The coward believes he will live forever
If he holds back in the battle,
But in old age he shall have no peace
Though spears have spared his limbs.
Havamal – Advice from Odin
Our internal life can often affect us more than external influences, as illustrated by the age old wisdom in the above quote. We can remove ourselves from external threat but can never run away from our own inner fears. The problem for many people is that they allow little, if any time for the internal focus necessary to explore their psyche. Our energy flows where our attention goes and, as most of our attention is on the ever more frenetic external world we inhabit, the ghosts and demons that haunt our quiet moments never get a chance to be put to rest. Allowing time and space for a little introspection goes a long way to balancing our inner life. External changes can be used to kick start the process….
It was a blisteringly hot summer’s day in the Irish town of Bantry which, happily, coincided with a rare day off for me. Ireland is a place of incredible natural beauty, even more so when basked in the glow of summer sunshine and as I drove out to the Mizzenhead peninsula the signs of locals taking advantage of it were everywhere. Through the little hamlets of Durrus, Schull and Goleen the pavements were full of people, pint in hand with their shirts off outside the ubiquitous pubs, as if thawing out after a long freeze. Driving through mountain passes and along leafy lanes I was delighted by the spectacular views over hidden coves, fantastic landscapes and picture perfect farm scenes.
My destination was Crookhaven, an eponymous refuge conjuring up piratical images from antiquity. A handful of houses, two pubs and a yacht club tucked away on a tiny and very sheltered harbour make it a haven indeed. I was sat on the quay relaxing, in the local fashion -pint in hand, watching great black backed gulls jostling for territory when I noticed a cloud bank rolling in across the water. A chill Northerly breeze had brought a fog laden inversion layer and as it closed down the views of mountain and harbour I became aware of a shift in perception.
Since Homer had Odysseus’ life change because of an impenetrable fog bank authors from Dickens to Twain have used mist as a metaphor for hidden realms; we still refer to the fog of war, mists of time and clouding my judgement, I fully understand why. The borderland feeling in dense fog is a wonderful aid to introspection; as my senses adjusted to the external change I felt feelings and had thoughts totally unrelated to the sunny thoughts of minutes ago. I was able to connect to a deeper part of myself with an ennui that was so beautiful it was almost painful. I was enthralled. After a while the fogbank passed and life returned to its full bright vividness but the residue of a deeper sense of belonging remained. Pay attention to the subtle changes around you, they will allow a more subtle, deeper experience of internal life.
Namaste
Rod Briggs is an International Lecturer in the Mind Sciences. He has taught government departments, universities, Olympians and peak achievers in the corporate and private sectors from all over the world. He spends half the year in Europe and the USA on lecture tours but resides on the Dolphin Coast. Contact the Mindlink Foundation for one on one or group Stress Management Therapy or get Rod Briggs’ new book Simple as Breathing at www.mindlinkfoundation.com
If he holds back in the battle,
But in old age he shall have no peace
Though spears have spared his limbs.
Havamal – Advice from Odin
Our internal life can often affect us more than external influences, as illustrated by the age old wisdom in the above quote. We can remove ourselves from external threat but can never run away from our own inner fears. The problem for many people is that they allow little, if any time for the internal focus necessary to explore their psyche. Our energy flows where our attention goes and, as most of our attention is on the ever more frenetic external world we inhabit, the ghosts and demons that haunt our quiet moments never get a chance to be put to rest. Allowing time and space for a little introspection goes a long way to balancing our inner life. External changes can be used to kick start the process….
It was a blisteringly hot summer’s day in the Irish town of Bantry which, happily, coincided with a rare day off for me. Ireland is a place of incredible natural beauty, even more so when basked in the glow of summer sunshine and as I drove out to the Mizzenhead peninsula the signs of locals taking advantage of it were everywhere. Through the little hamlets of Durrus, Schull and Goleen the pavements were full of people, pint in hand with their shirts off outside the ubiquitous pubs, as if thawing out after a long freeze. Driving through mountain passes and along leafy lanes I was delighted by the spectacular views over hidden coves, fantastic landscapes and picture perfect farm scenes.
My destination was Crookhaven, an eponymous refuge conjuring up piratical images from antiquity. A handful of houses, two pubs and a yacht club tucked away on a tiny and very sheltered harbour make it a haven indeed. I was sat on the quay relaxing, in the local fashion -pint in hand, watching great black backed gulls jostling for territory when I noticed a cloud bank rolling in across the water. A chill Northerly breeze had brought a fog laden inversion layer and as it closed down the views of mountain and harbour I became aware of a shift in perception.
Since Homer had Odysseus’ life change because of an impenetrable fog bank authors from Dickens to Twain have used mist as a metaphor for hidden realms; we still refer to the fog of war, mists of time and clouding my judgement, I fully understand why. The borderland feeling in dense fog is a wonderful aid to introspection; as my senses adjusted to the external change I felt feelings and had thoughts totally unrelated to the sunny thoughts of minutes ago. I was able to connect to a deeper part of myself with an ennui that was so beautiful it was almost painful. I was enthralled. After a while the fogbank passed and life returned to its full bright vividness but the residue of a deeper sense of belonging remained. Pay attention to the subtle changes around you, they will allow a more subtle, deeper experience of internal life.
Namaste
Rod Briggs is an International Lecturer in the Mind Sciences. He has taught government departments, universities, Olympians and peak achievers in the corporate and private sectors from all over the world. He spends half the year in Europe and the USA on lecture tours but resides on the Dolphin Coast. Contact the Mindlink Foundation for one on one or group Stress Management Therapy or get Rod Briggs’ new book Simple as Breathing at www.mindlinkfoundation.com
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