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I am a pastor and a clinical psychotherapist. My life's passion is defining healthiness from a human perspective and paralleling it to the holiness of God, divine perspective. Shifting perspectives creates a paradigm that is alongside of rather than over and against. The parakalein of God and the paradoxes of humanity are redefined. Humanity is all about winning and yet we are losing ground everywhere. Divinity is all about letting go of the desire to win and the fear of loss. The Divine embraces the world with loving care regardless of anything.

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Wonder and Witness of Calmness and compassion

Posted by Don Paine


Robert Bly, a well-known poet, has a wonderful analogy. He says that we arrive from the far reaches
of the Universe as 360-degree balls of radiance, place ourselves at our parent’s feet, and say, “Here I
am.” And they say, “I didn’t want you. I wanted a good little girl or boy.” That’s where the Judger
begins. It points out all of the unacceptable parts and shoves them back into what Bly calls the long,
dark bag we drag behind us. What we hide composts in the bag, gets wild and builds up a big head
of steam while we expend all our energy maintaining a mask by which we purchase love and
affection. Whenever these wild parts threaten to break through the mask—our power, stubbornness,
exuberance, terror, curiosity, rage—we deny, numb out or project them onto someone else as fast as
we can. We relate to these parts exactly as they were met when we were developing the image of
ourselves, usually with fear and rejection.

I just finished a training that uses parts language to assist in people welcoming all parts of themselves and others and offering those parts the attention of compassion that they need to release overwhelming burdens and unhelpful beliefs.  They then breathe in the qualities of compassion and calmness for healing and restoration.

I had an image come up in me that was a ball of light filled with calmness and compassion  that then sprouted arms and legs and a variety of parts with which to engage the world.  When injured they become inflamed with protectors and preservers that only serve to frustrate the system.  When balance and harmony are achieved they see and feel the wonder and witness of the calmness and compassion that is their essence.

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