Just because we can’t see something doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. For centuries mystics have talked about the unseen in many different ways. Asian philosophy talks about Tao, the unseen flow of all life, religion talks about the hand of God, Jung talks about the Self, and of course physics is trying to see the unseen, speculating and confirming the finest particles that surround us, the Higgs Boson.

Don’t be fooled, just because we can’t see it doesn’t mean it can’t effect us either. Just think about the last time you contracted food poisoning. You didn’t see it, but boy did you feel it. The same goes for irrational emotions we have or spontaneous judgements we make. Think about the last time you fell in love or felt the first breath of spring. How about a sudden elation or deflation for seemingly no reason at all? Or the immediate like or dislike of someone? Our feelings and reactions point us directly to what’s unseen within us.

The connection we fail to make is realizing that these unseen undercurrents play just as big of a role in our lives as the things we do see. This is exactly why the unseen is so important, it can color how and what we are actually seeing. It can trip us up, make us take a second look, or get us to think about things from another viewpoint. The unseen can prompt us to pause and reflect or take into account something new or foreign. It silently prods us to new beginnings by pushing us to let go of what no longer feels right or makes sense. It’s also the driving force behind all manner of inner transformation. That’s a lot of territory the unseen covers.

But if we want to be in the driver’s seat of our own lives we need to be able to see what’s unseen. (I know, I know, trust me I can see your unseen eye roll.) Although we may not be able to physically see the unseen we can become more acquainted with the way it works. We do this by looking more closely at what is going on within ourselves, how we feel and why. We can pay closer attention to coincidence, to synchronicity, to what makes us happy and what doesn’t. When we begin to see our patterns more clearly and notice the how and why of our changing moods we are beginning to see the unseen at work within us.

Cultivating a relationship with the unseen means tapping into deeper layers of our emotional lives and our reactions to the spontaneous feelings daily situations bring up. The truth is the unseen matters just as much as anything we can see and feel. Spending more time opening to all that remains a unseen within will change our lives in unexpected and sometimes amazing ways. It’s like a light dawning after a very long darkness or finally getting in on the secret.

So, how do you begin seeing the unseen?

kb