A life crisis is often created from an external source such as a divorce, the loss of a job, or the death of a loved one. Quakes can be triggered by the very same events that prompted a life crisis. However, the power and the fury of the quake is generated from an internal source. The darkness, the anger, the agony, the terror, and so much more - all that you've repressed for a lifetime, may burst forth with tremendous intensity, and is carried to you and through you via the quake. You've come face to face with the most formidable adversary (and ally) you will ever confront - yourself. From within you resides the flame that feeds the extraordinarily powerful source of the quake's force.

I've written about the power of the mind, of the body, of the spirit, and yet, have I truly for a moment had you convinced? Can you now begin to imagine the tremendous forces that exist within you, within me, within each and every one of us? I ask you to consider it now.

When you cut yourself and your body immediately begins the process of rejuvenation without your so much as lifting a finger - that's power! When you look at someone from across the room whose attention is elsewhere and they respond by looking towards you because they can sense you - that's power! When you are so furious with yourself that you cause the very cells in your body to turn against other cells in retaliation, - that's power! When you close your eyes and go to sleep, and from the stillness of your slumber a whole other world comes forth to greet you in your dreams - that's power! When you gently caress the head of a loved one who is agitated and cause their heart rate to slow and blood pressure to drop - that's power! When you smile genuinely at someone who is hurting and cause him or her to smile back at you - that's power!

This is a pathetically small accounting of your enormous ability to impact your own world and the world of others. Let me remind you now of one fundamental fact about power - it can be used to create or to destroy.

PHASE ONE: EXPLORATION AND INTEGRATION

"The only devils in the world are those running around in our own hearts. That is where the battles should be fought." Mahatma Gandhi

Recognizing that our quakes ultimately evolve from our own inner demons (and angels), doesn't mean that within us lurks a great force waiting to break free in order to destroy or save us. Instead, the quake is a mighty testimony of how deeply our experiences have touched us. We've lived them, and now they continue to live within us. Our memories may have settled deep down beneath the layers of our consciousness, unseen but not entirely forgotten, quiet but never completely silenced. Their echoes recall our broken dreams, our shame, and our fears. They speak of our secret longings, our regrets, and of our neglected potential. They sing our forgotten and unsung songs. Their individual verses, when united, calls forth a brilliant and unique melody, each person's own individual song.

The onset of the quake becomes a time when attention to our own inner lyrics becomes important. A time to examine and acknowledge the vast and sometimes contradictory aspects of ourselves. A time to direct our vision inward in order to later modify and enlarge our view. The quake initiates a process whereby we can begin to claim those pieces of ourselves that we've denied or buried. We may ultimately reject them once again, but first, we must own them, rather than project them outward onto other individuals or groups. In doing so, we begin to admit that it's not simply "they" (the blacks, the whites, the communists, the government, our children, or our parents) who're greedy, evil, selfish, blind, prejudiced, and so much more. We come to recognize that within ourselves there exists the capacity to commit harmful, irresponsible, and perhaps even evil acts. We accept that we too can be selfish, greedy, closed-minded, naive, etc. In acknowledging our own dark side, we become more compassionate and less judgmental of others. On the other hand, in bringing our hidden or minimized strengths and potentials out into the light, we become far less likely to look outside of ourselves for answers, for wisdom, and for salvation. We begin to recognize that it's not "them" (our leaders, our gurus, our parents, our children etc.) whom we need to depend upon for our own well-being and survival.

PHASE TWO: MOVEMENT

"I have no doubt that most people live--physically, intellectually, and morally--in a very restricted circle of their potential being....We have reservoirs of life, to draw upon, of which we do not dream." William James

In confronting our shadows we empower ourselves. We only transform what we're willing to confront. We begin to decide what it is about ourselves and our lives that we want to change. We begin to utilize both old and newly acknowledged strengths and abilities. We might begin to take more risks. We may begin to hold more closely, those gifts in our lives that were previously unrecognized or taken for granted. We might step up our pace or slow it down. We might begin to plant in our symbolic gardens, weed, or more likely, do a little of both. We might move away from that which no longer fosters growth or closer to that which does. Whatever we do during this phase of the quake, it's movement and change that best characterizes phase two. The changes aren't always manifested behaviorally, or with great fanfare and drama. They might evolve quietly and may be imperceptible to outsiders, limited to a change in attitude or perception.