Every person must live the inner life in one form or another. Consciously or unconsciously, voluntarily or involuntarily, the inner world will claim us and exact its dues. If we go to that realm consciously, it is by our inner work: our prayers, meditations, dream work, ceremonies, and Active Imagination. If we try to ignore the inner world, as most of us do, the unconscious will find its way into our lives through pathology: our psychosomatic symptoms, compulsions, depressions, and neuroses.
Interpretation
This quote emphasizes the importance of engaging with one's inner life to maintain mental and emotional health.
Robert A. Johnson's quote highlights the necessity of acknowledging and actively engaging with our inner world, suggesting that whether we choose to confront it or not, our subconscious influences our lives. By embracing practices such as prayer, meditation, and reflection, we can cultivate a healthier relationship with our inner selves; conversely, neglecting this aspect can lead to various psychological issues manifesting in our daily lives.
In practice
In a seminar about mental wellness, you can use this quote to emphasize the importance of inner work.
When we put the pen to paper, we articulate things in our life that we may have felt vague about. Before you write about something, somebody says, 'How do you feel?' and you say, 'Oh, I feel okay.' Then you write about it, and you discover you don't feel okay.
Young men are apt to think themselves wise enough, as drunken men are apt to think themselves sober enough.
When I was little there was a picture in one of our books, a dark place into which a single weak ray of light came slanting upon two faces lifted out of the shadow.
Practice radical humility." He (or she)who masters the art of humility cannot be humiliated.
Take care with the end as you do with the beginning
If you put your hand into a fire, does anyone have to tell you to move it? Do you have to decide? No: When your hand starts to burn, it moves. You don’t have to direct it; the hand moves itself. In the same way, once you understand, through inquiry, that an untrue thought causes suffering, you move away from it.
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