THE BATTLE WITHIN
The network which is the mind retains memories, some obvious, some subliminal. We bring these to the fore at any given time, like a state-of-the-art computer brings forward data. We depend on our mind to make decisions, create strategies and inform our choices. The mind is a strong presence, and in our culture, the mind is Supreme. We encourage learning, we value the intellect, we appreciate advanced technology and we depend on science to better our lives. And there is nothing intrinsically wrong with that.
However, we are not our minds. In a country of Human Doings, the Human Being has been set aside. The quality associated with Being is more subtle, but no less powerful. It may not be the actor who takes front stage, instead it is behind the scenes, directing the action. It sources from the soul and from the heart. It is not rational, it may very well fly in the face of logic, yet it is always present and subtly drives us regardless of our ability to acknowledge it. We tend to deny our feelings and our intuitions, depending more on empirical data to conduct our lives and to validate our choices. Annie Besant claims: "Refusal to believe until proof is given is a rational position. Denial of all outside of our own limited experience is absurd." Our limited experience must expand to include the intangible, some would say faith, those things not apparent yet available to us if we truly "see" and listen.
Yet we constantly deny the Inner Voice, the Soul Voice, which in its wisdom shows us the path to our own personal Truth. This is cause for great disharmony. A battle rages between the mind and the soul. What is our Truth and what is it based on? How do we incorporate the soul's requirement for the sacred in such a secular environment? How can we live a life which integrates our essential self and our ego personality? How will we choose work which is meaningful yet compensated? How will we run our businesses for both profit and integrity?
Thomas Moore in his book, "Care of the Soul" makes the statement that care of the Soul is not problem solving, or getting rid of anything. He states, "Soul is not a thing, but a quality or a dimension of experiencing life and ourselves. It has to do with depth, value, relatedness, heart, and personal substance." In this context, we are all able to, and deserve to, live integrated, soulful lives which can function well in the world and not at the expense of our essential self. We can bring this quality into our work, careers, and family lives using intention, awareness, compassion and presence. Our minds and souls need not be at odds. Life does not have to be the battlefield of struggle for power between mind and soul. Indeed, in our personal lives as well as on a global level of mass consciousness, what is required for our next evolutionary step is acknowledgement of both sources of wisdom and equal respect for empirical and transcendental experiences. ~Alicia M. Rodriguez
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