The Stranger Within

Julia Griffin - author Home About Writings Contact us

deep water

The Stranger Within

Finding a Meaning and Purpose in Life

How well do you know yourself?

Are you aware of all that makes you unique or is there a part of you that remains hidden, untapped, unknown: a stranger within?

The force of life

These writings have been inspired by what I have learnt over many years from spiritual tutors in The Erasmus Foundation, a spiritual teaching and healing centre based in Laxfield, Suffolk. This has given me a belief that within you there is a force of life that is eternal and holds much value and resource, and that is your spirit.

This is not something wispy, strange or inconsequential but very real, solid and meaningful. Just because you cannot see or feel something doesn't mean it is not there. My belief is that your spirit, your mind, is the essential you and of great value to you while you are on the Earth, and so if it is stifled, suffocated from an early age by the physicality of our world with all its noise and stress, if more importance is given to feeding and stimulating the brain, which is the computer of the body, then the mind – your spirit - will have more difficulty being felt, being listened to.

Death is not the end

Everything of value lives on. Death is not the end of life, only of the physical body that is the vehicle for a particular life. So, your spiritual heritage goes back much further than the heritage of the life you are now living because your spirit will have lived many lives before this one in many cultures and civilisations, experiencing and learning many things that your spirit retains and which is a part of you forever. This is the meaning and purpose of life.

Truth, logic and reason – balance versus chaos

There is a balance throughout the Universe governed by a Natural Law, itself created by a force beyond our comprehension, with truth, logic and reason at its heart. Without balance there is chaos because the void that appears when things are not in balance, when people are not in balance, is filled with destructive elements. Nature and our Universe are not responsible for chaos; Mankind is. Our Earth is sick and dying due to human behaviour that has enabled the right conditions for all that is happening today: disease - growing, mutating and strengthening; climate change events - increasing and picking up pace; people - suffering more and more both mentally and physically; animals and all nature and wildlife – suffering, struggling, diminishing, extinguished; and our food, water, air and soil becoming more and more polluted, all contributing to our unhealthy state.

Evil and a web of darkness

There is also, most importantly in my view, a web of darkness around the globe that has been allowed to grow through Mankind's weakness, and this is polluting the minds of many with what I believe is a 'thought virus'; thought being the strongest force in the Universe. Evil is very real and those who work for this destruction are powerful and very happy if people are ignorant of their existence and purpose. Evil feeds off weakness, so with rampant greed in this very materialistic world, with truth having little or no value, with many showing greater tendency to be selfish, jealous, cruel, lazy, and blind through the ego of self, is it no wonder that the world is in turmoil?

Everyone has a gift

All this does not paint a pretty picture, and it may be felt upon reading this that it is all too severe and over-the-top; but the reality of this destruction is all around you and in most of the world news headlines. If you have purpose and reason for being here, will there not be opportunity to achieve something positive to help turn things round and bring back some light and sanity to our Earth? I believe everyone has a gift to do or be something that helps others. Your spiritual gift is always for the purpose of helping others, never for self-interest.

What can you do?

So, what can you do? I refer again to the spirit, your spirit. You all have one; unique, of different spiritual age, living an individual Tapestry of Life with its unique psychological structure and designed by one that I call 'The Great Mind'. Creativity comes from the mind, so be creative, start asking questions: start with truth, truth about yourself. And sitting quietly in meditation or contemplation will help quieten the brain and allow the mind to surface to help you find answers.

Getting to know yourself and being true to yourself

Getting to know yourself completely, physically and spiritually, to find a certain balance can take time but is very rewarding. It will help you find the confidence to be true to who you are and what you are. You could ask questions of your day, of how you felt you dealt with different people and situations which will help you understand yourself better and inform you of your strengths and weaknesses, which we all have. It will also help you understand others. In short, you are using your mind which is becoming less of a stranger within! All of this will draw on your spiritual strength which gives you courage to face truth, and allows for more graciousness in communications.

Finding peace and a reason for living

The aim, through these writings, and from my own experience of making mistakes and the ups and downs of life that have taught me much, is to help you realise this valuable resource that is your spirit, this essential you, in order to find answers to questions you may have; to find some peace that is always there within you and more wonderful than words can say; and to help you understand that you do indeed have a reason and purpose for living. Working to find that balance within yourself progresses and evolves the spirit and will give you the clarity to know who you are, how you are, and what you are here to do.

At this time of many difficulties and change, the one thing you have to draw upon is your spirit which I believe will help you face the challenges of today and, with understanding and acceptance, work for a more positive tomorrow using what you have been given in this life to help bring back a balance to our Earth.

February 2024

Copyright 2023 The Stranger Within.
Moat House, Banyards Green, Laxfield, Suffolk. IP13 8ER. Tel: 01986 798682.
This site was last revised 26th February 2024

"All this destruction around us, all this conflict, will one day be resolved because we have faced the truth; the lessons learnt, I am sure, will br fruitful, the memories deep and long lasting, and we will thank the Great Mind for his concern and his patience." From 'Conflict' for Winter Newsletter 2023

"Rampant greed, I would say, is very evident in many societies in the world, and the explosion of materialism that seems to have taken over our drive and purpose and feeling of achievement has become a yoke that restrains our soul and compresses our thinking. As a consequence, are we seeing a growing burden on people's shoulders as they try and fulfil the expectation of material wealth and measured success that can be seen and celebrated? This doesn't paint a pretty picture." From 'Equality' August 2023

"I think it is too late to stop much of what is happening and will likely happen; often people need something devasting to occur in order to wake up and force a change of thinking and behaviour. It is a hard lesson, but if you can think, prepare, set an example, and help others where you can, that is a positive action." From 'The Impact of Climate Change' February 2023

"These times are difficult to live in and we have made life complicated with burdens of many kinds. But if we find the strength and courage to address the facts within us and around us in truth, learn from this and adapt and make changes as necessary, then this is the best example and the best help we can be. This is a gift we can all give to one another so that not only will we have the chance to flourish ourselves but we may help others we touch to also have this chance. We will still have tests and challenges, joys and achievements, but in a more balanced environment that is healthy, more peaceful and ultimately deeply enriching." From 'Flourishing' February 2023

"If we think about life as an educational journey, then maybe the importance of a more thoughtful and gradual primary educational start, particularly using nature to help children rather than academic subjects, would see better outcomes for our children later in life and give them at the very least a more solid foundation to build on through their understanding of what they are interested in and what they feel they would like to do with their lives." From 'Education and Mental Health' January 2023

"Given that the balance of life will always bring times of challenge and testing as well as times of joy and achievement, we could say that within every life there is an opportunity for transformation and, indeed, we might also say that we come to the Earth to live a life to be transformed through the purpose and experience that life brings." From 'Transformation' December 2022

"If we can go with the flow of life, accept there is a force that is in control and do the best we can, we can achieve much. To keep a positive mind-set through self-knowledge and an understanding of our purpose will help us cope and adapt to change. But it is important to reach out to others to help us do this because sharing and learning is what, in essence, life is about." From 'The Stranger Within' October 2022

"Imagine a pearl necklace with each life a pearl that is added to the strand when we depart this world; separate and unique and yet a part of our own individual experience, giving us a memory to draw upon forever more." From 'Social Justice' August 2022

"If times are going to get even tougher than they already are, what better way to face these changes than with the belief in ourselves through true self-knowledge and understanding, with an acceptance that with everything and everyone there is a reason and a purpose." From 'Social Justice' August 2022