TIPS ON ANSWERING THE QUESTIONS
When friends and I do womens' gatherings, we include silent retreats where we camp in individual tents, pitched a short distance from each other, each taking a set of questions geared to self discovery and we journal our answers.
We meditate together in silence, take our meals together in silence, have the Saturday evening campfire in silence, as we each journal what we are thinking and feeling, hoping to get closer to the core of who we really are and how we can be most effective in the world, individually and collectively.
INQUIRY BEGINS THE PROCESS OF CHANGE.
Asking questions takes you out of habitual thought. Your mind has to work in a new way, consider a new thought, begin to learn a new puzzle. The synapses begin firing in a different sequence, your entire nervous system is getting a reboot, your cells are all feeling a little ripple in the wave and are awake and alert for what might come next. Everything stands posed for change.
As your thoughts change, your external experience begins to change as well.
Please hand write your answers in a notebook, using as many pages as needed. Write the question at the top of the page. Some questions may seem repetitious, but trust in the process. You are to condense your answer a little more each time.
When answering, remember your main intent is to move through the questions, so do not get emotionally caught in a place that it takes you away from the purpose of the process . Relate only your feelings now about the past events, not the events themselves. Giving voice to the past event is merely rehashing it long past its time and takes time away from the more productive work of getting beyond it.
BE AS SPECIFIC AS YOU CAN BE
General answers will only give you a general sense of who you are. The more specific your answers, the more they'll impact your life and the clearer the picture will be of yourself. Be specific. Give specific answers. When you think you've been pretty specific, make it even more specific.
QUESTIONS, NOT JUDGMENTS
Don't ask yourself these questions with a judgmental tone of voice. They're not accusations, or calls for you to defend yourself. They're questions to help you discover who you are. Be honest, gentle, and nonjudgmental. No one has to see your answers. This is between you and you, and no one else.
LETTING IT FLOW
If while answering the questions you come up with your own line of questioning, then definitely follow it. Also, if you answer, "I don't know", to any of the questions, give yourself the freedom to take a wild guess. The guess will allow you to continue. You know more than you think you do.
BE TOTALLY HONEST
Honesty leads to true awareness, but it requires courage. It's the courage to face what we fear or find difficult to accept about ourselves. When we summon the courage to take ownership of our actions, thoughts, and feelings, we will recover the blueprints of our lives. You'll be able to face your fears and find the transparent beliefs that created them. Self honesty gives clarity in regards to who you are. Without it, you can't know who that person is.
DON'T SUBSTITUTE RATIONALIZATIONS FOR FEELINGS
When answering the questions below, see if you are substituting rationalizations for your genuine feelings. Check inside and see if you are asking yourself ?"How SHOULD I feel?", rather than "How do I really feel?". Monitor if you are speculating intellectually about the answer, rather than getting in touch with what you are thinking or feeling.
THIS IS THE FIRST STEP IN DISCOVERING HIDDEN FEARS
Becoming honest is an act of self renewal. What a sense of freedom you'll feel when you're able to admit to yourself..."I want this, or think this, or feel this because I'm afraid that...[fill in the blank]. This is the first step toward discovering hidden fears. What a wonderful place to know where you are! It's difficult to reach a destination, when you don't even know where you're standing. You need only to gather your courage and look for your beliefs you have about yourself and your world. The rewards of doing so will lead you to places of happiness you never knew existed.
Virtual Retreats for Self Discovery and Spiritual Exploration