Returning Divided Parts of the Self, Piece by Piece
December 5, 2022
Learning to return different parts of ourselves to wholeness is like putting together pieces of a puzzle — once you piece together the edges, you will soon see the overall picture much more clearly and thus, make the necessary connections to move closer to the center. Becoming familiar with our edges gives us a chance to recognize our triggers, uncover non-supportive thought patterns, and thus become more self-aware. This practice starts with purposeful exploration. Purposeful exploration is multifaceted, much like a puzzle. We first place our attention on one piece of our lives, connecting us to other pieces in the life puzzle. At first, we might initially seem very puzzled (no pun intended), but once we have a clear and connected view, we can begin to work from the outside in.
Let’s explore what edges are and how they can help us return to wholeness.
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There are several ways to conceptualize the idea of meeting your edges. Our edges are typically the parts of ourselves that make us feel fear, disconnection, and resistance. A few real-life examples of these things can range from meeting someone who reminds us too much of our shadow self, finding ourselves in an environment that disrupts our mental equilibrium, or approaching an uncomfortable pose that challenges our balance. When teaching, I often encourage my students to ‘meet their meditative edge’ by inviting them to become aware of where their mind takes them when arriving at a more advanced pose.
Another way that I like to conceptualize mental edges is to uncover disadvantages (triggers) and defaults (habits). When we notice our triggers, we can then get curious about how they make us feel and what happens as a result. The root cause of what puts us at a disadvantage is often interconnected, which is why it is easiest to put the edges of a puzzle together first. Take a few moments to write down some of your common ‘triggers’ and get curious about how you feel when they arise.
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Now that you have a better sense of how your edges affect you, it will be much easier to understand certain thought patterns and thus begin to unravel them, or in this case, fit the pieces of the puzzle together. Typically, the tendencies and thought patterns that keep us living on autopilot, or default are developed in our early life. Some of these include, but are not limited to:
Retreating from the body and the mind (ie. not listening to our intuition and instead going along with our routine or what society expects of us)
Resorting to external “fixes” (ie. relying on the advice of others — parents/caregivers — or external distractions to resolve our problems)
Ruminating on things for too long (ie. getting too attached to things and not being able to let them go or having trouble with forgiveness)
Replacing a sense of inner peace with stress and overwhelm (ie. using the excuse of “I just don’t have enough time”)
Familiarizing ourselves with habits and thought patterns takes preparation and diligent practice, especially when encountering unexpected emotions and experiences. To release limiting beliefs, we must remember that we have everything we need inside of us to unleash disbelief and move from default and disadvantage to divine and sublime.
Can you see the pieces of the puzzle coming together? With conscious awareness, we begin to accept that this puzzle piece of life is quite complex. It isn’t meant to come together all at once, and it is meant to challenge us. Yes, you will try and fit pieces together that don’t belong, but with patience, you will learn to find what fits where and eventually end up with a beautiful Self-portrait. Remember, you are a vast being who is strong enough to venture out into the uncertainty and learn to work with your inner intelligence to move from a place of discomfort to opportunity, from confusion to compassion, and from fear to love.
May You Be Safe.
May You Be Happy.
May You Be Healthy.
May You Be at Ease.
Prayer of the Day: Dear Divine One, I pray for the courage to engage in purposeful exploration of myself to release limiting beliefs and see the whole truth more clearly. Aum. Peace. Amen.
