Angus Jenkinson
(SMN)
Sophia
Books, 2003, 276 pp., – ISBN 1855841576
These
days, we are all experts on stress. The
accelerating tempo of modern living increases the sense of pressure and
challenges us to find the inner resources to manage our lives successfully.
Angus Jenkinson has extensive experience in business
as well as a wide range of reading in the sciences and spirituality. He defines stress as anything that puts pressure
on our inner responses in the same way that physical stress puts pressure on an
object; this immediately creates a spiritual focus to the book when he explains
that the mission of stress is ‘to develop inner, spiritual capacities (like positivity, tranquillity, resourcefulness, love and
judgement) . As they grow so do we. Great personalities are those who have gained
and used such qualities.’
The book is structured as a mixture
of explanation and exercises. It begins with a self-diagnosis chapter where
readers can use tables to assess whether they are in a state of overstress or,
less likely, understress. Illustrative stories and
apposite quotations are to be found throughout the book and greatly enrich the
narrative. We all need challenges, so the issue is not the end of stress but
rather ‘the ending of being stressed.’ Sometimes this involves knowing when to
make a change. As
Confucius is quoted as saying: ‘to err and not to reform may indeed be called
error.’ The following chapter outlines certain ‘lifestyle fundamentals’
connected with sleep, diet, exercise, life balance and self-awareness. Here
there is much sound advice.
The next level is the deeper nature
of the human being, and the relationship between body, mind and spirit.
Interestingly, he observes that the tension between the lower and higher selves
lies at the heart of stress when considered from a spiritual perspective. He
also explores ways in which we can become more aware of these deeper levels,
arguing that it is important to extend our freedom (one can see the influence
of Steiner in parts of the book and there are some beautiful passages quoted
from his work). As both Viktor Frankl and Bruno Bettelheim observed from the experiences of concentration
camps, the ultimate freedom is our capacity to choose our attitude towards our
circumstances. This helps us express our essence, which is also the essence of
humanity. As Novalis put it: ‘to recapture our
transcendental Self, to become the central core of our own governing Self, is the supreme purpose of our life on Earth.’
Jenkinson
moves on to his own typology of stress, which he associates with five planets
and the moon (there is also a chapter on stress and temperament). Each different kind of stress helps bring out
a particular quality, for instance Jupiter, associated with the insight that
separates the essential from the non-essential. It is also clearly important to
balance the forcefulness of Mars with the caring and Venus and to apply these
in appropriate situations. The next chapter of exercises for inner development
helps facilitate personal growth through observation, self-knowledge through
looking back at the day, and other practices focused on memory, thinking,
strengthening the will, achieving equanimity and acquiring a positive outlook.
There is then an excellent chapter on life and work techniques, with a
revealing table on the balance between being a ‘dasher’ and a ‘stroller’ and
another on the top 21 time-wasters. Emotional self-management comes next, along
with the need to take responsibility.
We arrive at the heart of the book
in the last three chapters about trials that guide us to our higher self,
techniques in meditation and the big ideas. The so-called fire trials can bring
about an alchemical transformation (also illustrated) whereby ‘the soul of
things gradually develops through enriched understanding.’ If we pay close
attention to the unfolding events of life, our path will be made plain and our
sense of connectedness to life enhanced as we tune in to our deeper identity.
Two other kinds of trial are mentioned: ‘trial by water’ where we feel all at
sea, and ‘trial by air’ and we can only depend on our own inner resources. This
is where spiritual practices like meditation become very significant.
The final chapter brings the strands
together with an emphasis on responsibility, love of life and relatedness. To see stress from a spiritual perspective
provides a new language and understanding enabling us to respond to the challenges
of life. The rich resources in this book
will help readers draw on the practical wisdom of past and present and to find
their own path of creative development.