We all have our own “sad songs” that we sing to ourselves. This week, let’s try to observe the typical songs we sing, especially the ones we sing when we are alone—our inner secret songs. What are your singing habits? What songs do you sing to yourself?
This week’s inner work exercise comes from Maurice Nicoll (Psychological Commentaries, Vol. 1, pp 253-257):
“I am calling attention here to these inner inarticulate songs that we should try to observe and which can make us easily lose force, without our knowing what is happening. They are, as it were, strange little sad private relationships we have with ourselves, that steal force from us and that we do not notice because they are habits.”
“The inner secret songs stand in our way, and very often they are not observed, although they are all the time secretly eating our life. Only deeper self-observation will reveal them. All self-observation is to let light in—to oneself. Nothing can change in us unless it is brought into the light of self-observation—that is, into the light of consciousness—and all self-observation is to make us more conscious of what is going on in us. By inner work on ourselves when we are alone, we can often change a whole outer situation.”
“Are you listening to some I’s that are singing some sad far-away song, perhaps a song without words or words you have forgotten. Try to observe it. It takes force from you and is quite useless.”
“Try to think what this means: and then try to observe what it means in yourself and then finally try to do what the Work says—-i.e. separate. And do not imagine it is quite easy. The Work means work—-hard work—on yourself. Remember that this Work is for those who really wish to work and change themselves.”
Posted by Bob Sabath into the Wisdom School Facebook Page on October 12, 2018 for Inner Task Friday.