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Finding Inner Peace

Started by Julie Marie, September 09, 2007, 09:35:55 AM

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Julie Marie

When I finally realized I had to transition I felt this wave of joy come over me.  But joy was the by-product of the real reason.  The real reason was I had found inner peace and it was like nothing I'd ever felt before.  As I travel the path of transition that inner peace has only grown and with it I find myself a much better person.  When you no longer are filled with anxiety, resentment, anger and all the other negative emotions that are the result of trying to be someone you're not, it's easier to be a decent human being.

In trying to explain to my family why I have made the decision to live as a woman I wrote an analogy I called "A Soldier Resigns".  I posted it here.  In it I described a soldier who had been sent to fight a war everyone else said he had to fight.  He never questioned why, he trusted the people he loved.  Then one day he stopped fighting and was finally at peace even though those who sent him to war were less than happy. 

It was the inner peace that so perfectly described how I felt.  I had ended the battle of trying to be what others wanted and keeping the real me bottled up inside.  I now know a peace I wanted the whole world to know.

In listening to some people describe their spiritual revalations (or whatever term you wish to use) I've often correlated it to the inner peace I've found.  Is there a connection?  Was the inner peace I found similar to the peace those who have found faith in God experienced?

Those who know me would never describe me as religious.  It's something I walked away from back in high school and never missed it.  The talk I heard in church, the talk I heard from the churchgoers, the things I read, all told me if they knew the real me I'd be outcast in a second.  Why would I want to be a part of that?  I drifted so far from religion I described myself as agnostic for quite some time.

So here I am making a correlation between the inner peace I now know and the inner peace described by those who have found faith in God.  Interesting. 

Then it hit me.  All my life I've tried to be what family, friends and society wanted me to be.  They all used religion to dissuade me from "evil" and that included transitioning.  But all the intolerant and prejudiced beliefs they espoused didn't come from religion, Jesus or God.  They were all creations of man.  When I accepted myself just as God made me, I found peace.  When I stopped listening to the manmade laws of religion and got in touch with my inner self, I found peace.  And in my inner self is where God resides. 

Is it possible that I have found faith, found spirituality, found God, through transition?  I know the answer and I know it would be scoffed at by many but that doesn't make it any less true. 

The answer is "Yes".

Julie
When you judge others, you do not define them, you define yourself.
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TheBattler

Thats great Julie,

I hope I can find some inner peace - but I doubt it will be any time soon. I am still not ready to let go of my male side. I can not see my transistion as being a 'Natural' process.

It is an interesting point you have made about religion. I am very much an atheist - and I hope to stay this way.

Alice
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Kimberly

Quote from: Julie Marie on September 09, 2007, 09:35:55 AM
Is it possible that I have found faith, found spirituality, found God, through transition?
Le same really, but in my case more due to no longer being able to ignore other memories, thoughts and such.

What a can 'o worms that is.
*grin*
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Butterfly

Finding peace is a highly individual practice. Some may find peace by listening to soft music. Some by walking alone in a forest, a meadow, or along the seashore. Others may find peace by practicing the Silence. Some find inner peace by turning off the news broadcasts! Meditation is the most popular way of finding peace which helps the individual go within to calm the mind and rid the consciousness of unsettling thoughts. Even though I've always medidated, I never felt so at peace as I did after I transitioned.  I don't know if "god" is the right word as I'm not religious, but something happened within myself; I've changed for the better.

Some interesting reading:

QuoteFour Stages of Development

Stage I: Chaotic, antisocial. A stage of undeveloped spirituality. The Stage 1 person is selfish, disordered, and generally incapable of loving others.

Stage II: Formal, institutional. The stage II person, typified by many churchgoers, is usually attached to the forms rather than the essence of her religion, and she may quickly take offense at anyone who attacks these forms. Personal stability and outward appearances are very important to her.

Stage III: Skeptic, individual. The stage III person is often referred to as a "nonbeliever" because he has given up being "conventional". He thinks independently and is often deeply involved in social causes. An advanced stage III individual is an active truth-seeker.

Stage IV: Mystic, communal. This is the stage of unity. A person arriving at stage 4 sees an underlying connectedness between herself, other creatures, and her surroundings. With little or no outside prodding, and as a confident yet humble, self governing human being, she reaches out to others in recognition of the whole world as part of her community. "Mystics" comprehend the value of emptiness. Rather than being frightened by the enormity of the unknown, they acknowledge it and immerse themselves even deeper into it, that they may understand more.
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Suzy

Julie,

I really find this fascinating.  You are a very spiritual person, and I knew that about you within the first hour of being around you.  Nobody I speak with other than you really wants to talk about God very much.  Augustine taught that (to paraphrase) each of us has a God-shaped hole in our heart, and that we can never have true peace until we allow it to be filled.  My sense in what has happened to you is that you finally have embraced that beautiful, spiritual woman that many others have seen and known.  She has been easy for us to embrace, but now that you have joined us, the spirituality of Julie has embraced you as well.  The hole in your heart is filling up and you have begun to feel the peace of a contented heart.  This does not mean that you suddenly have all of the answers.  It means that you embrace the mystery with longing, joy, and awe.  But in your soul, you feel as if you have returned to a home you never realized you had.

I'm so very happy for you!

Grace and Peace,
Kristi
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cindybc

Hi Julie Marie
I mean "Wow!" what an awesome story. I do pray that you will be back to check this thread. I have found many similarities in your story as well, Synchronicity? About the church, well I turned my back on it when I was sixteen and haven't looked back.

As for the surrendering to myself I imagined myself putting a weapon on the ground then standing again and crossing my arms over my chest I said "I will fight no more!" After this things changed rather quickly. I made my peace with all of the ghosts from the past and myself. Not a one can touch me now for they all have been cast back into the past where they belong, they are no longer a relevant part of my life.

I had surrendered to Great Spirit and prayed for Great Spirit o be my guide. I turned and devoted myself pretty much to a spiritual way of life.

Funny about the transitioning I feared more not transitioning then I was actually going on with it. Ya what a rush that was for the first few days. To finally live and embrace the person I had wanted to be for a very long.  But you see I was very happy for those last seven years, I was employed as  as a Social Worker which entailed supporting those that are in need. This job really fulfilled my needs. To me, my spirituality is two spirited. This only means I have both female and male energy resides within, and this spiritual energy is my strength and if I listen carefully to the little voice within I will be guided.

I love Cindy because she is the one who is capable to touch and feel so much more deeply then I ever thought possible in my other life. So now I am not just a woman I am also an empath and all that this gift entails.     
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Valentina

The way to achieve inner peace is to finish all the things you have started and have never finished.
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SusanK

Quote from: Julie Marie on September 09, 2007, 09:35:55 AM

...When I accepted myself just as God made me, I found peace.  When I stopped listening to the manmade laws of religion and got in touch with my inner self, I found peace.  And in my inner self is where God resides.

It's call Taoism. Been a (lazy) student of the Tao for nigh on 30-plus years.

--Susan--
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lisagurl

Peace is knowing you are the best that you can be without getting manipulated by people. Your subject consciousness should be a good mood. That is self confidence and inner peace.
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Julie Marie

As I travel the path of transition I've found some turmoil along the way.  There have been times I've been very down, the most recent was yesterday.  I was simply overwhelmed and just couldn't deal with things.  I knew I needed to get in touch with where I was when I wrote this.  So I came here and reread not only my post but all the replies.  I was quickly reminded if I was there before I can be there again.

Thank you to all who replied here because it helped me realize that even though transition can be tough at times, it's the right thing to do because it's the only way I'll ever truly know inner peace.

Julie
When you judge others, you do not define them, you define yourself.
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tekla

Once upon a time I worried all about that stuff on a constant basis.  Other times in my life I went years without so much as a thought to inner peace, the meaning of life or any of that stuff.  The difference was in what I was doing.  When I've had cycles in my life where I was doing work I liked, and lots of it, achieving a balance between physical labor and mental work none of any of that occurred to me.  I think in retrospect that a lot of that is just the result of idleness.  Work at filling your life with your life's work and those thoughts will go away.

If you really need some 10 Step program, then exhibit integrity in all you do, do not speak badly of others, stay optimistic, help other people when you can, have and maintain high ambitions, be kind and compassionate, believe in and respect yourself, persist until you succeed, keep an open mind so you can change it, and take responsibility.  You do that and the rest falls into place.  Without that, you seek ways to get it, that, in the end, are all artificial.
FIGHT APATHY!, or don't...
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Chaunte

Quote from: Julie Marie on September 09, 2007, 09:35:55 AM


In trying to explain to my family why I have made the decision to live as a woman I wrote an analogy I called "A Soldier Resigns".  I posted it here.  In it I described a soldier who had been sent to fight a war everyone else said he had to fight.  He never questioned why, he trusted the people he loved.  Then one day he stopped fighting and was finally at peace even though those who sent him to war were less than happy. 

It was the inner peace that so perfectly described how I felt.  I had ended the battle of trying to be what others wanted and keeping the real me bottled up inside.  I now know a peace I wanted the whole world to know.

Then it hit me.  All my life I've tried to be what family, friends and society wanted me to be.  They all used religion to dissuade me from "evil" and that included transitioning.  But all the intolerant and prejudiced beliefs they espoused didn't come from religion, Jesus or God.  They were all creations of man.  When I accepted myself just as God made me, I found peace.  When I stopped listening to the manmade laws of religion and got in touch with my inner self, I found peace.  And in my inner self is where God resides. 

Is it possible that I have found faith, found spirituality, found God, through transition?  I know the answer and I know it would be scoffed at by many but that doesn't make it any less true. 

The answer is "Yes".

Julie


Julie,

I, too, found an inner peace when body and soul were made whole.

The discord stops.  And, suddenly, a veil is pulled from your eyes.

Everything is new again.

Chaunte
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cindybc

Your post is right on the dollar, Tekla hon.

Cindy
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