7 Steps to Identify your Core Beliefs and 3 Herbs to Support the Reflection Process

To identify your core beliefs, start by observing your automatic thoughts and emotional reactions to events. Then, delve deeper by asking yourself what these thoughts reveal about your underlying beliefs about yourself, others, and the world.

1. Start with Your Values:

What's important to you? Think about what motivates you and what you consider essential in life.

What guides your decisions? Consider the principles or beliefs that influence your choices.

Write them down. A list of your values can help you identify the underlying core beliefs.

2. Examine Your Beliefs About Yourself, Others, and the World:

What do you believe about yourself? Are you generally positive or negative?

What do you believe about the world? Is it safe, fair, or dangerous?

What do you believe about other people? Can you trust them, or are they generally unreliable?

Write down your beliefs. This helps you identify patterns and recurring themes.

3. Pay Attention to Your Thoughts and Emotions:

Notice your automatic thoughts. These are the thoughts that pop into your head without much conscious effort.

Keep a thought diary. Record your thoughts and emotions, especially when you're feeling strong emotions or facing a challenge.

Look for patterns. Do certain thoughts or emotions consistently arise in similar situations?

4. Challenge Your Beliefs:

Ask yourself why you believe something. What evidence do you have for or against your belief? Consider alternative perspectives. Could your belief be only one of many possibilities?

Seek feedback from trusted sources. Do others see things differently, and if so, why?

5. Identify Recurring Themes:

Look for common themes in your thoughts and feelings. Do you tend to focus on certain aspects of yourself, others, or the world?

Consider how these themes influence your behavior. Do they lead to specific actions or reactions?

6. Reflect on Past Experiences:

How have past experiences shaped your current beliefs? Were there specific events or interactions that left a lasting impression? Can you identify any recurring patterns in those experiences? Do certain types of situations trigger similar thoughts or emotions?

7. Use the "Downward Arrow" Technique:

This technique involves starting with a negative thought and repeatedly asking "What does this mean to me?" to uncover the underlying core belief.

Then, challenge your core beliefs:

Question the validity of your beliefs: Consider whether your beliefs are based on evidence or assumptions. Seek alternative explanations: Explore different perspectives and ways of interpreting events. Consider the potential consequences of your beliefs: Evaluate how your beliefs impact your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.

Are your beliefs focused on a thrive or a survive mindset?

To know if your core beliefs help you thrive or merely survive; assess if they foster growth, purpose, and well-being, or if they hinder you and limit your experiences.

Surviving Beliefs:

-Focused on immediate needs: They prioritize meeting basic needs and avoiding danger, often at the expense of long-term goals and personal growth.

-Can be limiting: They may restrict your choices and actions, preventing you from fully experiencing life and pursuing your potential.

-May lead to negative emotions: They can create feelings of fear, anxiety, and stress, hindering your ability to thrive.

-Can hinder personal relationships: They may make you withdrawn, defensive, or overly cautious, creating barriers to connection and trust.

-Lack a sense of purpose: They may leave you feeling aimless and unfulfilled, lacking a strong sense of direction and motivation

Thriving Beliefs:

-Focus on growth and potential: These beliefs encourage you to learn, adapt, and overcome challenges, seeing them as opportunities for personal development.

-Aligned with values: They reflect what matters most to you and guide your actions towards a meaningful life.

-Promote positive emotions: They foster feelings of hope, optimism, and resilience, allowing you to navigate difficulties with a sense of agency.

-Encourage connection and collaboration: They help you build strong relationships and work effectively with others, contributing to a sense of community and support.

-Lead to a sense of purpose: They provide a framework for understanding your place in the world and contribute to a sense of meaning in your life.

Herbs and reflection on our core beliefs:

Herbal medicine often involves connecting with the natural world. This connection can foster a deeper sense of self and a greater understanding of one's place in the larger scheme of things, potentially influencing the identification of core beliefs. Plants can help us with the space and clarity to confront, heal, and integrate parts of ourselves, leading to personal transformation and growth. Below are 3 herb allies in this process that provide grounding, emotional clarity, and spiritual support.

1. Mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris)

Properties:

• Enhances intuition and dreamwork

• Supports spiritual insight and divination

• Aids in connecting with the shadow self

Mugwort is a deeply mystical herb, often associated with enhancing psychic abilities and inner vision. She bridges the gap between the conscious and the subconscious. We work with her for dreamwork and divination, making mugwort an ideal herb for reflection work. By opening the third eye and deepening spiritual awareness, mugwort helps bring subconscious issues to the surface, making it easier to explore hidden emotions and patterns.

How to work with:

Tea or Infusion: Drink mugwort tea before meditating on or before bed to encourage vivid dreams and insights. She can be bitter so blend with lemon balm or lavender.

Smudging or Burning: Burn dried mugwort to clear your space before engaging in reflection rituals, inviting spiritual clarity and protection.

2. Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia)

Properties:

• Calms the mind and reduces anxiety

• Promotes emotional clarity and relaxation

• Encourages gentle self-reflection

Lavender is a soothing herb that promotes relaxation and emotional clarity, making it perfect for those embarking on reflection work. She offers an invitation to let go and release our worries, to focus with peace. Her calming properties help alleviate anxiety, allowing you to explore difficult emotions or memories with a sense of tranquility and emotional support.

How to work with:

Herb Sachet: Carry dried lavender in a small sachet to promote emotional healing and peace as you process emotions and old pattern behavior.

Lavender Tea: Drink a cup of lavender tea to reduce emotional stress and promote a clear mind as you reflect and journal.

3. Rosemary (Salvia rosmarinus)

Properties:

• Cleanses and purifies negative energy

• Provides mental clarity and emotional protection

• Gives courage in the face of introspection

Rosemary is a powerful herb for clearing negativity and supporting emotional clarity. She is the herb of remembrance, sharpening the mind and focusing the spirit. Often worked with in rituals of protection and purification, helping to create a safe, sacred space for reflection work. Rosemary also aids in bringing clarity to difficult emotions, offering protection and strength as you confront your inner self. She can act as a shining light to the subconscious and traumas that are locked away.

How to work with:

Cleansing Smudge: Burn dried rosemary before or after reflective work sessions to clear negative energy.

Bath Ritual: Add rosemary to a warm bath to purify your energy before beginning your reflection work, allowing the herb to cleanse both body and mind.

Tea: Drink rosemary tea for mental clarity and courage, supporting your emotional exploration during introspective practices.

Identifying and understanding your core beliefs is crucial because they are the deeply ingrained assumptions that shape how you perceive yourself, others, and the world. These beliefs influence your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, and recognizing them allows you to challenge and potentially change limiting or negative ones.