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We Must Work From The Outside In As Well As The Inside Out
We are taught that spiritual life requires an inward turning. In doing so, we neglect another part of life that has equal power to transform us – life’s outer manifestations. We are so focused on our inner life that we often become immobilized as we wait for a new feeling to overtake us before we make a change. We are looking for that inner green light. Sometimes, we wait forever and the feeling never comes.
To concentrate solely on one way of changing is to deny the complexity of how the universe works. Energy is constantly moving and nothing stays the same. If we are to remain vigilant and make good choices, we need to maximize all our options.
If energy creates form then form also creates energy. That is, if what we feel inside is capable of creating certain events in our life, aren’t certain things we do also able to alter the way we feel? For example, some of us meditate every day. It’s difficult to get up an hour earlier each day and sit, hoping the mind will become quiet. It doesn’t feel natural, but we remain disciplined and do it anyway. And then one day our mind stops churning and we are filled with a sense of equanimity and contentment. Simply the act of placing our body in the same spot every day, regardless of how we feel, has a power all its own. It sends a message of longing to the inner Self and sets the stage by creating a new form for energy to fill. This newly created vehicle will again connect us to our feelings and take us back to our inner Self.
It is never easy to embrace a new way of doing things even when we know it is in our best interest. We don’t feel very good and forcing ourselves to do something new feels unnatural. But if we understand how energy works, we realize that it is precisely this feeling that is heralding a change for the better. We are stuck. We have gone as far as we can go without doing something different. Unless we are willing to stretch ourselves and reach out into the world, we will never be able to create new forms to express who we are. We cannot use our inner life as a weapon, forcing us to retreat from a world that won’t let us hide. When we do, we cut ourselves off from a lifeline of possibilities, fresh and different ways to experience the world.
Life is organic. All the pieces fit together with no one part being any more spiritual than any other. Our inner life feeds the outer, and the outer nourishes the inner. This symbiotic relationship permeates all of life and until we tap into that rhythm, our life remains disjointed. No one can tell us when to stay quiet and wait for insight, or when to move out into the world with a sense of purpose and discipline. At each moment, only we can decide how to become more, and what we need to do to get there.
from Reality Works - Let It Happen Copyright Chandra Alexander
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Well written. I definitely agree that the things you do can affect the way you feel. You can act your way into thinking, and change your life that way.
It is true that the spiritual life needs an inward turning.we often forget we must work from the outside in and the inside out. You need to understand the inner meaning of spirituality.
This is such an important concept to understand. It is easy to be caught up doing it one way or the other (turning in, or stepping out) and there has to be a balance. Thank you for writing this because I can personally relate to this subject.
You are absolutely right about how are life effects how are body feels. And it is a good idea to change the way we think in order for our body to heep properly.
That was a very interesting blog Coachgirl! It is really hard just to try to sit quietly and let the mind relax! I'm going to try your idea!
Excellent idea, which I think are unfortunately often overlooked. I agree that changing behaviors is tough, but I've found that just a little focus goes a very long way.
Very well written. Changing behaviors can be one of the toughest things a person can do, but it's so important to try. Thanks for another awesome blog!
A friend and I just spoke about this today. Changing habits is very difficult no matter how beneficial the change may be but it can be done if one just tries. I just called her to read this blog and hope she enjoys it as much as I did.
I was raised in a church or pentecost, and they had their ways of getting you to change your habits. Yes, most of them were pretty drastic. But, it's their religion. You could no longer wear make-up, pants, or jewelry. No tattoo's, no cussing, no drinking, no drugs, and you were meant to put all your time and thought into Christ. I was in this church, until the age of 16. I haven't gone back since. I lost my faith, thanks to the typical religion hypocrits.
I totally agree that what we do has an overall effect on how we feel. If we learn to change our habits that keep us trapped, we can find a new more exciting way to live in the moment.
To be honest, I thought there was a lot of "fluff" in this piece. A lot of insubstantial wording and phrasing, without actually saying much.
A beautiful explanation to life which is a coin with inner life and outer life as its two faces. The author sensibly writes about the importance of both sides of this coin for leading a purposeful life.The complex spiritualism is made simple and explained in a paragraph. It is a good work and I think it is useful for every one of us.
I like the way you think. Energy never dies; it only changes form. The energy you feel/think/breath/live is what makes the energy that is your life. You can not do one thing and have it not affect something else in your life or the lives of others. Changing your energy flow is hard; I agree. But in changing that flow, you have the ability to change so many other flows for the better that it is worth the struggle.
Changing how you view things and the habits you have can be hard. I think that reading this post has shown me to see that it can be worth all the hard work. The benefit at the end of the change is well worth it!
I agree with poster "JohnMcAdams" - there's really not any info in this article.
Now that's nice. Put yourself in the meditative position long enough and you'll meditate, yes? In a nutshell, do it 'til you're doing it.
This is a good reminder not to let one part of us go unnoticed. We sometimes become so involved with one part of our life that we neglect other areas.
I agree. I've started to do yoga and its extremely spiritual and really can change your outlike on the oncoming day, or life itself!
most people would find this very informative in these times. if people can be in touch with themselves, a lot can change in life.
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