Safe

Safe. A word filled with meaning. According to the dictionary, It means to be free from danger, liability, injury, harm, or risk. It can also mean a big box, usually metal, in which you can place items of value. In theory it keeps things safe.

It is a word we use often and a place most of us want to stay. Somewhere safe.

Recently it has been used by people I know about their subconscious or the stories they tell.  In discussions about breaking down old beliefs that are limiting or painful or no longer serve, it has been said that people do not want to go into spelunking in their own lives where it is not safe.

If it is your life and you have experienced it and it is now in the past, how is it not safe? If you were not safe, you would not be here to worry about being safe. Perhaps you have locked the memories or hurt into the “safe” of your mind. It could be that you realize you will be traveling into you subconscious to excavate the memories and you have heard that your subconscious is a dangerous neighborhood, and you should never go in alone.  This has a merit.

It is one of the jobs of our subconscious to attempt to keep us safe. It holds all those memories and for most of us, it has loaded them into a giant file room of “good” and “bad” or “happy” and “sad.” It is where the catalogue of all the perceived hurts, injustices, injuries and heartache resides along with the joys, triumphs, achievements and accomplishments. For most of us these are two distinct catalogues and the joyful one is often a lot thinner than the other.

Why do so many focus on all the things that went wrong? Is it because in order to keep yourself in a state of perceived security you MUST remember all the dangers? Memorizing all of your own and often those of your parents and their admonitions. Even if you do not ascribe to this theory, where in your life do you stop, drop and roll because your subconscious has sent out the warning bell? Have you ever caught yourself turning down an offer, not attending an event or saying no to someone and later wondering why you did it?  Check with your subconscious.

There is no safe. No matter how carefully we go through this life, we are all susceptible to dangers. They sneak up on us even when we are exhibiting our best behavior or being overly cautious.  Safe is an illusion but it is a good concept because it does make us more consciously aware. And if we are consciously aware is that our subconscious acting as the puppet master? 

Here’s the rub – If you want to find out you have to go in and that often does not feel safe.