STARTING WHERE WE ARE
Before we attempt to change the way we are relating to ourselves, it’s important that we recognize where we are already operating from. In our modern society, we have all been trained to exert our will, to push, to make things happen and since a young age we are trained almost exclusively in this way of being. This leads us to live from the “unhealthy masculine”, a way of being that doesn’t move with the flow of life and is disconnected from the deeper nature of our existence. In the “Lenses That Liberate” model, this means we are moving from the distorted third Level of The Warrior.
Shaky Foundations
Almost all of us have a sense that there is an easier and more grounded way to move through life yet we are often unable to access it. The image of a house can be helpful here to understand this. It is like we are on the third floor of a house (in this mode of the distorted Warrior) and have a vague sense that there is something underneath us. When we do take a look at what is underneath we discover that the second and first level of the house are shaky and unstable and ridden with mold and without the tools to change this, we shut off these areas and stay on the third floor. Therefore, our life is inherently unstable as we have no true foundation so with this model we learn to reclaim the foundation of our life.
RELEASING AND RESTING
The first thing we do is drop out of our over-active and stressed Warrior mode of being and into the Nurturer by first engaging the Releasing Practices. These practices involve relieving the body of its surface tension. Releasing practices can often go very deep and begin to remove the core layers of the tension in our body. We let this stagnant energy fall down through our body and into the earth.
At a certain point when we have released enough, there can be a settling in our body and we can start the Resting Practices. Here, we engage practices that allow us to take a break from everything that is happening in our life and to find a place of centeredness and ease inside of us. We learn to unhook from our habitual patterns of trying to fix ourselves and simply rest.
As we continue to do these releasing and resting practices over time, we will naturally start to come in contact with something deeper inside us. This deeper place, the ground of our being, is the part of us that never changes. It is the aspect of us that has remained the same since the day we were born. When we are able to touch into and abide in this ground of our being, we are able to experience a much deeper sense of rest as we have come in contact with the truest foundation of our life.
FROM THE GROUND UP
Whether we are able to touch into the Level of the Sage (the ground of our being) or we have found rest in the Nurturer practices, when our body is open and rested, we naturally move onto the third phase, the Receiving Practices. At this point, we open ourselves to deeply receive the goodness and nourishment that is available to us, initially through our connection with the earth and then through other gateways. We allow as many parts of our body and psyche to receive this goodness, to be touched by it and to allow it to bring us to a deeper rest and contentment. Over time, we learn to soften our body more and more so that we can be filled by this nourishment.
As this energy of goodness enters our experience more and more we enter the fourth phase of practice : Radiating. We focus on the well-being that is present in any part of our body and allow it to intensify and then gradually allow it to radiate to other parts of our body. As we continue to allow this stream of energy to enter us and then radiate it to our parts of our somatic experience, slowly our entire body becomes filled with a deep sense of well-being and happiness. Naturally when this has filled enough in our experience. we allow this energy to radiate beyond our body and share this goodness with other people. At this point, we can visualize other people being touched by this energy and when we radiate this energy in a deeply embodied way, we may notice it can have a beneficial effect on others around us also.
The Healthy Warrior
The more these four phases (Release, Rest, Receive, Radiate) of the Nurturer active in us, the more the Warrior aspect of us has a solid foundation to move through the world in a healthy way. We can active the “healthy masculine” inside us and live with direction, resilience and inner strength. Our inner Warrior can relax into the qualities of goodness and ground and move from an integrative place.
Together, the Sage, the Nurturer and the Warrior form the Foundational Self and create a healthy and strong container for all aspects of our life to blossom. As we move forward to other levels, we return again and again to these foundational practices, developing and integrating the qualities of ground, goodness and strength so that we can meet ourselves and all of life in an open and available way.
Talk on the foundational SELF
Here is a short talk summarizing the points above.