As Within, So Without

None of us are strangers to the chaos that exists in the world today.  There are stress, fear, anger, judgement, cruelty, and distrust at every turn. I have heard many of my clients express a feeling of hopelessness.  Something to the tune of, “There’s nothing I can do, and it feels terrifying!” I have also experienced moments when I have been flooded by hopelessness due to the overwhelming chaos in my little corner of the Universe. 

The reality, however, is not hopeless.  We have much more power to change things than we realize.

Hermes Trismegistus taught in his writings, “As above, so below; as within, so without; as the Universe, so the Soul.” The chaos that exists in our lives is directly connected to the chaos inside of us. 

We are living in a time where people are craving respect, equity, tolerance, patience, compassion, and love.  Unfortunately, we have been living in a world where, for generations, these things have not existed inside of the collective community. We were taught (and expected to fall in line with) disrespect, intolerance, inequality, hatred, selfishness, and the act of “othering” those that are different than us.  The lack of integrity and immature behavior that has been displayed collectively has caused tremendous amounts of pain for many.  That is why the collective is beginning to push back.  We are craving something new. 

We do not magically change from immaturity, dishonesty, and corruption overnight.  It must start with our own microcosms inside of ourselves.  If we want to have a chance to be a compassionate, kind, inclusive society that is full of responsibility, integrity, and authenticity, we must learn to make those changes within ourselves first.  To quote Hermes again, “As within, so without.”

Let me illustrate.

As a young mother of three, I found myself floundering.  I was exhausted, apathetic, and extremely frustrated by the endurance of my depression.  I desperately wanted to feel some smidgeon of joy.  I wanted connection. I craved a life of fulfilment, excitement, and passion.  But that seemed like a fantasy that only existed on social media, not in real life.   

Amidst my suffering, I was taking actions to try and make things better.  I went to “mommy and me” groups.  I was going to yoga and moving my body.  I was eating healthier than I ever had before.  I was working with a therapist. Although I was doing all the “right” things, I was numb to life. The harder I tried, the worse it seemed to get. I felt like I was carrying an invisible mountain of shame that was slowly suffocating me. 

One afternoon, after a particularly difficult therapy session, I was sitting on the edge of my bed feeling utterly defeated.  Why isn’t this working? I used to be happy! I have memories of being happy when I was younger.  Why can’t I feel any of that now?  I began searching the corners of my childhood memories for glimpses of when I was happy.  I tightly clung to the thread, following it from glimpse to glimpse carefully, intently, looking for answers.

The truth was right there inside of my memories the whole time. 

I saw my own self-abandonment for the sake of others.  I saw myself denying my own basic needs for the sake of selfless service.  I saw myself deferring outwardly for approval, validation, and allowing others to define and measure my worthiness. 

No wonder I am so depressed and miserable.  I am acting and behaving in a way as if I hate myself. 

Having that realization was both heartbreaking and illuminating.  Things began to change.

Identifying the incongruency between where I wanted to be and where my thoughts, actions, and behavior were taking me was the first step.  Changing my behavior and acting in harmony with what I really wanted my life to be, allowed for rapid healing to occur.

No matter how sincere our wishful thinking is, self-abandonment, self-loathing, and self-denial will never lead to self-compassion and self-love.  Even if we are taking the “right” actions but deep inside our programming we are functioning from beliefs and patterns that are rooted in dishonesty, incompatibility, and/or a lack of integrity, we will persist in a state of disharmony and chaos. 

“As above, so below; as within, so without; as the Universe, so the Soul.”    

If you are struggling with chaos and overwhelm in your life, feeling like things are hopeless and you don’t know what to do with it all, take heart…and a deep breath.  You have the power to change it and create a place of trust and safety instead.  But trust and safety must first come from within before it can influence without. 

Join me this fall for a powerful course on creating trust and safety within! I will teach you simple and effective practices that can be applied in everyday life that will help you start identifying where you are living out of integrity with yourself.  I will coach and support you in building a space of safety and establish trust within so you can bravely and confidently go out into the world and create the life you have been craving. 

For more information, click here.