The Sacred Act of Becoming

The Sacred Act of Becoming

What hurts the Soul?

To live without tasting the Water

of its own Essence.

~Rumi

When viewed from a holistic perspective, we always exist in a state of wholeness. Like the magical transmutation of the caterpillar to the butterfly, we mature through developmental phases that compel us toward a fuller expression of our authentic nature.  Albert Maslow, the founder of humanistic psychology, referred to this innate drive as “self-realization”, where one is motivated “to become everything that one is capable of becoming”.  Yet, each stepping stone is valued and necessary in this process. By realizing our fundamental nature, innate gifts, and relationship to the whole, we are

motivated to strive for our full potential.  

Core to our spiritual nature, we are endowed with vital, intangible life forces that move within and around us, assisting our journey to authenticity.  These forces are not unique to humans but are woven within the fabric of the universe. I simply know these energetic entities as Body, Heart, Spirit, and Mind. None is more divine, relevant, or powerful than another but rather, each is a fundamental part of the collective oneness. When we harmonize our thoughts, feelings, and actions to their rhythms, our consciousness expands and we transcend into a more integrated way of perceiving ourselves and the world around us.

Body is the essence of Mother Earth whose life-giving energy feeds and nourishes us.  We share her creative powers and through our bodies, we have the potential to birth beauty, harmony, and love into the world. Heart carries the essence of the moon, the living waters, and the Divine Feminine. Heart flows naturally with compassion and gratitude and pulls us deeper into life’s great mysteries. Spirit is the essence of the heavenly realm where a vision of unity and fulfillment is actualized, waiting for us to step further into this truth. Mind carries the essence of fire and the Divine Masculine, as embodied in our sun. Mind illuminates darkness, within and without, and provides wisdom to navigate the obstacles and challenges present in our lives.

The Center, our Soul, is our sacred place in the universe. It is where we infuse Body with Spirit and balance Heart and Mind. The Center is where we remember our inherited divinity and the interconnected nature of all life. The Center is where we release the identities and preconceived notions that no longer serve us and compassionately heal  the old wounds that weigh heavy within us. The Center is where we become empowered to be a student of life rather than a victim of our circumstances. The Center is where we give freely of ourselves and express gratitude for all we receive. The Center is where we live without fear, allowing love to define our reality.

There is no greater gift we can give ourselves than to awaken the beauty, love, and fullness that resides within each of us. For when we do, we begin to see our world with new eyes and welcome into our being a newfound sense of freedom, joy, relatedness, and inner peace. In the words of Carl Jung, “The privilege of a lifetime is to become who you truly are.”

The Sacred Act of Becoming was first published in the August 2013 issue of WNCWoman.

Bob Hanna, PhD is a psychologist in private practice in Asheville, North Carolina.  He provides holistic integrative psychotherapy to adults, couples, and parents who desire to live more fully in their lives and to move beyond anxiety, stress, depression, low self-esteem, anger, trauma, addiction, conflict or unhealthy behaviors.  Dr. Hanna is mesa carrier of the Pachakuti Mesa Tradition, a Peruvian shamanic practice with cross-cultural applications, rooted in the Peruvian spiritual methods of sacred relationship with the Earth. Visit www.bobhannaphd.com to learn more about Dr. Hanna or to schedule a session.