Mind Shift # 3

We see everything but we do not see ourselves

If the world we see in our head is not the real world but an image of the world formed – and most probably deformed – by our brain; and if those images are our ‘maps’ of reality, then it may be a good idea to conduct some basic reality checks about those maps.

The first one is asking ourselves whether we do not miss out on vital parts of reality and checking if what we include in our field of awareness really covers everything there is to see.

Let’s do that right now.

The deeper life

When you look at what makes your life beyond the obvious reality of earning, spending, coming into relationship, setting goals, solving problems, watching TV, sleeping or going through physical routines, you become aware of another realm of activity, more subtle and less noisy than the physical one, but one that is underlying and shaping your entire physical existence: the endless incidence of thoughts, mental images, feelings, emotions and motives that arises and moves in the space of your consciousness.

Change? Yes, we probably can

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Never believe that a few caring people can’t change the world. For, indeed, that’s all who ever have ~ Maragret Mead

Although there is a growing awareness in humanity today that freedom, compassion and power are inherent parts of our humaneness, many people still believe they are victims of their conditions: the external circumstances in which they live and the character they carry with them. They feel that those things have been imposed on them and that they cannot be changed – which justifies the selfishness, the competitiveness and the mercilessness of their own life.

Dispelling the shadow

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…………“To attain knowledge, …………..add things every day.

…………..To attain wisdom, …………..remove things every day”. ………………………………………….Lao-Tzu

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The world view that has shaped the psyche of the ‘developed’ world for the past three centuries relies on the premise that the world, nature, lower species or even kinsfolk are a ‘resource’ we are entitled to exploit for the fulfilment of our own needs or pleasure – as long as we are strong enough to do so of course. This kind of thinking is very empowering until it dawns on us that, if everything around us is a resource, then it also implies that … we equally are … !!!

You Are

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If you have not found that which is timeless or formless in yourself, then nothing that you manifest will satisfy yourself. ~ Eckhart Tolle

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Sit still and do nothing for a few moments.

Temporarily let go of responsibilities, interests and concerns … relax into being.

Ask … who am I?

Watch the answers changing … let go

Let go

Answers are non important – your question is.

Ask … who is the questioner?

The self that we are is something complex, deep, mysterious and … confusing at times. There are so many thought forms living inside our head; so many people sharing the space of our heart; so many reflections of past and future glories or dreads agitating the substance of our minds; so many possibilities to our soul.

Goodness

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“What would we be without an ego, a self? Perhaps we would be divine” ~ Vimala Thakar

Have you ever tried to look ‘inside’ yourself? If you have, you probably came across a mixture of positive traits of character and unproductive habits mingling with truly praiseworthy aspirations, a crowd of valid insights about the nature and relativity of reality, and a fair amount of junk.

But as you persevered and worked to disentangle the threads, you probably ended up meeting with a genuine inner goodness of being or spontaneous aspiration for being good, feeling good and wanting to do good. Everyone has it although not everyone shares the same idea of what ‘good’ means to them.