Human development is a process of needs being met or not met.  People satisfy the lower levels of basic physical needs like hunger, safety and belonging before they are able to pay attention to upper levels of needs.  The upper levels of needs are based upon inner spirituality, such as love of self and others and living your own truth.  Awareness of this inner spiritual world leads people to further their development towards their potential.  This is what Abraham Maslow called self-actualization.

We must take care of our physical, mental, emotional and social needs in the material world before we are ready to move to the spiritual needs.  Once we have mastered our material worldview, we can begin to develop our inner worldview. Some folks are comfortable in meeting only their material needs. To them, this is all there is to life. Some folks have everything they need on the material plane and yet, they are not quite settled or happy. They yearn for something “more”.  Toni Gilbert, a transpersonal therapist, calls this “the archetypal spiritual self.”  This is where self-exploration, self-realization and self-actualization reside.

Maslow’s initial work on human development described human needs in a progression from basic needs, to interpersonal needs through to inner personal needs.  In his view, to reach our full potential as a human being, we needed to look within to find our truth, strength, talents, motives and special purpose in this world. Only then could we experience all that life has to offer us. For some people, this sounds like too much work – inner, outer whatever work!  But for many, there comes a time when “more” isn’t about stuff.  It’s about life. It’s about spirit. It’s a time when we begin to examine ourselves in our entirety, and reclaim those pieces that have been lost or forgotten. They are part of our story.  They help us move into our true self and purpose.  We are coming home to our heart.

To quote Toni Gilbert from her book,  Messages From the Archetypes:

“People need to develop a higher love of self. This is not a selfish or vain love,
but a true knowing of your rightful place in the world. Sometime in your development
you come to realize that you are a divine being and you belong to a divine world and a divine universe.  As you love yourself, you love others. You cannot express true love unless you have it for yourself.  But you can’t just step over some threshold and become a self-actualized person.  Loving yourself is at the foundation;  it is the gate to the higher self.  And loving yourself
requires a lot of inner work.  People can give you tools to do this inner work, but the bottom line is:  you must do this inner work yourself.  You must go where you haven’t gone before, on a journey through your own inner consciousness, the inner worldview,
to gain your spiritual gifts of wisdom and insight. ((pp.114-118)

A self-actualizing person operates from a higher level of being, a higher mind and a more refined personality. Becoming self-actualized means that you discover your gifts and talents to use in the world and then become all you are capable of becoming.  Self-actualized people are spiritually in tune with something greater than themselves – God, Goddess, Higher Power, Universal Life Force or whatever is your belief.  To become all you are capable of becoming, you must build a relationship with your Higher Power during your inner work.  Being human means that we will drop into lower level behaviours at times. This is taken in stride as a life experience and lesson – and judgement is not required.  Learn the lesson, give thanks for the lesson, then carry on.  Experience and knowledge help create wisdom.

Toni Gilbert summarizes the characteristics of the Self-Actualizing Person as follows:

• self-actualizing people are conscious of their inner worldview and become contributors to the greater good of humankind and the earth.  They feel a kinship to others and selflessly give of themselves
• they have a mission in life and see life as meaningful.  They are creative, filled with self-esteem and live life fully
• they have difficulties but they enjoy life most of the time.This is because they live in the present and don’t look to the future for a time when life will be better
• they feel that life is a highly interesting journey and they enjoy exploring
• peak experiences lead self-actualizers to more awareness in their life. There is an openness to new explorations, which allows them access to spiritual experiences.  (p.116)

If you are feeling the inner nudge to “explore the more”  it’s never too late to start.  Meditation, journaling, dream work, visualizations, energy work, counseling, oracle cards, guided imagery, art therapy, music therapy, yoga, a walk on the beach or in the forest are just some of the ways you can begin exploring your inner world.  You are always in the driver’s seat of your magic bus!

DID YOU KNOW …..

• This month received its name from the oracular Juno Augusta.  The term augur was later applied to priests, and august to the Roman emperors. An august person was filled with the spirit of the Goddess (the Holy Spirit). To augur means to prophesy, to see, to increase
• Full moon in August is known as the Barley Moon
• August message:  to gather, to appreciate, to nurture  (Pat’s message: to the beach!)
• Gemstones are Peridot and Sardony

As the demand for strict social isolation is loosening it is time to begin resurfacing in our communities and beyond.  Time to “leave the nest” and venture out into the world.  And when we emerge, we see a similar but different world from before.  Line ups to do practically everything from shopping to banking to getting the mail. Some people wearing elaborate masks and gloves, while others merely turn or walk away when approached. Humans are social by nature, but this doesn’t seem or feel social in the way it used to be. Reports of social anxiety and panic are increasing, especially as people are coming out of their safe havens.  Yet at the same time, we have more loneliness and depression being reported because of the isolation we’ve endured. We need to connect, but how can we connect when we are fearful, anxious or depressed?

This is not an easy one to answer. The initial threat of this virus and the safety measures we were forced to follow were scary.  Add to that, the fear mongering used by most media sources and we found ourselves in a mess. If you weren’t anxious or scared before, the media made sure you were now!  But over time, and with the steady guidance of credible health ministers having a solid medical / immunological education, we were offered a slow but steady way out of all this. Not what was being offered by those entertainers or media journalists who fancy themselves as experts or influencers, but by the real folks who work and plan for this type of crisis daily. In our province, we were blessed to have Dr. Bonnie Henry at the helm.  With her kind but firm approach, we followed her directions and now we find ourselves coming out the other side of this crisis. She stayed on top of things, offering information and direction so that we could navigate these uncharted waters. And she supported our efforts every step of the way. 

In this high-tech, fast-paced world, Dr. Henry gave us (and continues to give us) directions based on good old common sense. Directions that we could follow. Directions that would help us and our communities stay safe. Proper hand-washing, social distancing to prevent contamination, staying away from others if you felt unwell or had a fever, get fresh air, exercise, take your vitamins – these were things we could all do.But there was more than just a physical approach to fighting this virus. Be kind, be safe, stay connected – how many times have we heard her say this?  And therein lies the answer:  long after the physical threat of this virus is gone, we are left with the psycho-emotional effects it has had on us.

Being in a state of fear and uncertainty for a prolonged time can erode our sense of trust and our feelings of safety (not to mention deplete our immune system). These are foundational qualities needed to go about our daily activities: work, school, worship, shopping, banking, socializing etc.  These are the activities that give sparkle to our lives. These are the activities that give us purpose, community and connection. But they can’t fully happen unless we step out our front door. So how do we begin to venture out and re-connect with our world?

Ask yourself: 

• What can I control in this situation?  Realizing that you have choices and control can help quell some of the anxiety you are feeling. Focus on what you can control.
• What do I need in this situation in order to feel safe?  Anticipate scenarios and how you will respond. By having a plan, you can feel more in charge of the situation.
• How do I handle risk? As we come out of isolation, we face choices about type of risk, amount of risk and the benefits/consequences of risk. The degree to which we can accept risk will be important in helping us “take a chance” at getting back into the dance of living.

It is always your choice as to how, when and why you proceed with rejoining the world around you.  Some folks may choose to remain in isolation a bit longer – they may need more information, confidence or comfort supplies before venturing out.  Others may charge out their front door and take on anything and everything they can.  Most of us will begin in a slow and steady expansion of our world and our activities. Ah yes, the Middle Road!

Amid the fear born out of pandemic, we must find a way to create a meaningful life. We must find our courage and recover our sense of trust and security so we can discover how to dance the dance of life again. It may look and feel different for a while, but the music plays on. Take one step at a time, and soon we’ll be on that dance floor, under the disco ball, dancing like we’ve never danced before.  Sparkle on!