All of us have an inner judge – its part of being human.  It’s not just criticism for its own sake – Our minds are trying to protect us or help us survive in some way.  Often this judge is so familiar, so ingrained that we aren’t even conscious of it!  Here’s where the trouble starts.

If you find yourself feeling blue, a bout of depression being the lens that you’re viewing life through, it’s very possible that your judge has got you by the neck.  What would this really look like?  I’ll give you an example of what you might be hearing:

Are you crazy?  You can’t possibly do that.

What makes you think that you know what you’re doing?

Nobody cares what you think is a good idea?

You’re too ____ (fill in the blank here: fat, ugly, short, old, etc).

You’ll never be good enough.

 Etc, etc – I think you get the idea.  Sound familiar?  Whew – get me outta here!

While this state can seem like it will be interminable and everlasting, there are many things you can do about it.  Today I want to offer four powerful questions that come from Angeles Arrien, Ph.D, a cultural anthropologist who brings forth ancient wisdom to help support our journey today.  In these Native traditions, someone who’s feeling sad will seek help from a local healer for what ails them.  Arriens refers to ‘The Four Salves” – healing inquiries that can help one see where they have gotten off course and bring direction to coming home once again to our innate joy and aliveness.

1. “When did you stop singing?” This is interpreted as: When did you set aside your own voice?  What do you want that you’re not asking for?  What truths aren’t you speaking that need to be spoken?   
2. “When did you stop dancing?” is next.  Are you actually living in your own body?  Have you forgotten the connection to the physical that grounds you?  When we fully are living in the body, we have access to a whole world of inner wisdom that is authentically our own.  Movement is the road there – whether it’s dance or walking or chi gong or any type of physical activity that brings you into the present.  When we aren’t using the body, we lose touch with its innate energy; we disconnect from the flow.
3. “When did you become enchanted by the stories others have of you?  These can be the stories others have created for you to fulfill or the ones that you have integrated into your unconscious mind that aren’t authentically your own.  This is one of the judge’s favorite places to tell you what is expected of you and what you must do.  When you listen, you disown your true story – the one propelled by your essence.  Are you living someone else’s version of your life?  It’s time to return to your own truth.
4. “When did you stop practicing the sweet territory of silence?” Without stepping off the Hamster Wheel of Doing and Busyness, you can’t hear your own story or live it.  In silence there is connection to honest reflection, new insights and your creative juiciness.  Are you making time for this sacred quiet?  Are you giving yourself a chance to know your True Self?  Can you slow down and rest in the abundant flow that’s always there for you?

By claiming these questions, you begin to return to your own Sovereignty in your Life.  The questions are about recognizing where you’ve stepped off the throne and abdicated your power to other forces.  When you recognize the meanings of the symptoms of sadness, depression and being lost, the journey back begins.  These four questions are a magnificent Explorer’s map to find the Heart of your Center once again.