The silent layers of the system

On awareness, layering and the intelligence of natural processes

Underwater, nothing is empty, even if it seems still.
What appears to have vanished from the surface continues to be at work in other layers.

When a whale dies and sinks to the seabed, it marks not an end but a process.

First come the large predators: sharks, predatory fish and other species that feed on what is immediately available.

Then smaller organisms appear, picking up where the first layer leaves off.
And even when there appears to be nothing left, life goes on.
Worms feed on what lies hidden deep within the bones.

No single layer attempts to take over the process.

The shark does what a shark is meant to do.
The smaller organisms do what they are meant to do.
And whatever remains after that is taken up again by the next layer.

Nothing is lost.
Everything is absorbed into a greater whole.

Nature relies on an intelligence that is greater than the individual part.

The parallel with humans
I see something similar in human consciousness.
What is visible often gets attention first.

Emotions that impose themselves, or stubborn beliefs that trap you in a certain place.

But beneath that lies a world of more subtle layers.

Experiences that were never fully expressed.
Burdens that have been carried along unnoticed.
A responsibility that wasn’t entirely yours.
A place you’ve come to occupy.
Or a longing that has remained hidden for years.

Not everything demands immediate attention. Some processes operate on a quieter level and unfold at their own pace. When the time comes for them to surface, they reveal themselves naturally.

In counselling
I see this reflected in counselling too. Sometimes an intervention brings about immediate change. At other times, it seems as though hardly anything is happening, whilst beneath the surface something has already been set in motion. It is as though different layers of the system follow their own rhythm.

I think it’s important to realise that – beyond the reach of direct observation – a vast number of processes are taking place. Far beyond the scope of what we know or can understand at that moment. Not only in therapy, but also in life itself.

My own journey of self-awareness
I recognise this in my own process of self-awareness too. Periods in which, on the surface, little seems to change often turn out, in hindsight, to be phases in which a great deal was actually being integrated.

An insight finds its way into the body.
An old identification that is slowly letting go.
Or a new sense of security that takes root within a relationship.

From the outside, it sometimes seems as though little is happening. Meanwhile, on the inside, a complete reorganisation may be taking place.

Just as grass does not grow any faster if you pull on it, awareness cannot be forced.