What is your problem?

Published: Sat, 10/11/25

It seems that we might finally know what is wrong with our car. We only bought it this time last year and for most of that time we have had a problem with disappearing coolant with no sign of an actual leak. I could not work out the reason myself and so we asked the garage to have a look and they decided that it must be the water pump and they replaced it. It made no difference and the problem steadily worsened until the car was using a gallon of water from the cooling system in 20 miles, still with no leak. Another garage said it was a crack in the expansion tank, and indeed there was a slight problem there but it in no way accounted for the total loss of fluid. In the end I replaced the expansion tank, took the car for test drive and overheated the engine. The RAC patrolman turned out to be an ex Vauxhall mechanic and he finally diagnosed a ruptured head gasket, which I had suspected although I didn’t know how to confirm it.
The head is coming off next week at a garage who seem to know what they are talking about and we will find out if the engine is realistically repairable. Or we may be looking at a second hand engine, or maybe just get another car. In a way it doesn’t matter, the important thing is to know what the actual problem is and move forward with a choice which results in a reliable means of transport.
You can’t solve a problem until you know what true nature of the problem is. Once you do know then the solution is usually obvious although there will be choices. Sometimes you can just decide to live with a problem so long as the consequences don’t make your life too unbearable. Or you can just walk away and start again somewhere else. However, if a similar problem manifests where you have re-located you might find yourself living a rather nomadic existence. Or you get to grips with the situation and fix it one way or another.
So, why does it take so long to solve problems in life and why do we tolerate the persistent discomfort until the problem is dealt with? There are three common reasons:
Firstly, it can be very difficult to work out what the true nature of a problem actually is. This morning I finished off a minor repair to a ceiling in a house which is going up for sale next week. There was obviously some kind of minor leak in the corner of the room. The gutter and roof are in perfect condition and when I investigated the loft there was no pipework that could have leaked anywhere near the site of the damage. However, there was a strange smell and some residue which looked almost like something, or someone, had urinated in the corner of the loft at some time. Anyway, there is no sign of any pests in the building, the ceiling is completely dry now, and the house is about to be sold anyway, so we probably never will know the truth and hopefully it never recurs for the new owner. I may not have fully solved the mystery of how the damage occurred. However, the current owners are grateful that I have confirmed that
the problem is unlikely to recur and so they can sell the property with a reasonably clear conscience.
Secondly, a consensus can easily develop around a belief in the nature of a problem. In practical matters this is not such a problem. If I am asked to fix something with a non-obvious cause then the first hypothesis to test (and usually dismiss) is the one everyone has agreed on. The problem described above was originally assumed to be a blocked gutter causing the damp patch. If the actual problem can be clearly demonstrated such as a leaking pipe, a broken wire, or a rotten wooden beam, then the consensus will immediately break down to be replaced with a discussion on the best way to deal with the problem. Of course a new consensus can form regarding how to fix the problem which might go against my recommendation for reasons of cost or aesthetics.
The bigger problem comes with finding the root cause of processes where there are a great many variables and paradigms have been broadly accepted to describe and explain these phenomena. A structure either stands up, or it falls down. A machine either works as intended, or it doesn’t. However, how, for example, is climate and the weather supposed to work? Massive resources have gone into seeking a consensus that because human beings create carbon dioxide in various ways our climate is ‘broken’ and can only be ‘fixed’ through ‘net zero’ energy policies and the extensive building of wind and solar energy systems and forcing ordinary people to drive electric vehicles and use heat pumps to warm their homes. Or, is the actual problem that oil and natural gas are actually so plentiful that the big profits are in taking government subsidies to build ‘alternative energy’ systems to solve a problem that may not even exist? There are very
similar issues with medicine which I will explore another time.
Thirdly, as Billy Joel sang; ‘wherever you go to bed, you wake up with yourself’. Walking away from problems doesn’t work too well when you are the biggest cause of your own difficulties. If you persistently neglect the maintenance on your vehicle or home you will have problems. If you regularly spend more money than you earn you will incur debt and have to manage financial difficulties. If you eat badly, drink to much alcohol, sleep erratically, and don’t exercise your health will suffer. If you make a lot of noise and generally annoy people you won’t be popular with your neighbours or even the wider community.
On a more subtle level, a clear and positive energetic state influences those around you and will attract friends and cultivate good relationships. Or a disturbed and angry energy will make other beings uncomfortable and even afraid around you. If animals such as cats and dogs avoid you, or get agitated in your presence, then there is something wrong energetically. Humans too will feel uncomfortable and you may create such hostility that violence results. Yes, been there, done that, got the tee shirt.
The bad news is that if you are the problem, then you have no one else to blame than yourself. The good new is that you only have to fix yourself and at least you know where to start.
Regards
Graham
PS We were hoping to hold a course in Salisbury on Saturday the 18th of October. However, John Lindley has broken his arm and can’t realistically train and, as mentioned above, our car is out of action for the next couple of weeks. I might not have got my van through an MOT by the weekend either. As John put it, it seems that the Norns are trying to tell us something and so I am reluctantly cancelling the event. We will reschedule for the spring as soon as I can sort out a date. If you were planning on coming then I am sorry not to be seeing you, but hopefully we can catch up next year.
PPS If you fancy coming to Silver Forest for the Samhain/Halloween/Winter Day camp in Lincolnshire then I will be doing some teaching there and we can do as much Stav as we like. Dates are the 31st October to the 2nd of November and if you are interested I can give you full details and send you an invite on Facebook.


Graham Butcher
21 Beaver Road
Beverley East Yorkshire HU17 0QN
UNITED KINGDOM

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