This meditation discourse explores the hero's journey framework (as presented by Joseph Campbell and Carl Jung) through the lens of parts work in IFS therapy.

1. Call to healing: The “call” often comes through moments of intense contrast - either failure of old strategies or breakthrough awareness of inner conflict. By disrupting homeostasis, these triggers map the way for parts hidden in darkness to undertake journeys back into wholeness. Through parts work/IFS, the client becomes aware of this exiled part and a "call" goes out to connect with it. There is an opportunity to transform the part by understanding it better.

2. Refusal of the call: The part may initially resist connecting or sharing its burdens/emotions due to fear, distrust, or desire to continue protecting. Gentle curiosity and persistence from Self can overcome reluctance.

3. Meeting the mentor: The Self acts as a mentor/guide, bringing qualities of compassion and courage to support the part's journey while also setting a tone of exploration over force.

4. Crossing the threshold: The part agrees to connect with Self and share its burdens or hidden emotions, as a Self-to-part relationship develops. This starts the deep work toward integration and transformation.

5. Tests, allies, polarizations: As the part opens up, other parts in the system may support, resist, oppose or conflict with its journey to wholeness. Self continues building trust and meeting the part, including any other parts, where they’re at.

6. Approach to the innermost cave: The core wounds, beliefs or memories of the part are revealed and felt more deeply. This requires the part to be vulnerable while supported by Self energy.

7. The ordeal: Witnessing the difficult emotions may feel quite intense or painful before a breakthrough transformation of the part. The part continues to be supported by Self.

8. Transformation: Through relationship with the Self's qualities of courage, compassion and curiosity, the part sheds old structures and survival behaviours that isolated and constricted it. The part is positively transformed, aligned now with Self.

9. Unification: The transformed part, freed from its inner burdens, harmonises with Self. There is a sense of re-joining the community of parts operating cooperatively as one whole.

10. The road back: The part is now able to contribute its unique gifts and serve the whole in a renewed healthy way, no longer in extreme.

11. Self-Led Mastery: From this state of cooperation, centeredness and integration, the reintegrated part now has access in both inner worlds and outer worlds simultaneously. With Self as an anchor of grounded compassion, the part can navigate both domains freely based on inner truths rather than old rules or wounds. This allows for continual evolution, adaptation and self-actualization - flowing between inner connection and outer engagement with agency, resilience and wisdom.

12. Unitive Consciousness: Through multidimensional understanding cultivated by the journey, the part ultimately reaches universality - an intrinsic connection of consciousness transcending contextual barriers. Aligning individual and collective truth. There is flow, empathy and responsibility informed by awareness of universal oneness.

The “known” aspect in the diagram, sometimes called the ‘ordinary world’, refers to the part's habitual state of being and operating in the internal system prior to the journey. The part may have taken on protective roles, emotions, beliefs or burdens in response to past wounds or experiences. These serve a purpose initially but may become extreme or limiting. The part may be in exile or hiding away from the Self, troubled by a sense of loneliness. There may also be a feeling of keeping status quo through its extreme behaviours. This is all it knows until it accepts the call to healing and crosses the threshold to meet Self.

This initial contact from warm, compassionate Self energy provides a glimpse into a different possibility and reality for the part outside its ordinary mode. It symbolizes a step into the “unknown” aspect (sometimes called ‘special world’), unlocking vulnerable sharing, trust building, release of old beliefs/burdens and integration.

As the part travels deeper into its inherent exile or burdened emotions in order to uncover the core wounds, there is often an intense emotional release or catharsis. This emotionally charged breakthrough and shift can feel like an actual "death" of the old limiting ways of being. This is akin to "dark night of the soul". Fire holds significant metaphoric meaning as illustrated at the Ordeal stage, aligning to the intense nadir before spiritual breakthrough. The presence of fire indicates burning off remnants of burdens to prepare for integration of the part’s re-awakening to its inherent beauty and helpfulness. Braving those flames facilitates this unveiling and a shift towards awareness of Self energy within. Just as diamonds form under incredible heat and pressure deep within the Earth, so too does the intense fire of inner turmoil and emotional pressure during the Ordeal stage forge exiled parts into brilliant gems of Self-realization. There are many Goddesses and mythic feminine archetypes connected to the transformative fire of the Ordeal stage in the hero's journey. I really resonate with Kali and Phoenix. By dancing with these feminine purifying fires, the parts can burn away burdens giving form to their golden essence. They arise renewed, wings of light fanning the flames of consciousness. The crucible of fire crystallizes previous distortions into radiant diamonds of integrity, no longer bound by the weight of historical wounds.

The breakthrough provides an opening for the part to experience rebirth into its natural, unburdened wholeness. It resurrects free from the constraints of historical prohibitions or prescriptions, aligned now with the totality of Self. Like a phoenix from ashes scenario.

The journey facilitates the part's continual mastery, led by the integrative energy of Self in relationship. The journey never truly ends as exploration continues. Although there can be positive transformations and unity reached at each “stage”, in some sense the journey continues infinitely as new layers are revealed. There is no final “heroic finish line” per se across the journey, but rather renewed commitment to keep exploring inward expanses with care. This ongoing inward spiral journey of excavating layers of wounded parts, releasing their limitations, and integrating them back into wholeness with Self resembles the ouroboros (pictured above) - a snake eternally shedding restricting skins while simultaneously moving towards its own centre.

2. Introduction to the marriage between IFS and non-duality

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This 1-hour long meditation explores IFS through the lens of non-duality. Unscripted, unplanned and spontaneous, the words unfold organically as we tap into inner wisdom. I use pointers, metaphors and analogies to provide a doorway to Self. By observing our parts with compassion and embracing them in oneness, we can come home to who we really are beyond stories and separation. Whether you're new to IFS and non-duality or have experience with these modalities, these meetings offer a space to uncover your true nature as awareness itself. Our time together supports awakening by meeting what arises with curiosity, care and understanding. The Self in this meditation refers to the Self in IFS, which is a non-pathologizing therapeutic modality that aligns well with non-dual teachings.

Within psycho-spiritual healing communities, a common query emerges regarding distinguishing between intentions stemming from our higher Self in collaboration with the universe and those originating from underlying trauma. The 3 Fs checklist, below, can help you to differentiate between agendas originating from a burdened part versus the Self. It's important to recognize that the agendas of our parts for safety and survival aren't inherently negative. Remember one of the fundamental principles of the IFS model: all parts have positive intentions. However, the results of these agendas may inadvertently lead to increased pain and suffering, contrary to the part's original intention.

The 3Fs check

1.     Focus: Narrow focus versus broader perspective

A burdened part's agenda tends to have a narrow focus stemming from a sense of separation and an intense drive for security, survival, and alleviating distress. In contrast, the Self's intention has a more expansive focus—united with the whole. The Self's perspective is broader—oriented toward healing, growth, and fulfilment for the benefit of all.

2.     Flow: Rigid hold versus fluid embrace

A burdened part's agenda will likely feel rigid, inflexible and strongly held. The Self flows fluidly and can surrender while redirecting toward new, creative outcomes.

3.     Feeling: Contracted, closed heart versus spacious, open heart

A burdened part's agenda can manifest a feeling of contraction, a closed heart/body, and blocked or reduced sensations. The Self's intentions arise with a feeling of spaciousness, openness of heart, and an allowing of natural flow of sensations in the body.

1. Separation is fed by distractions, but dissolved in Self-awareness. Make a u-turn.

2. Fear is the only true inner hurt, which leads to resistance and suffering. Fear dissipates in Self.

3. The seeker is the sought.

4. Breath signifies an essential wholeness beneath ailments.

This week we touched on metamorphosis led by imaginal cells. We also spoke about the hero's journey and answered the question a part might pose to Self: "Why weren't you there to protect me?"

"Inside every caterpillar’s body is a set of cells that holds the DNA codes for the butterfly—scientists call these cells imaginal cells. After climbing inside the cocoon, a caterpillar’s body completely dissolves, becoming a soupy ocean of DNA. The imaginal cells arise out of this chaos with the keys to the caterpillar’s winged transformation. Curiously, when these cells first get to work, the immune system of the caterpillar attacks them, thinking they are alien invaders. The previous incarnation of the caterpillar does not recognize these imaginal cells as a part of its own being, who they are becoming. Ultimately, however, the imaginal cells establish their foothold, and the caterpillar transforms into a butterfly.“ - Quote from "Mirrors in the Earth" by Asia Suler.

The metamorphosis of a caterpillar into a butterfly is such a potent metaphor for deep transformation within. Initially, as we journey towards healing and Self-leadership, our parts may not recognize or accept our Self. Yet each part already holds the blueprint or essence of our authentic Self – akin to the imaginal cells containing the DNA codes for the butterfly. Despite this, when Self emerges, our protective parts, whose role is to maintain our current system, may perceive it as foreign or threatening, much like the caterpillar's immune system attacking the imaginal cells. The parts that have been managing our inner system and maintaining homeostasis may not immediately recognize Self energy as belonging to us. They may react defensively, attempting to exile or block this transformative energy, as it represents a shift from the status quo. With curiosity, compassion and persistence, the Self can gradually establish deep intimacy between parts of our inner family, much like the imaginal cells gaining a foothold within the caterpillar. As the Self becomes more present, the protective parts can begin to trust and allow the transformation to unfold. Ultimately, through this process of Self-discovery and integration, our inner system can reorganize around the leadership of Self, just as the caterpillar undergoes metamorphosis into a butterfly.

The image below (taken from my book) illustrates two intertwining paths: the vertical trajectory of transcendence and the horizontal path of immanence (or individuation). Envision a dynamic, spherical structure embodying constant motion and change, with infinite axes and potentialities rather than a flat, two-dimensional representation. Our journey spirals inwardly towards the central point—our unique Self—contrasted with the separate self. This unique Self represents a perfect equilibrium of immanence and transcendence, particle and wave, parts and whole. It neither rejects nor clings to either polarity, instead guiding from a harmonious balance between the opposing spectrums. The unique Self transcends the ego's constraints and the abstraction of nondual awareness, allowing us to fully embody the human form while recognizing our spiritual nature. Without realizing and gravitating towards this unique Self, we remain subject to the ego's chaotic attempts to manage disparate parts. The unique Self exerts a grounding, centering gravitational force similar to Earth's pull, providing a stable point of attraction. While the transpersonal Self is the boundless, aware presence containing everything, analogous to the limitless expanse of outer space beyond Earth.

35. I am unconditional love

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This week, we invite movement as we delve into the body—exploring chakras, breath, and other aspects—as a way to diagnose our inner state. I encourage you to try different positions, focusing on various parts of your body to identify any blockages. Reflect on whether you feel comfortable and safe within your body. Does your body feel like home to you? We discuss interoception, the ability to perceive internal sensations, helping you develop a kind of x-ray vision to see the beauty beneath layers of conditioning. Finally, I introduce a brief practice designed to quickly reveal where parts reside in your body and where they are calling for healing.