Discovering the True Meaning of "Everything You Need is Already Within You"
I just spent the past hour and a half going through photos on my phone from the past 8 years. First of all, wow, I have a lot of photos, and most of them are from work-related things or travel. As I continued scrolling back in time, a began to notice the shifts that had subtly been happening to me over the past several years. It happened to be a tremendous log of my spiritual journey, but one particular thing kept standing out: focus on external things.
Let me clarify this some more.
There is the old addage: "Everything you need is already within you." You've heard it, I'm sure. Perhaps you've even contemplated it to some extend. I know that I have. But what does it really mean? Well, I began peeling into the layers...
People
I first began to ponder its significance with respect to relationships, or more to the point, love partnership. The question, "Do I need someone to complete me," never came into my field. I never felt that this was so. The thought of that sends quivers down my spine. No, I am complete as I am. I do not need another person to validate that. Yes, it is nice to connect with someone on an intimate level, and yes, the right person can bring much happiness into sharing your life. And if they should leave the planet before you, you are going to miss this person, but ultimately, your life will go on...as it should.
Things
The next big thing I contemplated was all the "things." You know, all the stuff you own both physically and figuratively, and have accumulated over the years. Maybe some of your stuff was gifts from other people. You also have gathered many things on your own - collectibles, knick-nacks, travel souvenirs, etc.
When you look at all that stuff, or hold it in your hand, ask yourself some important questions:
Does it elicit a sense of happiness?
Do you need the thing?
Are you keeping it out of obligation?
What is it's purpose in your life?
When I contemplated these questions, I began to realize that I had way too much stuff, that most of it was not necessary, and that I needed to sell or give much of it away. And I did. And as I released more things, it felt good and I felt lighter. And I do not miss any of the things that I let go of.
Qualities
As my internal work continued, I looked into my personal habits, traits and qualities. How much of this was truly me, and how much was I wearing a mask or being a certain thing for certain people? Turns out, quite a lot of the time I was being something for someone else. Many of it was not the real me, but leftover baggage from past life karma, traumas and other outdated energetics.
It struck me that there was no more time to hold onto these qualities that no longer served my true self. I had to get down to the tough stuff and surrender it for good. I had to be the real me, and that took me into spiritual reflection.
Spirituality
Over the years I embraced many spiritual traditions. I spent 22 years owning a yoga studio and immersing into Buddhism and Hinduism to incorporate the spiritual practices into my classes and trainings. My personal spiritual practices were quite eclectic. In addition to the two aforementioned religions, I borrowed rituals, altars and practices from Native American, Wiccan, Norse, various shamanic paths, new age philosophies, and any other earth-based spiritual practices. These things became such a deep part of my life that I didn't even question them. And it all felt so right at the time. I even went as far as to go to a seminary school and receive the title of Reverand Doctor to commemorate my spiritual achievement. And even though this marker looked good on paper, again, I asked the questions:
Did these practices make me a better person?
Was I being True in them?
Was I contributing to helping the world through them?
So here I am, scrolling through thousands of pictures on my phone, many pictures of elaborate and intricate altars and rituals, and as I look at these photos fondly, I am struck with the realization that much has changed within me. I no longer feel the need to perform abundance rituals on the night of the full moon or chant to deities to entice them to come into my life and assist me. My oracle cards don't reveal anything that I do not already know. And the many crystals that I purchased - well, let's leave them alone. I don't technically need them, but I do still very much enjoy them.
Assimilating & Feeling Complete Within
My point is that I feel a deep sense of completeness within me now, and in that, while there is a love and reverence for all of these "things," there's also this knowing that I have merged with them (or at least the ones that are true, and released all that was not). The knowledge and the wisdom within these practices is me - and I am them. Instead of invoking them, I find that I simply need to be completely present, at any moment and in any situation, and its all there.
Looking at my photo journey, I see all the time and energy that I spent on utilizing external energies to try and enhance my life in some way. And while a lot of the stuff is nice, my assimilation now offers me a new prospective on feeling complete within.
Looks like I'll be having a personal collection sale soon.