What could be more adventurous than digging at various sites, uncovering relics of past civilizations, witnessing history unfold, and allowing discoveries to present stories of people long ago?
Sarah Parcak stated, “Archaeology holds all the keys to understanding who we are and where we come from.”
Throughout my adult life, I have been living this dream, not as an archeologist of geology, but instead, of the inner human terrain.
And isn’t this a quest in which multitudes engage? Searching for answers to: Who am I? What is my purpose? Why am I here?
So what about the process of digging, uncovering and discovering ourselves? How do we go about revealing the mysteries of who we really are?
We begin with ourselves and become aware of our internal experience of thoughts, feelings, desires, sensations, goals, and limits, all of which serve to provide us with guidance.
Yet, our internal directional system can often become clogged, so then how do we proceed?
First, we need to see, acknowledge and address the barriers that deter us from the excavation process.
Many of us prefer not to unearth attributes within ourselves.
Many of us fear what may lie deeply within.
Many of us avoid digging in situ and, instead, remain focused outside of ourselves, on others and on doing.
These are obstacles to achieving that which we, at our core, aspire: to know, accept and love ourselves and present ourselves authentically in the world.
Before we hit pay dirt by boring to the core, we need to scratch the surface of these barriers that try to protect from deeper self-excavation.
Beware though, more blocks may arise: our disdain for and frustration about these barriers!
So, herein lies a challenge, because we live in the mind’s subjective perspective which likes to divvy things up as good or bad in its attempt to simplify our experience: go for the good and avoid or eliminate the bad.
And, we need not regard our obstacles as negative.
Rather than engaging in the mind’s perspective of duality, we can thank the mind for its attempt to ease life. We can shift to curiosity which is the great neutralizer; it allows us to approach whatever we’re approaching as it is and not eliminate it, deny it, or avoid it.
When in curiosity with and about these protectors, we allow them just to be what they are. Through seeing them and acknowledging them, we gain a deeper understanding and compassion for how they want to help bolster our confidence and capabilities, and safeguard us from the fears of who we could possibly be.
As we develop more compassion for these parts, we develop more compassion for ourselves.
As we practice curiosity in approaching our internal world, we gain confidence in approaching each successive layer, delving deeper into our internal treasure trove.
And as we engage in the process of learning, we gain clarity, which promotes our growth and evolution, thereby enhancing the embodiment of more of a core sense of Self.
And like the icons uncovered in an archaeological dig, our internal aspects first appear as parts of a puzzle, though upon amassing them, they fit together and present a coherent picture of our lives, a clear timeline complete with milestones and guideposts. And like ancient civilizations, we can learn of their attributes and contributions, thereby providing us with deep appreciation of our hidden gems as well as direction for our present and future.
