Adaptation Part 8
June 6, 2025
Adaptation Part 8
When we adapt to circumstances or relationships, we find that our ability to adapt to new things was always in us but we were unaware of it. Just as necessity is the mother of invention, it is also the mother of transformation.
In the spiritual life, we hope to become our best spiritual selves. So, we go through growth processes to develop skills and attitudes that help us get there.
Our soul's journey is to leave our egos' domination and to live from the soul. The nearer we get to our souls, the more we remember those beautiful qualities of our original selves. Yes, these soul qualities were in us all along. But the ego's narrative, desires and fears had covered them.
As we grow and adapt, we think we are coming up with new ways of being in the world, but we are rediscovering and embodying our most authentic nature and all its beautiful qualities.
Becoming our true selves is a form of adaptation. But we forget that we would never have desired to be our most authentic selves had we not known on some level that we are that authentic self.
John Philip Newell, writer, theologian, and Celtic spirituality authority, gave a stirring lecture on "original goodness" to an audience of ICBers and others on the Island of Iona. One of John Phillip’s major points was that, despite the church’s indoctrinating us with the tenet of original sin, all of God’s creation is inherently good, including every one of us. God made it all and then said, "It was good.” After the talk, a lady from the audience approached John Philip and said, "I listened intently to what you taught us today, and I knew it was true; I have known it forever. I’ve always known it. But I didn't realize I knew it until today. "
Spiritual practice: What have you learned, but it wasn’t learning; it was rediscovering?
Self-inquiry: Do I think the person I am becoming is already within me?
Dear God,
Help me "pry loose and lift" those old ego foundations that have entrenched themselves in me. Could you show me the hidden qualities of my soul? I pray to embody these qualities as I walk this fantastic journey. Amen
