It is our natural state to be open, honest, and truthful. However, to the extent that our loved ones did not love us through the wounds of trauma, betrayal, or abandonment, we develop psychological defenses to protect us from being destroyed by our pain. The problem with psychological defenses is that they deny truth, and to the extent that we deny the truth we are cut off from our own souls, the part of us that is most alive and God-like. Our hearts and minds constrict to the extent that our defenses are dominating our lives. If we are going to grow spiritually, we must compassionately and courageously confront these defenses, because only the truth can bring us home to our own souls. This is not easy. Underneath our defenses is a sense of debilitating anxiety due to our egoic inadequacy. The ego is incapable of either protecting us or guiding safely through life’s storms. The soul, by contrast, is absolutely adequate to meet all of life’s challenges. It takes courage to face this underlying anxiety. To live from such courage we need people who love us unconditionally, some sense of our soul’s inherent strength, and an intuition of being situated in God’s protective goodness.
Under my defenses
Lies the strength
Of my soul.
