“Every time we reclaim some of our own energies, stop projecting onto others attributes of ourselves, we become more whole, more present.” ~ Jill Mellick.
“Who looks outside dreams; who looks inside awakes”. ~ C. G. Jung
We can learn much from wise, supportive others and at times we do need another person to physically treat, affirm, guide, comfort or support us. After all, co-regulation and connection to other people is essential for our well-being from the moment of our conception.
But, there also comes a time when we need to discover and turn towards our own inner-healer and give ourselves the support, wisdom and healing we need. Like the master of the healing arts himself, Chiron, we need to take ourselves off to our own metaphorical cave at times, and start to turn inwards to explore previously untapped power, capacities, resources, medicine and potential.
In other words, to finally meet with our own inner-healer and to put together all we have previously learned so we can now harness our own healing capacities to help ourselves.
As Jung suggests in the above quote, we need to awaken to our own unique, inner well of resources, many of which lie dormant and in our unconscious, yet quietly awaiting our arrival and activation. And in so doing, we access hitherto unknown reserves of personal power; all of which is empowering and confidence giving.
We also learn to trust in ourselves and our capabilities more, and crucially, we stop always searching for help “out there”, through projecting our healing potential and capacities onto others.
Where we take our life, our well-being and our healing into our own hands now.
We also discover something vital during this process: That we are not as helpless as our wounded and traumatized selves have come to fully believe. We come to find that there is another part of ourselves that isn’t still traumatized but in fact, is immensely resourceful and powerful.
This is our own inner Wise Woman or Man; our own inner-Healer.
If we have doubted ourselves all our lives then meeting with this inner-other can be very healing in itself.
Often, this part of us shows up in dreams as an older man or woman, or even several people, as characters who radiate healing powers and talents, and who support us in some way, or even perform healing practices on us. And we can be sure that our dreams ARE showing us a part of ourselves here; this is a part of us that we need to get to know better so that we can finally reclaim these energies and potential for our own lives.
Of course, this isn’t an either/or, as at times we will still need to seek the support and guidance of others as I said at the beginning. Yet, to also begin to take this step and discover our own healing potential is hugely important as it returns much needed personal power and a firmer sense of self, bringing us one very important step closer to wholeness; rather than remaining fragmented with scattered parts which are always at odds with one another.
And, the more whole we feel, the less we project outwards onto others, and thus, the more of our own power we retain and use for both ourselves and in-service of life.
So, I encourage you to trust yourself, your inner-wisdom and intuition that you DO know what it is you need, and to have increased faith in your capabilities.
To find the courage to look within and to stop running from yourself.
To turn and face what is calling you via your symptoms, bodily sensations, emotions, feelings, intuitions, visions, ideas and dreams.
You are far more powerful than you think you are. It’s always a matter of trusting and believing in yourself, and of digging deep to bring to life all that you hold inside as potential to support and heal yourself.
©Angela Dunning
Image by Jozef Klopacka, licensed via Shutterstock.
Quote by Jill Mellick from the book she co-authored with Marion Woodman, ‘Coming Home to Myself’.
You might also enjoy these related articles which you can access by becoming a member:
1) https://buymeacoffee.com/angeladunning/chiron-and-the-archetype-the-wounded-healer
3) https://buymeacoffee.com/angeladunning/the-conscious-wounded-healer