteric truth to all the popular spiritual lingo, but at times it can bypass some of our deepest wounds and can cause harm to tender traumatised parts of our being. It can misdirect the seeker from the very thing they are seeking, truth and knowledge. In the west, we live in a society where we are programmed with a pace of life which is out of alignment with nature. Nature isn't always blossoming, and neither are we. Sometimes we need the time and space to heal, sometimes not everything is divine, sometimes you can't just let it go and sometimes the person who has hurt you isn't a mirror, but a predator.
Our inner world is a rich fertile landscape, humans are fascinating multifaceted and multidimensional beings. Just like we have an external human family, we also have an internal one. All these parts and aspects of ourselves play crucial roles in our inner world. Our angels, demons, lovers, troublemakers, firecrackers, judges, victims, and critics all reside within. Amidst all these human aspects is our true divine nature where our deep compassion, courage, curiosity, and care can be found. No wonder we are so intriguing to other beings. Could what the Gnostics refer to as archons be aspects of our own darkness in another realm? Another blog for another day.
What I've noticed from my own experience, is I was using spirituality to manage my inner world. That might sound like a great idea, but while my spiritual manger was in post and in charge of all aspects of my being, my true self was not. Every spiritual tradition is guiding us toward our true essence, but in our quick fix fast food society, many are using spiritual practices as a way of avoiding deep wounds. I say this not as a judgment, but as truth. I inner-stand that it's tough to face the shadow side and how warm and blissful chasing the light can feel. It's hard to meet the parts of ourselves we've kept locked away. It's hard to live in a world of conflict, greed, and control, and at times it can be easier to turn the other cheek. My spirit, however, was not allowing for this and plummeted me into the dark night of the soul, the spiritual manager had to take a step back, and the real work had to begin. I had to start listening to my inner world as parts of my being were at war. It came into my awareness that I need to integrate my humanness with my divinity, and I needed to listen to all my parts from this realm and beyond. I had to care and nurture my inner child, I had to shine a beacon of light on the darkness parts of my subconscious, I had to feel it and heal and align all my parts to my heart.
I want to share a few things that helped me through, so you can meet your inner world with curiosity and courage.
Love your ego: It's not so spiritual to want to kill? The ego doesn't need to die, the ego can be a humble servant. We need an ego in this reality, it keeps us alive. It's the part of our psyche that stops us from trying to fly off a cliff. Loving the part of you that keeps you alive, may also help keep it in check.
Discernment: While there is a spark of divinity in all, there are also many deeply wounded individuals, usually in positions of power. Where their wounded aspect can take centre stage and interact with wounded parts of others. When my spiritual manger was in charge, I would often only see the divinity in people. Which is a beautiful quality but it can lead to poor boundaries. Now I see both the divine and the human which is healthier for myself and others.
Embody the body: The human body is an incredible machine and when you tune in it will tell you everything you need to know. Get curious with your temple, start to listen to what it is telling you. If your feeling pain speak to it, let it have a voice. What does it want to tell you? How does it feel? You’ll be amazed at what your body knows, there is no greater teacher, healer or doctor than the one within.
Nature: Look at the seasons sometimes it's sunny, sometimes it raining, and life can be the same. If your internal world gets overwhelming sitting quietly and observing nature can be very beneficial. Often profound insights and knowledge can be obtained through the power of listening to our surroundings, the universe is always trying to guide us in the right direction.
Mapping your inner world: A useful exercise which I found very helpful was to map my inner world on paper. I had SELF in the middle, which I represented with a heart and added all my parts around, some parts were words, others pictures, symbols or colours, I let them show themselves as they wish to be seen. I asked them what their role is and what help they needed from me. When I did this, I really started to care for my internal family, they had served me well. I also noticed when I cared for my inner world, I could reach a calm and centred space where I could create.
The very essence of being human is divine, it’s time to befriend, embrace and love all our parts however ugly, dark and brutal they are. If you get curious with these aspects of yourself, you might just find some of your greatest allies.
Be More, Be Excellent, Be You.
Ana-Stasia.