Pitfalls On the Path – Disempowering Misconceptions & Comforting Illusions – Part 3 of 7 – by Jesse Wolf Hardin
PITFALLS
On the Animá Path of Self Growth, Self Realization, Service & Purpose
by Jesse Wolf Hardin
www.animacenter.org
Part 3
Anyone on a path of self growth, self realization and purpose needs to be conscious of and honest about the distractions and comforting rationalizations, the over simplified ethnic romanticism, the imported and sanitized traditions, the non demanding relativism and easy ways out, and the get-enlightened-quick schemes that substitute for the real thing. The following is the third in a series describing these dangerous or limiting Pitfalls on the path of personal growth and purpose, misconceptions and maladies that can hinder our understanding, development and manifestation. Please feel to share these with friends, guaranteed to disrupt the pat thinking of New Age, spiritual and conservative audiences alike:
• The Myth that Feelings Can’t Be Trusted
Most of us have been taught that feelings are irrational, unpredictable and potentially dangerous. For this reason, women have historically been dismissed as too emotional, prone to hysteria. Intuition has been written off, and instinct labeled as the unconscious knee-jerk, self preservation responses of the primitive and mindless. In actuality, we evolved to be the most conscious feelers of the planetary whole, the emotion of love is the most positive and powerful motivating force, and a healthy relationship with any aspect of the world requires an emotional component and language as much as a mental understanding.
• The Mistaken Notion That Only Feelings Count
It can be just as much of a handicap imagining that feelings are the only credible measure of a situation, or that disembodied thought is without anchors in the emotional being, our experiences and sensations. The mind can lie and distract, but also reveal and connect. The heart is always honest, but without the mind its honest responses may be based on misunderstandings.
• Imagining Or Inflating Prowess
There is often a tendency to exaggerate our natural abilities or our knowledge to date, in order to help justify the time our calling takes away from other obligation, to rationalize our disaffection from “normal” lifestyles and expected ways of being, or to qualify the healing work we already do for others. When underestimating ourselves, we set our goals too low, fail to take as many chances or follow through on as many opportunities… but by overestimating, we can fail to do the necessary preparation, study and practice first, overextend and disappoint.
• Overestimating Or Misconstruing Intuition
Intuition is a deep knowing that comes from our connection to the Anima, a sensing of the truth and motivation behind appearances, the recognition of the unseen, the inner, the all. Some are born evidencing more intuition than others, but everyone can work to develop this important healing sense. The danger comes from confusing our overriding hopes, the expectations that come with repeat experiences, or our ability to sometimes cue into body language, with genuine native intuition… and thereby missing out on important clues or surprising variations.
• The Myth That “It’s All Good”
There are few expressions more counterproductive than “It’s all good,” used to rationalize any situation. The desire of the heartful person to see good in all people and things can lead to a failure to see all sides, discern unreality and expose harmful situations. Nothing is all good, just as nothing is all bad. The practitioner stresses what is good and right, while staying aware of problems and inconsistencies, seeking the whole picture.
…to be continued
(To further deepen your study and practice we recommend enrolling in the various Animá 8 Week Courses described on the website, especially the introductory “Orientation, Principles & Pitfalls”)
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Categories: Jesse Wolf Hardin – Essays & Tales, Understanding & Practicing Animá
