Recently, I shared an idea about hearing our inner critic (see here). Along the same lines, I have been reading a book, called The Wisdom of Getting Unstuck: How to emerge from and avoid the muddy middle by Rabbi Shimshon Meir Frankel, in which he describes how we get bogged down in the voice of what he refers to as the Antagonist (we can see it as a modern reference to the Yetzer Hara, the evil inclination, which is the part of ourselves that tries to take us off the path of spiritual growth). For Rabbi Frankel, this antagonist is what keeps us from achieving the best person we can become.
In chapter 23, Peace Treaty, Rabbi Frankel writes about the importance of making peace with this antagonist, and even listening to it as a guidepost. While we don’t want to allow the antagonist to control us, it can often voice something that we need to acknowledge and hear as we venture along the path to success so as to enter the this road with due diligence. This technique is complicated and requires the fortitude of having worked on removing any controls from this antagonist.
We struggle daily with this antagonistic, doubting voice. It can be frustrating to get caught in the debate inside ourselves that gets raised by this opposing voice. Yet, there is a time and place for the voice to at least pipe up in the process of change and growth. It is there to make sure that we are truly meeting our goals. Through making peace with the Antagonist we can learn how to allow this otherwise negative voice to exist without engaging it, disarming its pervasive ability to overwhelm and then control the narrative we are trying to construct.
We are here to walk along the path of spiritual, soulful growth with you. Contact New Beginnings Spiritual Coaching and Consulting LLC at 732-314-6758 ext. 100 or via email at newbeginningsspiritualcoach@gmail.com.
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