witness

The All Pervading Silence of Being

/ oneheart / 2 Comments

It is always present all around us, in us and in all living beings. In fact it can never not be present and that makes it incredibly easy to overlook. It is the backdrop of our lives, the screen that the movie of life is playing on, the canvas that gives life to a work of art.  It is so profoundly important that without it nothing would exist  and yet we overlook, skip over and ignore it. It is no fault of our own because we are not raised to have the awareness that there is something greater than the body and mind.

Like so many crucial parts of life it is easily taken for granted and not given the attention it actually deserves.  Just the fact that we wake up and experience the gift of life each day is easy to disregard while other tasks and activities steal a majority of our attention.  There is nothing wrong with this it does happen this way for most people and as we progress through life we  have the opportunity to grow, change and deepen. Then one day seemingly out of the blue we are ready to see life differently and more fully. 

Without the quiet space between words, the pauses in a piece of music or the space that naturally exists between thoughts the message would be lost.  Music, words and thoughts would be a run on of notes, words and chatter with no particular emphasis or meaning.  When we recognize this we can begin to notice the power of the silence itself. 

When we meditate a common instruction is to release the thoughts or notice your thoughts and allow them to pass.  What is there to witness a thought passing?  What is always there as the silent observer?  Your answer may be, “nothing, absolutely nothing is there.”  Your answer would be correct however it isn’t just dead space.  It is aware and happens to be conscious of absolutely everything in and around us.  It is also totally aware of our behavior, feelings and actions and is able to report on them in stunning detail.   As an example a simple inner observation may look something like this.  “I was listening to my friend talking and my mind wandered to what I was going to prepare for dinner.  I started thinking about going to the grocery store and a conversation I had earlier with my partner about cooking. Then I refocused my attention so I could concentrate on the conversation.” This is a very simplified version of something that happens constantly and is an example of our ability to watch ourselves and report on it naturally and with ease. 

So I guess my question to you is what is aware?  What would it be like to focus on the space that is allowing life to play?  Is it the same as considering a blank canvas? Does it have any discernible qualities?  When you place your attention on this space how does it feel? 

There must be a reason that spiritual practices direct us to this over and over again pointing us ever inward to our own consciousness rather than outward. 

This is a discovery in itself to become aware of being aware and it points us beyond just our personal physical and psychological self and into the realm of the non-physical self – or the space of being.  It is indescribable in words therefore we can only be pointed in the direction and the discovery has to happen within each of us. 

Once discovered or known it never can be unknown again.  You may not fully understand why this is important but without it it’s like having soup with no broth, something vital is missing.  When discovered it imbues life with a different quality and power that I won’t get into here because it is experiential and unique for each person.  You learn to rest in a deeper awareness and let life play knowing all of life flows and is held by a power greater than yourself. 

My hope is that this is me putting into words what you are already intuitively aware of.

Keep it Simple

/ oneheart / 1 Comment

I’ve always felt when things become overly complex that something is amiss. It’s no different when thinking about topics such as spirituality, healing work, mediation and anything you are learning.  I’m going to bring up the obvious because it can be easily overlooked partly because it is so simple.   

During meditation you are aware of your thoughts, right?  I’m sure the moment you sit down the thinking becomes loud and even very distracting for a majority of meditators.  I’m venturing a guess here that most, if not all, have to contend with thoughts when they sit to meditate.  This is one of the things that makes meditation so difficult and unappealing. When you think about it it’s almost absurd  that your success as a meditator is governed by your ability to stop thoughts!!  I’m going to propose a slight change in focus instead of trying to stop the thoughts.  

Thoughts arise and YOU see them. 

Some come up and easily pass and others come up and can cause you great disturbance.  Either way, instead of just watching thoughts come and go begin to notice who can see the  coming and going?  It’s so obvious but it is so easily overlooked.  If thoughts come and go WHO is watching them?  

If possible I’m going to ask you to turn your attention toward what or who is watching.  Don’t have an expectation about what you will find just sense into it.  I don’t want to say too much about this because it is an important experience and I don’t want you to have any preconceived ideas about it.  You have to experience it for yourself.   

To whom or to what are the thoughts arising? Who is seeing the thoughts?  

You don’t need to have an answer to these questions.  My suggestion is to contemplate this for yourself.  Take your time and notice how this is as you turn your attention to what is watching. 

Once you become aware of this it is possible you will begin to notice this when you are not meditating but at first it may be helpful to try this in a relatively quiet and focused way.  

You are now focused on the source rather than on what comes and goes.

For some this will be very powerful and you will know who you are.  Looking this way repeatedly will have an incremental effect because you empower the source in your life through your continued attention.

If you don’t have a powerful experience don’t worry there is nothing wrong.  It’s good to know you are the one watching and you never know when it could resonate more strongly.  Life has a way of bringing you what you need when you need it.   Be on the look out.

To be continued…

What you Resist Persists

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What to do with strong emotions and feelings that feel like they take you over and disrupt your peace?

Our instinctual response is to try to get the uncomfortable feeling to go away or stop as soon as possible.  We try to push them away, suppress and otherwise distract ourselves from our feelings. Addictions of all kinds are also often connected to suppression of feelings. 

This approach actually works in the opposite way in which it is intended.  Our feelings seem to intensify and gain strength when they are resisted  because they are fueled by the very energy we use to resist them.  In case you haven’t noticed it takes a lot to hold back a strong feeling that is trying to arise.

Instead try something a little different and allow the feelings to be there and even invite them to wash over you and to fully feel them.  They really can’t hurt you.  They can be uncomfortable but they do more harm when they are suppressed and not allowed to come up and be fully felt. In fact it is well known that ongoing suppression can be a very unhealthy way to live effecting us emotionally first and then if that outlet is shut down it can manifest as an array of physical symptoms from back pain to headaches.  Of course, not everyone is effected the same way but you can be sure if you are holding something in you are paying some price either energetically, physically or emotionally.   

Many times I hear people saying they are afraid of what will come out if they really let it be there.  Do not believe this thought it is meant to keep you stuck and unable to move forward.  The ego and mind simply wants to maintain the status quo and help you to survive and if that means staying stuck forever than so be it.  Fortunately these feelings will persist until felt and understood or until whatever needs to be learned is learned.  So if something is to scary  then I recommend that you seek help so that you can finally fully witness and allow these feelings to move all the way through you.  This will free you and energize you to move forward in your life.

“If you want to be free of energies, you must allow them to pass though you instead of hiding them inside”

-Michael Singer                                                                                                                                                –  from the book “The Untethered Soul”