Our Inner Worlds
“New relationship is possible only through the contact of inner worlds. We meet through our inner worlds. To understand another, you must enter into his inner world but this is not possible if you have not entered your own inner world. The first step therefore towards entering consciously into and understanding the position of another is attained through entering into and understanding the position of oneself and unless this step is taken, to as full a degree as is possible, there is little or no possibility of entering into and understanding the position of another person.” Maurice Nicoll, Psychological Commentaries Vol. 1
"Visitation" from Altarpiece of the Virgin, St. Vaast Altarpiece, by Jacques Daret, Staatliche Museen, Berlin
We can learn so much from other disciplines, and when a truth in one discipline like psychology affirms a truth in another, such as religion, this may be a sign that together they speak truth but in a different language. We meet with spiritual friends on this journey to find and keep the connection to God within ourselves and each other. When this happens, a marvelous new life that we never expected appears, what the Cajun’s call a lagniappe, a little something extra, also called grace. When we begin to see and connect to the Christ dwelling within our neighbor, our image of God enlarges. The reverse is true. We can best find the Christ, the Spirit, God, that dwells in our neighbor by also searching for and connecting to the Christ within ourselves. It is a paradox, another sign of the holy. It is what happened when Mary visited her relative, Elizabeth, who saw the God within her. Mary then responded with the Magnificat.
Joanna joannaseibert.com