Your writing reminds me that my episodes of going through the doldrums are quite similar. I've been wrestling with self-doubt and judgement the last few weeks and have told myself similar fables. Why can't I meditate/prayer walk/journal it all away? If I was truly a spiritual person, I would have overcome this already. The more likely truth is that if I don't go through some dark nights of the soul, I'm probably playing it safe. I'm avoiding the tectonic shifts within. Acceptance leads to integration which helps me towards healing and wholeness. Thanks for the reminder this morning.
Thanks for sharing this Todd. I think we can expend a lot of energy ignoring, pushing away, fighting against these uncomfortable invitations. Yes, I think dark nights are integral to being human, to living into our humanity. You’re welcome for the reminder. I really want my essays to be companions for my readers, so I’m happy when that happens!
I resonate so much with this part of the journey Emily and the importance of voicing it to someone who truly gets it. I’ve never heard of a Spiritual Companion/Director it’s a really useful way of describing what is often difficult to explain.
Hi Louise. Yes, a lot of people haven’t heard of Spiritual Companioning. It’s an old practice but is experiencing a kind renaissance lately as the need for welcoming space and nonjudgmental listeners is so important right now (although, when has it not been?). We really need to be heard. Thank you again for sharing.
I love this. This humanness is an uncomfortable fact of life. Your spiritual companioning resonates. I experience this kind of acceptance of my human self in a group I'm in. I would recommend this experience to anyone. I'm so glad you offer it and receive it.
“My sense of a solid self, and one with firm footing, has also increased as it does each time I welcome another part of me.” Yes! This is my experience as well, particularly with the inner landscape of depression. Thank you for articulating it in this way.
This is so heart-felt, Emily. From my past days as a pychotherapist and my current life as an old person I believe that problems never do go away, we just become better at managing them. I think about the truth of the saying. "Expectation is the first step to disappointment." So there's that.
What you are noticing in the natural world is much like my vistas and the show will continue to get even more beautiful. Hurray for Autumn.
Enjoy your knitting. I was once a sock knitter until my eyes and fingers revolted. That repetition was such a centering task ending in beautiful and utilitarian results.
Thanks so much for this Frances. I’m wondering if at some point my body will also revolt against these fiddly, precise tasks like knitting and sewing. I like to think that in returning over and over to my “stuff,” rubbing up against it, I get a chance to remember I’m whole. Like the “stuff” shapes me, but in a way that expands rather than deforms. Of course, I don’t always feel that way! Thank you for being here.
Your writing reminds me that my episodes of going through the doldrums are quite similar. I've been wrestling with self-doubt and judgement the last few weeks and have told myself similar fables. Why can't I meditate/prayer walk/journal it all away? If I was truly a spiritual person, I would have overcome this already. The more likely truth is that if I don't go through some dark nights of the soul, I'm probably playing it safe. I'm avoiding the tectonic shifts within. Acceptance leads to integration which helps me towards healing and wholeness. Thanks for the reminder this morning.
Thanks for sharing this Todd. I think we can expend a lot of energy ignoring, pushing away, fighting against these uncomfortable invitations. Yes, I think dark nights are integral to being human, to living into our humanity. You’re welcome for the reminder. I really want my essays to be companions for my readers, so I’m happy when that happens!
I resonate so much with this part of the journey Emily and the importance of voicing it to someone who truly gets it. I’ve never heard of a Spiritual Companion/Director it’s a really useful way of describing what is often difficult to explain.
Hi Louise. Yes, a lot of people haven’t heard of Spiritual Companioning. It’s an old practice but is experiencing a kind renaissance lately as the need for welcoming space and nonjudgmental listeners is so important right now (although, when has it not been?). We really need to be heard. Thank you again for sharing.
I love this. This humanness is an uncomfortable fact of life. Your spiritual companioning resonates. I experience this kind of acceptance of my human self in a group I'm in. I would recommend this experience to anyone. I'm so glad you offer it and receive it.
Thank you, Michelle!
“My sense of a solid self, and one with firm footing, has also increased as it does each time I welcome another part of me.” Yes! This is my experience as well, particularly with the inner landscape of depression. Thank you for articulating it in this way.
Thank you for sharing this, Melinda. It helps me to know you’ve had a similar experience.
This is so heart-felt, Emily. From my past days as a pychotherapist and my current life as an old person I believe that problems never do go away, we just become better at managing them. I think about the truth of the saying. "Expectation is the first step to disappointment." So there's that.
What you are noticing in the natural world is much like my vistas and the show will continue to get even more beautiful. Hurray for Autumn.
Enjoy your knitting. I was once a sock knitter until my eyes and fingers revolted. That repetition was such a centering task ending in beautiful and utilitarian results.
Thanks so much for this Frances. I’m wondering if at some point my body will also revolt against these fiddly, precise tasks like knitting and sewing. I like to think that in returning over and over to my “stuff,” rubbing up against it, I get a chance to remember I’m whole. Like the “stuff” shapes me, but in a way that expands rather than deforms. Of course, I don’t always feel that way! Thank you for being here.