At some point in our lives, we have no doubt experienced pain, in the physical, emotional or mental bodies.
Pain experienced from the Personality (physical, emotional, mental) can be excruciating and no doubt there are arguments as to which level of pain is the hardest to cope with. Pain on any level affects us deeply and can be lasting even after the event which caused the pain in the first place. On the physical it can be agonizing and our whole self is caught up in trying to alleviate this. The emotional and mental takes longer because it affects us in a much deeper way and has a more profound effect.
But pain is also a redeemer. Because pain comes to alert us to a fundamental base truth. Pain is the crisis point which tells us that we have reached a defining moment in our own evolutionary process. And, judging whether that level of pain is (physical, emotional, mental) our Soul is giving us pointers. What is this particular pain saying? What is it indicating to me? How can I learn from this pain? What soul lessons is this pain trying to teach me?
Learning from Pain
Throughout our Soul’s journey, we gather the lessons of each experience. When we deny or reject the opportunities offered us to learn, this results in a suppression and eventually will manifest in a disease or condition producing pain. The degree of the pain at whatever level merely alerts us to a fundamental problem. This brings us to a crisis of tension within. How do each of us react to situations – do we respond more from the mental or emotional bodies? Pain is often the result of deep-rooted anger, hatred, bitterness and above all fear. At the root of every pain is FEAR. Fear of letting go, fear of inadequacy, fear of insecurities, fear of death, fear of failure, fear of losing etc. Pain also comes from deep grief. This grief is not just about losing someone we love, it can also be about losing something that is or has been important or special and this affects both our mental and emotional bodies. If we suppress any of these emotions, then eventually it will manifest through the physical, causing an illness or condition that sooner or later we will have to deal with.
So first we have a point of crisis – where is the pain and where does it come from? Secondly, we go through a point of tension – how do we deal with the pain? On what level? Thirdly, and certainly most importantly, we go through a point of renewal, a point of opportunity.
The Redeemer
Pain is our redeemer if we choose to see it as such. We can try to go beyond the pain and look at it with the eyes of the Observer, the Silent Watcher. Every pain has its roots somewhere. We need to go back to the original wound in order to heal this. Pain can also be karmic, soul lessons not completely learned, and therefore sooner or later our Soul brings it forward for us to deal with.
Pain is the result of the differences between the pairs of opposites, spirit and matter – the Dweller on the Threshold and the Angel of the Presence. Situations where we have allowed the outer form, the personality to react in a negative manner. Therefore, pain can be a consequence of the past and the working out of karma.
However, pain also brings us opportunities. Therefore, pain is a redeemer. We can transmute our karma, we can heal our wounds, no matter how ancient they are. These are opportunities for us to heal; to forgive ourselves; to understand who we are and what we are made of; to really go deep within and be totally honest and see the real ‘I’. We do this unconditionally, without judgment and by loving every aspect of who we are. We see the journey that we have been on, see the struggles that we have gone through, see the many obstacles and hindrances on the way. See the scars that we carry.
Every pain helps us to know ourselves better. All this tells us that we are warriors, Light warriors, for we have kept on keeping on, through and over every difficulty and every crisis and all this brings us to a point of opportunity.
The Great Revealer
Pain is the great revealer as well as a redeemer. It can help us to see the Light that shines throughout all our experiences, struggles, pain and also joy. It reveals our true spiritual self, little by little.
It is in our shadows that we find our greatest suffering but also our greatest gifts.
This article was written for The Hamblin Trust, March 2021
