Many have written that desire and wanting are the enemy of peace of mind. It has been said that a person will have what they want when they want what they have. The goal then seems to be satisfied with what is happening now. And to do that we need to suspend judgement. What I see is not good or bad - it just is. To the degree I can accept the present moment I can have peace in every moment. Then my endless search for some better thing is suspended. I can relax! Seems this should be easier than it is. Just when I relax the mind says, "Hey look over there".
As I contemplated this subject one day I wrote this poem.
Want
Wanting, wanting, wanting
My monkey mind wants another banana
One more endless banana
And all the while peace closer than hands and feet
Why then do I only feel the pain
Unquenched desire and so I run
And the answer resides within my chest
Turn in you fool
Save yourself
It's not out there
Turn in and dance the eternal peace dance
Dance with saints and angels who know the truth
And now I dance in truth and light
Peace my eternal companion
The state the masters pointed to
Hey, what is that shiny thing over there?
This is a concept that has always puzzled me. I hear the words wounded healer and I think, what does that really mean? Those words don't logically fit together in my brain. It's an oxymoron for me. Why would a healer be wounded? If they are a healer why aren't they themselves healed? After all, a healer should be all-powerful.
Of course, we are all wounded on some level - physical, mental, spiritual - maybe all three at once. Or maybe they are all one. In western culture we are taught to hide our wounds. They are seen as a weakness. If known by others, our wounds could be used against us. This is our fear so we hide our wounds and thus hide ourselves.
What if the wounds are in fact a source of strength? Is that the secret of the wounded healer? One's wounds are a source of strength (when they are made conscious)! In my struggles I can develop compassion and humility. In the answers I have found (as I become conscious of my wounds and work to heal them), may lie solutions for the problems of others. Perceived weaknesses then become strength in the ultimate magic trick. The wounds of the wounded healer become a trusted assistant in the healing process. Instead of hiding our wounds maybe they can be celebrated instead.
There is another aspect of the wounded healer that I recently became personally acquainted with. One week ago I was the guest minister for the Sunday services at the local Unity Church with an afternoon workshop to follow. Leading up to the big day I had been sick with a near constant cough and stuffy head. This illness had been lingering 4 weeks. Certainly not the perfect setup for my speaking engagement or so I thought.
The speaking engagement and workshop went very well somehow. Lives were changed, I do believe! God came through and used me mightily that day. Miracles came through me despite my woundedness. Or maybe because of it.
In retrospect, I wonder, was I more available to God in my weakened condition? Did my lack of physical vitality and strong voice that day cause me to surrender to the process more fully and allow for me to be more powerfully used as a conduit for spirit? If I and my ego had been stronger might my message have been weaker? I'm not sure and I believe the answer to these questions is yes.
One week ago I personally experienced how the wound of the wounded healer can be an asset rather than a block. This was previously less well known to me. Experience is a wonderful teacher. Clearly from weakness strength can be born. A counterintuitive notion which seems to be true.
It has been said that love is the greatest power in the Universe. I would agree! All love starts with self-love. It seems like loving one's self should be easy. However, birth into this world of turmoil takes it's toll on our ability to love ourselves and shuts it down. Whether we are aware of it or not we are born to parents whose world view is largely negative and we learn that negative wold view early on. And as the all or nothing creatures that we are, a negative world view leads to a negative self view.
We then take on the belief that we are defective and unlovable, much like we see the world around us. Eventually, this leads to the opposite of self-love and we fall into self-loathing. Then the long arduous journey to return to love begins. This is the real battle of our lives and the only one that matters! The linked poem speaks to this struggle and the eventual hard won victory!
Shameless by Dan Jones, Ph.D
Taken from PEER Teaching Stories by Dan Jones, PhD, Mandala Press
Welcome to my website and blog. They have been on the pathway of becoming for a long time — my whole life in fact! On my life's pathways I have experienced much and gathered much information.
Some of that experience and information has been helpful to others on their pathways for healing and releasing what no longer serves them. Until now I had no way to disseminate this useful information other than through one-on-one encounters. With the launch of this website and blog I now have a way to get this information out to a wider audience. My hope is that access to this will benefit those who come across it to advance them on their pathways. For that possibility I am so grateful!
Many have written that desire and wanting are the enemy of peace of mind. It has been said that a person will have what they want when they want what they have. The goal then seems to be satisfied with what is happening now. And to do that we need to suspend judgement. What I see is not good or bad - it just is. To the degree I can accept the present moment I can have peace in every moment. Then my endless search for some better thing is suspended. I can relax! Seems this should be easier than it is. Just when I relax the mind says, "Hey look over there".
