As spiritual beings we can know and recognise ourselves as whole and complete particularly when in meditative and aware states, although our experience of physical reality often includes perceptions of lack and separation.  In this post I elaborate on how every thought and desire impulse we experience is either inspired from wholeness, or serves to further an idea of not enough. I also include simple practices for redirecting our thoughts and consequent desire impulses, so that these more consistently reflect Inspiration and serve our knowing of Wholeness.

As we go through our day and from moment to moment, we have a constant and never ending stream of thoughts and desires that we feel called to act upon.  Depending on which thought streams we choose to focus on, we can experience greater union,  joy and wholeness, or conversely our thoughts and desires can pull us away from our center to only feel more fragmented and lacking.

Pursuing fragmented thoughts or desires in order to complete ourselves or feel whole, will in practice never lead to wholeness.  Our wholeness and everything we seek is indeed within us, and through simply aligning with our Higher selves we can start with this deep sense of completion and peace. And from this place we begin to transform our outer experience to gradually reflect more and more of our belief in having everything we need and living from this knowing.  

When we can start with wholeness, we perceive clearly that no desire or outer circumstance will complete us or make up for any lack we perceive. Certainly not in a static or ongoing way, as every desire will lead to a new desire when fulfilled. Furthermore we notice that lack thoughts or desires when followed, far from fulfilling us, can lead to consequences that do not feel good,

However in the other extreme on the desire spectrum, sometimes on the spiritual path we might mistake desire itself as a problem to be transcended, for instance the desire for material well being, and we might have learned to shame ourselves and or feel guilty for having healthy human wants and desires. To use spiritual logic as a way to avoid seeking the greater life that is wanting to be lived through us, is directly on our destiny path and serving our wholeness. 

I am off course not referring to greed or to excessive or unhealthy wants,  or to overriding our faculties for clear reasoning and the voice of our conscience to  determine what desires we choose to act on, however to any pattern of judging ourselves or others for allowing and having healthy wants, needs, and desires.   

If we deny or judge self as wrong for simply having desires, we may in fact only be nourishing and creating shadow aspects and repressed emotions and further fragmenting from our selves.   Instead from our intuition of wholeness, we can trust in whatever is present and in our ability to accurately discriminate between thoughts and desires that serve our wholeness and are divinely inspired, and ones that would increase our sense of fragmentation or of not having enough when acted on.

​From this perspective we also begin to clean and own our shadow, without needing to either act out or hide from what we see as undesirable within us. We do not need to constrict our innately pure life force.  Owning the unconscious and shadow aspects of ourselves is a first and necessary step to releasing it's hold on us.  We can own all of our self as Whole while releasing what does not serve us and pursuing our hearts dreaming and engaging with our divinely inspired desires and goals.
 
Wholeness Practice –
 
You may wish to include one or more of the following approaches to remembering wholeness, in to your daily practice.

Intention  - Having a strong intention to remember you are already whole can be helpful in itself, "I am whole and perfect as i am, I do not need any outer circumstance to complete me. I take inspired action to allow myself to receive, knowing that i am an already whole and coherent spark of the Divine."

Questioning – Simply asking a question “Does  this thought or desire serve me and come from wholeness, or am i perceiving lack?”.
If there is fear, then I can assume that there is lack or limitation in my thinking, and can return to alignment with the place where I am connected with inspiration and wholeness.
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Awareness and Vigilance  -  The normal thought stream when directed by the intellect, cannot intuit wholeness and is inherently based on perceptions of lack and separation.  We therefore need to shift our consciousness and to become vigilant to where we may be misled by thoughts of lack. Cultivating a regular mindfulness or meditative practice is very helpful to overcome the normal patterns of mind.
Through quieting the mind, we can shift our thinking from the normal intellect to being guided by clear reason, intuition and inspiration. We can constantly redirect our thinking to wholeness.

When we experience problem states, no matter what the problem that we wish to solve (whether this relates to a relationship, work or health for instance), the underlying problem is almost invariably one of not being easily able to disengage from the thinking process, and of mistaking the thinking process we are engaged in as one with our primary intelligence.  

To move back in to the spontaneous flow, innate intelligence and energy of the True/Higher Self, requires insight and willingness to heal this process of addictive thinking.  The processes used in transpersonal therapy help you in recognising that the ongoing thinking process (particularly if limiting or judgemental in any way), is merely a projection that helps cover over areas where we have experienced hurt, separation and disconnection from the Self in the past.  The healing process is one of forgiving these issues and returning to deeper levels of self –lov
 

What I am referring to as addictive thinking (as opposed to true intelligence) can be better understood in the context of a pictorial view of the Three Levels of Mind that is a helpful map to the territory of how our mind functions. 

While the proper function of the rational /conscious mind is that of setting direction, and drawing inspiration from the Higher Self. We have extended this function of the Conscious Mind to rigidly protect our ideas about ourselves, to stay in the known territory, and to that extent even to shut out our own higher intelligence and guidance.

The idea of self that is being protected by the Conscious and Subconscious mind is based on our individual experiences and memory, and once a pattern is established, this simply plays out from the Subconscious memory and from emotional triggers we have yet to fully integrate.


Merely as a natural result of growing up and requiring to function as adults in the world most of us are in fact either consciously or unconsciously working with deep patterns of hurt, anger, rejection, betrayal, abandonment that are then numbed out or covered up by addictive and problem states.  Till we are prepared to face these patterns and heal them..

No matter what the presenting problem, when we face and release these deeper issues that are blocking self love, and soften the limiting ideas we are engaged with we are able to experience healing and successful outcomes.  As a result we are also helped to become more fluid and transparent to our own power and light.

When we soften our addictive clinging to our ideas of self, and return to our Heart space we are naturally in touch with our true intelligence, and the Conscious and Subconscious aspects of the personality can now return to a natural alignment with the Higher Self.

The ego which is our collection of ideas about ourselves as individual human physical beings has been under severe attack, for a while now as we continue our journey of awakening to our deeper truth.   This is for good reason, and a primary approach of transpersonal hypnotherapy is to help  soften our allegiance to the egoic identity and awaken to the true or inner self, thereby releasing problem states.

However,  while attaching to our ideas of ourself is the fundamental cause of our problem states, I argue here that having an idea of self is not in itself a bad thing.  I have been recently discovering this for myself, when I recognised that I had been harbouring a very vigilant sub-personality that actively and unceasingly policed myself and others at anything that could be seen as ego inflating or self-aggrandizing thought and behaviour.  While this sounds like a healthy sub-personality, this was in fact a sub-part that has often kept me from stepping up to be more and not fully allowing the soul to shine in all its wonderful colours, and furthermore this supposedly well-meaning part would require that I play judge or feel competitive with others who did allow themselves to shine without apology. 

Hence the inspiration to write this post which reflects a more embracing and balanced perspective, which is to recognise that having an ego and a sense of self is not the problem, we wouldn’t do very much or go anywhere without the healthy sense of self.  The problem is when we allow ourselves to be run by the imbalanced ego mind.

A healthy relationship to the ego is necessary, desirable and very helpful not just to our very physical existence, but also has a vital role to play on our awakening journey.  While we want to constantly change, soften and refine how we relate to the egoic thinking process, I do not believe that the goal is to get rid of the ego, which is in fact an impossibility, or to purify it out of existence or disown it.  A healthy balanced Ego is in fact necessary and helpful in several respects, including:

·         The healthy ego infact provides us the charge, desire, urgings and even ambition to change, to make things better, to grow and to move toward what we want, and to be more of the self.  It can greatly facilitate our drive towards what we prefer.  When we attempt to run with no ego or with too much humility can on the other hand often lead to issues with confidence and self worth. 

·         When the ego or personal identity is rightly functioning and balanced it becomes the very vehicle for expressing the nobility and gifts of the soul

·         Even the imbalanced ego has a helpful function, in alerting us to our inner state and to the fact that we have moved away from balance.  We would do well in this regard to pay attention to what the ego is pointing us to whether this is defensiveness or fear or other feeling states, without being pulled in to drama or acting out on it's impulses.

The journey is, I sense, about finding the right balance between egotism (ie self-importance and false pride is self) and humility.  True power is off course expressed through humility and in recognising the outer universe as merely symbolic of the inner world.  In this journey a healthy refined ego can be an aspect of our embodiment also in service to the soul, allowing a more fuller expression of the gentle flowing river of spirit.

It is off course ever in our best interest to cultivate states of alert awareness, and of deep listening to our inner voices and emotional states, so we do not allow ourselves to be run by or carried away by this part of the mind, particularly to situations and thoughts of us being either the aggrieved victim, or as being specially gifted or specially great.  When we do come across these states we can relate to the ego mind as we would to a little child, reassuring it with love and the knowing that everything is well.

Beyond this awareness, I think it is also healthy to acknowledge that the ego serves an important function as a part of our physical embodiment.  When in balance and properly functioning, we can allow it to be a vehicle so that we may express as our Higher Selves and bring forward our gifts, and talents to serve the higher good.

In the context of awakening we want to soften our addiction to thinking and identification in terms of the personal self or ego.  As we continue to attend to the work of purifying and dis-identifying or detaching from an idea of personal self as identity, a healthy egoic strength now allows us to be more of who we are, and to enhance the journey of the soul.

This post discuss the very conducive energies of this year to engaging your creative side, and how this is an ideal time to act on and bring forward your highest visions and your heart’s dreaming.  

Since the beginning of February, 2014 we have entered in to the Year of the Green Horse (within the cycle of chinese astrology). You may have already noticed that the energies of this year are a lot more supportive for engaging your vision and passion and allowing your big projects and creative ideas to unfold. This is so different from the sense of constriction and challenge that marked our day to day experience in the years immediately preceding this one. A client and friend who is contemplating a significant change shared this with me last week..

“I feel so positive about the prospect of a move. It feels like a cloud is lifting. I sense there is great energy behind it all and I sense the universe is encouraging me to embrace change and move on to the next adventure.”

What big adventure do you sense you are being called to give your energy and passion to at this time? We have in a sense passed the point of having to push against strong walls of resistance, and now is a great time for committing to and taking action. What is your pet project? Is there a passion or a vision for change that have you been secretly harbouring? If you have been holding yourself back in any way, I invite you to visit these dreams and give them space to unfold, to act on them as you are being guided to do and to embrace the changes that this will likely call for you to make.

The drive to engage our biggest passions and vision will inevitably see us being faced with challenges as well. Even with the energy of the Green Horse behind us, there is a lot still left for us to do and be mindful about! Some of the specific challenges include:

- Ensuring we put in place appropriate structures and boundaries that support what we desire to create and to see manifested in our realities.



- Working with our natural rhythms in deciding when we move in to outward action ie when energy and inspiration is flowing, and being mindful of natural down times and ebbs in energy when we are better attending to self care, and doing things that are nourishing or just plain simply fun.



- As we move toward and reach higher with our visions, we are inevitably faced with a lot of uncertainty. Tuning in to intuition and confidently acting on your intuitive guidance is how we can best relate to uncertainty. As we take action on what we are intuitively guided to do, we begin to see more of the bigger picture as well as how we can get there, and the next steps we can take will appear.




- Being in right relationship to the moment, so we are not engaging in busy action that gets us nowhere. When we do find ourselves pushing in a direction that is not working, it is a helpful reminder to exercise more self love and compassion. This is an opportunity to get silent so you are able to listen in to your inner voice again, as well as remembering to stay balanced, grounded and aligned with the Heart and the energies of the Higher Self.

- Making sure we reach out for support and help from others who are able to help us take our next steps. Making big changes is a always a co-creative and a collaborative process, and we are all in this together! 

The big vision I am referring to here is not merely about a change in external circumstances, though it may likely include that, as much as it is about expressing and bringing to life more of your innate talents, passions, gifts and skills, of expressing more of who you already are. When you pursue this vision and your hearts calling, it will not only bring you joy, but also allow you to make a difference to others on the planet. Your dream or vision may be something simple that you are already doing and want to give more attention to, such as indulging your favourite hobby, or signing up to a rock climbing or an art or pottery class, or it could be something completely life altering and a decision that you are going to finally go forward and take the next step with your dream business or change your career, or move to a new city, or return to nature.

As you reach for the sky, call up your vision, fuel your plans with creativity, find a fresh path and pace yourself well. Higher guidance is with us every step of the way.  

Transpersonal Hypnotherapy goes beyond seeking change at the personality level to help you access the intuition and wisdom of your Inner/Higher self. A primary goal of the Approach is to help release all the bocks to reconnecting and fully expressing the parts of yourself that are already whole, healed and unconditionally loving and strong.  

How Transpersonal Hypnotherapy Can Help You

 Using a transpersonal approach can enhance the wonderful results that conventional hypnotherapy techniques already delivers, the vital difference being that problems are released primarily through insight and awakening to your own power, rather than through reliance on specific techniques – this is valid for any areas that hypnotherapy may be considered for -including health issues, healing  relationships, increasing confidence, motivation, releasing an addiction or scripting your future and stepping in to your vision.

 While helping you access your inner magic and archetypal energies of the Inner self, the approach does not promise quick fixes or magical cures. Instead you are helped to recognise a greater level of responsibility for what you are creating in you life and how you can become a joyful creator of your experience of reality, rather than being at effect of external events and circumstances.

 By helping soften the trance of personal self as identity, you are helped to reconnect with the inherent purity of your true nature and to move back in to the exuberant free flow of emotions, innocence as well as the fun and playfulness of the inner child. This awareness is often clouded over to the extent that we are attached to ideas of limitation and of the personal self as identity.

 Through the work you are helped to rediscover flexibility of choice and present time adult awareness, as well as to distinguish the various roles you play from fixed reality or identity, while remembering that none of these roles ever define the truth of who you are.

 Greater awareness of the Spiritual path and journey



Select Client Feedback:

Since the work with Johneal over a period of eight sessions, I have now overcome  issues that had taken over my life in a negative way and continue to unravel them. I am happy again, more relaxed about life generally and able to communicate properly with others and to deal with anything that life throws at me. On top of this, I am enjoying myself, and for the first time in years I can feel happiness within me.

Today I feel more at ease in all situations, more objective and more confident. After the sessions, I always felt some element of release; confidence in myself, more at ease, less pain, and always conclude with some new focus. But the brilliant thing about Johneal's method of work is that it is organic. It grows naturally, it is not forced. And by result the outcome is fantastic. He has also helped me achieve my initial goal of stopping smoking and exceed this. 
Tim Griggs, 

When we go in to mental battle with ourselves or with another person it is because of our unquestioned allegience to ideas that are not true.

The egoic thinking stream is a collection of ideas about who we think we are, and who we think the others we are in relationship with are. And one of the primary ways we hold these ideas of identification in place is through judgement.

Judgemental thoughts can either be directed against another person or against ourselves. When directed against another person, the judging thoughts ensure that we protect and hold on to our concept of self by making the other person wrong in their thoughts and behaviours. Even when other people’s behaviours may be inappropriate or we may be at the receiving end of hurtful behaviour, by making this personal, about me or about the other person, we can feed patterns of judgement and resentment that are very painful and also very unproductive. Till we determine to forgive and unravel these patterns. Very often what we are judging in another person is indicative of something we may need to learn about ourselves, or a projection of parts of ourselves that we are not yet prepared to own.

It is helpful to remember that people are functioning from their own view of the world and are doing the best they know how, given their background, circumstances and beliefs. Rather that judge, we could choose to see any negativity we perceive or directed toward us from another as a request for love.

When we are not judging other people, the judgement mechanism can be turned in on ourselves, as when we beat ourselves up about our own thoughts, behaviours and perceived limitations, and for having negative feelings. When we catch ourselves in these cycles of self judgement, we can choose to send love to all of our thoughts, to love our weaknesses, and our sense of vulnerability as well as our strengths. 
In releasing self judgement or judgement of another with compassion we are remembering to to realign with the Truth of Self.