BRENT MARCHANT: Most of us are probably familiar with the football term 'going deep', but it’s a notion that can be applied in more than a sports context; it can be employed as a metaphysical practice for personal growth as well. So what does it mean?

'Going deep', metaphysically speaking, refers to submerging ourselves in the depths of our consciousness to explore what lies there. By doing this, we can examine the core of our belief system, the platform upon which everything that manifests in our personal reality is based. In many ways, it’s like accessing a computer’s operating system, finding the primary software upon which all the application programs run. Discovering this underlying belief system allows us to see what basic assumptions we hold about our existence and how those assumptions, in turn, colour the ways in which we apply them to everything we do and create.

Engaging in such an exercise is important in that it provides us with an explanation of why we experience what we do. It’s a process not unlike what we go through when entering psychotherapy, one that helps us discover the motivations and intents that govern our behaviour. Identifying those driving influences through counselling is comparable to identifying the beliefs that fuel the conscious creation process we use to create the reality around us. Knowing what those beliefs are helps to shed light on what we experience and why, giving us a status report on where we’re at.

If we like our circumstances, we’re obviously doing something right, and, if we’re unhappy with what we’re materialising, then it’s time to examine – and, where necessary, change – the beliefs in question. Doing so at such a deep level usually yields the best results, too, because the beliefs are being rewritten at the core, the place within our consciousness from which everything ultimately arises. If, for example, we have a fear of success, it won’t matter how much energy we put into creating the abundance and notoriety that we seek, because fear will undercut that effort. So, if we truly wish to draw success into our lives, we first need to eliminate our fear of it in order to make that possible. Of course, we can’t dispose of the fear if we’re unaware of its presence in the first place, and this is where the value of going deep becomes so important. It illuminates the impediments that keep us from getting to where we want to be.

There are several ways we can go deep. One is meditation, a deep relaxing state of mind in which we tune out the distractions of waking life and allow ourselves to focus our consciousness introspectively. Tremendous revelations can come through this practice, enabling great advances in personal growth. The effects of this can be multiplied, too, when meditation is combined with other practices, such as yoga, tai chi or guided visualisation techniques.

Another effective means for going deep is dreaming, especially the practice of directed dreaming, in which we give ourselves suggestions before going to sleep to experience dreams that address particular questions or issues. In this state of mind, unencumbered by the distractions of waking life, we’re free to let our consciousness roam, to explore what lies within and even to try out different scenarios as solutions to the issues in question.

The results that come from going deep might seem intimidating to some. In most instances, though, this is probably due to the fact that we’re treading on unfamiliar turf, a potentially scary prospect for many of us. Coming face to face with previously unidentified aspects of ourselves can be daunting. However, it also offers the opportunity to change what’s not working. It can even help us to uncover personal resources we never knew existed within us. Going deep is also an effective way to boost our intuitive abilities, because the more we engage in this practice, the more familiar we become with our intuition and, consequently, the stronger it gets. In short, leaving ourselves open to receive the insights that come from such introspective practices can pay big dividends going forward, provided we allow it to happen.

In football, the players who generally go deep most often are the wide receivers, the ones who haul in their catches for touchdowns. And the designation assigned to their position says it all; they’re the ones who literally are open to receiving (and 'widely' at that). By going deep into our own consciousness and leaving ourselves wide open to take in whatever comes from that exercise, we stand to receive the benefits of that practice – making it possible for us to score big.