Stepping Stones

Withdrawal - Week Three

The purpose of our life journey is to give us the opportunity to experience, learn, grow and evolve into more and more of our authentic Self. The first half of life is all about moving through the experiences of life and bumping around in both the pleasant and the painful experiences that are part of everyone’s journey. The second half of life is about making sense of where we have been. As we withdraw into our inner life, we first need to make sense of the ways in which we have felt small, powerless, mistreated or misunderstood in our past. If those old stories are still stored up in our unconscious with negative emotional energy, they will have a way of getting in the way of our progress and repeating themselves until we work through them and heal them.

The wisdom of this part of the hero’s journey is to remember that it is not the events of our life that keep us stuck, but rather how we hold and story them that gives them the power to keep us from our highest Self. If we can remember that we are moving through the world with other imperfect human beings on their own difficult journeys, we can forgive and release the ways in which we have been hurt or mistreated. If we can honor our feelings about the past and work with the messages they bring forward for our healing, they will provide us with the passion and the current to move us toward our highest Self.

A great rabbi was once asked if he believed in reincarnation. He replied that if he did he wouldn’t wait until he was dead to try it. The wise rabbi reminds us that every day is an opportunity to be reborn, to experience resurrection from our wounded past, and to live more and more fully in the light of our soul. Wishing you courage, wisdom and grace as you make your way.

Weekly Stepping Stones

What old stories of pain or suffering from your past are asking for your time and attention to heal? Can you look back on these experiences with deep compassion for yourself and for the others involved? Can you journal about the feelings that have gotten stuck and release yourself to move forward on your journey?