🎸 The Power of Understanding: Know Thyself, Change Everything

There’s this ancient phrase — Nosce te ipsum — “Know thyself.” It’s been around for thousands of years, but man, it still hits like a snare crack on the one. 🥁

Understanding isn’t just about figuring out how things work out there — which buttons to press, which roads to take. It’s about knowing what’s going on in here. When I really stop, pause, and breathe, I can see that most of what throws me off comes from not understanding myself — my triggers, my limits, my judgments, my stories.

When I tap my forehead during meditation (yep, right there between the eyes), I’m calling on that Power of Understanding. Sometimes I even give myself a little pep talk: “C’mon DeSchutter, get your head and heart talking again.” 😂 It’s that moment when I connect wisdom, order, and understanding — like syncing up the rhythm section with the melody so the song grooves again.

But here’s the thing: understanding isn’t a solo act. 🎶

Sure, we can find clarity in silence or prayer, but we also need our people — the bandmates in our spiritual jam. When someone listens and reflects back what they heard, not what they think we meant, something clicks. The sound gets clean. The mix gets right. And suddenly, the wall between us fades away.

Real understanding dissolves division. It’s not about being right; it’s about being real.

When we pause long enough to see what’s truly happening — not in “them,” but in us — we move from reaction to reflection, from defense to dialogue. That’s when Spirit (or call it Love, or Consciousness, or Truth) can actually do Its thing. 💫

Wayne Dyer once said, “When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.”

That’s the heart of it. Understanding doesn’t fix the world — it transforms the way we see the world.

Thich Nhat Hanh spoke about the Buddha Body, Dharma Body, and Sangha Body: understanding and love; mindfulness and insight; community and practice. It’s the same triad we can live every day — awareness, practice, and connection. And like any great groove, it gets tighter the more we play it.

So, let’s keep showing up — tapping the forehead, tuning the heart, and trusting the flow.

Because when we truly understand ourselves, we open the door to understanding everyone else. And that’s when the whole band — all of humanity — starts to play in harmony. 🎵❤️

🔥 Pause. Breathe. Understand. Flow. 🔥

---

This reflection is inspired by the message shared in “The Power of Understanding,” delivered in Nanaimo, BC, on July 14, 2024.

🎥 Watch the full message: The Power of Understanding – July 14 2024

🧘🏽 Talk Meditation: Guided Meditation – The Power of Understanding