Excavating The Past

Excavating the past by combing through our history can feel more than daunting at times, but it is through this journey that we come to grasp what informs our belief systems, what influences our behaviors, and what so powerfully seems to rule our emotions.  It has often been said that in order to experience a different reality in the present, or the future, one must be willing to look at the past.  If we are able to view this process with a sense of wonder, rather than fear and dread, it holds the potential of healing our wounds. This process can shape our lives.

The benefit of taking the journey within goes far beyond our personal growth, healing, and fulfillment, as it reaches into the lives of others as well, allowing them to profit. Instead of becoming hoarders of our personal stories of suffering and redemption, we free ourselves up to offer them as gifts to others who are not as far along in the journey.  Exploration is a gift to self, and others. 

The consequences of not dealing with our past reaches into crevices of our lives in ways that we never imagined possible. It is like smoke from a fire: it cannot be hidden.  Unresolved feelings of shame and guilt remain and come out sideways in our relationships with others, God, and self. Whether it is addiction, anger, sarcasm, self-contempt, or any number of defense mechanisms, the past is unrelenting in its beckoning for us to visit it, and find peace. The past longs to be healed.   

As we begin to deal with the past the first thing we usually experience is a sense of surprise at how so much of it connects with our present story. Dots get connected, pieces fall into place and things begin to make sense. The mystery is shattered. The heaviness of shame and guilt begin to lift as we gain an awareness of how our experiences have impacted our behaviors.  Awareness is powerful, as it lays the groundwork for the rest of the journey, which is the accepting of difficult truths that have long been buried. Dealing with the past opens a pathway for depression to lift as we grieve losses we were never able to. 

Unacknowledged wounds from the past act like shackles that bind our joy and creative expression in the present.  Dealing with these frees us up. I have heard it said that the only sins that enslave us are the ones we are unaware of. Given this, it is no less than a worthwhile journey to look at our past. Doing so sets us free.  We are no longer captives.