We embark on the fifth day of a 40 Day Practice, based on the energy of the Labyrinth (releasing – contemplation – receiving). If you have a local labyrinth, I invite you to walk the labyrinth with today’s theme as your focus. If you don’t have a local labyrinth, you can create your own, take a walk somewhere peaceful, or even sit in contemplation in your own home. I will be scheduling various public labyrinth appearances, and you are welcome to join me when and where you can, if you feel moved to do so.
Today’s theme is Self-Assessment. It is said that one of the maxims inscribed in the entrance to the Temple at Delphi was “Know Thyself.” Plato thought self-knowledge important enough to explore it in six different dialogues. The philosopher Hobbes asserted that by studying oneself, one could learn more than from books. Ralph Waldo Emerson felt that to know oneself was to know God. If one strives to improve oneself, regular self-examination can be helpful; without it, how does one know what to work on?
Questions that might help you see what you can release: How often do you practice some form of self-assessment? Is it formal or informal? What might the benefits be of each approach? Do you think you might benefit from more or less self-assessment, and why? Would changing your approach change your answer? Does your self-assessment help you make changes in your life? What conclusions, if any, does your self-assessment give you? Do you assess yourself as a whole, or only the good or only the bad?
Suggestions for Contemplation: What is the underlying principle of self-assessment? What is the energy of self-assessment, or what should it be? Is there an animal you associate with self-examination? What is your relationship with or your impression of this animal? How can you start to improve your own self-assessments? Is there someone you think does it particularly well that you could ask? If you received supernatural help with your self-assessments, what would that be like? How does self-assessment relate to your understanding or concept of the Divine?
Your mantra for receiving today might be “I open myself to receive greater clarity about myself.”
This was a sort of foggy day, mentally speaking. I was back at the mental/backwards labyrinth in Woodland Hills, so it was fitting that the theme was self-assessment.
I went in, already conscious of the fact that my self-image does not reflect how others see me, as it had come up at an earlier appointment.
During the releasing phase, I tried to look at where I was stuck, where I was holding on to things that no longer serve me, and where my patterns were.
During the contemplation at the center, it made more sense to me to make the 6 kingdoms personal:
During the receiving phase, I found myself most aware of my heart, of sadness & grief. I stayed present to it, acknowledging that this is what is going on for me right now. Allowing where you are in the moment to be okay is a part of self-assessment, and consciously experiencing it is helpful.
How did you experience this theme?