Can you think about a time in your life when you were an Innocent? As children, we start out in Innocence, initially trusting those caring for us. No matter how difficult our childhood is, most of us can remember a time of childhood playfulness and joy. There is a great exercise where we remember a specific scene or time in childhood when we felt that joy. We can call it “Childhood Paradise.” In meditation, allow a symbol to emerge that depicts the essence of that time of “Paradise.”
Next, consider a time in your life when “Paradise” was lost. Perhaps you lost that trusting innocence through a betrayal, a trauma, or some kind of wounding experience. In meditation, allow a symbol to emerge that depicts the essence of “Paradise Lost.”
Finally, reflect on a time in your life when you experienced a return to joy, to a sense of “Paradise” once again. It may have occurred in childhood, or it may have been a key fulfilling time in the life. In meditation, allow a symbol to emerge that depicts the essence of “Paradise Found.”
This is something that should not be figured out consciously but allowed to emerge from the deep unconscious. That way, we find ourselves in our own archetypal story, taking the journey from innocence, through a time of challenge, and ultimately to realization and fulfillment. From this simple exercise, we can often see connections that we had not previously realized. And the exercise can be repeated, and each time different symbols may appear along with new awareness.
We are all heroes and heroines on a spiritual journey. We begin as The Innocent, then through our wounding, we discover The Orphan archetype within, and have to overcome victimhood and suffering. We find deeper FAITH and DISCERNMENT, two of our twelve spiritual powers. Some people get stuck in Orphan mode, living from a victim mentality. And others learn to seek help, reach out, find loving support in community, and activate their spiritual powers. They discover how to become victors, rather than victims. They learn an “understanding” faith and wise discernment.
May we all be blessed with that kind of self-responsibility!
Love & blessings,
Kathy