Friday, November 30, 2012

Integrity


At times, I wait for an inspiration to wander into my mind for my next blog topic.  Sometimes it comes so suddenly and I am unable to stop writing, as I am fired up with passion and purpose to share.  Other times, I find something I am passionate about and it takes time to write it out the way I feel it inside.  Sometimes the words are harder to put down than what lies inside in its entirety already.   Either way, it is always my deepest intent to impress upon anyone who reflects upon these words the motivation to act upon what is suggested ... to act in a manner which will bring out MORE of who they are ... in essence, health, wealth, mental/emotional balance, understanding, spiritual growth etc.   We are talking about wholeness, here ... we are talking about integrity.

Today, I found inspiration in the word integrity.  How many times have we heard this word ... used it ... heard someone else use it?  ''You need to work on your integrity as a person.''    ''She was a woman of great integrity.''   ''They lack integrity in their work.''   What do we really mean when we use this word?

Well today, as I was travelling, I was listening to an audio tape and heard the definition of this word...

Integrity:  wholeness ... the quality or state of being complete or undivided.

 I was delighted.  I had never heard this definition before and had my own taste, flavour, and idea of what this word has meant to me, given the context in which it has been used over many years in many places I have been.  I had this sense of what the word meant, but it had never really impressed upon me the deeper meaning this word can have.

When I heard this definition, it amazed me due to its direct relation to the Work we do at Souhl Center ... and in other places where we go to develop ourselves, heal, connect with what is Divine, bring out our essence and so on.  This wholeness principle is found in so many places ... like whispers for us to follow in order to find our way. 

Kung fu, Chi Kung and Yoga, in the way I was taught, is also about unifying the self.  These arts use the body as one tool with which to unify all the aspects of who and what we really are.  The psycho-spiritual approach I use in counselling is also about unifying the self, and it is so clear to me how divided we are.  We are out of touch with our essential nature - which is all about Integrity.  Our essential nature is whole.  Mastery is unification and wholeness.  Mental/emotional well-being and health is about wholeness.      

As we progress along our Way, we integrate fragmented aspects of ourselves, disowned energies, and splits between body, mind, emotions and spirit.  We move into wholeness and Work towards being One inside ... to be undivided.  As we do so, our experiences in life alter, our perspectives shift and we create ... and live life with integrity.