Knowing vs. Knowledge
by Bettina Clark
Hello all. Today Bettina Clark and I, Eduardo del Buey, will discuss Knowing vs. Knowledge, words that have the same root but totally different meanings. If you enjoy the articles and videocasts, pease invite your friends to subscribe and also provide your comments or views. Ciao for now!
Knowing versus Knowledge
The quote “I know that I know nothing” Plato took from Socrates’ original statement: ‘for I was conscious that I knew practically nothing’.
I was reminded of this quote while reading Eduardo del Buey’s article on “Words” and immediately knew I had to write an introductory article on “Knowing”.
I want to explore it with you in this wee bit longer article.
Since decades I support people to grow and live their highest potentials.
Coaching is about the client. It is about their perceptions of the world, their paths, their insights and, eventually, their changes or growth processes - mainly on a pragmatic self-optimising level.
Only recently is the International Coach Federation (ICF) opening up to the spiritual arena. They addressed our professional world with one question on social media:
Do you ask your coaching clients about their spiritual beliefs?
One of many positive answers is found in our visual above. My answer was yes AND no. If our clients are not willing to go there – of course not.
Strangely I personally never doubted that this is an important aspect. I am a coach AND a spiritual being and am not separating one from the other.
Psychiatrist Dr. Maya Spencer explains: “Spirituality means knowing that our lives have significance in a context beyond a mundane everyday existence at the level of biological needs that drive selfishness and aggression. It means knowing that we are a significant part of a purposeful unfolding of life in our universe.”
Exploring Clues
As coaches, we become the catalyst or rather the receptor of information that the client cannot “receive” because of possible filters or a sabotaging mind.
Sounds weird? It isn’t.
In the process of coaching, exploration is key -- searching for intrinsic clues that can open new pathways to the intended goal. And to access the inner world of my clients, to reach an inner “Knowing” to me is essential.
We encounter Knowledge as the first entry point of discovery based in the conscious and the subconscious. It is information stored in various forms, from pure data to behavioral patterns that are processed centralized and in real-time by the brain.
But when we come to the point that the protagonist says,” I really don’t know! I cannot explain…” this is when we can try to reach a new inner territory.
Being trained in the HAKOMI method, I learned that slowing down is key to find out more about ourselves; this is when we can track habits, automatic responses, fears and behaviors influenced by possible underlying psychological processes.
And when probing to try out new experiences in the next step, we go from “Knowledge” to “Knowing”.
Accessing a Momentary Truth
And it is here where a special self-discovery adventure starts: Is it enough to gather facts, data and behavioral patterns to get to the solution? Or is it much more helpful to get to another stage by accessing what is hidden?
Let’s look at Socrates’ statement again: “when I am conscious, I know nothing.”
In other words: when I am NOT conscious, can I access far more, and can I become aware of hidden clues?
Could it be that when I open my awareness to what wants to arise (being in the Knowing) that this experience could be more insightful than having a mainly left brain understanding of my Self?
My take is that Knowing is accessing a momentary truth that is arising from the unconscious, while Knowledge is available anytime to the activated thinking mind. The thinking mind does not reach the unconscious. It moves back and forth between the conscious and the subconscious.
The key to the unconscious is mindfulness, meditation, prayer or pause. In this state - which can be complete stillness - we access a state of observing without thinking, without fear, without the sabotaging mind.
We access a deeper Knowing. And that in the NOW.
A Place of Pure Observation
I would even argue we access a Knowing that is beyond the individual’s boundaries. It is also tapping intuitively in the superconscious, in the greater wisdom of the collective – even the one of the Universe.
And this takes courage!
How can we trust that what we are sensing, what is arising, what we are logging on to, truly has something to do with us?
Well, the clearer our felt-sense-awareness is, the easier it is to make the connections and the distinctions of who we think we are to who we genuinely are.
To break it down: if we have adopted some programs, thoughts or beliefs from somebody else, for example our parents, we will be identified with those, we “own” them, until we have shifted to a place of pure observation.
Here we can then inquire: Is this (behavior/thought) helping me to live an authentic life? My life? And is it helping the greater good?
When we get to this expanded field of awareness, we can perceive what is going on and can transform inauthentic reference points and even entanglements.
Love might be the Answer
There are moments in doing Inner Work (not only in coaching sessions), when we have an epiphany, an insight that hits like lightning, or simply an “ah-ha” moment, when we recognize, that what we just tapped into, or what are going through, is an essential part of our learning process; it might be a wake-up.
In these moments it becomes clear again and again that the journey on which we have embarked is to free ourselves from burdens.
From karma.
Awareness-based (systems) change is key and can be described by the following three sentences:
“You cannot understand a system unless you change it. You cannot change a system unless you transform consciousness. You cannot transform consciousness unless you can make a system see and sense itself.” Otto Scharmer (Presencing Institute).
Sounds like a path you want to explore?! Perhaps you might need a GPS for it.
Let’s put it that way: Love could be an answer.
And to puzzle you more: “… the only thing I know is Love.” (Socrates)
Besides all schools of thought and besides therapeutic and coaching methods… when we are in a loving presence with others and ourselves, we have already the best “medicine” for healing and transformation.
In self-love there is forgiveness, tolerance, respect and a deep connection to our truth. We don’t need to please, nor pretend to be somebody else.
We accept ourselves as who we are right now.
Important fact: A system can only change when we acknowledge the status quo. When we say “yes” to how it is presenting itself right now and look at it with an open heart.
When we say “no” and disregard the momentary state, a system can turn against itself: The way I am, until now, is not good enough. What guarantees that I will be good enough with this anticipated change?
And we as human beings each are a system. A system within systems. Connected to all. Never perfect. A work in progress and thriving for improvement.
Disclaimer: Coaching is NOT therapy and cannot replace it.
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