Practice

April 7, 2014

Practice

Healing is so personal, isn’t it?  We go to doctors and therapists to heal our bodies and hearts.  We read books, take workshops, confide in trusted family or friends.   And in the end, we’re healed, or not.

 The “or not” part depends on how we see “healing.”   Healing doesn’t come from our outer world; it’s the natural process of our inner world. 

 Think about it.  If you injure your hand, a doctor can stitch it to keep it from getting worse, load it with antibiotics to prevent infection, and wrap it to prevent further insult; restoration just happens after that – it’s natural.  The doctor may have created the environment, but the healing came from you.  You respected the wound and kept it safe from continued injury.  You committed the time, patience, determination and understanding necessary for your natural wholeness to be restored.

 That’s the way it is with wounded hearts too.  A safe environment in our outer world is created for us in the form of supportive family, friends and advisors.  The form can continue with reading materials, counseling, meditations, prayer practices and workshops, but we’re the ones who have to make the effort; the healing is only successful if we do the inner-world work.

It’s a bit like playing the piano.  You can get the best teachers and books.  You can watch all the “youtube” videos to see how others play the same tune.  You can listen to the music of all the other artists, but until you put your own fingers on your own keys of your own piano, you’ll never hear your own music.

 And, as with playing the piano, it takes practice.  A note at a time, a measure at a time, a tune at a time.  And soon you begin to realize your music is inside you.  You just have to listen.

Posted in Intention-Tune-Ups

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“When I despair, I remember that all through history the ways of truth and love have always won. There have been tyrants, and murderers, and for a time they can seem invincible, but in the end they always fall. Think of it--always.” – Ghandi