Some people are aware that they are on a spiritual journey, while others aren’t even aware of what that is.
The bottom line is that everyone is searching for the same thing: happiness.
For those on a spiritual journey, happiness means being loved and loving unconditionally, having a wonderful partner, enjoying excellent health and vitality, having a strong connection to the Creative Source, doing work that is meaningful and financially rewarding, being a part of a wonderful family and having deeply connected friendships. Oh, and traveling the world checking off locations on their bucket list.
For those not aware of what a “spiritual journey” is, happiness means being loved and loving unconditionally, having a wonderful partner, enjoying excellent health and vitality, having a strong connection to the Creative Source, doing work that is meaningful and financially rewarding, being a part of a wonderful family and having deeply connected friendships. Oh, and traveling the world checking off locations on their bucket list.
Ok, I can’t fool you. You figured it out. Everyone wants the same thing: a happy life.
The thing is, life is a spiritual journey and the only difference between any of us is whether we are searching for happiness consciously or unconsciously.
Are we searching on the inside or the outside?
In other words, the only difference between us is simply the level of awareness we bring to the spiritual journey.
There you have it—the real secret is out!
We are all guided in our search for happiness through an inner yearning to connect with something greater, something that seems it’s “out there” we can’t really see, but innately sense exists. Here is where this journey takes a wacky turn—a fork in the road if you will…
The person who is consciously on a spiritual journey is aware that their destination is inside. They are an “Innie”.
The others, aka the “Outies”, well, they are wandering on the outside. (By the way, everyone wanders on the outside, until we don’t.)
Over millennia, many “spiritual” teachings have made “getting inside” accessible in secret clubs reserved for a few “special” ones. That worked well in the days of persecution, but is not necessary today, in the age of technology. Thanks to the internet, books, movies, documentaries, and stories told and retold from one generation to another, the mystery of how to “get inside” has become more accessible.
Yet, even with a plethora of resources, very few have a clear understanding of exactly how to get inside or exactly where the Source of happiness resides, waiting for our conscious activation. I am determined to make this process accessible so everyone can get in. Of course, only if they choose to.
Are you an Innie or an Outie? What does it mean to be one or the other? And how did you get that way?
To simplify this journey, you must first be honest and acknowledge if you are an “Innie” or an “Outie”. To make this easy to answer, imagine life as a circle around you and everything you want: clothes, cars, lovers, houses, vacations, education, health, jobs, money, connection, validation, etc., are all on the outside of the circle, and happiness is on the inside.
When we are born, this is obvious in babies — their joy emanates from inside of them, even when they are not old enough to hold or know what a toy is. Babies are clearly Innies!
Interestingly enough, although we are all born Innies, over time, we shift into being Outies. This conversion happens so slowly it actually goes unnoticed. Since everyone does it we all think it’s natural for older Outies to teach newborn Innies (who by the way we’re born with happiness inside and are not afraid to exude it), that if they want to be happy grownups, they need to learn to acquire a whole bunch of things that exist on the outside, along with earning the approval of other Outies.
As you can imagine, over a lifetime of being outward bound, we all lose our conscious awareness of the fact that, not only did we arrive happy, but it was within us as our birthright!
Because older Outies seem happy with the things they acquired, which are validated by other Outies who speak of their happiness based on external gains — a promotion, a new car, winning the lottery — it doesn’t take Innies long to get excited about becoming Outies and start acquiring their way to happiness.
For thousands of years humanity has shifted from Innies to Outies and have been acquiring, accumulating, and manipulating in order to stay happy. This would be a cool game if all we did is acquire and be happy, although that means we would need more storage space.
The challenge comes when an Outie’s stuff is taken away, lost, or gets used up, and the feelings of happiness go away with it.
Guess what feelings replace happiness?
You guessed it, the unhappy feelings called: sadness, anger, disappointment, jealousy, fear, lack of worth, feeling unworthy, unlovable, and a host of other dense emotions.
To avoid feeling unhappy with the loss of stuff, because those feelings hurt, some entrepreneurial Outies made up more stuff and called them clever names like drugs, alcohol, shopping, and rock ‘n’ roll. It didn’t take long for unhappy Outies to become dependent on this unnatural stuff. Over time, Outies became so focused on these temporary hits of happiness that they forgot what natural occurring happiness feels like.
When a few brave Outies, who longed for the feeling of real happiness (which was quite different from the conditioned norm) began to look inside, they were punished, shamed, crucified, and called liars. You see, these brave ones discovered that they didn’t need “stuff” to be happy. As you can imagine, the makers, sellers, and those who taxed this stuff, well, they didn’t like it one bit when and Outie remembered that they are, by Divine Design, Innies!
The only difference between Innes and Outies is the awareness that becoming an Outie was made up, and believing that made them forget they are actually Innies.
Since there were more books and movies about, and more monuments erected to commemorate successful Outies, it can take a while to convince people to stop believing the made-up story that happiness is found outside of them.
Fortunately, there have been many Innies who lived wonderful, happy lives; many even had lots of stuff but because they were not attached, or defined by their stuff, they were able to become teachers and book writers who helped other Outies awaken to the truth of their Inniness.
Today, thanks to the current coronavirus pandemic, many external things have been abruptly taken away from the majority of Outies, which has forced many to pause the chase and explore within. Outie to Innie converts are starting to believe the truth: that everything that makes us permanently happy is already within us. The outside stuff, when you are already happy from within, is pure icing on the cake.
If you are an Outie, tired, stressed, and anxiously chasing after stuff you believe will make you happy, take this quarantining time to discover the withinness of you. These are the inner spaces, memories, and energetic movements that actually makeup who you are. This journey will yield great peace and happiness if you stay the course through the unknown until you return to your core Self. You’ll know when you arrive because you will feel peaceful and steady happiness called joy!
If you are an Innie, good for you since you are enjoying the pause, relaxed, and trusting all is well. You know that you are joy personified; you are fulfilled and satisfied from within and nothing needs to be added on to you, let alone more stuff that is by design impermanent.
Go ahead, become aware of who you are: an at ease and at peace Innie, or a tense and stressed out Outie!
Oh, and there is nothing wrong with either way of being, it’s just that one is more fun and easy than the other. Either way, you are magnificent just the way you are!
You are magnificent… yes, you are!
With Love, gratitude and tons of excitement,
