“Your exiles need secure attachment with your Spirit-led self. Through the warmth you extend them, you can nurture this vital attachment. As you do, watch in wonder as your exiles mature, find their voices, and step out of the shadows and into the light.”- Alison Cook and Kimberly Miller
As Alison Cook and Kimberly Miler conclude Chapter 5 of Boundaries for Your Soul, they note what happens when you befriend your internal protectors. When this occurs, they possess a natural inclination to permit you access to the exiles they protect. These exiles, the authors note:
- harbor feelings such as self-doubt, loneliness, and fear
- carry denied and underdeveloped qualities, such as desire, creativity, and ambition
- may have developed subtle victim mantras (for example: Everything is my fault)
- need compassion too
At first, you may feel overwhelmed as you connect with your internal exiles. That’s because they’ve carried burdens and longings for a long time. And just like hungry, neglected children, they too have needs. But, Alison and Kim assert, life’s too short to keep such important parts of yourself locked away because they carry those burdens. When a part of your soul tugs at you, focus on that part and befriend it.
In conclusion, Alison and Kim state, when your Spirit-led self takes the lead, you’ll know you’ve befriended parts of your soul. Put another way, you gain perspective to lead the dissimilar parts of your soul with compassion, courage, and creativity. The authors exhort:
“As you befriend the parts of your sol that you’ve dismissed as troublesome, or downright bad, and transform them into your allies, you become more whole. You gain freedom from the burdens you’ve carried, and you build trust internally and with God.”
Today’s question: Which of your exiles need secure attachment with your Spirit-led self? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “Losing the war within your soul?”