I have been thinking lately about how easy it is to fool ourselves into believing that we are acting in a way that is impeccable. Rationalize, rationalize, rationalize.
The human mind is a master at imagination, at creating stories, with many possible storylines and trap doors. It sometimes feels like a hall of mirrors. How do you want to look today? We can find a way to make that happen…no matter what…
I am doing what is right, what anyone would do. “I’m good enough. I’m smart enough. And doggone it, people like me.” Stuart Smalley, Saturday Night Live
The mind is happy to create back doors at a moment’s notice.
But, what if we didn’t have a back door…? What if we had to come face to face with our own beingness? I think we are so afraid that we would find something heinous and unacceptable that we twist ourselves into all kinds of versions of ourselves, just to keep from seeing the truth. Well, the truth is a double-edged sword, isn’t it? A transformative power. It strips us of those carnival-like images of ourselves and the world, and it reveals a deeper, beautiful reality. Here is the true beauty – in our truth, our primal spirituality, not in our carnival clothes…
What makes you so sure that meeting the truth of yourself would be so awful?
What if we just let go of the stories, of the distorted mirrors that keep us trapped in the pretend game…?
Are you willing to try it? What might that mean for you, to be willing to let go of excuses, to be willing to hit the wall, to see the wall transform into the front door, the needle’s eye…? Although there are various explanations for the Biblical quote about the camel and the needle’s eye, including that ‘camel’ indicated ‘rope’, as rope at the time was made of camel hair (www.biblicalhebrew.com), the image is compelling as it evokes the degree of willingness to release external ‘possessions’ that is required in order to move into a new consciousness.
What’s your camel?
Ego?
Desire?
Comfort?
Control?
Food?
Substances?
Apathy?
I know I am gritting my teeth. But I am also tired of the house of mirrors. I am ready to come home to my primal spirituality, to come home through the front door, rather than keep building imaginal back doors and bundles to pile on my back that keep me heavy and trapped in a lie.
How about you? What would it take for you to let go of your stories?
Are you ready to walk through the front door of your life?
– Dr. Maria Zayas
Dr. Maria Zayas is a practicing psychologist, teacher and researcher in integrative health and well-being. Dr. Zayas uses her scientific knowledge and holistic perspective to design growth experiences that are uplifting and playful. She is a great believer in the healing power inherent in everyone, and the power of a caring community in restoring the capacity of individuals to live a full, meaningful and joyful life.