In the midst of our everyday lives what if we just let go...let go of the struggle, the thoughts, the feelings, the past, and the future? What if over and over again we watched the ego do it's thing and then we surrendered control and just let life be?
Whenever I do this something inevitably comes up to challenge me. An area where I am blocked presents itself. Instead of getting discouraged these situations can be looked at as opportunities to grow, to let go of that which is blocking me from freedom. When I allow the circumstances in my life to keep me trapped in ego-mode I can let go. I can say a prayer of thanks because I am being given another opportunity to let go of some of the illusion that keeps me stuck.
I remind myself constantly that what is happening in my life is not my source of joy, peace or love. Whether things are apparently going well or not, I can choose to turn my attention inward to the place of being-ness which is where my essence can be found.
"Begin this journey to freedom by regularly reminding yourself to watch the psyche... Ultimately, every change in your energy flow, whether it's agitation of the mind or shifts in the heart, will be what reminds you that you are back there noticing. Now what use to hold you down becomes what wakes you up... This path of letting go allows you to free your energies so that you can free yourself. Right in the midst of your daily life, by untethering yourself from the bondage of your psyche, you actually have the ability to steal freedom for your soul. This freedom is so great it has been given a special name-liberation." (TUS, pp. 96-98)
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
the existential mystery of being
In an essay titled "The Question of Being" Adyashanti says "To remain unconscious of being is to be trapped within an ego-driven wasteland of conflict, strife and fear... Nothing could be less real than what we human beings call reality. By clinging to the mind in the form of memory and thought, we are held captive by the movement of our conditioned thinking and imagination, all the while believing that we are rational and sane... Deep down we all suspect that something is very wrong with the way we perceive life but we try very, very hard not to notice it."
Adyashanti says that we avoid noticing that there is something wrong with the way we perceive life "through an obsessive and pathological denial of being-as if some dreadful fate would overcome us if we were to face the pure light of truth and lay bare our fearful clinging to illusion."
As I continue on this spiritual journey I see more and more that I cannot rely on this so-called "reality" to define me nor my well-being. What is happening in my life just is...but it is not who I am. No matter how tempting it is to stay trapped in the illusion of what is happening, I choose to go to God for peace, for love, for guidance. It is through being-present-in-the-moment, (not by doing or avoiding what is) that I will find God. When something uncomfortable arises I allow myself to feel the feelings. I remind myself to hold my thoughts lightly. I remind myself that I do not know who I really am nor who others really are, and, that what I am experiencing is illusion no matter how real it seems. I ask myself the question: "Who is it that is noticing this situation?" in order to move my awareness to the neutral observer. By letting go in this way I am opening myself to God's guidance in the situation and to a deeper awareness of Self.
How lovely it would be to completely lay bare my fearful clinging to illusion and face the pure light of truth. I know that facing this truth means letting go of the illusion of self, of this persona named Donna. This requires courage. But what I am letting go of is nothing more than an image that I have created to navigate through this life. There is more to this self than that and I trust that God will show me the way back to my Self as I open to Truth.
"Within each of our forms lies the existential mystery of being" ~ Adyashanti
Adyashanti says that we avoid noticing that there is something wrong with the way we perceive life "through an obsessive and pathological denial of being-as if some dreadful fate would overcome us if we were to face the pure light of truth and lay bare our fearful clinging to illusion."
As I continue on this spiritual journey I see more and more that I cannot rely on this so-called "reality" to define me nor my well-being. What is happening in my life just is...but it is not who I am. No matter how tempting it is to stay trapped in the illusion of what is happening, I choose to go to God for peace, for love, for guidance. It is through being-present-in-the-moment, (not by doing or avoiding what is) that I will find God. When something uncomfortable arises I allow myself to feel the feelings. I remind myself to hold my thoughts lightly. I remind myself that I do not know who I really am nor who others really are, and, that what I am experiencing is illusion no matter how real it seems. I ask myself the question: "Who is it that is noticing this situation?" in order to move my awareness to the neutral observer. By letting go in this way I am opening myself to God's guidance in the situation and to a deeper awareness of Self.
How lovely it would be to completely lay bare my fearful clinging to illusion and face the pure light of truth. I know that facing this truth means letting go of the illusion of self, of this persona named Donna. This requires courage. But what I am letting go of is nothing more than an image that I have created to navigate through this life. There is more to this self than that and I trust that God will show me the way back to my Self as I open to Truth.
"Within each of our forms lies the existential mystery of being" ~ Adyashanti
Monday, September 10, 2012
Everything is God
Please join me in contemplating the following questions posed by Adyashanti:
"Everything is God incarnate. When you open yourself to this, how does it change how you operate in this life? How would you talk to your neighbor if you saw him or her as a very ordinary human being just like you, but also, deep down inside, as an incarnation of God? Could you hold both these realities at once: that all aspects of life have their everyday and normal qualities, but that they are also a complete expression of divinity? Can you imagine how you might interact with others if you knew they were both at the same time?" (falling into grace, pp. 96-97)
:
"Everything is God incarnate. When you open yourself to this, how does it change how you operate in this life? How would you talk to your neighbor if you saw him or her as a very ordinary human being just like you, but also, deep down inside, as an incarnation of God? Could you hold both these realities at once: that all aspects of life have their everyday and normal qualities, but that they are also a complete expression of divinity? Can you imagine how you might interact with others if you knew they were both at the same time?" (falling into grace, pp. 96-97)
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Monday, September 3, 2012
Who am I?
When I was at the Mantra concert a couple of weeks ago, some of my blockages got triggered. The discomfort was very intense but I stayed with it, breathing and relaxing and letting the feelings have their space. I said a heartfelt prayer "help God" and let it be. After a few moments the feelings subsided and I felt at peace. (It kind of reminded of me of an exorcism, or, the childbirth experience of riding through waves of pain so that new life can be born.)
As I go through these kinds of experiences I am becoming more and more aware of who I am not (this egoic self with all of its beliefs, preconceived notions, feelings, desires) and I am becoming more and more curious about who I really am. Of course my ego still tries to orchestrate my life and I often get caught up in this, but I am seeing that this is not me. Sometimes I am spiritual, sometimes kind and loving, other times irritable or jealous or anxious... Michael Singer says that these are experiences that we are having but they are not who we are.
The reality is that I really have no idea who I am. Adyashanti talks about sitting with a question such as "Who am I?" This one can't be figured out with the brain. It involves letting go of who I think I am (moment after moment) and letting Truth show up.
I am committed to this process. My intention is to do my best each day to be aware of what I am experiencing in each moment, to relax in the face of my discomfort/fears/pain, and to be open to whatever God intends for my life to be.
"What happens to one who walks this path toward God?...imagine what would happen if you started feeling tremendous love for all creatures, for every plant, for every animal, and for all the beauties of nature. Imagine if every child seemed like your own, and every person you saw looked like a beautiful flower, with its own color, its own expression, shape, and sounds...The process of judging has simply stopped. There is just appreciating and honoring." (TUS, p. 176-177)
It is possible to reach this consciousness because others have done so. I believe that this is what we are all here to do. Let's join together (through intention, through prayer, through action) and make this our reality. And so it is.
As I go through these kinds of experiences I am becoming more and more aware of who I am not (this egoic self with all of its beliefs, preconceived notions, feelings, desires) and I am becoming more and more curious about who I really am. Of course my ego still tries to orchestrate my life and I often get caught up in this, but I am seeing that this is not me. Sometimes I am spiritual, sometimes kind and loving, other times irritable or jealous or anxious... Michael Singer says that these are experiences that we are having but they are not who we are.
The reality is that I really have no idea who I am. Adyashanti talks about sitting with a question such as "Who am I?" This one can't be figured out with the brain. It involves letting go of who I think I am (moment after moment) and letting Truth show up.
I am committed to this process. My intention is to do my best each day to be aware of what I am experiencing in each moment, to relax in the face of my discomfort/fears/pain, and to be open to whatever God intends for my life to be.
"What happens to one who walks this path toward God?...imagine what would happen if you started feeling tremendous love for all creatures, for every plant, for every animal, and for all the beauties of nature. Imagine if every child seemed like your own, and every person you saw looked like a beautiful flower, with its own color, its own expression, shape, and sounds...The process of judging has simply stopped. There is just appreciating and honoring." (TUS, p. 176-177)
It is possible to reach this consciousness because others have done so. I believe that this is what we are all here to do. Let's join together (through intention, through prayer, through action) and make this our reality. And so it is.
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