Wholeness

We have a belief that we are here for a reason and that reason is simultaneously vast and simple. In the simplest way we believe we are here for growth: on a mission of becoming more and more of our true selves. This is often referred to as “remembering.” After all, when we come to Earth, it’s like a set-up: forgetting, losing our true selves deeply through trauma, shame, unworthiness, then finally hitting some sort of moment where we “wake up” and begin the long, arduous process of coming back into wholeness.

Wholeness = remembering who we truly are.

Unfortunately, most humans think of themselves as fundamentally separate from their bodies, from others, nature, and the world around them. This belief in separation causes loneliness, despair, angst, and a feeling that life is one battle after another. This view of reality gets dark and heavy quickly. 

There’s not much hope in a separate world. 

Think about how much we have bifurcated professional and personal life. The dominant paradigm at work is that your work life is separate and distinct from your personal life. This illusory separation started to unravel with Covid, as more people began working from home with dogs barking in the background and children needing attention. However, in order to truly integrate ourselves and invite the whole person to work, much more than physical location matters. Wholeness is a way of being towards ourselves and each other.

It’s imperative that we start to live from our wholeness, in all aspects of life, so we can build a world that honors all humans. Living as a whole person means accepting, loving, and including all parts of yourself. We can’t include the variety of human expressions and experiences in others until we reintegrate those diverse aspects within ourselves.

Feel into all the different parts of yourself. You may think of these parts as archetypes like an inner warrior, comedian, child, wise elder or you may think of these parts as aspects of self like creative, intuitive, intelligent, and silly. Each of these different parts has a different voice and a different way of communicating. All those aspects deserve expression and love. When we suppress or disown a part of us this creates anxiety, insecurity, and alienation. 

The journey to wholeness is a journey of self discovery. 

What does it look like to believe in wholeness instead of separation?

Our beliefs change and thus our behaviors and day to day life change. We begin the practice of seeing our emotions, our bodies, our psychological state, our yearnings as a part of the journey instead of problems to be solved, or distractions from what really matters. Our daily existence is what really matters: how present we are, how aware of our internal and external states we are, how deeply we connect with others, how much we tap into our creative potential, and most of all - how much we listen to ourselves.

Think of a classroom full of 10 year olds. Each one of them has a different set of needs, a different perspective, a different home life. They’ve all come together for the purpose of learning and growing, but there is no way to sync up their back-stories and biological clocks to need and want the same things hour after hour, day after day. Ideally, we would learn to accommodate each and every one of them, listening to their needs and teaching them how to connect into each other’s worlds. If we treated all communities, work, school, or social, as ecosystems, then our human interactions would become fertile soil for healing, connection, and growth.

What practices help us embody this vision of wholeness?

Wholeness comes naturally once we allow our full intuition to come back online and prioritize ourselves and our ability to communicate with the parts of ourselves more than we prioritize the demands of the external world. Of course, this is a process that is undertaken over time. For us it is years in the making and we continue to work mindfully on it each day. Even though it’s a lot of work and can be quite uncomfortable at times, payoff begins almost immediately. There is a part of each of us that is begging for expression and as soon as you begin to listen to the first aspect of self, you will likely feel a relaxation, an ease, a “finally” wash over your body. This listening can come in many forms: meditation, mindful quiet walks, journaling, coaching or therapy. Most of all, it is asking for you to listen to you. It wants you to start loving yourself as the nurturing wise elder, the unconditionally loving parent, and the playful child. 

One practice we love to use is journaling or drawing from one voice within. You can start by closing your eyes, taking a few deep breaths, and asking what part of your body wants expression or love. This body part may feel tense or tight, you will intuitively know it right away. Trust your intuition. Place your hands or your awareness on that part and just breathe. Keep breathing until your head calms down and your breaths are deep enough to reach this place. Then ask: what do you want to share with me? No matter what you feel, hear, or see - trust it. Write it down, draw it, sit with it. You are learning to create your own personal practice of listening so there is no one way to do this. Just be with yourself. You are welcoming part of yourself home!

If you’re curious to learn more about Wholeness, we have a single-session online course.