Real Connection

Making Contact

“The meeting of two personalities is like the contact of two chemical substances: if there is any reaction, both are transformed.”

Carl Jung

We had a robust discussion in the spirituality group yesterday as to whether the voices that are constantly talking inside our heads are us, or are we the one who hears them. According to Michael J. Singer, whose book, The Untethered Soul, we are studying, “There I nothing more important to true growth than realizing that you are not the voice of the mind—you are the one who hears it.” We could argue all day about this, I'm sure, but the question remains, just what is the source of “monkey mind?” If it's inside your head, it must be you, right? I think it's sufficient to say that the various parts of us—our hopes, our fears, our tribal imprint, our parental mandates, our religious directives, and many others—all become voices inside our heads. Sometimes they argue just like the various people whose echo they are, and sometimes they just yak-yak-yak, because that's what voices do. The listener is sometimes paying attention, and sometimes not. We can train ourselves to ignore them—but we cannot stop them talking. We can put them in the background, like the sounds of street traffic, but they will always be part us.

The most important aspect of this discussion, at least for me, is the connection made among the members of the spirituality group. We, as individuals and as a group, are maturing in our responses to the material and to each other. We have meaty debates, we have supportive dialogues, and real, heart-felt conversations. The ideas others express in the group impact me, and change the way I see the world. This is one of the ways we raise global consciousness; by allowing the insights of others to turn our world view ever so slightly on its axis, a little at a time. Listening—being the listener—that is key.

Today, I hope we will put down our devices, and have a real conversation with a real human being, eye to eye, mano a mano. Whether we agree, disagree, or just discuss, honest human contact is essential to transformation.

                                                           In the Spirit,

                                                               Jane