“There is benefit for you in every situation. If, that is, you know how to look for it.” My reading of this opening line in a daily thought that arrived in my email inbox filtered through my psyche amidst all of the dramatic events in the lives of the humans in my personal world. It was not necessary to think of the evening news to know a lot is going on.
Joel and I had agreed the theme for this newsletter would be soul consciousness, based roughly on our work with the Drama Triangle, and Blaise Pascal’s, “The heart has its reasons which reason knows not.” For more about the Drama Triangle, see Joel’s newsletter article this month. Much of behavior has been programmed by the values, beliefs, and assumptions of our culture, leaving the real reasons far below our level of conscious awareness. The way we interpret what is happening in our lives is more significant than what is happening. Faced with challenges, some will experience themselves as powerless—victims of unfair and unwanted circumstances. Others will rise above the conditions, seeing gifts hidden within the discomfort and chaos.
The daily thought continued:
The idea behind steady spiritual progress is to see every circumstance and situation (particularly those that challenge you) as a tailor-made lesson in your personal plan for self-development. For example, in a situation where hurtful or angry words were exchanged, why not see it as the chance either to perceive things about your own character which need changing or to rehearse some virtue or quality that you need to put into practice more often? Actually, we should be grateful for the opportunity to evaluate ourselves. In this way you can transform anything into a constructive lesson.
Every challenge is tailor-made for self-development. Hurtful or angry words hold the opportunity to evaluate ourselves and transform everything into a constructive lesson. Goodness, our ability to be aware of this changes everything…
The summary of the daily thought moves us on:
Never think that you’ve learned enough and now can stop. You should love it when people try to correct you or give you advice. It keeps you alert and gives you plenty of opportunity to put your truth into practice. It’s a sign of great danger to be unable to accept criticism and instead use your understanding to criticise others. Realise deeply the significance of every moment, and your spiritual progress will be assured.
Can we be grateful for extreme difficulties because our spiritual progress will be assured? Yes, it is possible! In the short Imagine Healing video, Jane Foster speaks about having had 22 malignant tumors on her liver. If you have not previously watched the interview, you may choose to do that before reading on. If it has been a while, you may want to remind yourself of her message.
Jane was initially angry when I suggested she might one day value the gifts that were coming through these difficult times, but now understands the value of even very difficult times. She has come to see lots of gifts!
Runes (the runic alphabet was used in various Germanic languages before the adoption of the Latin alphabet) can be used to gain insight. From the Disruption Rune, “The more severe the disruption in your life, the more significant and timely the requirements for your growth. In the midst of disruption, at the centre of the storm, take heart: know that the universe and your own soul are demanding that you do, indeed, grow.” (See the entire Disruption Rune message below.)
I am reminded of the day I spent with my dear friends, Claudia and Wayne, after Wayne cut his wrist on his table saw. I had been at the hospital with them and and spent the night. The following morning, amidst their deep pain, I asked for something that would allow me to make sense of our experience. The message from Spirit: Trust whatever we are experiencing is exactly what the soul needs. (See my blog post, Hidden Blessings.)
Another webpage about Disruption sums it up nicely:
Challenges are occurring in your life. These are not to be feared, but faced. A hailstorm is daunting, but if you catch a hailstone you will see that it is only water, nothing to be feared. So it is with challenges. Fire up your determination, and face the challenges head-on knowing they are just stepping stones on the way to your goal. The greater the challenge, the more you gain by overcoming it.
Intense challenges are occurring in our lives, but these can be faced, not feared. Whatever we are experiencing is exactly what the soul needs. Blessed be….
Here is the entire reading from Rune Cards by Ralph Bloom (p. 148-149):
19. Disruption
Elemental Power
HailHAGALAZ
The moon is hidden,
thunder strikes.
How can you sleep
when you’re very bed
calls in the lightning?
Look around you.
Nothing is the same.Change, freedom, invention and liberation are all attributes of this Rune. Drawing it indicates a pressing need within the psyche to break free from constricting identification with material reality and to experience the world of archetypal mind.
The ruin of elemental disruption, of events that seem to be totally beyond your control, Hagalaz has only an upright position, and yet it always operates through reversal. When you draw this Rune, expect disruption, for it is the Great Awakener, although the form the awakening takes may vary. Perhaps you will experience a gradual feeling of coming to your senses, as though you were emerging from a deep sleep. Then again, the onset of power may be such as to rip away the fabric of what you previously knew as your reality, your security, your understanding of yourself, your work, your relationships or beliefs.
Disruption takes many forms: a relationship fails, plans go awry, a source of supply dries up. But do not be dismayed. Whether you created the disruption, or whether it comes from an outside source, you’re not without power in this situation. Your inner strength-the will you have funded until now in your life-provides support and guidance at a time when everything you have taken for granted is being challenged.
Another of the cycle ruins, the term radical discontinuity best describes the action of Hagalaz at its most forceful. The more severe the disruption in your life, the more significant and timely the requirements for your growth. In the midst of disruption, at the centre of the storm, take heart: know that the universe and your own soul are demanding that you do, indeed, grow.