IMBO Magazine Issue 32 | Page 73

T he festive season is a time we all try avoiding the redundancy of last year’s trends. Women sit amongst their girlfriends to extensively discuss their makeovers, while men huddle around and talk about the latest sneakers on the shelves and mentally tick them off their list of things to get. Everyone is out to make sure they look good and even engage in a little friendly competition. Let’s not forget the element of ‘festive instagram’ heightens the makeover frenzy with our new hairdo making an appearance, along with an outfit to keep our followers ‘liking’ away And of course, couples who suffer from ‘Couple Swag’ syndrome will drop in their newly purchased his and hers Versace footwear. Sure, the bank balance deteriorates but at least we show up to the party looking dapper and get noticed. And besides, isn’t it exhilarating getting gratification from our peers? Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for putting your best foot forward and some things are well deserved after a year of hard work. Then again, if the physical human form is the only part of your identity getting replenished there’s a chance the equation to the human soul will never get equalised.True happiness and contentment with self can never be realised in the material elements of life (face value). We are spirit, mind and body and it’s essential we pay attention to other parts of us petitioning for a makeover. Internal Awakening Settle down. Light some candles. Block out the mental noise and escape into your own multiverse just for a second.What do you see? Do you see yourself outside of the human form? As spiritual gurus continue to remind us ‘We are not a body. We have a body. We do not have a soul. We are a soul.’ The problem is, we dress the body and leave the soul in destitute. Personal growth is not entirely dependent on age. We don’t grow in years (as the year is only an estimation of science) but rather in spirit. In order to grow in spirit we need to assess the spiritual fruits we lack and continue to cultivate those we do have. These fruits are elements such as divine love, understanding, unselfishness, patience, emotional intelligence, anti- ego perceptions and personal honesty.Upgrading these elements means there is a balance within the internal and external, the ancient Greeks refer to it as Kalon - referring to a beauty which is more than skin deep. Change the retail store Pray – When we create a spiritual doorway through conversations with a pure, higher energy, it allows us to see things in the spiritual realm that might be holding us back. We receive epiphanies in prayer and receive solutions transported through the subconscious. Fitting room dynamics Write – When we write, we often invite ourselves to reflect and diagnose a lot of issues we might have. This makes us more alert concerning areas which need a makeover or should revisit. It leads to the understanding of self, finding out what works for you and what doesn’t. Rising higher Meditate -To meditate simply means to spend time with yourself using the power of now. The trick is to create a pure space in which to do this. Just be aware of the soul and rise (travel) above the physical space you are in. This helps us understand that the internal makeover process should truly be connected with the soul. Receipts Reflection– This venture known as life is one we are never truly done with. Meaning the results of the internal makeover is a lifetime of work. There’s no quick fix. Personal reconstruction is a beautiful experience, you pick out what you need, leave the emotionally expensive items behind and create a new spiritual identity. Next time around We all deserve to look great, feel great and encompass our existence with a well fed soul. Are you giving yourself an internal makeover this festive? The next time you pick out a fancy dress or pair of shoes, think about the ‘as within, as without’ concept. Let those around you see more than the physical change, let them discover a better holistic individual fused with ‘inner swag’. By Lebohang Morake 73 IMBO/ ISSUE 32/ '14