You don’t change by solving your problems. You solve your problems by changing.
These two sentences are at the heart of the Inner Space Techniques. They name something that can be difficult to see upon entering the world of spiritual work.
The truth is that we begin this work identified with the impasses or problems inside. In the face of that identification, what do we do? I find it helpful to see that problems aren’t just problems, they’re also standpoints. Each problem is like a perspective we’ve taken on the whole of ourselves. The difficulty is that when we are identified with a problem, we see very little of ourselves and just as little of the problem itself.
So much problem solving happens from exactly this compromised standpoint. It’s as if we expected the solution to come from the very same level as the problem. But, as the quote with which we began suggests, the solution comes through a change. What kind of change are we talking about?
When we undergo a change on a spiritual path, we are opening to a different standpoint. It’s not unlike reaching a vista on a hike. From there, vision is unimpeded. Everything can be seen effortlessly. The Inner Space Techniques facilitate this change of standpoint with respect to ourselves. We find the place inside where we can see more of what we really are; not only see more, but be more. When we come to the source of ourselves, we are capable of the kind of profound change that would have otherwise eluded us.
It’s not the problems themselves that often matter at that point, but the metaphysical opening that moves us beyond the dynamics that were there, unseen behind the problems. From the spaces of metaphysical depth that we can access through the Inner Space Techniques, we see beyond appearances. The dynamics that kept us locked in the patterns of the problem emerge in an environment of clarity and from that clarity there is freedom to do and to be otherwise.
Trying to change by solving problems never really gets us to the heart of the problem. Dropping agendas around problems and seeking the source of ourselves with sincerity can move us further and show us more than we ever thought possible.
Meaningful change is within reach.