"The real search isn't a search into tomorrow, or to anywhere other than now. It's starting to look in to the very nature of this moment... look clearly into your own experience. Stop chasing freedom or happiness...Stand in your own two shoes, and examine closely: What's happening right here and right now?...Even in this moment there may be some suffering, some unhappiness, but even if there is, is it possible to no longer push against it, to try to get rid of it, to try to get somewhere else?" (Falling into Grace, p. 78).
Adyashanti suggests that we "reverse the whole process of looking for satisfaction on the outside, and look at precisely the place where you are standing. See if what you are looking for isn't already present in your experience." (Falling into Grace, p. 79).
If God and I are One than perhaps I already am the Peace, and the Love and the Joy that I am seeking. If my awareness is focused on getting somewhere else I will not recognize that I already am who and what I want to be...One with God.
Oh, my friend, all that you see of me is just a shell,
and the rest belongs to love.
Rumi ♥
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Saturday, January 14, 2012
acceptance
With regard to my New Years intentions, I've been noticing many of the ways in which I struggle with my life...not accepting an uncomfortable feeling and trying to change my situation so the feeling will go away is a big one for me.
Adyashanti says that struggle is necessary in order to stay in the egoic state. "The reason that we struggle to stay in the egoic state is because it allows us to live our lives as if we are in control and separate from the world around us." (Falling into Grace, p. 74). This is the false solidity that Michael Singer talks about. Adya says that the struggle is often "within ourselves- where one part is pitted against another. Its the struggle of trying to be who we wish we were...as long as we're struggling, it's very hard for consciousness to shift out of the egoic state, into something more natural, expansive, and whole." (Falling into Grace, p. 74-75).
In order to really let go of control I recognize that I need to accept my life exactly as it is showing up right now, and not be so focused on making changes nor trying to plan for the future. Even though I am a very goal-directed person (including the goal of working towards awakening to a higher sense of Self), I am beginning to recognize that I need to accept not change. If my focus is primarily on changing myself and my life then I will be struggling with what is showing up now.
"The way we narrow down consciousness is through struggling, through striving. What we all aspire to, and what is in fact natural to us, is openness, peace, love, and well-being...They arise in us when we become conscious of our spiritual nature, of our non-separate, non-somebody nature. Then love flows quite naturally." (Falling into Grace, p. 75)
As I accept what is happening in my life, my consciousness will change. It is not my life that needs changing, it is my consciousness that needs changing. If I want the love to flow then it is about changing me, not the world. This starts with acceptance of what is happening right now.
Adyashanti says that struggle is necessary in order to stay in the egoic state. "The reason that we struggle to stay in the egoic state is because it allows us to live our lives as if we are in control and separate from the world around us." (Falling into Grace, p. 74). This is the false solidity that Michael Singer talks about. Adya says that the struggle is often "within ourselves- where one part is pitted against another. Its the struggle of trying to be who we wish we were...as long as we're struggling, it's very hard for consciousness to shift out of the egoic state, into something more natural, expansive, and whole." (Falling into Grace, p. 74-75).
In order to really let go of control I recognize that I need to accept my life exactly as it is showing up right now, and not be so focused on making changes nor trying to plan for the future. Even though I am a very goal-directed person (including the goal of working towards awakening to a higher sense of Self), I am beginning to recognize that I need to accept not change. If my focus is primarily on changing myself and my life then I will be struggling with what is showing up now.
"The way we narrow down consciousness is through struggling, through striving. What we all aspire to, and what is in fact natural to us, is openness, peace, love, and well-being...They arise in us when we become conscious of our spiritual nature, of our non-separate, non-somebody nature. Then love flows quite naturally." (Falling into Grace, p. 75)
As I accept what is happening in my life, my consciousness will change. It is not my life that needs changing, it is my consciousness that needs changing. If I want the love to flow then it is about changing me, not the world. This starts with acceptance of what is happening right now.
Thursday, January 5, 2012
the essence of spirituality
My intention for the New Year is to let go of the belief that I need to control what is happening in my life in order to make myself happy, at peace... I intend to let go of the struggles to make things go the way of the ego and accept that God is my source of all that I need. We make life so complicated trying to make this and that happen so that we can be happy, feel secure, feel loved. Meanwhile, God who is our true source of love, peace and joy is already waiting to give us these gifts. The catch is that we need to let go of individual identity in order to be able to receive all that God has for us. If we stay in the belief that we are separate from others and from God than we will struggle. In order to maintain this separate identity we will need to protect it and this leads to fear (Ever been concerned about the image you are presenting to the world or how others view you?).
That leads to my second intention which is to move into a greater awareness and acceptance of the fact that I am not separate from God nor from others. There is only One.
Chapter 14 in The Untethered Soul "letting go of false solidity" addresses these ideas.
"Who are you that is lost and trying to build a concept of yourself in order to be found? This question represents the essence of spirituality. You will never find yourself in what you have built to define yourself. You're the one who's doing the building." (T.U.S., p. 130)
I am awareness, that is really all that I am. As I become more grounded in the idea that I am the one who is experiencing my life (instead of I am my experiences), I become more open to allowing that which God wants to express through and as me to pour forth.
That leads to my second intention which is to move into a greater awareness and acceptance of the fact that I am not separate from God nor from others. There is only One.
Chapter 14 in The Untethered Soul "letting go of false solidity" addresses these ideas.
"Who are you that is lost and trying to build a concept of yourself in order to be found? This question represents the essence of spirituality. You will never find yourself in what you have built to define yourself. You're the one who's doing the building." (T.U.S., p. 130)
I am awareness, that is really all that I am. As I become more grounded in the idea that I am the one who is experiencing my life (instead of I am my experiences), I become more open to allowing that which God wants to express through and as me to pour forth.
Monday, December 26, 2011
nurturing the light
I heard many beautiful messages at church this weekend. Just as Mary nurtured the newborn infant Jesus, we are to nurture the light of Christ that was born in us this Christmas. As we do it will grow, just as a baby grows as it is nurtured by his/her mother.
We nurture this light with our intentions, our awareness as the Observer, and by letting go of the ego which blocks the light. We nurture this light by accepting what is showing up in each moment and relaxing, allowing ourselves to be present with what is. As we stop the analyzing and the controlling we make room for God's grace.
Adyashanti says it like this:
"By relinquishing our need and desire to control, explain, and believe the way that our minds talk to us about what was and what is, we find a capacity to open to a new state of consciousness...At first it's just experienced as a state of stillness, the foretaste of awakened consciousness, where a presence begins to reveal itself. If you allow yourself to relax into this stillness, this silence, you start to witness this presence arise...By giving your attention to it, by becoming aware of this inner presence and stillness, even in the midst of activity (i.e., by being the Observer and letting go) you make yourself more and more available to the dawning of this vast expanse where you can awaken out of the belief and experience of separation. You realize yourself to be a deep well of awareness." (Falling into Grace, p. 119).
Christmas may be over but it is really just a beginning. It is the beginning of an opportunity to grow the awareness that was born in each of us this holiday - the awareness of the light within.
We nurture this light with our intentions, our awareness as the Observer, and by letting go of the ego which blocks the light. We nurture this light by accepting what is showing up in each moment and relaxing, allowing ourselves to be present with what is. As we stop the analyzing and the controlling we make room for God's grace.
Adyashanti says it like this:
"By relinquishing our need and desire to control, explain, and believe the way that our minds talk to us about what was and what is, we find a capacity to open to a new state of consciousness...At first it's just experienced as a state of stillness, the foretaste of awakened consciousness, where a presence begins to reveal itself. If you allow yourself to relax into this stillness, this silence, you start to witness this presence arise...By giving your attention to it, by becoming aware of this inner presence and stillness, even in the midst of activity (i.e., by being the Observer and letting go) you make yourself more and more available to the dawning of this vast expanse where you can awaken out of the belief and experience of separation. You realize yourself to be a deep well of awareness." (Falling into Grace, p. 119).
Christmas may be over but it is really just a beginning. It is the beginning of an opportunity to grow the awareness that was born in each of us this holiday - the awareness of the light within.
Thursday, December 22, 2011
a gift to all of humanity
"Let go of indugling in the mind, realize it doesn't have the answers for you, and it doesn't have the answers for us collectively. Together we can begin to stop the insanity within ourselves and amongst each other. Realizing our deep essential nature and finding the peace and happpiness that lie there is not just something for ourselves; it's a gift to all of humanity." (Falling into Grace, p. 70).
Just like Michael Singer, Adyashanti talks about moving beyond the human mind, the separate self and connecting with our essential nature. We truly are One, One with God and One with each other. It is the belief that we are separate that leads to suffering.
We can connect with our essential nature through meditation, surrender, witnessing or accepting the moment exactly as it is and letting go.
In the remaining 3 days before Christmas please join me in letting go of the neurotic roomate and trusting the Universe/God/Spirit to light our way to the freedom that is our inherent nature. What better gift can we give ourselves and the world?
Just like Michael Singer, Adyashanti talks about moving beyond the human mind, the separate self and connecting with our essential nature. We truly are One, One with God and One with each other. It is the belief that we are separate that leads to suffering.
We can connect with our essential nature through meditation, surrender, witnessing or accepting the moment exactly as it is and letting go.
In the remaining 3 days before Christmas please join me in letting go of the neurotic roomate and trusting the Universe/God/Spirit to light our way to the freedom that is our inherent nature. What better gift can we give ourselves and the world?
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Happy Christmas
"We look to everything in life to make us happy, not realizing that happiness is actually at our very core. It's natural to our being. There's no way to become happy. We simply need to stop doing the things that make us unhappy." (Falling into Grace, p. 41)
Some of the things that we do that make us unhappy include making demands of ourselves or others or life.
"When we insist that the things, people, and events around us change so that we can be happy, we're actually denying something very deep within us. We're denying the truth of who we are...and the truth of each other." (Falling into Grace, p. 41).
Lately I have begun to accept on a deeper level that there is a very precious being inside of me that is expressing itself as me (and as you!). I recognize that we sometimes want others to love, accept, approve of us so that we don't have to do that for ourselves. If I only feel good about myself when I am feeling loved and accepted by the people in my life, than I am not loving myself. If I only feel good about myself when I "do a good job" than I am not accepting the truth of who I am.
The truth is that we are all One...uniquely expressing the love, joy, peace, creativity of God.
I recently attended a workshop with Adyashanti. He spoke about Jesus and the Christmas story. Adya said that both Jesus the human man (who got angry, upset...) and Christ (the embodied Son of God) live in each of us. Christmas symbolizes the coming-forth of the indwelling Christ in us. Staying present with what is True for you in each moment is a way to access the Christ within. He described this spiritual path as aligning oneself with one's authentic experience in each moment with an open heart and mind in order to allow Spirit to guide you.
May your in-dwelling Christ come forth this Christmas season.
Some of the things that we do that make us unhappy include making demands of ourselves or others or life.
"When we insist that the things, people, and events around us change so that we can be happy, we're actually denying something very deep within us. We're denying the truth of who we are...and the truth of each other." (Falling into Grace, p. 41).
Lately I have begun to accept on a deeper level that there is a very precious being inside of me that is expressing itself as me (and as you!). I recognize that we sometimes want others to love, accept, approve of us so that we don't have to do that for ourselves. If I only feel good about myself when I am feeling loved and accepted by the people in my life, than I am not loving myself. If I only feel good about myself when I "do a good job" than I am not accepting the truth of who I am.
The truth is that we are all One...uniquely expressing the love, joy, peace, creativity of God.
I recently attended a workshop with Adyashanti. He spoke about Jesus and the Christmas story. Adya said that both Jesus the human man (who got angry, upset...) and Christ (the embodied Son of God) live in each of us. Christmas symbolizes the coming-forth of the indwelling Christ in us. Staying present with what is True for you in each moment is a way to access the Christ within. He described this spiritual path as aligning oneself with one's authentic experience in each moment with an open heart and mind in order to allow Spirit to guide you.
May your in-dwelling Christ come forth this Christmas season.
Friday, December 9, 2011
accepting life
Here are some thoughts of Michael's about stress (from one of his CDs): Stress only happens when we resist life's events. We usually resist the experience of the event passing through us, such as the feelings of the event. Better to accept (let life be life), release (preconceived notions, feelings, sensations, thoughts...) and choose unconditional happiness.
In chapter 2 of Falling into Grace, Adyanshanti says that our egos cause us to suffer when we try to control life, demand that life be different than it is, or argue with what is or what was. He says that "'what is' is this moment -before you even think about it. That's what is. Argue with this moment, and you will suffer...That goes for the past as well." (Falling into Grace, p. 42)
He says that we are afraid to accept what is because then it will never change. "But as soon as we say something shouldn't be happening, we've locked ourselves into an extremely narrow mindset with very few options. When we really see that what is, simply is-neither good nor bad- than all options are available to us. We can respond to life in a wise and loving way." (Falling into Grace, p. 44)
I see this all of the time with myself and with the people that I work with. When we accept the situation as it is, we respond from a place of clarity.
I will watch how I try to control, make demands upon and reject what is in my life. "We have to somehow find the capacity to really want to know what's true, in this moment, without trying to control or make demands of it, because it's the truth that delivers us from suffering...that allows us to shift out of this egoic state..into a whole different state of consciousness, which is much more open, free, and inclusive." (Falling into Grace, p. 44-45).
Join me in accepting what is, letting go of the desire and efforts to control life, and allowing Truth to shine through and as You!
In chapter 2 of Falling into Grace, Adyanshanti says that our egos cause us to suffer when we try to control life, demand that life be different than it is, or argue with what is or what was. He says that "'what is' is this moment -before you even think about it. That's what is. Argue with this moment, and you will suffer...That goes for the past as well." (Falling into Grace, p. 42)
He says that we are afraid to accept what is because then it will never change. "But as soon as we say something shouldn't be happening, we've locked ourselves into an extremely narrow mindset with very few options. When we really see that what is, simply is-neither good nor bad- than all options are available to us. We can respond to life in a wise and loving way." (Falling into Grace, p. 44)
I see this all of the time with myself and with the people that I work with. When we accept the situation as it is, we respond from a place of clarity.
I will watch how I try to control, make demands upon and reject what is in my life. "We have to somehow find the capacity to really want to know what's true, in this moment, without trying to control or make demands of it, because it's the truth that delivers us from suffering...that allows us to shift out of this egoic state..into a whole different state of consciousness, which is much more open, free, and inclusive." (Falling into Grace, p. 44-45).
Join me in accepting what is, letting go of the desire and efforts to control life, and allowing Truth to shine through and as You!
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