Just Trying to Understand Ourselves (and the World)

Dear friends,

It seems that many of us are regularly seeking answers to what might be happening within, and around, us than ever before. We spend hours looking things up on the internet, talking to friends about whatever is going on in our lives, or maybe devouring books, podcasts or videos. The social media phenomenon also is no coincidence. We want to connect with other people and learn about their lives.  

And why do we do these things?  I don't think it's because we are just nosy and want to see what other people are up to (although there is an element of that).

I think that it is because, subconsciously, we are just trying to understand ourselves, and why things happen in our lives and in the world around us.  

We want to put things in their place, we want logically to be able to make sense of it all. I believe that is also why many of us have sought out our spiritual selves as a place for answers and guidance. (And I put together another video here on the topic if you're interested in hearing more about my thoughts on that.)

But here's a piece of what I've come to learn in my short time in this life: sometimes we will never get all of the answers we seek. 

We might be stuck with the not knowing, with the mystery. We are left hanging. And that doesn't feel good to us. We want to know! We are insatiable creatures who have the capacity to expand our brains to infinite places (check out this movie Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind on the topic for what you might have missed the first time).

We may never know every the reason for why something happens to us, around us or within us. And maybe that is okay. Yes, we can receive guidance from beyond ourselves, from a higher (or lower) realm of wisdom and love. But part of being human, at least what I believe to be true, is that we are here to evolve and grow.

We are born into each life with no memory of any past lives we may have had or no knowledge of what we are here to do. As Elizabeth Gilbert said so eloquently in her book Big Magic, we are here on this planet to uncover the "strange jewels" that lie within each of us. To me, that means that we each have lessons to learn in our evolution as a soul (patience? acceptance? unconditional love?), and those lessons show up in various forms. It's just a matter of taking the time to notice that a lesson is there in an experience (often it's not always a fun one) and pausing to reflect on what learning there is to be had.  

I also believe that the "strange jewels" are about us each having a purpose to accomplish, or maybe several, in our lives. We each have a talent, a passion for something, and usually that shows up when we are children. Often, though, we tend to lose that passion, or forget what it was, as we grow older and our ego minds start to take over and convince us that we need to forget our passion and focus on "reality."  

But some of us don't forget it. My husband (Chris Kemp White) started playing music at a very young age and is still doing that to this day.  His pursing his passion (while teaching history as a day job), and his sharing music to help uplift the world around him is endlessly inspiring for me with my writing (or attempts at it). And Chris has a new record out (literally - it's a vintage-style record - only $10! - that comes with a free digital download) out on Leesta Vall Records! It comes with a pretty amazing song (listen here to It's Never the Right Time, with some subtle messages about this exact topic). Pick up a copy for an early holiday gift? And.. here's an interview with Chris on WBLM's recent show here - starts at minute 11:00).

We each have passions that we actively pursue or that are dormant within us. And how to uncover them? Trust, patience and a little bit of work on getting that ego mind to quiet down.

And as for the rest of life... let's relax a little and maybe accept that part of the wondrous joy in living is that we may never understand why life unfolds for us the way it does, or why events occur around us in what may seem like a haphazard way. If we could anticipate each event before it occurs, or if we understood perfectly why everything happened, life just wouldn't have the same spark to it, would it? 

Hope you can enjoy the un-knowing in the meantime...  (and you can check out my newest offerings - with individuals, virtually and with groups if you'd like to integrate more of this approach in your own life). Let's keep the hope and our eyes on a bright future. Because it is, I believe, incredibly bright.