Only Our Light Can Save Us

Becoming aware of the shift in consciousness that is fully underway in America and throughout the world is one of the most moving experiences I have ever known. At no other time in recorded history have we felt so deeply connected to ourselves, each other, and the Earth. Evidence of this new awareness is everywhere. There have never been more humanitarian, environmental, and spiritual organizations seeking to elevate the global village than today. By necessity, people all over the world are “falling awake” and embracing the idea of an interconnected and interdependent sphere of life.

As we return to an individual and collective state of wholeness, a crucial element is for us to continue our “inner work”. That is; we consciously seek to expand the Self. There are many effective ways to assist you in this process such as; prayer, meditation, journaling and dream work. An increasingly popular method for gaining personal insight is Transcendental Meditation, which was introduced in 1957 by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, and now has centers in all major cities around the globe. One of the goals of Transcendental Meditation is to achieve right thinking, and is defined as having thoughts that are in accordance with the natural process of evolution and that produce no harmful effects on the individual or anyone else. According to; “The Science of Being and the Art of Living” (Penguin Putnam Inc. 2001); “Every thought needs life energy, which is consumed while the thought is created. So, if the thought is not useful, the life energy consumed is wasted. Because some energy has been consumed, it must produce some influence in the surroundings, and if it is not a useful and creative influence, it will be useless or even harmful.” Many other sources today tell us this is true. “Where attention goes energy flows” is a saying not only proven by quantum physics but one that many of us have experienced ourselves.

It is my understanding that the ultimate goal of inner work is to reassemble the fragmented parts of ourselves that we left in childhood. The most common reasons these essential aspects of the Self went into hiding was out of the need to survive our early life. What I believe we truly want is to feel whole again. In my search for the most meaningful explanation of this process, I was led to the Native American tradition, specifically their Medicine Wheel, which interprets an individual’s life’s path. In the center is a perfect circle or sphere of light which represents the Soul. Superimposed over the center is an equal armed cross, similar to a compass, representing the four aspects of human existence. To the west of the wheel is the physical body which manifests in the material plane or Earth. The north direction represents the mental body or “mind” and is where thoughts and beliefs are formed. To the east lies the emotional body giving us the ability to feel our experiences. Lastly, the south houses the spiritual body which can also be described as the higher self. This wisdom tradition suggests that we come into this world as whole and complete beings with inborn talents, gifts and goals. From birth we move around our life’s wheel experiencing, learning, and growing. Each time we encounter pain, trauma, loss or fear, part of our original wholeness suffers a perceived abrasion or “break”. Over time these breaks can significantly inhibit the life purpose of the true self, adding to our feeling of separation from the whole and forming our ego. Although our creation of the ego is necessary to our survival, there comes a time when we no longer need it and holding on to the pain of our past will only bring more suffering.

So how do we mend these breaks in our wheels of life and return to our original state of wholeness? We can first begin by seeing our lives with “symbolic sight” as Caroline Myss Ph.D. refers to it. In her presentation titled; “The Three Levels of Power”, Myss describes how we can begin moving away from our inherited tribal beliefs and into our own perception of reality or individual power. This is done simply by throwing out weakening and limiting thoughts of ourselves and of our potential that we’ve been conditioned to believe. The last level of power comes when we enter the symbolic stage and we see the larger picture of our life’s major lessons.

I have come to understand that each of us has previously agreed to enter this world to perform a specific task or life goal. Since we are born with no conscious knowledge of this task we (our higher self) have to place “events” directly in our path for the purpose of creating a passion for completing that task. Although healing childhood wounds can be our most fulfilling accomplishment and will guide us toward our life’s mission, it is not always easy; but if it were not a challenge what would be the point?

In my own personal experience with retrieving “missing” soul parts, I’ve found dream work to be one of the most productive tools available to us. Since we spend a third of our life sleeping it just seems natural to utilize the wisdom of the unconscious mind to assist us in making sense of our waking hours. Once after asking my higher self to show me my greatest childhood trauma, I was taken, in a dream, to the hospital where I was born. I was in a cold room with bright lights and I watched from above as a doctor performed my circumcision. So there I was a few hours old strapped to a small surgical table by my wrists and ankles. Sparing all the unpleasant details, I understood in that moment that part of my soul had been “displaced” during that experience and had been patiently waiting to return to my conscious awareness. This part of myself that I had recovered was my sense of trust and openness to the world. Throughout my early life I had always felt that I walked among strangers and constantly felt as though people wanted to take something from me. This feeling of distrust and separation hung over me like a dark cloud. Looking back, I see how I rarely had open authentic relationships and carrying that unseen burden ultimately led me into angst and depression. Only after my son was born did I feel a strong impulse to break that cycle as a way to prevent him from inheriting my negative traits. It was then that I started a personal “vision quest” for my truth and purpose. Over the last five years I feel that I have learned a lifetime of wisdom and truly believe that I have rediscovered the original wholeness of my Soul. Any attempt to describe my state of inner peace seems to take something from it or leave something out, but I will just say that I have never been more patient, caring, compassionate or fulfilled than I am at this stage of my life. For me, these words represent my rebirth and convey a new way of being in the world but not of it. They speak of a new hope and potential in our lives that we might ensure the sanctity of the human essence for generations to come.

In the thought provoking words of Deepak Chopra MD., he said; “You are not in the world, the world is in you.” To me, this statement empowers and encourages us to consciously create more harmony in our lives and more self love our hearts by reclaiming what has always been ours; our Souls. We are all on an incredible journey of self discovery, continuously moving between worlds of matter and spirit. We already possess everything we need to heal ourselves and our world. We only need to want to.

Victor Hugo once said; "There is nothing more powerful than an idea whose time has come." Today, more than ever, we are sensing the need for a kinder gentler world; one that we would be happy to leave for our grandchildren to enjoy. Fortunately millions of people are answering the call from spirit to “be the change” and are focusing more attention on self healing. As a rapidly evolving species we are now learning that our outer world is actually a reflection of our inner world. That is; as a global village, we are witnessing the dynamic ethereal connection between our collective mind and the state of our nations. With this knowledge it becomes urgent that we put forth an effort to use discretion regarding what we allow into this unified field of thoughts, as it has significant effects on what we experience personally and collectively. For several years I’ve studied many texts, philosophies, religions, cultures, and theories; and I treasure the wide diversity of it all. My quest and thirst for knowledge has taken me to the proverbial ends of the Earth and back again, only to find that St. Francis of Assisi was on to something when he said; “What we are looking for, is what is looking”. Which to me, in essence means?

“Only our light can save us.” - Namaste’

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Author Bio:

Vaughn Loeffler holds a BS in Holistic Theology from A.I.H.T.,

he is a freelance writer, author, counselor, life coach, husband, and father of two. Loeffler is also a former Army Sergeant, so he understands that violence is never a solution. He is at his best when he’s being creative, and is inspired by our resilience and ability to heal ourselves.

He believes that the new holistic approach, employed in all areas

of life, promises many positive benefits in our world.

He has also started an inspirational website which presents the

idea that we each have a life purpose and offers thought provoking questions to consider. (www.alifespath.org)

He lives with his family in Western North Carolina. (Pauline,

Dane 4, Sophia 2) and enjoys the hiking to waterfalls, biking, gardening, swimming, surfing, snowboarding, reading, deep conversations and cooking.