Living in the Light:
The
25th
Anniversary Edition
The original edition of
Living In The Light
was published, 25 years ago, how are the ideas in your book
important today?
What I write about in
Living In The Light,
in some respects, feels even more timely and relevant than when I wrote it. I
believe we are in a global healing crisis on many levels; financially,
emotionally, spiritually and physically (as a planet). We are struggling with
how to resolve the multiple levels of chaos we are experiencing. The path
through is the same, to become conscious of how we are living and in the choices
we are making. We can do this through connecting with our inner guidance and to
also look honestly at what is holding us back from that connection.
Big changes can feel out of control and disastrous. However, these changes can
bring attention to what has been hidden, can bring light to what has been swept
under the rug, and ultimately can be our path to freedom. This is true healing,
which is to reveal the issue or problem, to acknowledge it, and then accept it
and bring balance and consciousness to the process. Our inner guidance it what
leads us through this process and brings us into balanced living.
What is inner guidance and how do we distinguish it from other voices within?
Inner guidance is our ability to be connected to our intuition as a resource for
knowledge, guidance, and direction. I believe our intuition, is a natural
ability that we are born with. However we may not have been raised in an
environment or culture that supports it, or maybe it was not understood or
valued. By paying attention to this sense, to these subtle messages, we can
regain connection and strengthen it to be a vital tool in our life.
Some people find that being in touch with their inner guidance is experienced as
a feeling, or physical sensation often a "gut feeling" or a strong internal
knowing. You can learn to distinguish this connection by paying attention to
your body, and what you are experiencing or feeling when connecting with your
inner wisdom.
I used to talk about my intuition as if it was the only "voice". I have
discovered that there are different voices, in fact many aspects or "selves"
within me. Intuition is one of these selves. Often feelings of doubt or fear
diminish our ability to sense our intuition. We can practice simple meditations
where we ask a question or think about something we are concerned about, then
"listen" for guidance and direction. Over time, and often quickly, we begin to
distinguish our own unique intuitive "voice". The messages may be experienced as
a sound, a symbol, a color, a phrase, a feeling or a knowing. Each person
experiences their intuition differently. Be open to how you experience your
connection with your inner guidance.
You refer to "living in the light" as exploring the deep places within us and
shining the light of our consciousness into them. What do you mean by that and
can you say more about that please?
In Living In The
Light, I talk about shining light into the
darker places within us or looking into our shadow sides. This can sound weird
or be misunderstood and I think it is important to explain. We have many aspects
within us and these aspects are like "selves" with traits and qualities that
make up our personality. Some aspects we are very comfortable with and they
serve us well at work or in our family life. I call these "primary selves".
Other aspects we may not be comfortable with and in fact may suppress, deny or
hide. These aspects which we try not to reveal, are "disowned selves" and often
are referred to as our "shadow side".
Viewed in this way, "bringing light to our shadow" means becoming conscious of
what we are suppressing or denying. On the outset, this may seem like a scary
process. However, bringing awareness to this process allows us to have conscious
choice in our lives. We are no longer locked into being a certain way in the
world out of fear or habit. We can begin to "own" or embrace what we have denied
and find a balance that is right for us. We discover that even our disowned
selves have a role in our lives and can even be gifts or the perfect antidote
for what is ailing or troubling us. We begin to realize that we need all these
parts within ourselves and that we must have access to these different energies
to experience authentic wholeness.
Can you say more about these "selves" you are discussing?
To give an illustration of primary and disowned selves, I would like use the
example of my friend Paula. Paula has an important role in a company working
well over 40 hours per week. She has two children that she has raised as a
single mother. In addition to her work, she volunteers at her community center
and visits her parents every weekend with her kids. Paula describes herself as
being responsible, a good mother and daughter, a perfectionist, care taking of
others, driven, outgoing and very smart. Several opposites of these traits could
be described as irresponsible, sloppy, uncaring, apathetic and not bright. These
tend to be negative terms and understandable why she "disowned" them.
At a point in her life, she reached a certain imbalance and started to
experience some minor health issues and several shifts in her relationships at
home and at work. Through working with this body of work and becoming conscious
of the selves, she discovered that she was in fact over identified with her
primary selves, limiting her ability to fully experience her life. She was sort
of locked in to a certain way of being in her life. She further realized, that
the disowned selves, were not negative and were essential to her finding balance
in her life. The words that were used to describe the opposite qualities were
negative because her primary selves were viewing them that way and keeping her
from being seen that way. However she found freedom in not being responsible for
everyone and everything all of the time. She found new ways to relax and
rejuvenate through taking more restful time and not caring for others in all of
her free time. She also realized she had more to offer by taking care of her
self.
The goal of this work is to have conscious choice. Once we become conscious, we
can make decisions through a process that embraces all of who we are and
acknowledges the different feelings or thoughts we may be having. Through this
process, we can experience balance, wholeness, and fulfillment in our lives.
How can we make the necessary changes in our own lives, to support the global
changes you talk about in your book?
I believe that as we do our own work, as we heal ourselves, we can help to heal
the world. Once we become conscious of the many aspects or "selves" within us,
we can begin to see the people and situations in our lives as reflections of our
own process. In fact, they become powerful teaching opportunities where we can
learn about ourselves and become conscious, leading to healing and balance in
our lives. One way of beginning this process is to become conscious of what we
perceive as negative or what we reject as unpleasant. We begin to see these as
reflections of ourselves and of experiences in our own lives. Often these people
and situations are mirroring the energies and aspects within us that we have
disowned.
As we embrace all of who we are and have the potential to be, as we find
compassion for our past hurts and acceptance of the places within us that we try
to bury or hide, we naturally experience understanding, compassion, and
acceptance for others. We can not find this acceptance of others without
accepting ourselves first. Focusing on our healing process ultimately leads us
to healing relationships and situations around us. The effect continues to
ripple out through our lives and others.
My greatest hope is that through this time of healing crisis, a new way of
living can come into view. As the global issues continue to unfold, as illusions
continue to be smashed, as deceptions of governments and people are revealed, we
are given an opportunity to directly address the issues that exist. We are no
longer living in the shadow of old ideas and ways of being in the world. We are
being given a gift, which is to live consciously as we rebuild and create a new
foundation for a new future.
To order Living in the Light, 25th Anniversary Edition, from Amazon.com, click here!
Practicing a
New
Way of
Living
An Excerpt* from the
25th Anniversary Edition of
Living in the Light by Shakti Gawain
*Excerpted from the book Living in the Light: The 25th Anniversary Edition Copyright C 2011 by Shakti Gawain. Printed with permission of New World Library, Novato, CA. All Rights Reserved.
Shakti Gawain
is a pioneer in the field of personal growth and consciousness. Her bestselling
title
Living in the
Light was just published in an updated
and revised 25th
Anniversary edition. Along with Marc Allen, Gawain co-founded New World Library
in 1977. She lives in Marin County, California. Visit her online at
http://www.shaktigawain.com.