Star-light in the World

On our earthly pilgrimage we look up at the night sky where we discover various star formations. Some stars are closer to us, some further away. Many stars seem shiny. There may be one, in particular. It is at this time of pondering that we may decide to follow that star that seems brightest and to align our destination with its direction. Generations of people have done so. 

Following with our hearts and minds what we believe is the right path, even though less travelled, requires determination and courage. To be steadfast of the journey requires unwavering belief despite the setbacks and the obstacles on our path. It requires a sense of mission.

How do we prepare ourselves for a mission? --With acute vision. This vision aims to discern what is worthy and what is valuable to strive for and starts out from the examination of our resources that will help us to forge beyond ourselves, outside and ahead. 

It is these inner resources that we may decide to take a closer look at, while we ponder the marvel of the guiding-light:

Some parts of us are visible and some are not. Our hands and feet, the colour of our eyes and hair are visible. Our breathing can be felt, your heart beat can be palpated. But, the most important part is not visible. --Do you recall that quote by Anthoine de Saint-Exupery “And now here is my secret, a very simple secret: it is only with the heart that one can see rightly, what is essential is invisible to the eye.”

Our bodies can be seen. Most parts of it, at least, with the eye or with a good microscope. It is made up of many cells. Thousands of living organisms that form systems and make up organs, and our bodies that, at the end, when everything works as it was designed to be, work beautifully. It processes the nutrients we ingest, it nurtures those tiny cells so they can stay healthy and reproduce. It eliminates the harmful substances so that the body as a whole can prosper. The body is a very complex and very elaborate system and we do not even understand everything about how complex its functions are and how intricate balance it needs to have to operate well.

We also do not understand fully how it is that the body can repair itself, how it can heal so remarkably, and that to us can also seem like a miracle. An everyday wonder, if one looks at it, how after a fracture, new cells grow, how after good nights’ sleep one can jump out of bed and start a new day. It is a miracle to be alive! If one thinks of it.

The world of our thoughts is quite complex. Our feelings, emotions and musings make up the mind and the psychological capacities that we have. They are necessary for being aware of our surroundings, making connections, learning, forming memories and having insight. There is a colourful cosmos inside, with some thoughts and feelings that we are aware of, and these conscious, and some that we are not aware of, because they are unconscious. Thoughts and feelings make us be able to perceive and react to our environment, to anticipate the consequences of our actions, and become aware of our options. Rational thinking is what helps us string thoughts together so that we are able to understand even abstract ideas. Deep feelings tell us if we seem to be doing well in meeting our needs and goals, or we do not.

There is a third part, the most important one, that is neither on the “outside” and neither on the “inside,” because it is not a physical component. It is the very basis of our being. It is also called the core or the essence of our being; our spirit. Our spirit is the foundation of our being since its beginning, but it lays dormant as a potential. While we are developing, our body and mind gain capacities that will be the instruments of the spirit. It is through our body and mind that our spirit can come to expression.

The spirit is that part which is invisible, untouchable and indestructible. It is a different dimension than our bodies and minds. It is beyond the physical dimension. It is in a meta-physical domain. This means that it is a qualitatively different from our bodies and minds. It is not a substance, but it is a dynamics.

Spirit comes from Spirit. It is indestructible, indivisible, unique and irrepeatable. A new creation that longs for the home of the Spirit, our home, our eternal destination. It is joined to the cells while we live on earth, to be drawn toward the Eternal Spirit at the moment of death. Creation naturally roots for its Creator.

God created everything out of love. He breathed Spirit into lifeless matter and fashioned us according to Divine plans. In the order of creation, humans were given the neural capacity for free will, so that they can choose to relate and to love back. Whatever our choice may be about how to relate to ourselves, to others, to the world and to the Transcendent, God loved us first. We were gifted with existence because we are wanted and expected. We are intended for something. We are created for something. Our spirit is that part that is whole and healthy, that points us in the direction of understanding our purpose and our mission in the world. It is through our spirit that the “voice of God” can reach us and sound through, if we make ourselves available.

Our spirit is indestructible to the forces of this world. Our body and mind can be damaged, but our spirit can not be touched. An illness can make it impossible for the spirit to express itself through our body and mind for some time, and maybe forever as long as we are alive, but that does not mean that our spirit is “not with us.” The spirit is still yearning for meaning, the more so for a higher meaning, an all encompassing and Ultimate Meaning. Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, a theologian said that “everything that rises must converge.” God is the source of all meaningful purpose where the soul finds rest.

The nature of our spirit in everyday living is to reach beyond the concrete, the immediate, the self, toward ideas, ideals, and the world of values. It is the seat of our conscience. This is our inner voice that helps us to discern which value stands closest in proximity to our unique situation, which beckons us in any concrete moment. That value, when it is actualized, is the meaning of the moment. Conscience helps to intuit what is true, beautiful and good that we can strive for. If we are in tuned with it, we can use its guidance to discern which impulses are consistent with values that are self-transcendent. Self-transcendent means they are values that are good for us and good for other people and they are in harmony with the laws of the Universe.

Our spirit is an inner reservoir of strength. Its resources include creativity, love, sense of humour, capacity for choice, commitment to tasks, ideas, ideals, imagination. awareness, self-distancing, self-transcendence, self-development, compassion, forgiveness, awareness of time, awareness of finiteness, fallibility and mortality. It is the seat of conscience, a "psycho-spiritual joint." It has the capacity for receiving the gifts of the Holy Spirit, such as wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, humility and reverence. It has a capacity for mercy, kindness, forgiveness and gratitude. These gifts can help us to shape ourselves into virtuous persons practising the cardinal virtues of prudence, courage, temperance, and justice. Spirit reaches beyond the dimensions of time and space. It allows us to reach out and to be with in spirit. 

The laws of nature emphasize the survival of the fittest. The best, the strongest beats the weak. These laws lead to battles and fights.  Through the spirit we are called to be attuned to a domain permeating all of Creation and to be gentleness, kindness, gratitude, forgiveness, faith, hope, love, charity, and acts of mercy in the world. These are some of those paths that lead to joy and heal the scars and wounds. They lift the lonely and the oppressed. Pay attention to the fate of the orphan and the marginalised. Help them feel included, respected and cared for. Help them feel appreciated and loved.

There are several other paths, too, but those are shortcuts. They want to mimic happiness, and promise a state of joy, but are deceptive. They last for a while and then they dissipate, leaving a feeling of disappointment and emptiness. They do not fill the deep longings of any person, they only provide a temporary satisfaction, followed by a painful awareness of their lack of potency to achieve lasting effects. They ensnare and trap a person making them a slave of desires for power, success or happiness. The hardest battles are therefore, fought within us, against the temptations to choose these mediocre paths.

In spirit we have the capacity to look at ourselves and to observe ourselves from different perspectives. From these vantage points we can evaluate if we are on the path that corresponds with what was meant for us, with the law of the Creator, or we have fallen short somehow by seeking our self-gratification to the expense of neglecting our real duties or the welfare of others. In spirit we have the ability to respond to the Divine Spirit and seek help when we need spiritual strength to jump over physical or psychological barriers.

Looking at ourselves from the outside, which is an ability of our spirit, that we call self-distancing, we are able to become aware of ourselves. How is our body feeling, what emotions accompany our present state? Than, we can discover some things about ourselves: We can realise that we are one and only in a particular situation at any particular time and any moment and awaited to give an answer that is not addressed at that moment in the same way to anyone else. In other words, that we alone fashion our response, our way. And in this small instance, of which every moment is made out of, we have an area of freedom how we respond. The response is our choice from among all the possibilities that are available to us. Where we have freedom, we have responsibility as well to honestly do our best and to fulfill what was we can discern to the best of our ability that is expected from us, by the source of all Life.

Self-transcendence is the capacity to reach beyond our immediate situation to goals and tasks that can be meaningful, to reach toward other people, and toward the strength that we receive from the Creator for the tasks ahead. So, we can see, in spirit we can reach to a task, to the world, to others, and to God.

Spirituality is the dynamics of being aware that we are part of a whole and a greater reality than our immediate surroundings. Reaching out to a Higher Power for help and support and relying on this strength to walk on our path with courage means building and nurturing an ongoing spiritual bond.  

People express and practice their spirituality in various ways. Religious denominations have a set of codes and rites through which religious beliefs, based on deep seated spirituality, are revered and transmitted. They are like different languages, through which the hopes and faith of generations in the Sacred is voiced.

When we discover something that is of transcendental nature in our existence, we appreciate that wherever we go, we are not alone.  We go with the strength of a Higher Power from whom we came, and who is accompanying us. We are in the whole entity of the Creator’s plan for something noble and something good and higher than what was in the world before. Then we can understand that while our body and mind may be fragile, weak and vulnerable, our inner resources in the spirit are manifold. We can embrace our condition with compassion.

Life calls us, and we answer. We are present to the moment when we see that area of freedom in which we have choices to make. The external question is met with an internal search to find the right answer: “What can I do?” “What can I take from this situation?”  “How can I best respond?” being present to life is moment to moment, one day at a time.

Viktor Frankl, who was an Austrian psychiatrist, survivor of the holocaust, and the founder of the school of psychotherapy aimed at helping people find meaning (Logo-therapy), said that there are three value domains where one can start to search for a meaningful answer in any concrete situation. These are the creative, experiential and attitudinal values that one can aim to actualise. The creative values refer to making something new, bringing into the world something that did not exist before. We do this mostly through work. The experiential values refer to what we take from the world from what was given to us to enrich us, such as a beautiful sunset, a wonderful melody, the company of loved ones. The attitudinal values mean that even in the face of suffering our spirit retains that space where we are free to choose our best answer and when we are not able to control the situation, or change the outcome, and only then, we are still able to choose our response to it. We can, in such unalterable situations, still choose to change ourselves for the better. This is the greatest human achievement, to face suffering with courage and to bring something meaningful out of a meaningless situation by how we respond to that what does not make sense, or what defies reason, and what shakes our entire existence.

To rise from the ashes, to create a changed heart, a metanoia, a transformation that forever links one’s destiny with a faith and acceptance of the will of God is the highest human accomplishment. Frankl recorded how this was demonstrated by very courageous people during the Second World War who were imprisoned in concentration camps. They were praying when they were being led to be executed and still praised God. One can read more about account in his book “Man’s Search for Meaning.” Similar examples can be seen in the life of inspirational persons who did not give up when they were persecuted and mistreated or in the lives of saints.

Suffering in life is real. It can be three-fold, stated Frankl in the same book. It can present itself in the form of pain, guilt and death.  Pain can be physical pain, emotional pain, or the pain of not finding a meaningful reason to live for. Being alienated from one’s spirit and core self, is a pain that only human beings can feel, because only they are aware of the need to find meaning that goes beyond doing what they are commanded by instincts or told other people to do. Guilt can be a guilt of doing something that was wrong, because it harmed oneself or others, or was against the universal human values. Or, it can be a guilt because of failing to do something would have been the right thing to do. The awareness of time passing, finiteness, vulnerability and death is also a uniquely human challenge.

What is not passing and eternal? It is all the things that we collect into the “granary of our lives” everything that we have done well, everything that was meaningful. This belongs to our core: the values that we actualised, the truth, beauty and goodness that we contributed to the world. The good fruits that we brought to the harvest, the good that we gave to others for the love of the source of all love--our Creator.

Thus, Frankl stated that the intelligent human being lives along the dimensions of failure and success. If we consider ourselves with the eyes of the world, we may have been able to become acclaimed, or successful at a task or we have haven’t and failed. But, there is another axis. The axis of the “suffering human being,” that Frankl said we can imagine crossing diagonally opposite to this continuum between success and failure. This continuum spans between meaning and despair.

The axes of the intelligent human being and the suffering human being when diagonally intersect, gives us four “quadrants” so to speak. Four scenarios: People can be successful and accomplish something meaningful; people can be successful but inside still feel an inner void and emptiness because their success was lacking a sense of meaningfulness; people who did not succeed at a task and despair; or people who did not succeed but they do not despair because in the greater dimension of things, they trust in the meaningfulness of the whole, in which their “failure” or sacrifice, can still have some meaning. Meaning is therefore that dimension that saves from despair in the face of suffering. If we have to suffer but we see meaning, we can endure that suffering better than if we see no meaning in it. Seeing no meaning makes people suffer and makes them prone to despair.

Let us consider this with point with yet another coordinate system. We can imagine a spectrum ranging between existential frustration and existential fulfillment. And, another one, diagonal to the first one, that spans between thwarted development and growth. Meaning orientation, like an arrow straight through the middle, where these two spectrums intersect, lifts a frustrated, and stagnating person toward the possibility of existential fulfillment and growth. This is the author’s own diagram.

What doe this mean concretely? What it means is that if we face the triad of suffering (pain, guilt and death) with the value triad (creative, experiential and attitudinal values) and discover our areas of freedom and responsibility, ability to respond, choices, uniqueness, and capacity for self-distancing and self-transcendence, then we are able to respond to suffering is a meaningful way and we can bring about growth and development in a way that is meaningful and life-giving. This is a fundamental aim of meaning-centered therapy.

Following these models through imagination, one can picture: one coordinate system with another one creating a base for two triangles, one inverted and the other not, juxtaposed onto each other, with several little peaks around that represent the resources that can be kindled. The end result will look like star-formation. Each of our stars will be unique, as our lives are unique. 

The star represents our ability to (1) turn suffering into a human achievement; (2) derive from guilt the opportunity to change ourselves for the better; and (3) deriving from life’s transitoriness the incentive to take responsible action. This is the basic thrust of Frankl’s logotherapy.

Remember the spark in the metaphor. Like any spark, it has to be carefully nurtured to help it to glow into a flame that can bring light to the world through good actions and good example for others to benefit from and to follow.  

What are your strengths? What are your talents? What are the gift that you have received? How could you help one person today? What are you grateful for? A kind word, a smile, a helping hand, a gesture of well wishing and aid go a long way. Given freely, out of one’s own richness. A richness that was granted to us even before our conscious awareness began. It can be ours if we ask for it if we transcend ourselves toward it, if we ‘empty ourselves” so it can fill our being. We can be the hand that passes it on, the legs that carry it to others, the eyes that discovers the potential in the other.

Our world is in a dire need of individuals with strength and courage. We need faith in the Providence that the spark entrusted to each of us is worth attending to and worth presenting to the world.

Hope is kept alive through the lives of those who understand that we give from what we have been given, and what we have been given comes from an eternal source.

When we give kindness, mercy and goodness to others is when we honour and love our God and love our neighbour in a way that enriches us.

May a time of preparation and reflection bring fruitful awareness of the resources that can be kindled and nurtured to reveal the joy of bringing our unique light to the world.

The guiding-light can be born in our hearts and transform our being so that we can be light for our surroundings, inside-out.

Bibliography:

Frankl, V. E. (2014). Man’s Search for Meaning. Boston: Beacon Press.

Marshall M., & Marshall E. (2012). Logotherapy Revisited. Ottawa: Ottawa Institute of Logotherapy.

Saint-Exupery, A. (1943). The Little Prince. Trans. Katherine Woods. New York: Harcourt Brace & Co.

Teilhard De Chardin, P. (1969). Building the Earth and the Psychological Conditions of Human Unification. Avon.

Reflections--Hope Alive

October 1,^st 2019

Hope Alive

The little flower was still blushing in the garden.

Her fragile petals were glowing in the morning dew.

Her once bold colors now paled at the touch of cold winds and the occasional frost.

Her frail frame was a reminder that life is a precious gift.

A gift that must be fully lived.

Her blossoms were beautiful in the summer.

They were bright and fragrant and, oh, so light.

And, with time, those blossoms carried another gift.

They were weighed by the expectation of it.

In the heat of the summer, the little flower gave away all her powers.

A seed must enter the ground for new life to spring.

But her efforts were not in vain.

Nature always has its ways.

Now she just sat there, waiting.

Waiting for time to envelope her into a soft whisper and lift her away.

A gentle breeze was stirring, ruffling a wilted leaf or two.

Time stood still.

Her little ways must have deserved their credit.

For now, her very reason has come to be fulfilled.

The little flower waved to the winds and shined her most glorious smile.

A smile that was hope alive.

Spiritual Psychotherapy: The Search for Lasting Meaning

Spiritual psychotherapy is a growing and evolving field of practice with ancient roots. It is a branch of sciences recognizing the multifaceted nature of our existence and interactions in the world. Aside from physical, psychological, and social factors which affect our health and well-being, spiritual psychotherapy recognizes the relevance of the dimension of the human spirit in the search for meaningful goals, relationships, and connections and our interaction with the transcendental dimension (which many people identify as the dimension of the Creator; Superior Being; the Divine; or God).

The ancient roots of spiritual psychotherapy can be recognised in the age-old questions echoed in thousands of ways and languages across all cultures and all societies since the dawn of humanity: “Who are we?” and “What is our mission?” or in a personal way: “Who am I?” and “What is my mission?”

Viktor E. Frankl’s Logotherapy and Existential Analysis (also known as “The Third Viennese School of Psychotherapy”) was directly derived from such deep-seated humanistic-existentialist concerns. At the root of Frankl’s theory is the conviction that the “Search for Meaning” is the most fundamental human motivating force. His theory, which is called “Logotheory,” is based on three Pillars, basic assumptions, with profound anthropological, philosophical and psychotherapeutic implications.

Existential analysis in Frankl’s practice (Logotherapy) is always more than a historical unfolding of events. Existence is understood in the context of the dynamics of the search for meaning (meaning of the moment) in the context of an Ultimate Meaning (the dimension of the Transcendent; Divine; or God) giving human life unlimited value and dignity.

A doctor, a neurologist, a psychiatrist, and a survivor of the Holocaust, Frankl is world-renown for his book “Man’s Search for Meaning.” The work he presents in this book (the principles of Logotherapy and Existential Analysis) has been recognized both as a most significant contribution to psychological thought and movement, and conveying deeply religious thought.

The present study employs a hermeneutic-phenomenological methodology (qualitative scientific method) to explore the basic tenets of Viktor E. Frankl’s meaning-centered theory and therapy in the light of the Biblical narratives. Old Testament and New Testament writings are used as the context within which humanity’s search for meaning as a fundamental existential quest takes place.

This methodology relies on a dialogue, interpretation, and documentation of evolving understanding according to themes. General questions such as “Which are the basic tenets of Frankl’s Meaning-centered therapy?;” “Which are the resources of the human spirit?;” “What is spirituality?;” “What is religion?;” “What can we learn from the Bible about the Transcendental context of our existence?;” and “What are the implications of our findings for current practice principles?”  have been selected to guide the research project and gradually unfold to introduce the reader to the narrative (an evolving story of a part in the context of the whole). The reader is invited to join the circle of evolving understanding and journey of discovery.

The text is divided into four sections, with four chapters each. The chapters introduce us to Viktor Frankl as a person, Frankl as a doctor, Frankl as a religious man. Consequently we learn about Biblical passages quoted in his work which pertain to each life-phase, and introduce us to his work. The theoretical implications and practical applications of each tenet of Logotherapy and Existential Analysis are carefully presented and interpreted on the basis of available literature as well as the interpretation of relevant Biblical texts.

Some of the topics covered are: Frankl’s view of the human person as body, mind, and spirit entity; Free Will; Will to Meaning, Meaning in life under all circumstances; existential dynamics; existential dialectics; existential analysis; facing the tragic triad of human existence (suffering in the form of pain, guilt, and death); the principles of meaning-centered practice; areas where meanings can be found; stepping stones to finding meaning; spirit; spirituality; religion and the interaction among these in everyday life to foster optimal health and well-being.

The text is presented as an evolving narrative, illustrated with case examples, metaphors, pictorial depictions, and guidelines for evidence-based practice.

Extensive literature review of available texts on logotherapy was undertaken by the authors in preparation for this research, and thus of literature available in English and other languages (German, Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese) have been reviewed and are included in a current and up to date exhaustive bibliography.

Biblical passages and contents from the Old Testament and New Testament form a nest within which Frankl’s Logotherapy and Existential analysis appear as a significant contributor to the growing field of spiritual psychotherapy.

Current quantitative studies on the validity of logotherapy are presented along with qualitative evidence.

The present qualitative research examining the connection between the ultimate context of existence and Frankl’s Logotherapy and Existential Analysis aims to contribute to these efforts and offers its findings to the interested audience.

This book is dedicated to the Reader. We hope you find it informative as well as enjoyable. It is available at amazon.com

ON THE TOPIC OF LEARNING FROM LIFE

What is meaningful? What is possible?

Reality confronts us many times with what is not possible. What we cannot do. We can not avoid facing pain, guilt, and death on some way and some form of suffering that we have to endure in life. And, this can happen on a daily basis.

Suffering draws us near to what is truly human in the limitations, that is to see an opportunity. An opportunity to look for what is still possible, what we still can do, what we could do, what we should do, what we ought to do. This is what is given, sometimes a large area, sometimes maybe a narrow area of what still is there, what still is valuable, still awaiting us, and only us to do, to experience, to create, to achieve...

The challenge is to "look away" from what we cannot do, "look beyond" to what we can still do, look inside, look outside, and look all around, for what we are still able and capable to do--for that is what we can still do--and that is what we then ought to intend to do, for that is what is meaningful to do.

To the "tragic triad" (Viktor Frankl), we can still superimpose the triangle of creative, experiential, and attitudinal values--the "value triad" (Viktor Frankl), and live not bemoaning what we cannot do, but rejoicing at what is still given, what we can still do, and what right now is calling, even stronger, clearer, and unmistakable, not despite of our suffering, but amidst it, in it, and through it.

...Listen carefully, listen attentively ("Attentive Meaning Sensitivity;" Edward Marshall) and you will then learn what is intended for you right now...and whenever you see it, hear it, touch it, or intuit it, you will know that you are wanted in Creation, wanted for that task that you alone are in the best position to fulfill.

When you are wanted, you are also cared for, loved, and protected.There is nothing and noone on this earth who can undo such bond, between you and your Creator who knows your circumstances, your pain, and your suffering, and has endowed you with faculties for being an instrument and witness of truth, beauty, and goodness in your life. For this, you will have power, you will have strength, and courage, if you ask, for now you have witnessed the power of your will--"the will to meaning" (V. Frankl), you have seen the freedom, the "freedom of will"(V. Frankl), and are called by meaning ("meaning under all circumstances;" V.Frankl)!

_____________________

There have been those, and remain those who call everything into question. They ask: What evidence you have for this? What proofs you can show us, or what results? Of course, life is not an experiment. But if it was, it is an "experimentum crucis" (V. Frankl), the way we live is the main test of our beliefs, and convictions.
With words from the Old Testament: "See, I have set before you life and death, so choose life."

There are many forms of "death" in our society, many forms of "ills." Responding to the sense of meaninglessness remains one of the main challenges to combat the many forms and levels of suffering in the form of "existential angst," (anxieties, worries, preoccupations) or "existential vacuum" (indifference, apathy, and boredom), or the triad of addictions, aggression and violence (against self) or others. As psycholgists and psychotherapists, we may be called upon to assess and to diagnose these conditions, and the diagnoses may vary, as the symptoms and manifestations may vary from person to person, depending on vulnerabilities, dispositions, character traits, etc. Treatment may also vary depending on factors involved. However, in most every situation, there is an element of freedom and therefore responsibility that remains, no matter the severity of the symptoms exhibited (except in conditions of mental incapacity, such as in a psychotic episode, for example), and thus meaning orientation can be potentially regained. Current guidelines orient us toward accurate diagnosis, and tratment options. Logotherapy (V. Frankl) remains an important component of psychotherapy that is oriented toward helping people respond to life in a meaningful way, thereby breaking the chain of maladaptive and destructive patterns that are originated in, or exacerbated by a lack of direction and sense of meaning in life.

THE “SILO” EXERCISE FOR DISCOVERING AND REALISING MEANING POTENTIALS AT THIS TIME OF THE YEAR

It’s harvest time. Harvest is a time of gathering the fruit of the land and for storing it safely over the winter months so that there is plenty of nurturing food for the months ahead. We can see farmers diligently gleaning from their fields and bringing the yield to their barns, silos, or storage sheds, where careful planning and foresight ensures the goods remain stored and safe for consumption when they are needed.

However, fall is not only time for harvest. It is also a time for preparing the land for the upcoming year, to make it ready for receiving new seeds. We can observe farmers carefully handle the land and leaving it amenable for planting or seeding.

Some of the seeds and bulbs actually need to be planted in the Fall, so that with the coming of the winter chills, their life cycle becomes full—inside the tiny seed there is careful genetic regulation, which allows the seed to flourish if it went through the winter cold—these are the secrets of farming and landscaping which we can learn from, fall is not only for gathering the harvest, it is also a time or preparation for seeding, and planting—It is a time for gathering, and a time for giving.

Following nature’s path, fall is the time for gathering, and seeding--recollecting, and preparing. It is a busy time, during which we are existentially reminded of a transition that takes place in our lives, from warm temperatures, and long days, to now adjusting to less sunshine, shorter days, the changing colours of the season…

Let’s take a walk and soak in the bounty of nature’s glories at this time of the year—let’s take a walk in our lives and reflect on our journey. What do we see? What can we gather, and what can we store…what can we use to give, and nurture?

First, let’s review some points that are going to guide our self-awareness. At this point we concentrate on our lives…How has the past year been? Calling to mind our decisions, and actions, what did we plant, what resolutions did we make? Did we manage to keep them? Or did we perhaps had to modify them? At this point we call to mind our uniqueness. Everybody’s life is different. Our talents, our strengths, our abilities. In addition, we are confronted with unique life situations. What were these during the past year? Recalling our individuality, we see that we had unique paths, we had some order, and maybe, at times events which made us go not exactly in a straight furrow. This is also pas of our self-awareness, in the form of uniqueness, irreplaceability, and leaving our footsteps in the world, that now we can recall.

We can reflect on the “silo” of our lives, and ask ourselves, what do we choose to store in it, which actions, decisions, work, experiences, or even attitudes, events or instances of faith, spirituality, and hope. These become resources for our future.

The next step would be to distance ourselves from our immediate circumstances, and from ourselves, and to see which events, and who (which individuals, families, or groups) we came into contact with during the past year. Who were the people that required, asked for, or received our help. Do they still need us? Where are we in this regard “answer to their prayers/” Where are we irreplaceable, in a position to help, in a place to reach out to?

Drawing back to our “silo” where we have stored our “treasures” our resources, we can sort those “seeds” that we choose to become part of our giving: giving out, sharing, reaching out, giving away. Existentially, this part of the journey is called part self-distancing, followed by self-transcendence. We think of others, we give to others, we share with others, we plant new seed. Paradoxically, whatever we give, in the form of love, caring, self-transcendent, kind actions, teaches us about ourselves, and molds us into our way of being—it actually is not lost, but like the seed in the ground, must undergo exposure to cold, to elements, to external circumstances, to become able to fulfill its potential—to be life giving and nurturing.

So, as we reflect on our existential journey this fall, and we examine the contents of our “silo” we gather in what is valuable, worthwhile, and good, and separate it from weeds, from chaff, and from dust, and pollution, that does not belong there. We examine the ways we want to mend, the fence posts, the furrows, the equipment we have, and we examine ways in which those need to be taken care of, looked after, and nurtured-in other words, what are our needs in this season. Which are those ways we want to keep in our journey, and paths we want to improve, or abandon?

Likewise, which are our strengths and resources, which are those un-erasable and time tested goods we have gathered and can now safely deposit in our storage, where we can use it for future tasks, and the journey ahead.

The “silo” reminds us that we all have a storage, where our treasures and resources are safely kept. These are the resources we take for our journey for the nourishment of ourselves, and, wisely, of those who are around us.

How to Live Springtime in our Lives when it is Here, Outside!

Dear Friends,

The purpose of my writing is to reflect on the ways in which our INNER WORLD may reflect, and MIRROR, the OUTER WORLD:

It is Springtime. Spring time brings about growth and change. We observe this change everywhere we look.

Take a stroll in your neighborhood and pay attention to the colors of the earth,the plants, the trees, the flowers, and the sky above you. Do those colors seem more intense now than they were a month ago? The brown is more brown; the green is more green; the blue is more blue. These are only a few of the colors on our palette. Flowers add  richness of sensation of beauty and wonder. The world awoke from its sleep, from its hibernation, from the seemingly never ending grip of winter cold. New buds appear, signs of new life can be seen at every corner.

This is on the OUTSIDE.

How about INSIDE?

Have we woken up from our slumber to appreciate the changes that are happening around us? Most of us have a routine that we follow which help us meet our needs and necessary for carrying on our duties. But our inner eyes may be hungry for a change of scenery, a new look. Or, we may want to open our inner eyes, to look around, and to see life inside us springing up in new ways.

Which are the guidelines to follow, and how do we find a way of LIVING SPRINGTIME?

According to the Viennese psychiatrist, and founder of the Third Viennese School of Psychotherapy, Viktor Frankl, MD (1905-1997), the first step is to realize that we as human beings, live not only along the dimension of soma (body) and mind (psyche), but we are spiritual, spirit-beings. We do have a dimension of spirit, and this dimension is the root of our uniqueness, and existential yearning. For in this dimension we have a motivating force that is never static and never asleep. It is the search for meaning that Frankl witnessed as ever reaching out and beyond ourselves toward Reason, and purpose, a higher value, and ideal, to live for. Frankl outlined three ways in which we may live meaningfully in our everyday lives: (1) through the realization of CREATIVE VALUES--what we give to the world in terms of work we do; (2) through EXPERIENTIAL VALUES--what we take from the world in terms of experiences in relationships, through nature, etc.; and finally (3) through ATTITUDINAL VALUES--the stand we freely choose in response to unalterable circumstances.

Springtime brings about changes. At this time, we may become increasingly aware that in our world nothing is stagnant, and nothing remains forever the same. While new life begins, suffering and pain are also present. And while we experience more warmth and light with our bodies, our minds may be also actively searching to integrate our experiences in our society, our community. Our soul, and our spirit leaps for MEANING. Meaning that is satisfying, life giving, and health producing. This search is not new to humanity and not new to ourselves. It is a search, though, that we may be increasingly aware at during this springtime of renewal and change.

So which steps can we take to live spring INSIDE as well as OUTSIDE?

1. Take care of our bodies, remember, we need to pay attention to simple details, however may seem irrelevant, such as, drink plenty of water, eat healthy, buy fresh vegetables, and fruits, exercise outside if possible, and do not forget sunscreen.

2. Be aware that our minds are more active processing outside information and stimulus as there are more activities we may participate in socially, at work, or in our families. Pay attention to our limitations, and allow ourselves enough rest. This is relevant for processing, storing, and using the information we receive. In social situations, reach out to others, and do not forget to smile--reflect good-will, reflect hope, and reflect that being with others counts: we value their time, their presence, their being. Offer ours help when possible, offer solace where appropriate. Offer a helping hand, offer optimism, offer hope.

3. Spiritually, let ourselves allow silence, meditation, and quiet time, to listen to the inner voice of our conscience guide our actions, our creative, experiential, or attitudinal choices. Allow ourselves an inner dialogue for self-refection, that will help us to self-transcend, rise above, upcoming hardships, and self-distancing, happy, humorous times, that allow us to put a distance between us and that what we are dealing with. Self-reflection will allow us to remain focused, and meditation or prayer will help us to get in touch with what is really important--it will keep our inner eyes sharp, and focused.--These are some of the ways in which we can live Spring on the INSIDE, when it is there, OUTSIDE.