August 01, 2019
Doubt, the Kryptonite of the Soul
We need critical thinking skills. We need to be able to plan, discern, and distinguish right from wrong. All these skills come from a well developed logical mind. But that mind, when traumatized, can fold in on itself and collapse. Overbearing internal voices develop, questioning everything and derailing our simple ability to choose. We loop in circles, no longer able to find our true north. We lose our footing, our personal authority, and we find ourselves spiraling forever inward, to a place some liken to “Hell.” Others call it “depression.”
Trauma doesn’t have to be a violent affair with blood, guts, and gore, it can be a simple sense of abandonment, or chronic verbal abuse by a loved one. It makes us doubt our safety. The mind then goes into overdrive trying to secure a safe passage through the world, often by developing these cautious voices inside. Unchecked, however, they can take over and override the intuition. The intuition is our personal guidance system. It guides us from our own internalized divinity, from within our personal place of deep inner “knowing.” Once lost, the fearful mind goes unchecked and folds in upon itself.
Personal authority comes from the combined ability to listen to our inner guidance, discern, and then act accordingly. When the intuition is overrun by the fearful mind, discernment quickly turns into chronic doubt. This kind of doubt hobbles us, keeping us from action. It makes us question our every thought, everyone, and our every move. It separates us from our loved ones, and from ourselves. A certain amount of skepticism is important in a world filled with endless sales pitches and snake oil salesmen, but without our inner knowing, unbridled doubt ultimately isolates us from Source itself. It’s like kryptonite for the soul.
In the high mountains of the Peru, there is an Andean concept called “atyi.” It is the measure of our personal power, the embodiment, and expression, of our divinity. It speaks to our ability to harness Source energy and express our gifts and passions in the physical world with it. The idea is that the more coherent we are with this Source energy, the more we can use it to co-create with. Power in this paradigm comes from our being congruent with Source energy, not separate from it. By congruent we mean our internal divinity is working in concert with this external Source. The biggest thing undermining our atyi is the mind. Fear and doubt create separation, and thus incongruence.
In this culture we mistake “control over” for power. When we are in fear we instinctively lean into controlling our feelings, but usually this is at the expense of our divinity. Feelings are the soul’s feedback system. The more “in control” we are, the more we separate from these inner voices and command them to be still. A mind gripped by fear and doubt pulls away from Source and implodes upon itself. At this point we have very little atyi because we can neither connect with our internal nor external divinity. We are just mind, with all its fearful agendas. Personal authority comes from reclaiming that part of ourselves that is divine, and then using the mind to follow through with its guidance.
The spiritual journey is one of developing not faith, but Trust. Faith is believing in something, it is meant to override doubt, but still it operates at the level of the mind. Trust, on the other hand, comes from a deep “knowing. It transcends the doubt riddled mind. By reclaiming our own internal resources, embodying them, and following them through, we redevelop trust, the antidote for kryptonite. Rather than needing to control outcomes, we come back into coherence with Source, and from this place we can participate in co-creating our journey, though heartfelt intention.
Christina Allen, Shamanic Healer, Teacher, Founder and Director of the Austin Shamanic Center, combines a strong science background (BA Physics, MS Neuroscience) with decades of applied ancient spiritual wisdom (Master Yogi, Reiki Master, Shamanic Healer, based, in part, on traditions the Andean Mystics of Peru). ASC offers profound Shamanic Self Development Workshops, professional trainings, and personal healings. Learn more at www.AustinShamanicCenter.com.
© Austin All Natural, August 2019