Here's a visual. I'll call her "one woman", but it could be anyone. We're all the same, and we're also all different. What's the same in us, though, is, that we have different formulas of subpersonalities. So follow my little story... There is a home that some people live in. Several people live in this home. It isn't very large, but it has quite a few inhabitants. It's a two story home, with a basement, too. From the outside, the home looks lovely, just like other homes. Lots of homes on the street are similar in
look and feel, but it's paint, garden, decor, etc. makes this home unique, and all the other homes on the street are unique in their way. This particular home that we are talking about, though, inside and out, has a modern, yet warm, earthy, homey feeling. You walk inside. The home is decorated in a most pleasant combination of earthy colors, modern shapes, lived in and welcoming. It's a combination of earthy (not country) and contemporary. The person living in the house with the most "personality" decorated it and controls it. That family member, modern, outgoing, warm, democratic, progressive...is sitting in the living room, living her life, as you enter her home to visit. This particular person, let's call her IN THE NOW/MODERN, controls that house. That house is me, aka "one woman". IN THE NOW/MODERN is so strongly identified as me, "one woman", that she thinks she IS "one woman", but she's not; she is simply a part of "one woman". The big twist is that most of her life, until this was learned, "one woman" went about on HER merry way thinking that SHE was IN THE NOW/MODERN. "One woman" did not understand that the IN THE NOW/MODERN is only a part of "one woman" that "one woman" seems to indentify with and define herself as. This, however, is very limiting, and also, very likely, an inaccurate definition. The IN THE NOW/MODERN is a separate entity living inside of "one woman"...simply living HER life INSIDE of "one woman". She has a whole story, life, belief system, feelings, nature, etc. If you sat on the living room couch inside of "one woman's" home and spoke to that part of "one woman", she could tell you her full life story...when she was born inside of "one woman", why she exists, how she saved "one woman", how she protects "one woman", who she's stifling, why inside that same house lives a TRADITIONAL side, too. That TRADITIONAL side stifled inside of "one woman" is is forced to live in the basement, hiding in a corner. The IN THE NOW/MODERN side won't let the TRADITIONAL side come out and be free. The TRADITIONAL side is stifled, and angry, and, because it's been stuffed down for so long, it has become bigger than it really is. It really is a small part of "one woman", but, without attention, it grows and grows, longing to be heard and seen. When it does see the TRADITIONAL subpersonality in other people, free and roaming around, it shouts out from the basement, "I'm here. I hear you. I want to get out. I agree with you." But, the IN THE NOW/MODERN, who is on the surface and seemingly in charge, clamps down on the TRADITIONAL subpersonality, pads the basement so that the IN THE NOW/MODERN can not hear what's going on in there, and locks the basement door. In this scenario, "one woman" is living eyes wide shut, and is oblivious as to her inner world, and as to how the outer world affects it. Until "one woman" realizes that this is going on inside her, "one woman" is oblivious to the situation, and no real choice can be made directly by "one woman". Time passes. The "TRADITIONAL" magnet subpersonality inside of "one woman", buried in the subconsious, has enormous power in its unknown state. The "TRADITIONAL" chooses a husband for "one woman". Who, you might ask? Someone who the "TRADITIONAL" can relate to...another "TRADITIONAL". (what you resist persists, remember?). Some years pass. There is great love, but also marital conflict. The "MODERN" wife can't relate to the "TRADITIONAL" husband's values, and vica-versa. Don't even bring up the subject of politics...way too hot a topic. They irritate and grate at one another. They both yearn to know someone more similar to who they are. They both do not see that they are each other's disowned subpersonalities, missing in the other. "One woman", over time and with work, slowly wakes up and realizes there is an inner world inside her. "One woman" realizes there is choice through the path of balance and embrace. "One woman", now in a healthier scenario at this point in her life, is still more modern. Her primary belief system is still what it is, and her primary subpersonality is MODERN, not TRADITIONAL. However, "one woman" now understands the inner workings of the mind and psyche and the personality structure within. Like developing a muscle, she works to develop her inner CHOOSER. This CHOOSER, like any other inner member of society, has always existed, but simply needed to be exercised and fine tuned and worked. The CHOOSER/DIRECTOR becomes a main, everyday component in managing the responsibilities and roles in the inner family of "one woman". The CHOOSER/DIRECTOR turns to the INNER MOTHER, who has been dormant. The INNER MOTHER is finally is strong enough to help the inner family and to see the need to help. She finds an enormous microscope and takes hold of it. It's two times the size of her. She walks over to the basement and unlocks the door. The MODERN subpersonality is right there in the living room, extremely nervous and unhappy and fearful of being disenfrancised. She would like to stop the INNER MOTHER, but the INNER MOTHER is not stopping. Their eyes meet and they both share piercing expressions, though the INNER MOTHER's face is filled with love for the MODERN and knows that she will not harm the MODERN in any way. The INNER MOTHER continues with her goal: she goes into the basement with the enormous microscope. It may be the first time she's been there. It's dark, and in the corner is a vision of someone who is hiding like a child. It is the hidden TRADITIONAL/CONSERVATIVE. It is actually very small, just a few inches tall, but it exists and needs recognition. The INNER MOTHER puts the TRADITIONAL/CONSERVATIVE underneath the microscope, and is now bigger than life. It is truly a conservative; truly a traditional; truly raging and angry at being ignored for so long. Right there, inside of "one woman"...to the surprise and shock of "one woman"...is an INNER TRADITIONALIST/CONSERVATIVE! Holy cow! The INNER MOTHER, lovingly, lets the TRADITIONAL/CONSERVATIVE speak, share it's point of view, it's beliefs, it's sadness, it's oppression. The MODERN, out of sight, fears this inner CONSERVATIVE and has a long term inner hatred for it. But, ear pressed to the door of the basement, the MODERN hears every word of the TRADITIONAL/CONSERVATIVE'S story and, for the first time in all of their lives, the MODERN feels empathy for the TRADITIONAL and not threat. They never meet face to face; they never talk and never will, but the MODERN hears the whole story and is not threated by the small person in the basement. As the inner TRADITIONAL/inner CONSERVATIVE continues to get it's thoughts and feelings out, it calms down greatly. The pain of being stiffled has relaxed now. The INNER MOTHER assures the CONSERVATIVE that she heard the whole thing and will definitely take the CONSERVATIVE'S feelings into account, and will. The INNER MOTHER further nurtures the situation by putting on a nightlight so that the basement is not quite as dark as it once was...now there's some illumination. She raises the thermostat and makes it cozy, piles up some pillows from the basement to create a comfortable spot, and takes a blanket and covers the TRADITIONALIST and looks into her eyes and smiles. She slightly opens the curtains to the basement window and lets a bit of light stream in. It's homier down there now. The INNER MOTHER promises to revisit, and will. The INNER MOTHER then takes the microscope away, and poof, even to the INNER MOTHER'S amazement, the TRADITIONAL is again the size of a spec of dust. In reality, that's all it is in size, but it is alive and vibrant, and powerful and magnetic and it was heard and is now content and peaceful. The door to the basement is closed, not locked, though the INNER CONSERVATIVE gladly stays in "one woman's" basement for now, and later, may only occasionally come out. Still, even when or if it ever roams "one woman's" house freely, it's size is tiny. It's impact, when buried in the basement (subconscious) is enormous. Once it's heard, the impact changes. It can have more input into "one woman's life" with the permission of the "DIRECTOR" and the 'INNER MOTHER" and at the acceptance of the "MODERN", or it may stay as little as it is, but now calm and relaxed. "One woman's" marriage changes dramatically. The bond between the MODERN in her and the CONSERVATIVE in her spouse changes dynamic, and great respect for one another's differences takes place. It is remarkable. "One woman's" outlook on the world and others changes dramatically. She sees and understands with more respect other viewpoints, even if she disagrees with them. She still takes a stand, but sees value, at some level, regarding the other viewpoint. The inner war between these polar opposites has greatly diminished, and the outer war diminishes proportionally. The road to a healthy person has nothing to do with being left or right...not really. The road has to do with our relationship to the spec of dust within that is shouting. Under the microscope, that spec of dust can be given some respect and time to get it's beliefs expressed and to be understood. Then, after the spec of dust is done shouting and knows that it was heard and loved and understood, the microscope is taken away. The spec of dust is still there, but now it is calm and silent. Nothing seemed to change, but everything did change, because the inner war was arrested finally. People are either traditional or modern, Republican or Democratic, right or left, religious or new thought, believing or athiest, etc. But, in every person, there is a seed of the opposite view that he/she seemingly finds so irritating. It is an irritant because it is a strong but silent voice in their own padded basement, and when the opposite view pops up in people "out there", it stimulates the spec of a subpersonality "in here" that is longing to simply be heard and understood. That spec doesn't require control...just a voice. This is a great challenge to humanity. On the surface, it seems far easier to just have a position and despise the other position. That approach demands nothing of us in terms of being better people; it puts the onus on others...out there. However, the "seek within yourself" approach challenges us all to embrace the opposite. The traditional is challenged to embrace something progressive. The progressive is challenged to embrace the more traditional. Inner struggles are to be embraced rather than left dormant. People may hear what is going on inside themselves and come to peace with their emotional polarities. They will have an opportunity to open their minds and hearts to who they really are, and will have the additional opportunity to more easily accept others for whom they are. For those who cannot love beyond themselves, this will enable themselves to, because the more subpersonalities within themselves that they become acquainted with and befriend, the more they will be at ease with those subpersonalities in others in the outer world. I believe in a Creator with Infinite Wisdom. For those who do not, and feel otherwise, nothing really changes in terms of my message. I believe that what is asked of all of us is the mighty and correct task to attempt to reach, within all of us, our opposing beliefs and subpersonalities and to embrace them. I believe that religion, with all of it's wonderful differences and wonderful rites of passage and beautiful rituals and cultures within each religion itself, are all collectively on a mission to do the same, but they express it differently. Balance IS the path. This type of formula...embrace and balance...can help all people of all faiths leap from point A to point B, which appears to be the underlying goal of humanity at it's best, no matter what one believes.
All things that humans are capable of are within us. We are capable of utmost beauty and utmost evil. We are capable of creation and destruction. All the supersonalities from holiness to evil lies within us. It's amazing when you really look at it. The goal of embracing and balancing is not yet fully realized, but I tend to believe that the goal, at it's core, is to step inward, and all walks of life are trying to attain this. Which, when done, will release us from our personal and collective illusion and can change reality greatly. Comments welcome.
"Balance is the path."
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