Personal Growth: Personal Growth and Transformation

By Matthew Blais

Introduction to Personal Growth and Transformation

On the path of personal growth, there are times when we seem to fall into a deep, dark pit, and the light is nowhere to be found. This is what is meant by a "spiritual crisis." This series of articles was written to better help people in this predicament understand and resolve their situation.

Modern society neither understands nor sympathizes with spiritual crises. Many people experiencing such a crisis find little or no support from family, friends, and social institutions. The resulting sense of rejection and isolation only heightens the difficulty of the experience.

Any crisis is an opportunity for healing, and a spiritual crisis is an opportunity for great spiritual healing. This opportunity can be missed, however, if we do not recognize its potential and make good use of it. Lacking a cultural framework that validates spiritual crisis, it is all too easy to turn to suppressive drugs, or become engulfed by despair and anxiety, and miss much of the opportunity for healing.

To take advantage of the healing opportunity implicit in a spiritual crisis, three conditions are necessary. First, one must recognize the crisis, and acknowledge it as an opportunity. Second, one must be willing to go into -- and through -- the experiences that arise. Lastly, one must have a real commitment and willingness to see truth, as unpleasant as we fear it may be.

These articles convey some of what I have learned from my own spiritual crises and healing. They offer a certain perspective on the difficulties we face in life, a perspective which can help us to recognize the real issues that underlie our crises. Recognizing our real issues allows us to understand our situation. When we understand what is really happening, we are able to let go of our denial and resistance, and allow healing to occur.

My real interest in writing these articles is to promote healing, so I (the author) hereby grant my permission for the free distribution of these writings. I do ask that my name and email address be included with these articles in whatever form they are distributed. Also, please note that the articles were written as a series, and are best understood sequentially.

The Articles

á      Healing the Shadow and the Mirror of Relationship

á      Loving Ourselves

á      Understanding Suffering

á      Desire

á      The Nature of Dreams

Other Essays

These essays were written before the articles, in a more informal style. I have included them here because they may be helpful in explaining my perspective, and how I arrived at it.

á      On Lessons, Creating Our Reality, Limitation, and the Fear of Eternal Suffering

á      On Love, Separation, and Sacrifice

á      On Opening to Higher Guidance

á      Reflections on Spirituality

Matthew Blais is a software consultant, writer, musician, and healer, who has been pursuing his own healing journey since 1985. His interests include personal transformation, healing through music and drumming, and researching the relationship between sound, rhythm, cycles, harmonics, resonance, and healing. Matthew Blais can be reached by mail at healspirit@yummage.com