One of the most important skills in Transformational Presence is the ability to see beneath the surface of circumstances or situations. Seeing beyond the obvious, sensing a deeper meaning, recognizing emerging patterns, and intuiting the bigger picture are all part of a set of skills that, in Transformational Presence work, we associate with the prototype of the Seer.
In August, while visiting the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church in Berlin for the first time, I had a powerful experience of seeing beyond the surface. The original church on the site, consecrated in 1895, was destroyed in a World War II bombing raid in 1943. The shell of the old church tower is all that remains as an incredibly moving reminder of the horrors of war.
However, beside the original church now stands a new church, consecrated in 1961. The new church is octagonal in shape and the eight outside walls are made of leaded cobalt-blue glass. Entering the church, you are enveloped in an incredible blue light. It’s a powerful first impression that takes your breath away. Even if I had only remained in the church for a few minutes, that wall of light would have still been etched in my memory.
Yet thankfully I lingered a little longer. I sensed that there was more here to experience. After wandering up and down the aisles and around the sides of the room for a few moments, I sat down to take in the incredible beauty and healing power of this space.
As I gazed at the huge expanses of blue glass that surrounded me, I started becoming aware of other colors emerging from the walls of light. It was a magical experience – no, a mystical one. Something was happening inside of me as I continued to gaze into the walls of light. While at first I only saw cobalt blue, after a couple of minutes I began to see hints of red. And then, suddenly, there were many patches of red. Soon, I began to see a patch of yellow, and then pink. After another moment or two, as if someone had flipped on a switch, I could see many small blocks of white light, and in another moment, the white light became very subtle green-blue. The longer I gazed at these massive walls of light, the brighter the light became, and I was able to see more and more subtle shadings in the colors and details in the leading.
It’s as if the wall was alive. And then I realized it was alive – it was alive with energy. And as I allowed myself to be present with that energy, a deep peace was emerging from within me, just as light was emerging from this wall.
The wall of light was teaching me more about seeing. It was showing me that there was so much more to see and to experience than what I first noticed. Had I only looked at these walls of light for a moment or two and then moved on, I would have missed the incredible richness that was there. And I wouldn’t have had the experience of such deep peace emerging from within me.
To “see” takes time. Life moves fast, and we move fast through it. Therefore, we tend to notice only the surface layer of our surroundings. We see chairs, tables, trees, people, sidewalks, and benches. Yet if we look more closely, there are patterns, textures, and edges. And if we engage our intuitive awareness, beyond the patterns and textures, we can sense energies.
The same is true in our life situations and circumstances. If we take time to be present with our circumstances – to “see” and feel and sense them – they, too, will reveal themselves to us. There is a lot of information and guidance hidden within the layers of our lives and experiences. If we pay attention, everything we need to know will start to reveal itself. We will understand more fully the essence or core of what is going on; we will sense what wants to happen in the big picture; and intuitively, we will be shown our next steps. We have been conditioned to analyze and fix. We assume that the only way through our situation is to figure it out and make something happen. Yet what if there was another way? What if the situation itself could show us everything we need to know?
Below is a photograph of one section of the wall of light. Expand it on your screen to be as large as possible. Then soften your gaze and stay with the photo for a few minutes. Let it reveal itself to you. Take your time. What do you discover? What happens or awakens inside of you?
Then stay in this still, quiet place a little longer and consider something that is getting your attention in your life right now. Allow yourself to simply be with whatever is going on – no need to figure it out, fix it, or change it. Instead, let it show itself to you. Give it a chance. It may take some practice if this is a new concept to you. It’s OK. Again, take your time. See what new understanding and awareness is available to you if you pause, be still, open your heart and soften your senses, and let the hidden messages and guidance be revealed to you.
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Related Blog Posts:
- TransformAction: A New Paradigm For Leadership and Coaching (Part 1 of 4—introducing the concept of the Seer)
- There’s So Much More Than We Can See
