After beginning to see how the higher and lower in us are meant to work together, it might seem as though things should begin to feel easier. If what is higher can guide what is lower, and if a clearer sense of direction is beginning to form within us, then why does it still feel like such a struggle at times?
Even with a clearer understanding, there are still moments when the same patterns return. The same reactions arise. The same tension appears, sometimes just as strongly as before. It can feel as though nothing has really changed. But something has. What has changed is not that the struggle has disappeared, but that it has become more visible.
As long as things remain unexamined, much of what moves within us happens quietly, without being noticed. Reactions come and go. Thoughts form and pass. We act, often without fully seeing why. But as awareness begins to grow, what was once hidden begins to come into view. We begin to notice what we are thinking, what we are feeling, and what is shaping our responses. And in that noticing, the tension becomes more apparent.
Many people move through their days without ever pausing long enough to notice these things. Life is full. Responsibilities are constant. There is always something that needs attention, something that needs to be done, something that pulls us outward. Because of that, much of what is happening within us passes by without being examined—not because we are unwilling, but simply because we are occupied.
And yet, this process does require some degree of reflection. Not in a heavy or demanding way, and not in a way that pulls us away from life—but in a quiet willingness to pause, even briefly, and notice. To become aware of what is happening within us in the moment, rather than moving past it without seeing.
Without that awareness, the movement of the mind remains largely unseen. But with it, even small changes begin to come into view. A hesitation where there once was only reaction. A question where there once was certainty. A different kind of response beginning to form.
This can show up in very ordinary moments. You may find yourself in a conversation where something is said that feels wrong or unfair. The immediate reaction may be to respond quickly—to correct, to defend, or to push back. And yet, at the same time, something else may begin to speak—a quieter awareness that slows that reaction and brings to mind what is true, what is useful, and what is kind. There may be a brief hesitation—almost so small that it could be missed.
In the past, that moment may have passed unnoticed. The reaction would have moved forward, and the moment would be gone. But now, it is seen. And because it is seen, something different becomes possible.
This can feel discouraging at first. It may seem as though things are getting worse rather than better, because what we are now noticing feels more present, more frequent, or more difficult than before. But in reality, what is happening is that what was already there is now being brought into the light. The struggle is not new. The awareness of it is.
And that awareness is essential, because what is not seen cannot be guided.
At this point, it can help to understand more clearly what this experience actually is. This kind of inner struggle is not a sign that something is wrong. It is part of the way a person is changed. There are times when what is true begins to stand in contrast to what is not yet aligned with it. These moments can feel like tension, or even conflict within us.
This process has been described in different ways within the Christian tradition. In the Writings, it is called regeneration—a gradual reordering of the inner life by the Lord. And as Dr. Leon James emphasizes, this is not something abstract or distant. It takes place within the actual workings of the mind, as we begin to notice our thoughts, reflect on them, and learn to bring them into alignment with what is true.
At times, it may feel as though everything depends on our effort. But Scripture teaches something deeper. Even when we are aware of the struggle, the work itself is not carried by us alone. The Lord is present within it, working in ways that are often unseen, holding what is higher steady even when what is lower is not yet following.
“During temptations the Lord alone fights for man… and this is quite hidden from him.” — Arcana Coelestia 840
The higher part of the mind does not force change. It does not push or override what is lower. Instead, it brings light. And that light does not come from us—it comes from the Lord, who alone sees clearly and leads what is within us into what is true.
From a practical point of view, this is where something important begins to shift. What was once automatic begins to be seen. What once moved without reflection begins to be observed. As Dr. Leon James describes, the work of the mind becomes conscious. But even then, the lower does not immediately follow.
It carries its own patterns—habits formed over time, ways of responding that have become familiar and automatic. Even when something higher begins to guide, those patterns do not simply disappear. They continue to arise, again and again.
This is why the experience can feel like a kind of back-and-forth movement. One moment there is clarity. The next, an old reaction returns. One moment there is steadiness. The next, a familiar impulse takes over. This does not mean that nothing is changing. It means that something deeper is being worked through.
The process is not about instantly replacing one way of being with another. It is about gradually learning to recognize what is arising, and allowing what is higher to remain present within it—even when the lower reacts, even when the old pattern appears, even when the movement within us is not yet fully aligned.
This is where patience becomes necessary. Not a passive patience that waits without engagement, but a steady willingness to remain present, to see clearly, and to continue choosing what is true—even when the response within us does not yet fully follow.
Over time, something begins to shift. The same patterns may still appear, but they do not hold in the same way. They are seen sooner. They pass more quickly. They begin to lose their strength. This kind of change does not happen all at once. It unfolds gradually, as what is good begins to take root and what is not aligned with it begins to loosen.
And the higher—what is true, what is steady, what is aligned with what is good—begins to take a more consistent place. As this happens, something deeper is also taking place. The movement is not only toward greater clarity, but toward a closer alignment with the Lord Himself, who is the source of what is good and true.
This is not the absence of struggle. It is a change in how the struggle is held.
And within that change, something quieter begins to grow. A sense that even in the tension, something is being guided. The Lord is present within it, even when it is not felt clearly, leading what is willing toward what is good and true.
In those moments—especially when the struggle feels most present—there is also a quiet opportunity to turn, even briefly, toward the Lord. Not in a formal or forced way, but in a simple acknowledgment, a willingness to receive what is true, and a trust that He is present within the process.
Not all at once.
But steadily.
If you would like to continue, the next step is to begin learning how to recognize more clearly what is true as it appears within you:
Learning to Recognize What Is True
“My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.” 2Corinthians 12:9
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