The Sun Inside You: Moving Beyond the Void

"In the midst of winter, I found there was, within me, an invincible summer.  And that makes me happy. For it says that no matter how hard the world pushes against me, within me, there’s something stronger – something better, pushing right back” ~ Albert Camus 

Sometimes, when you’re working hard on something in life, it feels like winter. Not the get cold then feel cozy and warm, hot chocolate treat kind of feeling. But, the "I don’t know if I’ve ever been warm,” kind of feeling. 

Sanaya Roman, in her book, Personal Power Through Awareness (1986) calls this “entering into the void." This is the place where dreams come from, where potential resides. But when you’re in it, it feels colorless, empty, flat, and complex at once, like when you have one of those 5-day colds. It feels like an eternity. 

I won’t give you a simplified explanation or trick, but I will say, it won’t last forever. 

Here are some simple steps to re-enter your life and yourself with greater kindness and depth.

The first step is to acknowledge that you are not the void. Let me repeat this: You are not the void. You are yourself, far more complex than any emptiness. 

The second step is to allow the emptiness. No push or resistance. This just is. Let yourself make room for all feeling, including no feeling.

Now, see if you can sense any other feelings underneath the loudest feelings. Sometimes, numbness is the loudest. But, it’s not necessarily the most true or even the most prevalent. Listen. Hear the other feelings. Is there a tiny ping of some hope? A sense of calm underneath the noise of sad?

Notice it. 

Now, bring some warmth to yourself. Actually picture yourself on a sunny day, perhaps the beach, feeling the sun on your arms, on your back, the warm wind on your face. 

Bring that sun inside you. 

Imagine that you’re glowing from the inside, a soft rosy sun. Let the sun expand from the inside of your chest and heart and surround you. Feel the light as love.

If you’d like, imagine a stream of golden light cascading over your head, filling you and sweeping over you. 

Breathe in the light. 

You don’t need to force anything. Whatever you feel, you feel. Let it be. But, know that just as the winter resides inside you, so too does the power to transform it! 

#down #sadness #depression #change #hope #connection #psychotherapy #mindfulness 

#visualization #power #spirituality #transitions #visualization #transformation #energy #psychology

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Dr. Heather Schwartz is a licensed psychologist in Portland, Oregon who delights in working with kind and expressive people on the path to greater hope, joy, and connection.