The Discernment of Authenticity
The audience to which I write is no longer intended for a scholarly ear, but to those who I serve. I serve those who are on their path to becoming better listeners of their own inner voice and in pursuit of discovering their true self. Carl Jung calls this the path to individuation, while others know it as enlightenment and the return to Self. Whatever you choose to name the ultimate “so what?” of life, everything that I write is for you. I write of what I know from my inner-most self with the awareness that there is so much more that I do not know, but what few subjects I have found of value in my own journey thus far.
There exists a concept that the more knowledge you receive, the more you realize there is so much more of which you are unaware. As we begin to expand ourselves and venture out into the unknown of the physical world, we begin to feel the vastness of our reach while remaining so small in the grand scheme. Seeing more, experiencing more, learning more… It can be daunting with what short time we have on this planet; however, there came a point for me when a shift from “there is so much to learn” became a surrender to simply, “there is so much”. Another way I can try to explain this is there is no possibility of knowing everything, so I’m going to learn what comes my way by my interest and by opportunity and taking those opportunities as they come. Rather than feeling overwhelmed with the infinite possibilities of what’s out there, this mindset created space for the possibilities.
There is a sense of liberation that comes with the wisdom of knowing that you can’t know everything. Discernment becomes of great importance, an act of thoughtful prioritizing of what you have the capacity for holding by following your inner truth. I invite you to approach the world with curiosity, to question and challenge everyone, even me. Our inner knowing is how we know what we know to be true. This is why inner work is incredibly important as a fundamental part of living an authentic life.
The tools I share with you are not for telling you how to think – they are to guide you to how to become attuned to listen. Listening to your gut, so to speak. How do we know what we know to be true? It’s much less of using a critical thinking mind and much more somatic knowing within the body. Our bodies have been with us for all the things our psyche has endured, and trust me, it is extremely intelligent. Truth equates to what you know from your previous experience and your own somatic intelligence. What I try to impart upon you - whether it’s what comes up during a one on one session, a group workshop or while reading these articles - are not answers, but the tools which have served me well in my personal practice of becoming a more effective inner listener. I hope that they may serve as ways to quiet the noise so that you may tap into your inner voice with confidence.
We all get stuck sometimes and look for help to get through, but I believe that we should be looking for ways to perceive our inner truth more clearly. Help is not someone doing the work for you, but perhaps showing you the way. Guidance, when done to serve others, is gentle, respectful and supportive to that person’s path by not assuming to know their path. Always question and be wary of those who say they know, especially those who assure you that they know how to fix you, guide you or heal you. It may be best to heed that as a warning that they don’t have answers for you because you are nothing to fix. This is not an act of service, but an act of ego.
I don’t have the answers you seek, and advice is rarely taken because we learn best for ourselves through our own experiential living; however, I will support you in the ways that my experience and education have guided and served me. This work involves learning the tools when you are more apt to integrate, then applying them when you are in need. This is true self help. I am not a healer (and you may know how distant I feel from that term) because you are the one doing the work and, therefore, you are your own healer. What I can be for you is a facilitator, an initiator, a witness and a safe space for personal growth to unfold.
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