What Remains Hidden Has Power Over Us and Takes Away Our Real Power
The fifth Spiritual Energy Principle challenges us in a very specific way to explore our inner “Milky Way.” It states that those parts of ourselves – including our thoughts, feelings and actions – that we hide from others and from ourselves – have power over us and rob us of our authentic power.
We all have thoughts, emotions and behaviors of which we are not particularly proud, or ones that cause us to feel anxious or evoke a deep sense of unease. Many of these ways of thinking and being are even outside our conscious awareness, although they continue to drive our decisions and shape our perspectives and belief systems. Unexplored, unchallenged and unhealed, these shadowy traits unconsciously control us, oftentimes causing great suffering and harm to us and to others as well. It takes courage to intentionally uncover, face and work constructively with these parts of ourselves.
Spiritual Energy Principle number four focused on how we are each responsible for the unconscious aspects of the mind. By understanding that previous Principle, we come to realize that we indeed have many layers of mind to explore. In each one of us there exists a universe of experiences, thoughts and feelings that in turn drive our daily beliefs, emotions and actions. The fifth Spiritual Energy Principle, “What Remains Hidden Has Power Over Us and Takes Away Our Real Power,” encourages us now to embark on a revelatory, inner exploration of those deeply buried – but very active – habit patterns of thought, emotion and behavior that exert great influence over us. This Spiritual Energy Principle once again challenges us to “make the unconscious conscious.”
For example, unconscious patterns based on misunderstanding, fear and desire are all lodged in the unconscious mind. Without self-awareness, these patterns continue to have power over us and our life decisions, gathering strength every time they operate in our lives and every time we intentionally or unintentionally hide them. We find that we continue to go around in circles, frustrated by our seeming inability to take control of our lives and make healthy life decisions. In many instances, we unconsciously draw situations into our lives that repeat and strengthen these patterns. In other words, what is hidden from our conscious awareness undermines us and exerts extraordinary power over us. The fifth Spiritual Energy Principle calls upon us to exert positive will force, summons our courage and self-compassion to intentionally uncover, investigate and heal the mental, emotional and behavioral patterns that continue to trip us up and unconsciously run our lives. As those patterns cease to be hidden, their power to limit and constrict us begins to evaporate, making room for our real power to emerge.
And our real power resides in the qualities of our Spiritual Ideal. Just as we are mostly unaware of the patterns that obstruct us, we are accustomed also to ignoring our spiritual gifts and authentic power. We can bring the qualities of our Spiritual Ideal into our awareness and intentionally and purposefully apply them in our daily lives. Then, we are no longer a puppet dangling on the strings of unconscious and unhealthy habit patterns. Instead, we turbocharge life by infusing it with the awareness and application of our Spiritual Ideal. Standing in the wisdom and strength of our Spiritual Ideal, with understanding and self-compassion, we can embrace and transform mental, emotional and behavioral patterns that cause us and others much suffering.
Then, as the fifth Spiritual Energy Principle promises, we reclaim our true power – the power of self-liberation – and we become tuning forks for that same transformation to take place in others.
