Take no thought

Whenever I am having a worrisome or unwanted thought, it is so freeing to remind myself that those thoughts are not real...my thoughts are just the ramblings of the neurotic roommate…they are not based on fact…they are not reality.  I remind myself often that I do not need to pay attention to my thoughts.   For example, if a worrisome thought about finances pops up I remind myself that my ego does not have the answers to my financial status and that God is my source of all that I need.  If the feeling of worry persists I allow it to be and I relax my body.  Sometimes the feeling moves through me.  If it does not, I continue to allow it to be but I do not feed it with additional thoughts of worry.  

The same can be applied to thoughts about health, relationships…

I practice not listening to my mind, no matter what it is saying.  As I let go of worrisome thoughts, judgments, commentary about what is or isn’t happening, what I expect, what I think I need, and conclusions that I have drawn my life seems less complicated.

It is not productive to deal with the incessant chatter of my mind.  It is productive to deal with what is right in front of me.  I deal with life with much more clarity when I let go of the chatter in my mind. 

Michele Longo O’Donnell:

If we remove from our mind a thought that has kept us from realizing the Presence of Spirit, then because we have provided space for it, Spirit will move into that space provided. It will appear in whatever way or form that will correct the human condition.

ALL problems are caused by the mind

Michael Singer says that  "ALL problems are caused by the mind."

Adyashanti says "We are so busy and obsessed with our restless thinking about everything and everyone that we have mistaken our thinking about everything and everyone for everything and everyone.  This tendency to take our thoughts to be real is what keeps the dream state intact and keeps us trapped within its domain of unconsciousness and strife.  To many people the very idea that what is is more real than all of their beliefs and opinions about what is is hard to believe." (The Way of Liberation, p. 15)

Adya presents an example, if you think everyone should be nice than by all means be nice, however, when you impose that belief onto others and hold it as objective reality (i.e., people should be nice to each other) than you are not dealing with reality and you will suffer.  What is reality is that people are not always nice.  So when that happens deal with it but let go of the belief that things should be otherwise.

Our minds (e.g., the way we see things, the meaning we give to situations, the conclusions that we draw, the judgments and opinions that we hold) cause our problems.  It is when we let go of the conclusions to our story, and, the beliefs and expectations about what should be happening that we feel lighter, less burdened.  

God gave us a gift called life and a beautiful world in which to enjoy our lives.  But most of the time we live in our minds not in the world.  When we are so focused on making the world and our lives (including the people in our lives) fit our specific ideas we miss all of the beauty and the joy.  

The way out is to remember that we are the experiencer of life.  Accept what is.  Deal with what is right in front of you.  Let go of the judgments, conclusions, expectations and enjoy the ride.

“It will be done to you according to what you believe.”

If we look at how our lives are showing up we will see what we really believe.  The areas of our lives that are showing up as lack, limitation, struggle, fear are clues to what we are holding onto which blocks us from experiencing our Oneness with God, from Awakening.

For me it is not about making my life work so that I can be happy.  It is about looking at where my life is not working so that I can see what beliefs I am holding onto that aren’t Truth.  These beliefs are ideas of the psyche not God.

 

My ego does not always want to let go of it's beliefs.  So I pray…God help me to let go of that which no longer serves me so that I may stand firmly in the awareness of my True Self.  May Your will be done in, as, and through my life.

And so it is.  

sandals by the shore

I had a reaction to a situation this week which gave me an opportunity to practice letting go.  It was a painful situation and the fact that I could not let the pain move through me caused me to suffer.  Adya's practice of telling your story, feeling the feelings about the story, and most importantly, letting go of the conclusions that you have drawn about the story (e.g., this should not have happened, blaming self or others...) helped me to accept the situation and the pain but without the suffering (See Falling Into Grace, chapter 5).  And as I kept reminding myself to let go of my conclusions, which in this case was blaming myself, the pain lessened.

In addition to my "conclusions" I also saw how my expectations and preconceived notions were restricting me and keeping me stuck.  I wanted things to be a certain way so that I could feel comfortable.  I could fully relate to Michael Singer's analogy of the secure and comfortable home built in the middle of the sunlit field (See The Untethered Soul, chapter 12) .  I could see how my judgments, preconceived notions, and beliefs were the walls of the house and that my Spirit, my ability to feel Love, Peace, and Joy were locked inside.

I know that if I want to be free I will need to leave the comfort of my beliefs.  

As Kirtana sings, "Leave the world of mind...like sandals by the shore."

Let go, Let God

When life hits your 'stuff' and you start to feel a disturbance of the energy inside, Michael Singer suggests letting go.

"A wise person remains centered enough to let go every time the energy shifts into a defensive mode.  The moment the energy moves and you feel your consciousness start to get drawn into it, you relax and release.  Letting go means falling behind the energy instead of going into it.  It just takes a moment of conscious effort to decide that you're not going there.  You let go.  It's simply a matter of taking the risk that you are better off letting go than going with the energy.  When you're free from the hold the energy has on you, you will be free to experience the joy and expansiveness that exists within you."  (TUS, p.65)

Let go, let God.

Being is everything

Michael Singer talks about the fact that we have very, very little control over what happens in our world.  When I stop and think about how big the world and the Universe are and how small I am in that huge arena it is very humbling.  It points to the reality that we cannot control most of what unfolds in our lives...we can not control what other people say and do, how long they are with us, the economy, whether we get to keep our job or not, our health, the weather...  We even have limited control over our own thoughts and feelings.

When I sit down to meditate I often have a hard time letting go of my thoughts and feelings about my life. I can get very attached to thinking about what I am going to do that day.  I find my mind planning activities and situations so that my life will unfold the way that I want it to.

When I allow the ego to just be, without trying to control it, I settle into stillness.  I connect with my Being-ness.

It is from our Being-ness that everything happens.  My ego-driven desire to figure out how to best do my life has very limited power over what actually happens, and in fact, it blocks me from my source of love, peace and joy.

Jesus, who was able to perform many miracles did so from his deep connection with his own Being-ness.  "It is not I, but the Father within me that doeth the work."  

I see now that I have been misguided for most of my life.  It is not for me to figure out how to run my life.  It is for me to connect with the Spirit within me and to allow that to inform me...to allow that to live through me and as me.  It is for me to notice when I am allowing myself to be wrapped-up in egoic thoughts and feelings and to find a way back to Truth, back to my Being.

I am beginning to realize that I am simply a vehicle or vessel through which God expresses and when I return to my Being-ness I am allowing that divine expression to flow.  I simply need to watch and to listen.  I am the awareness of my life unfolding.

more from The Way of Liberation

I have been using some of Adya's ideas to open my heart when I am feeling blocked or closed.  I have been working with the foundational principle of "being a good steward of your life" this week.  It is about facing all aspects of yourself and your life and not using spirituality to avoid any of these areas.  I use to think that reaching a spiritual awakening would allow all areas of my life to fall into order.  I am now learning that areas of my life that are challenging or difficult can keep me from experiencing a Higher Truth or a Higher Self.  

One way to work with issues that come up in my life is to contemplate questions such as "Is it really true that I can not be happy unless so and so (e.g., the new job, relationship...) happens?"... this type of question deals with Absolute Reality.  I also look at the human/egoic issue in the situation and question that.  For example, "What belief am I holding onto that is keeping me from experiencing more harmony in my life?"...this question is about limiting beliefs that keep me tied to egoic consciousness.  Adya makes the point that being open to Absolute Truth and dealing with the human condition are both important.

The idea is to sit with these questions and not use our heads or analytic reasoning to find answers.  (More about these techniques in future posts or read chapter 3 in The Way of Liberation).