Saturday, January 5, 2008

How to Get Underneath the Pain

Close your eyes and get quiet. .
Ask yourself, ask your soul, and ask G-d: "Where is the pain coming from?"
You already have some answers from your childhood, from your boss, from your marriage, from a school principal, from a crabby neighbor, from bureaucracy, from too much chocolate chip ice cream. But more important than all those people and things outside of you is what's inside of you.
There are no formulas. This is not a melodrama or a theatre production where you can imagine all kinds of dramatic answers.
When you really listen to your insides, you may hear some very, very simple answers-- they were there all the time, but you just hadn't heard because there was so much static flying through the air.
The universe is full of answers to questions that we don't bother to ask.
When the pain motivates you to re-unite with your insides, then the pain turns into light. It turns into a flashlight to illuminate your way in the dark. You can be thankful for the pain-- because pain is a sign that you're alive and feeling. You're awake.
Pick up the pain in your hands and carry yourself through the silence into your vast inner world. Let the pain turn from ache to song, and let your voice rise up and sing.