Calming The Stormy Waters Of The Inner Child

I walk on the beach daily, near my home. In fact, I often walk multiple times a day. This is my meditative and contemplative time, to reflect and see what areas in my life I can improve or change, what areas are working well, and what shifts are going on.

In the morning, the water can be as smooth as glass. This represents true peace, clarity and reflection. In the afternoon, the water can have three-foot to ten-foot waves, and the beach space that was so abundant in the morning, is gone. This represents the turmoil that is happening in my life and on our planet, or just what comes and goes in the daily news.

In the evening, the water settles down. It’s not quite as glass-like as in the morning, however it has a small and calming wave. This represents all the cleansing that happened during the day and the cleansing that is to happen through the night, bringing me full circle to another calm again in the morning.

This daily spiritual practice brings me a sense of awe in how the water and nature can take something so beautiful and at times turn it into something so destructive and ugly. This is so close to human nature!

When we are born, each one of us is a beautiful soul. No matter how we were conceived, or how we came to be, we are born an innocent being and all we seek initially is the love of a parent, and to then continue to be loved as we grow in our life.

Confronting a storm is like fighting God. All the powers in the universe seem to be against you and, in an extraordinary way, your irrelevance is at the same time both humbling and exalting ~ Francis LeGrande

However, not all of us experience a ‘sunshine and roses’ childhood. Some of us have the afternoon water – the stormy upheaval that can be so destructive and detrimental to a growing child’s personal growth and self-esteem. This is the child that either turns within to hide, or becomes very angry and resentful, and acts out accordingly. And then there is the child that has a little bit of evening wave going through them, regular acting up, the odd tantrum, however is still that loving and beautiful original soul.

Consider your own inner child. What did your childhood consist of, and have you healed, forgiven and released it yet? Is it still holding you back from having your best relationships with others? Is the anger and hurt causing you to mistrust others, especially those that love you? Or is the disappointment creating a space of expectancy of continued let down inside of you?

Inner child work is important for your future happiness and fulfillment. It is important to go back to the juvenile you and embrace yourself there, totally and fully from a place of love and compassion. Who cares if no one else did this for you! Let that go, and do it for yourself. It is time to love yourself unconditionally, and truly mean it and feel it to the core.

The sun illuminates only the eye of the adult, but shines into the eye and heart of the child.  The lover of nature is one whose inward and outward senses are still truly adjusted to each other; who has retained the spirit of infancy even into the era of adulthood ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

As you progress in this area, it makes it easier to release that afternoon water that is so stormy, and in upheaval. As the days go by, and you become increasingly self-loving, you start to become the evening water, with only a few remaining ripples to look at.

Continue to work at this, and eventually the morning water shows itself. You eventually wake up calm, and you walk in peace and love. Love yourself always and the love will grow and flow.