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CENTER
POINT
THE CENTER FOR SELF-CHANGE NEWSLETTER
Vol.
I, No. 2 - February, 2007
THE
BELLS IN OUR EARS
J. Kingston
Cowart
In
the ancient world, Hittite chariot horses were bridled with
bells at their ears shortly after birth. This was part of
their training for war.
Everywhere
they went, the sound of the bells went with them and became
a constant, familiar part of their lives.
Thus
the clash and clamor of battle did not upset them. The more
their comforting bells jangled in combat, the more reassured
the horses became - even when driven to their deaths.
We,
too, have bells in our ears.
They
are the constant, mostly subconscious, voices which one way
or another have given us "the words we live by."
They
are so familiar and constant that they jingle, clang, and
jangle in the background of every decision we make, every
reaction we have.
In
times of crisis, they become louder and even more persuasive
- clanging all the more intensely when serious change is called
for.
They
reassure us that our conditioned worldview is consistent with
reality - even when it is not.
But
life requires change and change is not a matter of familiarity
and reassurance.
It's
promise involves the new, the strange, the uncertain.
We
cannot heed, or even hear, the call to change while listening
to the bells of the past.
In
order to be free of them we must remove the bridles given
us by our trainers - the experiences with parents, teachers,
and others which have shaped who think we are and what we
can expect in life.
Then
we can hear the true voice - the voice within, the one that
calls us to ourselves.
That
voice has no clang or jangle.
It
does not serve our conditioning.
Instead,
it has the still, soft ring of truth.
It
guides us in our own directions, not those we have received
from others.
To
become attuned to it, just spend some quiet meditative time
with yourself each day.
After
a time it will speak to you. You will hear it.
Your
responses to the world and its changes will then be free,
authentic, unbridled - and completely in tune with who you
really are.
Taking
time for this is simple. It is easy. It is also easy to overlook.
Nevertheless,
it is a quiet, positive path that leads to great things -
including the absence of worry, anxiety, confusion, and the
effects of situational depression.
And
its a real relief not to have to hear those clangy old bells
any more!
Search
Terms: anxiety, battle, battle conditioning, confusion,
bridle, bridle bells, chariot, chariot horses, combat, combat
training, conditioned worldview, conditioning, depression,
Hittite culture, inner voice, meditation, meditative, situational
depression, subconscious, war, war horses, worldview, worry,
voice within.
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