Dear First name / friend

 

You'll be pleased to hear that things feel very different compared to last week. It's funny, isn't it, how you can make a decision in your mind that completely changes your outlook, even though seemingly nothing in your external world has shifted? 

What I mean is, if you get some really good news and suddenly feel really happy, what has actually changed? You're still sitting at your desk sipping on the same cup of tea you were 30 seconds ago. It's all happening upstairs; the internal world has changed. 

 

I've been thinking quite a bit this week about the internal versus the external and this idea that everything is a mirror. For example, I can only write about things I have explored: this newsletter reflects that internal world. I often find it difficult to give compliments to others (apart from commenting on their physical appearance) and I think that's because I don't find it easy to give compliments to myself (that aren't based on physical appearance). 

 

I wrote a reflection for my work portfolio about finding it really irritating when patients are late to their appointments - and then realised I'm late for pretty much everything. I'm never “late for work”, but I'm always later than I had planned to be and I'm pretty much always late to everything else. In Jungian psychology, we resent in others what we most reject in ourselves. So, my resenting patients for being late is really holding up a mirror to my own frustrations about struggling to be on time.

 

The internal world and the external world are irrevocably linked. My irritations (lateness) and inadequacies (difficulty giving compliments) are informative- if I choose to see them. What do your irritations and (perceived) inadequacies say about you? What reflections aren't you noticing? 

 

 

Mindful tip: The next time you find yourself irritated by someone or something, question why that might be. What part of yourself are you rejecting? Jungian psychology dictates that it is far easier to project these parts of ourselves onto others, rather than put ourselves under the spotlight - but that's where the real growth is. How can you use this knowledge to inform your own growth, learning and understanding? 

Thank you to everyone who attended last week's workshop! It was a really beautiful afternoon, full of softness and surrender. 

 

I spoke last week about pausing the classes for February to take some of the pressure off my weekly schedule. However, Saturday's workshop showed me how much I enjoy teaching and holding space and I felt sad afterwards that I had said ‘No classes in Feb’! So, I'm changing my mind. There will be no class 4th Feb, but I'm going to aim for service as usual after that: watch this space. Thanks for your understanding. 

 

Mindful tip: It's okay to change your mind. This is certainly something I struggle with. Sometimes we box ourselves into ‘shoulds’ and expectations that, for the most part, are often set by others. You did what you felt was right at the time, and that's often the best advice to fall back on. 

 

- Matt Licata

 

As explored above, all our experiences shape the world we live in. 

 

Mindful tip: Those wounds you have in your past? Lean in.