Speaking Truth - May Blog
There
is that old saying ‘truth will out’ - in these days of multiple
interpretations, communications, connections, confusions,
discombobulations and distractions, how do we stay tuned to truth?
Unravelling some of the conditioning around truth gives us space to
reclaim our voices and speak naturally.
Digging
about in the roots of words always brings illumination - and we find
that the roots of the word truth travel back to Old English, Norse,
German and Gothic words meaning faithful and trustworthy, and further
back to the Proto Indo-European ‘dru’ - meaning tree - which itself
gives rise to Celtic words meaning strong, sure and true. Another root
of our tree of truth come from the Old English ‘soo’ - sooth - also
meaning true, which arises from Proto-Germanic words of similar sound
and meaning and crosses continents to connect with the Sanskrit Sattvah.
It is noticeable that there is no primary verb for the truth - we
speak the truth - unlike lie. However when we unravel sooth we find it
is related to the verb to be or exist (Proto-Indo-European - es-ont
which gives rise to Latin sunt). Thus to be truthful is connected with
our very existence. A further root links ‘sooth’ with Old English and
Latin words related to sin and guilt - and the verb ‘to be’ is used here
in the sense of ‘to be the one found guilty’ as used in confession.
This
yields an enormous amount of insight. Firstly - truth is our inherent
nature and as such it is sure, strong, trustworthy and faithful as an
oak tree. Secondly - when blended with socio-religious concepts of
sin/guilt our truth becomes something we confess. Which accounts for why
sometimes it appears to be difficult to share - because already we have
been judged guilty - either internally or externally - before we
confess it.
Artists
and musicians are often described as baring their souls in their
poetry, song and as such are often either idolised or demonised for
doing so. They may risk exile - like writer Salman Rushdie - or face
loss of privacy when they allow their truth to become visible in the
public domain. The fervour of a camera-clicking pack of media paparazzi
tracking the scent of a celebrity exposé demonstrates just how
controversial and valuable a previously unseen ‘truth’ is considered in
our strange world. It is a distorted search for truth which has its
roots in confession.
So
is it any wonder that we both crave and fear the expression of our
truth when for centuries it has been tangled up with a sense of guilt
and confession - which is magnified by our media to a schizophrenic
level. We are left in conflict, fearing persecution, abandonment,
exile, rejection whilst longing for the embodied expression of who we
really are.
Truth
has also become entangled with a sense of answers. Being required as
children to give ‘the right answer’ during education can condition us to
feel fearful when we are asked to answer our current partner/ boss/
parent/ child. This can lead to a whole series of denials, cover-ups
and compromises because we feel we cannot provide the answers others
seek from us. Liberation and relief arise when we give ourselves
permission to speak our truth and say ‘No’ or ‘I don’t know’. When we
distinguish truth from ‘being right’ it becomes something much more
wholesome than dogma.
For
truth, if it is who we are and relates to our very existence, is
connected to all of us - our physical, social, emotional, mental,
sexual, spiritual, relational aspects. It is not a right/wrong answer
and yet it is also very simple. It is the sum of all of us acting in
integrity. For example, Ghandi on hunger strike used the truth of what
happens to a body in deprivation as a powerful means of stating his
ideological, political and spiritual truth.
The
simplicity of the solution lies again at the roots of our tree. To
align with our own truth is firstly to get grounded. It is to connect
with the very basics of our own human reality and to do that which gives
us life - breathe. All that is required to connect with the true
miracle of being alive in this moment is to take one long deep breath
now from the depths of the belly.
The
roots of who we are is present in the amazing motion of inspiration and
exhalation and breath is the vehicle on which our words and
communications arise. Before we speak, we are physiologically required
to breathe in - to absorb inspiration - which comes from the Latin
meaning to connect with our spirit, soul, strength, courage. To breathe
and connect to the miracle of life is to let go of all the mental
chit-chat, conditioning, conflicts and neuroses. It is to become present
to the deeper intelligence which is always speaking silently within and
without. When we use our Creative Intuition as our Sat Nav (Truth
Navigation system!) insights and solutions arise to the most complex of
conundums. We become able to mediate the conflicting voices within and
around us, to observe all and to feel for a truth which honours the
wholeness of situations. The truth is no longer something to be feared,
exposed, confessed or admitted - it is to be revealed, celebrated,
expressed, shared as it is in service to the good of all.
We are naturally built for truth and it is therefore natural that truth will indeed out.
Wishing you the natural expression of your beautiful truth
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