Have you watched the Disney movie of Beauty & the Beast? I had seen the Disney cartoon multiple times while growing up. I just recently watched the movie version. Actually I just finished it. I Loved it. I cried. (Haha). During the movie I kept noticing how I internally identifed with almost every character.
I kept thinking about how every single one of us has a part, or parts, inside of us that has become like the beast. Perhaps some of us can recognize parts within us as being a “beast” more easily than others. But this would be the area, or areas, within us that have become jaded. Usually always due to fear and hurts, not because we wanted to be this way.
Nevertheless there are parts of us that are not so loving or kind anymore. Not as caring or as willing to give to others, like we once used to be. We don’t as easily accept others who look, talk, think or believe differently than us. For various reasons this occurs. Some people, or experiences, may have scared or offended us.
At some point the love, care and kindness in our hearts was displayed and met with offenses, unkindness and fears. The love and care in us became sadness and disappointment. Then bitterness, resentment or anger.
Various, yet similar, types of experiences or changes may have occurred in each of us. And not really for the better. We have become more hardened and calloused in areas of our hearts and minds. Yes, the hardening, like a callus, was for the protection of our own hearts. Not because we wanted to create something dark or unhealthy. The hardening occured becasue there were, and are, wounds, pain and hurtful things we don’t want to experience again.
We got caught up in the pain, in trying to continue on in life, and in distracting ourselves from the pain. Pursuing shallow things. Pursuing only things that seemed good for “us”. As we became more hardened our world became smaller, along with our kindness, care and love. Slowly, and blindly, we turned more calloused, selfish and arrogant. Until we were so far into it that we turned into something we didn't recognize, nor expect.
We also all have other unique parts of us. They arent the beast, they arent as jaded or damaged. These other inner areas of us are like the castle servants. They aren't the ugly beast but they have been put under the same curse.
They are seemingly innocent but not completely innocent. Parts of us silently stood by and watched the process of hardness, selfishness and arrogance slowly entangle itself. These areas within us were indirectly affected, but affected nonetheless. Areas of our minds and hearts that held our creativity and dreams.
These areas of us were like the beautiful and creative servants, musicians, chefs and beauticians that were in the castle. Minimized to household items. Degraded from the potential of what they could have been down to things that are hardly noticed.
These areas of creativity, joy and life are now all dependent on our inner beast discovering Love. Parts of your inner self and your potential are waiting for Love to heal you. To set your creativity and true inner self free once again.
Then we have “Belle”. We all have the beauty within us. The part we like and want others to see. The only part we want to admit that we have. Belle within us is maybe the only untainted remnant left from the hardening and callousness that we have endured. This is the part of us that must face and ultimately love the other.
The Belle within us, it seems, is unfairly forced to live in the same castle as the beast. Not so different than our “good” side living within us, together with our beast. The Belle in us is at first frightened at the horror and terror of the beast that lives in the same castle. Maybe for years this part of us stays hidden from the beast. Or willingly lets the beast stay hidden from her.
We all have a part inside of us that, like Belle, has to be brave enough to face the beast within. To face it and then learn to understand it. We have to overcome the fear of the scary and ugly. Then decide to search out, “where did this beast come from?”
From there there's a continuous process; learning, understanding, caring and ultimately love that goes back and forth within us. Like what had to take place over time between Belle and the Beast. They learned the depths of who they each were. Where did our “ugly” side come from? Where did our “good” side come from?
Taking time to ask, listen and hear is how we discover what does not lay on the surface. Within ourselves we need to uncover, admit and look at the things that slowly turned part of us into this beast. What were the hurts and pains that calloused us so much that we became something we never expected?
We need to learn about the pain and sorrows that ultimatley created the beast within ourselves. Why is the beast within us is so angry, or fearful? Who did he or she start out as? Internally we need to be loving and caring to the beautiful acceptable parts of us, and also to the not so lovely, hard to accept, parts of us. You can't love something that you won't take the time to learn, know and understand.
Ultimately as we do this within ourselves, the spell breaks. When the fears, hurts, lies, bitterness and darkness are exposed, then we can begin to heal. We see what caused the spell then we let those things go. We choose to love and forgive. Love casts out fear. Light disperses the darkness.
The spell of fear and darkness can be broken within us. The spell that limits us from our potential, from true life and happiness. When we have faced the beast, listened and learned to understand how we became this way, it allows us to understand, accept and love. To care for, understand and love even the seemingly worst things within us and about us.
When a lesson like that is learned within ourselves it is then more easily lived, mirrored, on the outside. When we will face our own beast and the spell within our hearts then we will have learned to do the same for those around us. Until we face our own beasts, and learn the Love that breaks the spell, we are limited in our ability to do so for others.
Facing these areas within ourselves will give us the wisdom, patience and love to break the spell in others. We can take what we learned from our inward journey and display it outward. Caring for others and choosing to see where they are coming from. Patiently, and caringly, discovering who they were and who they now are. Choosing to be understanding. Choosing to have compassion. Choosing to forgive and to keep learning who and what they are. Ultimately choosing love toward others.
The depths, truths and realities in the story are amazing. And like all of God's truths, they are the strongest, most meaningful and most powerful when they change us deep inside of our hearts. They change us when we apply them. Applying truths to ourselves first. Then that truth can be seen and experienced by others who are around us.
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