At the bottom of all our suffering is the Trance of Scarcity
So states Victoria Castle at the beginning of her book.
The premise of this book is that we have a genetic pre-disposition to believe that the Universe isn’t a friendly place and this leaves many feeling alone, fearful and unworthy.
Our life force is gradually reduced to a whisper
Changing our view of the world to embrace the possibility that the Universe may be a friendly place after all allows life to be filled with meaning, fulfillment and freedom.
life is not a series of obstacles to overcome, it’s a steady flow of possibility
I know which I prefer!
When we act out of a long held belief in ‘not enough’ our reptilian brain runs the show. If there’s not enough then basic survival is in jeopardy and we remain in reactive mode. Until we can access the more rational and responsive parts of our brains, we remain stuck.
feeding on a continual diet of despair and rejection courtesy of the Trance of Scarcity we desperately seek ways to go numb
Which beliefs do you hold? Do any of these sound familiar? ‘I’m not good enough’, ‘ This won’t work’, ‘it’s impossible’, ‘it’s too late’, ‘it’s too hard’, ‘I don’t belong’.
While we insist on being separate, playing the victim or the martyr, we cheat ourselves out of the joy of belonging.
‘Trance’ means something we live but of which we are not obviously aware. This belief in scarcity, which so many seem to hold as a truth, is programmed into us through a combination of nature and nurture. Until we become aware of it and wake up, it runs the show.
Perhaps my synopsis makes the book sound heavy and depressing and nothing could be further from the truth. Victoria writes with a light touch challenging the reader’s beliefs about scarcity and abundance using stories from her own life to demonstrates the points she makes.
In reading The Trance of Scarcity you’ll be encouraged to examine your stories, you know the ones, the things that add colour to the black and white of bare facts.
Having examined your stories you are shown how to determine whether or not they remain valid or whether they need replacing. Victoria is not encouraging the reader to rewrite history. The facts remain the facts. Doesn’t everyone have a pile of brown mucky stuff lurking somewhere in their past? No-one is asked to deny or bury what has happened but to simply re-examine the embellishments and beliefs that have been woven around events.
The facts are recognisable by the absence of those emotive words – always, never, have to, must, should, can’t, every, all, some, nothing…….
I can only liken it to stripping down to your underwear when trying on a new suit of clothes. Your body is your body (the facts). The clothes become the story. You try things on until you find something that makes you feel good whilst wearing it, it suits you, it boosts your self esteeem and confidence rather than diminishing them.
It’s the same with stories and beliefs.
Our stories aren’t just mental constructs, they become physical attributes. We embody our stories and reveal much about ourselves through our physiology. The mind and body are not as separate as we might think.
This means trying to change mental states without also moving our bodies to release the ‘story’, doesn’t work long term. It’s akin to stretching a piece of elastic to change it’s length. As soon as you let go, it snaps back to where it was.
Our stories cause contraction. Our shoulders roll forward, chest collapses, breathing becomes shallow and our heads hang down. It’s our stories that shut us down to possibility and stop our eyes from scanning the horizon for those life chances.
If you are having trouble changing the stories that run through your head, distracting you in the way your neighbour’s television distracts, try changing them through your body. Think about the body posture of the new story you want to adopt.
Victoria’s assertion is
Our experience of abundance, of living in the world with effectiveness and ease, is determined by our inner state more than by our outer circumstances
This isn’t a book about Law of Attraction or positive affirmations. It’s about waking up and really seeing things without looking through the filters of old stories that no longer serve us well.
For those who enjoy personal development books or who enjoy self-coaching this book is definitely worthwhile. Tackling core beliefs is a recurring theme in many coaching programmes – this is a good way to start on yours.
