Healing Metaphysics Home > Archive> The Essential Nature

Article by Michael Finn
Copyright Michael Finn

Aspects examined herein are superbly complemented by observations on other pages, notably Zen and Personal Responsibility (One Mind), regarding our essential self.

"...the unexamined adult personality is an assemblage of attitudes, behaviours, psychic reflexes, occasioned by the traumata of childhood, whose primary purpose is the management of the level of distress experienced by the organic memory of childhood we carry within."
(The Middle Passage, pg 10, James Hollis )
http://www.innercitybooks.net

From the first breath, we are connected to the greater organism of our world. Either one emerges a ‘clean slate’ or as an entity with all previous incarnative experiences stamped upon one’s spirit, soul or indwelling self. As such, I’m either brand spanking new or thoroughly and durably recycled. Whatever, in terms of conscious perception, this feels like the first time around.

As a thorough-going eclectic, I am fine with the idea of reincarnation. I must say though, that I think the ‘western’ mind has somehow appropriated the concept and bevilled it into a romanticized form which personalizes one’s ongoing destinies in a fashion that smacks of ego-preservation. A concept of God, creator, Tao, destiny, fate and so on is steeped in impersonalness as far as I can appreciate.

Anyway, I am deviating too much here. Suffice to say, I am also quite at home with the idea that there’s no grand soul journey which promises individualized evolution with entry, exits and re-entry status over lifetimes.

I do aspire to the idea of being born with ‘seeds’ of what may be expressed at some time later in life (given opportunity and misadventure notwithstanding.)

There’s no doubting generational influences, DNA familial traits and influences and the fruits of the age old ‘nature vs nurture’ debate.

I refer interested readers to deeper sources of wisdom and observations regarding the ‘unfolding forces’ of one’s personal destiny. James Hillman in ‘The Soul’s Code’ expounds the idea that our ‘self expression’ is inborn and signs (of its gradual unraveling and development) are seen , by the keen observer, in our early years.

The catch though, is that often times the ‘seed’ looks like the antithesis of what’s developing.

But not in all cases.

I can attest to the face that my passion for African drumming may have sought earlier expression in driving my mother to distraction when, as a 5 year old, I strapped a plastic rubbish bin to my waist and whacked it for hours on end for interminable ages…

My feats of healing and other remarkable skills, were prefaced, undoubtedly by many magic shows I put my family through in those very early years. Seems I loved the conjuror’s art, and notably, the audience’s adulation.

To be brutally objective, as an adult I have new magic arts and a very appreciative audience – nothing really has changed. My skills now, involve more and more divination of my client’s circumstances of the moment, to locate the best context for healing.

and let’s face it, healing sure looks magical!

Basically, my point is that the seeds of ‘self’, of our innate point of identification, often are revealed in our early years, and undergo a certain metamorphosis. Our ‘essential self’ then is experiencing a gradual education, both by learning, and equally by doing.

Healing Metaphysics Home > Archive> The Essential Nature