During a webinar in which I participated, the moderator clarified a very important concept, one which I implement all the time, but to which I had never actually put words. The idea is that any issue, challenge or problem we experience must be resolved with a “whole view”, or it will simply recur repeatedly. In coaching, this means that the presenting challenge needs to be understood and resolved within the context of the entire being of the person. It is helpful to ask the question: “How does this reflect a misunderstanding I am carrying about my particular life and life in general?”
This implies that any disruption in inner peace is a result of having only a partial view of what is going on. In other words, if I understood the complete picture, I would feel peaceful. Of course, this can be a very tall order, and many times the best we can hope for is an understanding that is closer to the complete picture. The closer we get to a complete picture, the better we will feel about the issue.
One way to envision this is to imagine being lost in a jungle and not knowing which way to go to find safety. From your position on the ground, all you can see are the trees around you, and no matter how hard you look, there is no indication of the way out. But imagine now that you are magically picked up by a helicopter which whooshes you up above the area, so that now you are looking down at the whole jungle, and can see that there is a tea house just a stone’s throw from where you were standing.
Having that greater perspective is the only way to see the way out and is an example of getting closer to wholeness. Metaphorically, this is what happens when you bring a single challenging issue to a coaching session. If the session is successful, you will experience a broader view and leave the session with a good solution for that issue.
However, the best solution for your jungle journey would be to carry along a GPS unit which could keep you apprised of your position, and the positions of your various destinations within the jungle. Metaphorically, this is what getting in touch with your inner guidance provides for you: an internal GPS for your life. We could call it an “IGS” 🙂
Getting in touch with that IGS is a tremendous help in life, but like a GPS, it must be used and the direction given must be trusted. Every day we are making decisions about what we will trust. Trusting your IGS involves believing that we have a higher power which is guiding us to a greater good, which the great psychic, Edgar Cayce, referred to as “a spirit of friendliness abroad in the universe.” If we, like Edgar Cayce, believe that the universe is friendly and that we are connected to that friendliness by our internal guidance system, then our experience of the jungle will be radically altered. Each time we feel lost, we can refer to our internal guidance system which will reassure us that there is a bigger picture in which lies safety. This reflects the wholeness into which our challenges can be resolved.