The wisdom which lives in each of us

has been lost in great part to the conscious mind.

Gerd Ziegler, Tarot

"Wisdom" is a ubiquitous term in the expanding ecosystem of self development, stamped onto everything from conference totes to tea bags. We are encouraged to listen to the wisdom of the body, tap into the wisdom of the ages, and subscribe to the wisdom traditions. We want to be people of wisdom -- living by principles of compassion and agency -- and we gobble up prayers, quotes and stories with voracious enthusiasm, only to regurgitate them (#repost) as quickly as they've gone down. Maybe in that lightning turnaround we've tweaked the neurology and animated -- at least temporarily -- a higher version of ourselves, or been bonked with a cosmic jolt leaving us changed forever. But probably not. Deep down, I think we know that reading, "resonating with" and recasting inspirational sayings is not the same as discovering truth through lived experience. We may be roused for a moment, but the deeply held patterns of thought remain wholly intact and untouched.

How does wisdom penetrate the surface in a meaningful way, beyond the glint of spiritual platitudes?  It doesn't, because it already exists within us, cluttered though it is with the whirlings of the mind. For example, the phrase "Practice non-violence," makes sense in my gut; there's no need to analyze it. But without a consistent practice of inhabiting the internal space -- where I can feel its truth inside me -- my awareness of it is lost. Instead, the mind latches on to a concept and we're off to the races:  "Damn, I need to stop swearing," or "I should stop eating meat," or "I could probably be kinder to that person who irritates me," which inevitably leads to, "Yea, so-and-so really needs to hear this."  What I'm advocating here is any long-term, consistent activity that guides our attention inward and helps us recognize truth there. The method may vary from person to person, but we know that using the same tool to dig ourselves out of the problem that got us into it in the first place (the problem solving mind) reinforces the very patterns we are hoping to change. The mind is great for making lists and finding car keys, but it functions based on conditioning, not inherent knowing.