That part of ourselves which embraces the whole of our experience is what I call the Compassionate Self. This part listens to every point of view, allowing us to feel all of our feelings without judgment. For example, when we are struggling to make a decision, such as to end a relationship or begin a career, we are identifying with only one or more parts of ourselves. Yet each point of view by itself is incomplete, so we suffer. Solutions which come through the encompassing perspective of the Compassionate Self always resolve the suffering so we can move on.

   When we do dream work and other inner work, personal issues that are asking to be “healed” will emerge. The deeper the work, the more embracing we must become. We simply must come to stand in “some relationship” to our moods, feelings, and life experiences, however difficult or joyful. To stand in “some relationship” means that we allow a space for them to exist in our personal universe even though we may not yet understand them and know them mostly by the feelings we are left with in the morning. Since it is difficult to do inner work and be at odds with ourselves, we can invite the appearance of the Compassionate Self into our lives.

   As we encounter parts of ourselves that we have disowned, including dream characters, dreamscapes, moods, and emotions we “don't like,” our identity expands. Our sense of “self” gets larger. At a minimum we may ask, “Why do I have these weird dreams?” And as your experience grows, embrace the opportunity for your sense of “self” to grow as well. In that way, we begin to make room for all of our experiences. We begin to identify with the Compassionate Self.