The fantastic thing about our true nature is that we possess its qualities already. Discover these qualities and their connection to cultivating mindfulness, knowledge, well-being, and skilful motion in our lives.
Over time of working with many various folks in workshops, retreats, and in one-on-one teaching, I’ve discovered that all of us have knowledge inside us. It doesn’t matter what difficulties or psychological struggles we have been working with on the time, after I can information them out of confusion and into a spot of deep presence, by inhabiting the current second, shoppers begin to present these qualities:
- Love
- Readability
- Peace
- Playful curiosity
- Braveness
- Fulfilment
- Connection
When mixed, these qualities are what I’d name knowledge, or what I typically seek advice from as religious intelligence—a manner of being on this planet guided by the features of our deeper being.
The 7 Strengths of Knowledge
Love: Probably the most outstanding of all of the seven strengths is that of affection. I’ve discovered that once they turned linked to their deep nature, shoppers typically understood issues in another way and started spontaneously exhibiting compassion, care and kindness to each themselves and others. This typically prolonged to emotions of benevolence, heat and friendliness in the direction of all of life. This love for all times was typically the catalyst for a change in dwelling that mirrored this new perspective on, and relationship with, the world round them. This facet of our deeper consciousness has been superbly expressed by mindfulness instructor and creator Mark Coleman: “Don’t inform me that kindness and consciousness are totally different. Consciousness is the muse of kindness. Kindness is the expression of consciousness.”
“Don’t inform me that kindness and consciousness are totally different. Consciousness is the muse of kindness. Kindness is the expression of consciousness.”
Mark Coleman
Readability: As soon as they inhabited the current second deeply, folks appeared to naturally connect with deeper insights and better views than have been accessible to them earlier than. Many had the sudden sense of confidence that they knew what to do of their lives and methods to heal or handle sure inside and exterior struggles they’d been grappling with. The issues and internal turmoil that had earlier than appeared all consuming now all of the sudden felt manageable. Now not feeling caught, overwhelmed or confused, their minds calmed and cleared.
Peace: With sufficient defusion from ideas, shoppers began to really feel a lot larger internal peace. This typically got here with a way of ‘snapping out of it’, waking up and discovering a quiet and nonetheless place inside the place they knew every little thing was essentially OK. I typically noticed an instantaneous change of their facial expressions, signalling a deep rest, once they touched down on this place of internal calm.
Playful curiosity: There was typically fairly a notable change as they moved from being caught in cycles of self-judgment, rigidity, or resistance to a non-judgmental curiosity about totally different features of their expertise, together with tough ideas and emotions. Usually they began displaying a extra relaxed and open-hearted angle in the direction of themselves and their circumstances. This, in flip, softened and eased their minds and our bodies and opened up extra creativity and suppleness of their responses. In addition they confirmed larger cheerfulness and typically even a way of humour about their state of affairs. As Eckhart Tolle observes: “Life isn’t as severe because the thoughts makes it out to be.”
Braveness: When inhabiting the current second deeply, and linked to consciousness, folks typically felt a shift to a way of braveness and confidence that they might deal with no matter life may throw their manner; they all of the sudden felt that they’d all of the assets inside to take action. They have been higher in a position to keep courageous within the face of concern, tough feelings and ideas, extra in a position now to face as much as them and work with them skillfully. In addition they confirmed a agency dedication to their values and doing what they felt deep of their coronary heart was proper, even when it wasn’t the sleek or simple choice. This braveness additionally allowed them to be extra genuine of their expression of who they honestly have been, not so dominated by fear about what others would suppose.
These qualities are inherent to our deeper nature so now we have entry to them in any given second. They don’t must be created, constructed, or manufactured. They merely must be accessed.
Fulfilment: Related with their deepest self, folks discovered a brand new form of contentment. They reported feeling connection to a way of wholeness, completeness, and success that wasn’t depending on something exterior, they usually typically skilled emotions of profound well-being, together with gratitude for issues that earlier than had been neglected.
Connection: Individuals typically reported a sense of connection to one thing bigger than themselves. Generally this was a sense of religious connection, typically a larger sense of connection to folks, the planet, and even to life itself. With this sense of connection, they gained a much wider perspective on life, past their on a regular basis circumstances. This in flip led to emotions of belonging, wholeness and even an enhanced reverence for all times. Out of the blue their issues felt smaller and extra manageable within the context of a much wider and bigger world view.
These qualities are inherent to our deeper nature so now we have entry to them in any given second. They don’t must be created, constructed, or manufactured. They merely must be accessed. The power to entry and act from these strengths is what we’d name knowledge or religious intelligence.
We concentrate on cultivating the talents to entry and act from the strengths inherent within the deeper self many times, till they turn out to be increasingly more embodied and sink into our bones and our complete being like heat sunshine. They then move out into the world by way of our speech, actions, and attitudes.
Though phrases are difficult on the subject of our deep nature and finally fail to explain and outline it, this deeper a part of our human nature is essential in our journey to true, lasting and steady internal energy.
Excerpted from Deep Resilience by Melli O’Brien, printed by Rethink Press. Copyright © 2024 Melli O’Brien. Reprinted with permission.
