Good post. Having internal peace is a quest for all of us. So, how do you achieve it? One suggestion I have is to practice unconditional love. Just towards a few people in your life but there you practice forgiveness and ‘move on’.
I love the suggestion of practicing unconditional love. I think it's a challenging concept for many, especially if they've never experienced it. I consider the practice of non-attachment (in relationship) to be closely related to unconditional love and a key component to inner peace, as is surrendering to something larger than ourselves. I think we need to trust that there is an intelligence at work (not necessarily God, or Gods--though if that's your jam and it works to encourage letting go of things you can't control, go with it!) Otherwise, we're driven to attempt to control external circumstances. Inner peace is independent of external circumstances.
Shadow work is also pretty key. Until we "slay our dragons" and uncover the parts of ourselves that have been split off and relegated to the shadow, we'll continue to project those "demons" onto others. Most of the time, the demons aren't as scary as we make them and can actually be put to good, creative use in our lives--if we do the work to discover and integrate them.
I’m doing that everyday. I had rejected Christianity but not spirituality. It didn’t work. I’ve been listening to all of RFKjr’s interviews and he inspired me to return to God through Christianity and prayer. It’s given me the peace but also the strength we all need to face this beast and everything that’s coming. We need a lot of strength.
"It didn't work." I think it's so important to recognize what's working for us on a soul level, and it sounds like you found your way back to a faith that can support you toward inner peace?
Thought provoking article! It reminds me that blaming others leads nowhere except to more unconsciousness -- which creates still more blame and so it spirals. It has to stop somewhere.
People who are conscious don't act in hurtful ways. So we can't blame somebody for something they're unconscious of. Yes, take action to correct it but we cannot blame them.
Much wisdom in this comment! When we're behaving in ways that are hurtful to others, that's a good indicator that something's alive in our shadow that needs our attention. Blame offers us a way to (unconsciously) avoid the painful, scary task of illuminating our shadow. There's a great little video that captures Brene Brown describing the function of blame that I share often with clients: https://youtu.be/TZpVTWiFlGw?si=nJEyBRTtpvPpDAkz
My friend in permaculture, Paul Wheaton, has a saying "saving the world through learning new stuff, instead of being angry at bad guys." I highly recommend his stuff, it's practical, not psychological, and tons of it is free at permies.com
I've heard him say this! Love it and that was certainly one of my early strategies and something the SMP Center offers mom. We focus on learning about (admittedly many psychological) concepts that can help us shift perspective and reorient to our pain so that it serves us.
I'm still a permies.com subscriber and there is indeed a ton of free content. Btw, I'm just returning from being unplugged, foraging, and learning more about the local plant life with Tom Elpel's book, Botany in a Day. Do you know him? I know he's taught classes for Paul's permaculture workshops.
Hiya (a month later - don't look at Substack as much as I should)
I don't know Tom Elpel, but I know that Paul holds him in high esteem.
If you know a parent whose kid needs to leave the house, but they don't want to send them to college, going to Wheaton Labs to join the bootcamp is an excellent alternative.
Of course, it's up to the parent to sell the idea to the kid, he's not equipped for sulky self centered brats, but you learn a LOT, you are outside doing things with your body, you are eating organic food. HOWEVER, you are not away from the internet, he has Starlink.
Good post. Having internal peace is a quest for all of us. So, how do you achieve it? One suggestion I have is to practice unconditional love. Just towards a few people in your life but there you practice forgiveness and ‘move on’.
What are some other ways?
I love the suggestion of practicing unconditional love. I think it's a challenging concept for many, especially if they've never experienced it. I consider the practice of non-attachment (in relationship) to be closely related to unconditional love and a key component to inner peace, as is surrendering to something larger than ourselves. I think we need to trust that there is an intelligence at work (not necessarily God, or Gods--though if that's your jam and it works to encourage letting go of things you can't control, go with it!) Otherwise, we're driven to attempt to control external circumstances. Inner peace is independent of external circumstances.
Shadow work is also pretty key. Until we "slay our dragons" and uncover the parts of ourselves that have been split off and relegated to the shadow, we'll continue to project those "demons" onto others. Most of the time, the demons aren't as scary as we make them and can actually be put to good, creative use in our lives--if we do the work to discover and integrate them.
Thanks for the comment and thoughtful question!
I’m doing that everyday. I had rejected Christianity but not spirituality. It didn’t work. I’ve been listening to all of RFKjr’s interviews and he inspired me to return to God through Christianity and prayer. It’s given me the peace but also the strength we all need to face this beast and everything that’s coming. We need a lot of strength.
"It didn't work." I think it's so important to recognize what's working for us on a soul level, and it sounds like you found your way back to a faith that can support you toward inner peace?
I did but still struggle. I fear so much about the future now. I’m trying to make it a habit to turn to God.
I think these times call for us to surrender to something larger than ourselves. I hope this brings you comfort!
Thought provoking article! It reminds me that blaming others leads nowhere except to more unconsciousness -- which creates still more blame and so it spirals. It has to stop somewhere.
People who are conscious don't act in hurtful ways. So we can't blame somebody for something they're unconscious of. Yes, take action to correct it but we cannot blame them.
Much wisdom in this comment! When we're behaving in ways that are hurtful to others, that's a good indicator that something's alive in our shadow that needs our attention. Blame offers us a way to (unconsciously) avoid the painful, scary task of illuminating our shadow. There's a great little video that captures Brene Brown describing the function of blame that I share often with clients: https://youtu.be/TZpVTWiFlGw?si=nJEyBRTtpvPpDAkz
That's a great video and it's going into my list of resources to share. Thanks!
My friend in permaculture, Paul Wheaton, has a saying "saving the world through learning new stuff, instead of being angry at bad guys." I highly recommend his stuff, it's practical, not psychological, and tons of it is free at permies.com
I've heard him say this! Love it and that was certainly one of my early strategies and something the SMP Center offers mom. We focus on learning about (admittedly many psychological) concepts that can help us shift perspective and reorient to our pain so that it serves us.
I'm still a permies.com subscriber and there is indeed a ton of free content. Btw, I'm just returning from being unplugged, foraging, and learning more about the local plant life with Tom Elpel's book, Botany in a Day. Do you know him? I know he's taught classes for Paul's permaculture workshops.
Hiya (a month later - don't look at Substack as much as I should)
I don't know Tom Elpel, but I know that Paul holds him in high esteem.
If you know a parent whose kid needs to leave the house, but they don't want to send them to college, going to Wheaton Labs to join the bootcamp is an excellent alternative.
Of course, it's up to the parent to sell the idea to the kid, he's not equipped for sulky self centered brats, but you learn a LOT, you are outside doing things with your body, you are eating organic food. HOWEVER, you are not away from the internet, he has Starlink.