As Within, So Without.

I had been thinking about how the inner and the outer world intersect. The old Witch’s saying “As above, so below. As within, so without. As the universe, so the soul” is deeply profound. And the old Buddhist saying “With our thoughts we make the world” is also deeply profound; the same message…

It is easy to accept that our inner world is reflected by our outer world when our outer world or reality is harmonious or pleasant. We are at peace and experience synchronicity as life flows; our good karma brings happiness and prosperity. However, when either our inner or outer worlds (or both) are discordant, unpleasant or chaotic we sometimes question how or ever if these two realms are actually connected.

I have found that when things go apparently ‘wrong’ in my life I tend to question and doubt the deeply profound teachings that have guided me towards love and growth in the past. This can lead to a destructive spiral into despair which only makes the situation worse. But the real issue here is not that the ancient teachings are somehow flawed, it is that my own view of my present circumstances is not in alignment with the higher frequency that is required to see things as they really are. My view that something is ‘wrong’ is only a thought. It is an opinion. And as time passes, as life unfolds… what once appeared to be wrong often becomes just a lesson. We all see through a lens of our own perception and it is quite often clouded.

As we look deeper within we understand the outer world in a deeper way, and as our understanding or insight expands and evolves via contemplation we see thatthe ancient teachings are just as true in the modern world and we experience profound gratitude for them. The concept of “as within, so without” is meant to light the way for us and to guide us forward in our spiritual growth.

For example, when a passionate love relationship ends badly, we feel broken-hearted and often can’t understand what went wrong. As within, so without. So maybe the love we experience in our outer world reflects the love we experience in our inner world; and this is true for both people in the relationship. If your self love is not quite there yet, or is not healthy and robust then it follows that the love that is reflected back to you via the other person in your outer world will also be lacking. Lack of self love results in accepting disrespectful and shabby behaviour from the other person, and over time this can escalate into more serious and possibly even abusive situations; often leading to a love affair ending in a painful way. When healthy self love and self respect is there, a disrespectful potential partner will not be around for long as we value ourselves way too much to waste our time on people who do not treat us well. So robust self love tends to bring better experiences in the realm of romantic love.

Also a person’s capacity to love another person directly reflects their capacity to love themselves. If someone does not treat themselves very well they will not be capable of treating you well. People who are not honest with themselves will not be able to be honest with you. People who are not kind to themselves will not be kind to you. You can only give what you know and understand. And this is why we commit ourselves to spiritual growth, to personal development, to sacred ritual, to meditation, to living in the light of love and honouring our own beings – mind, body and spirit. We do this inner work to manifest more love and to ensure the expansion of the love already here.

In a love relationship often what the other person does to you has very little to do with you. If it ends, it is not that you are not worthy or deserving of this persons love or that you are somehow flawed or unloveable. It’s a reflection of what is going on in their own inner world; usually they cannot love in a healthy way at this time because they cannot love them selves in a healthy way at this time. Understanding this makes a breakup easier to navigate and also makes it easier to move on with less stress or self doubt.

A love relationship is only one example of how these concepts work… to acknowledge consciously that our inner world can and does shift out outer reality is a key principle that underpins all of magic and is the essence of most mediation practices. It encourages us to engage with the energy field all around us, ensuring we do not approach life with a passive victim mentality of self imposed limitations but instead with the attitude of a conquering hero.

Blessed Be.