Living the Inner Life

A Subjective perspective comes from within - it is how we look at ourselves and the lease through which we look at the world. An Objective point of view is supposed to be free from feelings or bias - just the facts, Ma'am. Yet, even when we observe things with a scientific mind, we still bring in our experiences and personal viewpoints, at least to some degree. It can be advantageous to pull back...

What is the state of your Union? We have so many facets to ourselves and they don't always get along with each other. Contradictions, complexities and conundrums are ever present in our lives. The Shamanic practice of Soul Retrieval puts back together the pieces of our psyche that have split off with each traumatic experience throughout our lives. Welcome those wayward parts back to make a strong...

When confronted with a danger, our 'Fight or Flight" mechanism kicks in to make us ready for battle, or to run away. This 'sympathetic' part of our nervous system increases heart rate, enhances our eyesight, and produces adrenaline to help us survive. It also turns off our digestion and reproductive systems because they are not needed. When the danger has passed, the 'parasympathetic' system stops...

Practice does not make perfect - practice makes permanent. We have muscle memory that remembers how to do things, even when our minds forget. It's how we memorize music, math tables and just about everything else. If you've ever caught yourself daydreaming when you are driving home, and you don't realize how you got there when you pull up to the driveway - this is your muscle memory, conditioned i...

"The mind is the slayer of the real" ~H.P. Blavatsky. By over-planning, over-analyzing and overthinking things, we make the things we do sterile, mechanical and clinical. Too much intellectualism can detract from spontaneity and excitement. Even if something is produced or performed "perfectly", without the emotion and passion, it will be dry and lifeless. Ultimately, we need a balance of both. So...

The first rule of magic is containment. Also, the first rule with many other things, like containing heat in a pizza oven or preserving tomatoes in a Mason Jar. Same with the Inner Life. When we are working on something new - an idea, invention, habit, or anything else we want to accomplish - it can be really destructive if these are not contained or protected. Containment keeps what is inside fro...

You cannot give someone wisdom, any more than you can work out or practice a musical instrument for someone. This is the work we all need to do for ourselves. Teachers, coaches and trainers can help with you along the way, but this is a journey we all must make as individuals. The 'Parable of the Sower' from the New Testament (Matthew 13:3 and others) describes what happens when seeds are planted...

"Should I follow my head, or follow my heart?" The answer is yes. To both. Both the intellectual and emotional parts of ourselves are important and very powerful. The head and heart have different needs, see things differently, and speak different languages. Like Yin and Yang, they are also inseparable and work much better for us when they are in harmony - each giving to the other the best of what...

"Surrender, Surrender, but don't give yourself away" - the lyrics to this Cheap Trick song are more profound than I realized. Surrender does not mean defeat - it means ending the battle so you will survive. Some fights are not worth fighting for, especially the internal struggles that we have within. Sometimes our best efforts have put us in un-winable situations. Holding on to old ways of thinkin...

Creating sacred space is an ancient ritual, used by many cultures, to prepare the area and one's self for a ritual or ceremony. This can also be useful in our daily lives, as well, even in the most mundane things we do. We all have to wear different hats to cover our many responsibilities. So why not 'shift gears' by recognizing the importance and sacredness of what we do with ourselves. By puttin...

Dr. Carl Jung stated: "We all walk in shoes too small for us", and that can be true on so many levels. We all know that we don't always live up to 100% of our potential - there's always something more we could be doing to improve our lives. But that's known potential, but what about hidden potential that we are not even aware of? There are likely potentialities that lie far beyond our awareness, y...

Before a farmer can plant a crop in the ground, the soil must first be prepared to receive the seed. Otherwise, it won't take and probably won't grow very well. The same thing happens when we try to change a behavior or attitude to a new and better one. If the old way of thinking and believing hasn't been sufficiently disrupted, it will overpower the new idea and  revert back. This is the par...

The best way to get somewhere is to first accept where you are. But that doesn't mean stay where you are. Even GPS navigation needs to know where you are to get you where you want to go. Same with the Inner Life. If you want to change some part of yourself, you must acknowledge were you are first. Non-acceptance creates a barrier to actually get to work on yourself. You wouldn't lie to a doctor ab...

Self-Care is more than retail therapy and binge watching TV in your pajamas. Those kinds of things are fine to reward yourself or take a break from the stresses of daily life. An enlightened self care is when you are really doing something to de-stress and relax your inner life as well. Sometimes this takes the form of meditation, reading, going out in nature - or just doing 'nothing' - that is, s...

"I think I can, I think I can," said the Little Engine Who Could. And it worked. Positive self-talk can produce amazing results. The problem arises when there is a strong undercurrent of a negative self-concept that conflicts with the positive affirmation. Just tacking on a mantra or affirmation to a hardened, cynical attitude will produce mixed results at best. For an affirmation to work, it has...

The quote, 'The grass is always greener on the other side" is a cautionary tale about envy. The comparison game can never be won - there will always be someone or something 'better out there'. It is also true that grass - actual grass - is always greener in the places where you water it the most. Same with the Inner Life. Our goals and dreams must be watered in order for them to grow, but are they...

"If you see a fork in the road, take it." This Yogi Berra quote speaks the heart of being faced with a decision. We can overthink our choices, which makes decision even harder. There can be fear of making the wrong choice, the consequence of our decision on others, and we can try to get out of the responsibility of making a decision. Sometimes, it's the little decisions that can be difficult as we...

Continuing with the previous episode on Setting Goals and Working the Plan, I outline my goals, describe a working plan and mostly, why I set out to launch my own podcast as an example. My goals, plans and reasons are my own and yours are for you to follow. By using my specific example as a template, hopefully you will be able to translate that into pursuing the goals that you have in your heart.

"There are many paths to the mountaintop" is an ancient quote about reaching the goal of enlightenment. Whatever your goal is - be it lofty or earthly - it has to be clarified and vitalized. Then, as you work your definite plan of action, you may have to adapt to the changing conditions. Having a strong reason why you want to achieve a particular goal will keep you on track and help you get throug...

We seem to crave change in our lives, yet are often unwilling to do what it takes to make the change. Underneath every desire to make a positive change is an emotionally vitalized survival mode that wants to keep things just as they are. The fantasy of getting fit without exercise, or becoming a great musician without practicing, never really works out. A fundamental change of our operating system...

"Out with the old, in with the new!" Along with this quote, an image of an old man and a baby show up each year around New Year's Eve. It shows the hope and 'newness' of the coming year, a chance to start over with fresh outlook. Of course, many New Year's resolutions don't often stick - mainly because we don't really let go of the old. We try to slap on a new, shiny mask to our old beliefs and at...

Hello, I'm Chris Sheridan and this is the first of what I hope to be many, many podcasts on consciousness, beliefs, mind science and all things about the Inner Life. We do live in two worlds at the same time, Inner and Outer, and we have to make the best of both. Sometimes, they seem to be at odds with each other, other times the two are synched in harmony. To make real changes in our lives, we ne...