A TWELVE WEEK PSYCHOSYNTHESIS PRACTICE
Compiled and Edited by Thomas Yeomans, Ph.D.
No. 6 – THE INNER DIALOGUE
Each of us has within a source of understanding and wisdom that knows who we are, where we have been, and where we are going. It is in tune with our unfolding purpose and senses clearly the next steps to be taken to fulfil this purpose. As we contact it, we can better recognise the difficulties we are having in our growth, and, with its help, can guide our awareness and will toward their resolution. Rightly used, it can help us direct our energies toward achieving increasing integration in our daily living, and toward unifying into one lived reality the personal and transpersonal dimensions of our lives.
Many images are associated with this source of inner guidance. Common ones are the sun, a diamond, a fountain, a star or point of light, an angel, an eagle, dove, or phoenix, the Christ or the Buddha. Different images emerge to meet different needs. However, the one most commonly associated with this source is that of a wise and loving old man or woman. (These are two distinct archetypes, with many similarities but also specific differences. It is worthwhile to experiment with both so as to know each well, and know when to use one or the other according to the specific needs of the situation. In general, the wise old man is often encouraging, stimulating, inspiring; the wise old woman is more nurturing, supportive, allowing.
Procedure
This exercise is designed to facilitate contact with one’s inner source of wisdom. The simplest procedure is to close one’s eyes, take a few deep breaths, and then let appear in your imagination the face of a wise old man (or woman) whose eyes express great love for you. (If you have difficulty in getting an image, you can first imagine a candle flame, burning steadily and quietly, and then let his [or her] face appear at its very centre.)
Engage him in dialogue and, in whatever way seems best, use his presence and guidance to help you understand better whatever questions, directions, choices, you are dealing with at the moment. (This dialogue may include words, but it may also take place on a non-verbal, visual level of communication and understanding.) Spend as much time as you need in this dialogue, and when you are finished write down what happened, if appropriate, amplifying and evaluating further whatever insights were gained.
After some practice the use of an image may become less necessary, for contact will become steadily more available, perhaps in the form of an inner voice (an example of this would be Socrates’ daemon) or simply as a direct knowing of what is the best thing for you to be doing in any given situation. Over time the contact with this inner source can grow, so that its love and wisdom increasingly can inform and guide our daily lives.
Afterword
In the use of this exercise, two further mental processes are necessary: discrimination and interpretation We must learn to discriminate between those images which carry true wisdom and those which do not. For example, occasionally a critical and authoritarian figure appears, one who is not truly loving toward you. This can be the projection of a subpersonality or a known person onto the superconscious, and discrimination must be used to recognise it for what it is and “unmask” it. Also, a positive projection onto the superconscious may result in hearing “what you want to”, not what is really being communicated.
Secondly, the message received is not always clear in its application and so must be interpreted correctly. A famous example of this is God’s injunction to St. Francis to “Go and rebuild my church”. At first Francis thought this meant to rebuild the little ruined church of San Damiano outside the walls of Assissi, and only later did he realise its true import—to rebuild the whole Catholic Church!
Finally, though this contact is important, it is also important not to overuse it. The best procedure is to first explore as fully as possible the dimensions of the problem you are dealing with, and then, when and if you find no solution “down here”, then ask for guidance.
With these considerations in mind, the technique of the Inner Dialogue will prove effective and powerful as means to further the process of personal and spiritual psychosynthesis.
< Previous exercise: No. 5 – SELF-IDENTIFICATION
Next exercise: No. 7 – EVOKING AND DEVELOPING DESIRED QUALITIES >