Tag: Learning

InkMann Press Series — The Secret Place

There comes a time in our lives when the journey calls for complete transformation. This part of the journey is a root deepening and soul defying phase that often asks us to transform in unique ways. In the past we would allow ourselves to get away with behavior unbecoming but when life calls for something more many of us try to answer.

In life we are given a number of opportunities to go deeper within ‘self’ and become the person that we are ultimately destined to be. Sometimes in order to avoid ‘self’ we invite the most unlikely of people or situations into our lives. When we use people to distract us from ourselves we end up stunting our own growth. When this happens it throws us back to the beginning to start over at the same point we were in before we met that unlikely person or began that situation. Basically, because we didn’t take the time to separate ourselves and grow, we remain stagnant.

Sometimes the road to transformation comes because something happened to provoke change or we simply realize its time. Some of us grow through this phase by allowing ourselves time to heal. When we don’t allow healing to occur, we disrupt this phase and it puts us back at the beginning so to speak. Avoiding growth because ‘it’s too hard” is like self-development suicide. Many people never get through the transformational phase because they don’t stay long enough. They either feel they’re ready when they’re not or they think it’s too hard and quit. The transformational phase calls for a mirror so to speak to give us the opportunity of looking at ourselves to work on those under developed areas and bring out our most authentic nature. During this phase where we get to be with ourselves most people opt out because it’s soul work. Soul work requires that we look at ourselves in all areas no matter how tough it is to do so. It’s that vow that you make to yourself to keep going and staying the course because you believe in its reward.

When we do the work and master ourselves we become the hero in our own lives. And like most heroes there is a tale of heroic proportion about what the hero had to do to survive.

In the transformational phase there is this secret place so to speak.  The secret place is where the hero gets nourished, replenished, and energized in order to transform. The secret place offers different stages of each depending upon the level or dimension the hero is embarking upon. During this time the secret place is used as an incubation period. Or like the ‘pupa’ phase of a butterfly. During this phase the cocoon represents the nourishment, lessons, and growth. Although you’re alone working on your work, this phase is most crucial because any change in direction can alter the life of the butterfly.

It is evident that when we do not take the allotted time to learn, grow, and transform that we do not understand the importance of mastering oneself. Finding and mastering yourself before giving to and mastering another teaches you self love at a level that is profound and often unheard of. What I know is that to love and be better for you is to love and be better for others. What value is it to come into anyone’s life and disrupt it by coming in broken or lacking self-development? It profits them nothing more than heartache and pain. When we love others we want the best for them and if we are not the best we must choose to ‘be’ the best. But not before we become the best for ourselves.

When I think about the transformational period I liken it to the stage of preparation. In the midst of transformation is always preparation. This reminds me of Mr. Miyagi and how he prepared Daniel in the ‘Karate Kid’ before his big transformation.  Mr. Miyagi not only taught Daniel karate moves but Mr. Miyagi taught Daniel life lessons while working on his level of understanding. Mr. Miyagi gave Daniel the space to learn his “why” and the significance of it. The Creator does the same thing with us. He prepares us for transformation so that we can walk in our purpose with a full understanding as to ‘why’ we are being transformed. The Creator offers us the opportunity to slow down, to get the lessons, take notes, and grow so that our transformation is lasting and not fleeting.

The way to ensure lasting change is to stay in the moment of where you are. Take the time to get the lessons, write them down, and put them into practice daily. Know that every situation you encounter is a chance to learn something new. Always look for the lesson. When we allow ourselves the spiritual space, God teaches us how and when to move. How you handle the issues of life determine ‘if’ you’re learning or not. Trust me, there will be a test.

When  you’re learning there will always be a quiz and then a test at the end. How you fair is based upon how you studied. The determining factor whether or not you’ll move ahead depends on if you studied for a quiz or if you studied for a test.  The way you study for each is different. When we study for a quiz we learn with short term memory which makes it easy for us to not know the answer days after the quiz. But if you study for a test you study using long term memory because the question could be asked a number of ways and you must be fluent in them all. So again, the difference in the quiz and the test is that you may pass the quiz today but if you were asked the same information again tomorrow you could very well fail. Always study for the test because it defines the points in which you will move to another level or move into a new dimension. It is important not to die on the vine and quit during this phase. Don’t jump out of it, stay the course no matter how tough.

When we work to change the way we think, speak, and act; we summon the courage for mastery. And often mastery calls for us to be unplugged, to get with ‘self’, or be one with spirit in order to move into a new dimension. The way we master ourselves says a lot about who we are. Remember, it takes a hero to master himself.