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Personal Philosophy
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Life is a journey to the sacred
interior and its pathways twist and turn up into the mind’s mountain
trails, down into the deepest caverns of the soul, through the waters of
feeling, the deserts of loneliness, the spring gardens of creativity and
spiritual longings, and, into the outer world of people and human activity.
What wild, lovely, catastrophic, aggravating, and delightful events occur
along the way! It is ONLY when we stand firmly in these inner worlds that can we handle the outer circumstances of our life with ease, flexibility, and downright good feeling.
All these things that happen can, with inner work, reflection, and contemplation, open doorways into the inner terrain. The more the light is turned on inside, the lighter you feel, and the happier you are in your life, regardless of outer circumstances.
I repeat, it is ONLY when we stand firmly in our inner worlds, can we handle the outer circumstances of our life with ease, flexibility, and downright delight.
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To arrive at this place, a promise must be made to yourself and to this Universe:
THE PROMISE: I will become aware, self-reflective and deeply contemplative on a regular basis, looking carefully at all that happens inside of my being and all that occurs outside, in my daily life. I will make sense of my own existence!
How to become that aware? Here is what you have to do. Identify and deal with inner demons that drag you off into dark places, drain your energy. Work on unfinished business from the past, forgive people, rid your inner space of blame, harmonize relationships. Learn to speak without creating division and negativity. Do the inner housekeeping, clean up the psychic basement. (Clean up your real basement as well!) Discard what doesn’t work. Completely give up the idea of yourself as victim to anyone or anything. (Doing “victim” is a big power drain.) Give up complaining and being overwhelmed and making excuses. Untie yourself from constricting self-concepts. In
the face of failure and mistakes, self-correct and be glad you made mistakes.
You are the creator of this life. Feel its new promptings.
Welcome change as a natural force. Invite lost passions, longings and goals back into your life. Honor the heart’s wishes. Polish the jewels of your personality - your strength, courage, joy, creativity and find the “skillful means” right for you to do these things. Spontaneously self express. Study your dreams, meditate, pray, express your creativity and feelings and thoughts, dance, sing, love your family, friends and neighbors. In the face of the suffering in this world - of animals, the ocean, the air, children, people everywhere, choose the high road, learn to live in joy. Give back into your family and community. Now
that you have created light inside, BE the light in your life for others.
Finally, know that there beats steadily in the background of your life
the heart of Spirit. Your Inner Wisdom. Find ways to listen to the divine
instruction that continuously comes into your awareness, guiding you
in a myriad of forms. It’s a lot, I know. Well, Get
going!
With warm regards,
Jude | |
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QUALIFICATIONS:
Judith Schafman, Ph.D. a Gestalt Practitioner, Dream worker, and seasoned
spiritual director.
M.A. in Clinical Psychology, University of New Hampshire; Ph.D. in Clinical
Psychology from Union Graduate School. Extensive training in Gestalt
Psychotherapy at the Gestalt Training Center, San Diego, CA. and the
Gestalt Institute, Washington, D.C.
In-depth training in classical spiritual direction at Shalem Institute
for Spiritual Formation, Wash D.C. Thousands of hours of dream work with
individuals, groups and in workshop settings. |
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