Acknowledging Our Pain - Rescuing the Rescuer
Sometimes the motivation to help others may be an extension
of a
deep desire to heal a wounded part of ourself.
Some people seem called to
help others, often from very early on in their childhoods, responding to the
needs of family members, strangers, or animals with a selflessness that is
impressive. Often, these people appear to have very few needs of their own, and
the focus of their lives is on rescuing, helping, and healing others.
While
there are a few people who are truly able to sustain this completely giving
lifestyle, the vast majority has needs that lie beneath the surface, unmet and
often unseen. In these cases, their motivation to help others may be an
extension of a deep desire to heal a wounded part of themselves that is starving
for the kind of love and attention they dole out to those around them on a daily
basis. For any number of reasons, they are unable to give themselves the love
they need and so they give it to others. This does not mean that they are not
meant to be helping others, but it does mean that they would do well to turn
some of that helping energy within.
The following is a wonderful posting by Madisyn Taylor of Daily Om
Revered as both a bodhisattva (an individual who has attained Buddha hood, but decided to stay with the
human race in order to bring enlightenment to every human being) as well as a goddess, Kuan Yin has been worshipped in many
cultures and religions, with her worship still extremely popular today. Images of her grace
almost all Taoist Temples; she can be found in almost all Chinese Buddhist temples; she is
revered within Shintoism; and her significance is even understood within Christianity
where she has a strong resonance with the Virgin Mary. As such, there are numerous spellings of her
name (Kwan Yin, Quan Yin, Guan Yin or Guanyin) and just as many interpretations and titles of her name such as - “She
who harkens the cry of the world”, “Goddess of salvation from misery”, “Goddess
of one thousand arms and eyes” and more popular, “Goddess of mercy and compassion”. 
The following is a posting from Madisyn Taylor of Daily Om that talks about the ultimate gift we can give our own selves, that of self-healing.
As winter draws near, we tend to turn inward, often displaying a reluctance to venture out into the cold and wet weather. As we find ourselves doing this, we are offered an excellent opportunity to explore the inner reaches of our psyche, those hidden aspects of our selves that are often ignored, neglected or we simply don't want to acknowledge. Psycho-analyst Carl Jung called such aspects of our inner selves "the Shadow", and venturing into these uncomfortable areas is highly recommended if we are to become a "complete" person.
