Core Quality: Witnessing

Is witnessing just watching? According to Dictionary.com this is how they define witnessing:

verb (used with object)

1.
to see, hear, or know by personal presence and perception: to witness an accident.

2.
to be present at (an occurrence) as a formal witness, spectator, bystander, etc.: She witnessed our wedding.

3.
to bear witness to; testify to; give or afford evidence of.

4.
to attest by one's signature: He witnessed her will.

verb (used without object)

5.
to bear witness; testify; give or afford evidence.

As a Core Quality it is more than just this definition. It is watching what is happening all around you all the time. Watching without becoming involved either physically or emotionally. Once we become involved in any way we become a part of what is going on around us. There are times when our interference is not needed nor appreciated. Being able to just see what is happening is enough.

There are part of our subconscious that now exactly hot to witness without any judgments or emotional ties to what we are witnessing. It is from these parts of ourselves that we can learn how to be a witness without changing the scene that we are witnessing.

Core Quality: Inner Peace

What is Inner Peace? I found this definition on Wikipedia, it sums it up very well:

Inner peace (or peace of mind) refers to a state of being mentally and spiritually at peace, with enough knowledge and understanding to keep oneself strong in the face of discord or stress. Being "at peace" is considered by many to be healthy (homeostasis) and the opposite of being stressed or anxious. Peace of mind is generally associated with bliss,happiness and contentment.

We can have moments of inner peace when life itself is quiet. The trick is to have inner peace when the world around us is noisy, bothersome, and intrusive. There is a part of our subconscious that knows exactly how to have inner peace at all times no matter what is going on around us.

As core quality we all have the means to reach inner peace. We have to listen to the part of our inner selves that knows how to achieve this state. As with the other core qualities I have already discussed, and the others that I have yet to write about, Integral Deep Listening allows those parts of our inner selves to impart their suggestions on what we should do. Even if we only reach inner peace a little at a time, that is a bit of peace that we didn't have before and can be built upon.

Core Quality: Acceptance

What is acceptance? This is how it is defined in Dictionary.com:

1. the act of taking or receiving something offered.

2. favorable reception; approval; favor.

3. the act of assenting or believing: acceptance of a theory.

4. the fact or state of being accepted or acceptable.

As a core quality this is only the surface of what it means. Sometimes acceptance means acknowledging something that we don't necessarily agree with, it's a fact that we have to accept. We don't have to agree with it, like it, or even support it, we just have to accept it for what it is. I like to use the analogy of the rising of the sun. I am not a morning person and the sun always rises way to early for me, I don't like it yet I have to accept that it will rise in it's appointed time. I can't change it either.

Some believe that acceptance means that we agree with someone or something. That is not the case. To accept something means that we accept that it is there or that it is what someone believes to be true. We don't have to agree with someone just to accept their opinion on something. We don't even have to like what we are being asked to accept. We just have to accept it.

There are parts of our subconscious that understand what it means to accept what is around us and are willing to share their insights on how to be more accepting.

Core Quality: Wisdom

The next Core Quality to be examined is Wisdom. Knowledge and wisdom are not the same thing. We gain knowledge through school and through reading, we gain wisdom by experience.

The definition of wisdom as stated in Dictionary.com:

1. the quality or state of being wise; knowledge of what is true or right coupled with just 
   judgment as to action; sagacity, discernment, or insight.

2.  scholarly knowledge or learning: the wisdom of the schools.

Wisdom as a core quality is more than what the dictionary tells us. It is a knowing, without being superior. As a core quality it sees and knows because of past experience. When we act and make decisions based on wisdom, these choices come from the heart and are based in truth.

When we are taught we gain knowledge. We gain knowledge from school, parents, and others around us. It is when we live life and gain experience that the knowledge that we have gained becomes wisdom. There are aspects of ourselves that are in our subconscious that have a great deal of wisdom. When we converse with them we gain their wisdom as well.

Core Quality: Compassion

In this post I will go over the core quality compassion. What does compassion mean? Who are we to have compassion for?

From Dictionay.com:

a feeling of deep sympathy and sorrow for another who is stricken by misfortune, accompanied by a strong desire to alleviate the suffering.

This is a place to start. For it to be a core quality compassion should be shown not only to those who are suffering yet also to ourselves. Not just in times of sadness, also any time that we interact with anyone for any reason. We can feel compassion towards everyone without having to interact as well. We especially need to remember to have compassion for ourselves.

It is compassion towards ourselves that we have the hardest time doing. Yet this is exactly what we need to do. When we are able to show compassion to ourselves we are better able to show compassion to others. There are parts of us that know exactly how to be compassionate. It is with Integral Deep Listening that we can connect with that part of ourselves and hear what we need to know on being compassionate.

Core Quality:Confidence

The first of the core qualities I am going to discuss is confidence. Just what is confidence? Dictionary.com defines it as:

1. full trust; belief in the powers, trustworthiness, or reliability of a person or thing: We have every confidence in their ability to succeed.
2. belief in oneself and one's powers or abilities; self-confidence;self-reliance; assurance: His lack of confidence defeated him.

While this is a good place to start it doesn't quit measure up to being a core quality. I would add being fearless as part of that definition. Truly knowing yourself and your abilities, and being able and willing to push beyond the boundaries.

There are parts of our subconscious that are full of confidence. That part of us knows that we can handle any life issue that comes our way. That part is more than willing to share their strength in confidence if we would allow it. As we grow more confident in ourselves, we see the world and our life issues in different light.

When I was first diagnosed with cancer I was afraid, in disbelief, and in denial. Tapping into the parts of me that are confident I was able to overcome the fear and make the decisions necessary for my treatment. The more I allowed myself to feel confident in my decisions the better I felt about what was going on with my treatment.  

Integral Deep Listening Core Qualities

We all have the six core qualities that I will be discussing in more detail in following blogs. In each situation that we face those qualities come into play, and they may be at different levels depending on how we feel about the given situation.

Integral Deep Listening explores how our subconscious perceives itself according to these six qualities. It also explores how we would act differently if we scored high in all these areas. It also helps us discover new ways of resolving current life issues. Please see my post for an in depth explanation of IDL: What is Dream Yoga?.

The six core qualities that I will explain over the next postings are:

• confidence
• compassion
• wisdom
• acceptance
• inner peace
• witnessing

Integral Deep Listening works well for everyone, it even works while undergoing chemotherapy and the chemo fog that comes with it.