AWARENESS

AWARENESS

“…When the mind is in a state of resistance, obstacles hide the presence of the soul. In practical terms, the time spent on the path is devoted to finding your own inner resistance and gradually melting it away. The give-and-take with God is an illusion, the real give-and-take is with your own awareness.” Deepak Chopra

“Be grateful like there’s no tomorrow

Forgiving like there’s no yesterday

Loving like there’s no moment but this one” Jonathan Secon

The purpose of this chapter is to provide a kind of checklist of positive attributes for us to use in assessing our own being in our own timeline. You may remember that, in an early chapter, I brought up awareness of all aspects of our lives, from childhood wounds and family legacies, from cultural and religious heritage, and from our evolved outlooks, ranging from money to compassion to fundies to karma.

Here’s what Michael Bernard Beckwith, in his quite remarkable book, ‘Spiritual Liberation’ has to say on the subject: “By cultivating awareness, you begin to see how and where you habitually invest your energy. The ego tries to convince us that it’s about ‘them’… a blaming mentality. Then it escalates to ‘I’ll show them,’ which becomes an adversarial position. For a few seconds, this feels good. However, as you become aware that you are operating from fear, you will notice that such an aggressive attitude causes you to tense up and cut yourself off from spontaneity, creativity, clear thinking.”

And, if I may quote myself,

‘Awareness being the first step in considering alternatives and making positive changes. It brings into play everything from upbringing to social media influence to the prominence of our egos, from psychology to the self-help revolution, and from religious training to the emergence of spirituality.'

Our lives are, of course, all of these things and much more. This is just an opportunity to take stock, perhaps observe ourselves through the filter of each of these traits.

As we have heard from scriptures, sages and shrinks, the primary blockage of our natural state of conscious awareness comes from overly assertive egos, always attempting to dominate our landscape and prop up our image, fearing change and death, rejecting intimacy, intuition, and the entire spiritual realm.

Ego

“The human ego prefers anything, just about anything, to falling, or changing, or dying. The ego is that part of you that loves the status quo – even when it's not working. It attaches to past and present and fears the future.” Richard Rohr

“All of a man’s happiness is in his being master of his ego, while all his suffering is in his ego being his master.” Al Ghazali

“Ego, when given the chance, will direct all thoughts and actions to its own purpose and passion. It hijacks all work of the soul and runs the mind and body completely contrary to the soul’s mission.” Sean Patrick Brennan

“How to get rid of ego as dictator and turn it into messenger and servant and scout, to be in your service, is the trick.” Joseph Campbell

“The most common ego identifications have to do with possessions, the work you do, social status and recognition, knowledge and education, physical appearance, special abilities, relationships, person and family history, belief systems, and often nationalistic, racial, religious, and other collective identifications. None of these is you.” Eckhart Tolle

“The ego relies on the familiar. It is reluctant to experience the unknown, which is the very essence of life. Distance yourself from past experience and expectations, and in that way something unexpected can emerge.” Deepak Chopra

“Darkness is an absence of light. Ego is an absence of awareness.” Osho

“When the ego dissolves, so does a bounded conception not only of our self but of our self-interest. What emerges in its place is invariably a broader, more openhearted and altruistic—that is, more spiritual—idea of what matters in life.” Michael Pollan

“The experience of the self is always a defeat for the ego.” Carl Jung

We all have an ego. It’s a necessary part of us. In fact, it has been pointed out that we need a strong ego to recognize its tendencies, and an awareness of the pull of the ego’s world to stand a chance of breaking through its cloying and forceful embrace.

For most of us then, ego, in its current state, must be restrained and retrained before it can be reinstated as the healthy synthesizer of outside stimuli and inner truth.

Consciousness

“We can never obtain peace in the outer world until we make peace with ourselves.” Dalai Lama

‘Initiate a habit of choosing thoughts and ideas that support feeling good and powerful and that elevate you to a higher level of consciousness.” Wayne Dyer

“The awakening of consciousness is the next evolutionary step for mankind.” Eckhard Tolle

“On the spiritual path, you become less isolated as an individual and more universal as an expression of consciousness. This change occurs because in truth, everything is happening in consciousness.” Deepak Chopra

“Enlightenment... Freed of the web of conditioning, it is the ability to express ourselves spontaneously in each moment, living from our authentic self rather than from conditioned responses. Freed from the burdens of the past and the expectations of the future, it is the ability to engage with life fully in the present time… as spontaneous expressions of divine consciousness, or soul.” Kiara Windrider

Consciousness, to me, is awareness in both heart and mind that there is a significant field of our being that goes beyond the mundane and material five-sense world around us. And that it needs to occupy a significant place in the fabric and framework of our lives.

It encompasses many of the topics below: compassion, morality, gratitude, love, forgiveness, release, imagination, intuition, feelings, and spirituality.

Compassion – Morality – Integrity

“Compassion impels us to work tirelessly to alleviate the suffering of our fellow creatures, to dethrone ourselves from the center of our world and put another there, and to honor the inviolable sanctity of every single human being, treating everybody, without exception, with absolute justice, equity and respect.” Karen Armstrong

“Without feelings of respect, what is there to distinguish men from beasts?” Confucius

“Be impeccable with your word. Speak with integrity. Say only what you mean.” Don Miguel Ruiz

The Dalai Lama, in ‘An Appeal to the World,’ examines all facets of human interaction with itself and with the Earth. And comes up with insights that transcend religious factions, even his own religion.

“In the face of wars, religious conflicts, terrorist attacks, global refugees and world hunger, ‘secular ethics’ supersedes religion: The goal of secular ethics is to liberate us from both temporary and long-term suffering and to cultivate our ability to promote other people’s pursuit of happiness as well.”

“More integral than religion is our fundamental human spirituality. This is the affinity we humans have for love, benevolence and affection – no matter what religion we belong to.”

Treat everyone with love and respect, be a part of making sure that our laws reflect that premise, shared by all of our religions. Always do the things you know are right, whether anyone is watching or not. Be helpful, generous and compassionate, and true to your word and your conscience.

Gratitude Generosity

“Gratitude is magnetic in its power to draw abundance to you… the more you affirm and give thanks that you already have abundance, the more unexpected windfalls you will receive.” Doreen and Grant Virtue

“Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.” William Artur Ward

“Acknowledging the good that you already have in your life is the foundation for all abundance.” Eckhart Tolle

“The more you practice gratitude, the more you see how much there is to be grateful for, and your life becomes an ongoing celebration of joy and happiness.” – Don Miguel Ruiz

“When we observe the world from a resonant field of gratitude - when we use our attention to spot beauty, to gaze at wonder – we emit a frequency of love, of magic, of miracles. This joy oscillation is the most powerful frequency on the planet and has the capability of radically uplifting the world.” Pam Grout

“When you start your day with gratitude, you’ll be open to opportunities, not obstacles. You’ll be drawn to creativity, not complaint. You will feel fresh ways to grow, rather than succumbing to negative thoughts that only shrink your options.” Jay Shetty

For me, nothing sets the tone for the day than expressing an ‘attitude of gratitude.'

My own day begins with variations on, ‘I AM grateful dear Spirit, for all the blessings in my life – for this beautiful day, for this wonderful body, mind and spirit, for family, friends and loved ones, for mother earth and all our fellow beings; I AM grateful that you are with me with every breath and step I take, infused into every cell and atom of my being and every other being.’

Forgiveness

“True forgiveness is when you can say, “Thank you for that experience.” Oprah Winfrey

“The practice of forgiveness is our most important contribution to the healing of the planet.” Marianne Williamson

“We must develop and maintain the capacity to forgive. He who is devoid of the power to forgive is devoid of the power to love," Martin Luther King Jr.

“Forgiveness is no longer an option but a necessity for healing.” Caroline Myss

“Forgiveness is the fragrance that the violet sheds on the heel that crushed it.” Mark Twain

Unity minister Jack Boland spoke of forgiving everyone who may ever have harmed us, but always starting with the most difficult one: that crappy, creepy, brother-in-law or the ex-boss who nobody could forgive. Forgive those people first and most often, until we actually own it. And remember that we needn’t forget the event, just forgive the person, and we free both forgiver and forgivee. And don’t forget the other side of the coin: pray that all those we have ever harmed forgive us fully.

Forgiveness is possibly the most travelled two-way street in the world.

I have my own forgiveness story, quite important in my spiritual growth: I had been in a car accident which left my left arm impaired, and even after it healed as much as it was going to, I felt shooting pain in my left shoulder every day while driving. I had received a settlement that was smaller than what I thought I deserved, and I blamed everyone: driver, lawyer, judge and jury.

Even after hearing at Unity Church how important it was to forgive everyone who had ever wronged us, I always put the emphasis on forgiving family members and other obvious ‘culprits’, and only gave lip service to the accident group. One day, while driving and going through some affirmations, I got a jolt of realization that I had never specifically forgiven any of ‘that’ group. I began to forgive each person quite earnestly, telling them that I knew they hadn’t hurt me on purpose, sending each of them on their way with Godspeed. By the third day, the shoulder pains disappeared, and have never returned!

Major lesson ‘driven’ home.

It is important to remember that we don’t have to forget other peoples’ actions in the past. But we must forgive them all, move past it, and move on with our lives, untethered by the toxic bond of resentment. I suggest making it an affirmation and doing it every day.

Release

“The more resentment I release, the more love I have to express.” Louise L Hay

“Since the unconscious nature of man is packed with unhappy memories and negative emotions, it is necessary to speak the words of release often and deliberately to gain freedom from unhappiness and limiting experiences of the past… The act of release helps you to become an open, receptive channel through which the intelligence of the universe can flow to you to cleanse your life of worn-out relationships and conditions, and make way for your new, expanded good.” Catherine Ponder

I find that release works best as a follow-up to an opening affirmation. For example, if you begin with, ‘Dear Spirit, I AM grateful that your Divine plan for me is unfolding now,’ you might continue with, ‘I now release all (any combination of these and more) anger, resentment, fear, lack, limitation, inadequacy, hatred, jealousy, prejudice, ill-health, and unforgiveness.’ And then continue with more positive prayers or affirmations.

Love

“In the end, only three things matter: how much you loved, how gently you lived, and how gracefully you let go of things that were not meant for you.” Buddha

“Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.” RumI

“It is not time that changes man nor knowledge - the only thing that can change someone's mind is love.” Paulo Coelho

“Moral judgment is not life-giving; love that transcends the boundaries of judgment as Jesus' love did, is.” John Shelby Spong

“Deep at the center of my being, there is an infinite well of love. I now allow this love to flow to the surface. It fills my heart, my body, my mind, my consciousness, my very being, and radiates out from me in all directions and returns to me multiplied. The more love I use and give, the more I have to give. The supply is endless…” Louise L Hay

Love begins, then, as a heartfelt feeling of affection, a tender or passionate attachment for mother, father, siblings, family, etc.

It morphs into strong positive feelings toward friends, organizations, countries, hobbies and interests, artforms, music, nature, sex, language, games and most any other aspect of human endeavors.

The further evolution is agape love, the wide-open passionate feeling of love toward all our fellow humans, toward Mother Earth and all our fellow beings and toward God/Spirit/the Universe. It’s that universal love that’s the goal; and folks, it ain’t easy

As a for instance, I personally can’t stand Rush, Rump, Lindsay, Mitch, Cruz, etc, and an assortment of nasty world dictators and terrorist orgs. However, since I believe that we’re all created in God’s image, as Spiritual beings having a material experience, who am I to deny them God’s love simply because I don’t like them. And, as my wife lovingly points out when I’m finished ranting at one or more of them, just bless them and trust that Spirit will know exactly how to deal with them.

Just as I don’t have to forget the person who done me real bad to forgive them. As has been pointed out, I, we, are in their control until we forgive and love them.

Intuition

“The more and more each is impelled by that which is intuitive, or the relying upon the soul force within, the greater, the farther, the deeper, the broader, the more constructive may be the result.” Edgar Cayce

“The intuitive mind is a sacred gift, and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift.” Albert Einstein

“Notice that your intuition is always forward thinking. Your job is to listen for this guidance while remaining in the flow of your life, and then use that wisdom to raise your own vibration.” Lisa Garr

“Come from the heart, the true heart, not the head. When in doubt, choose the heart… There is a balance, a harmony to be nurtured, between the head and the heart. When the intuition rings clear and true, loving impulses are favored.” Brian Weiss

“Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.” Vishen Lakhiani

The reliance on the five senses is a most enticing ego trap, because the senses recognize and affirm prior, familiar associations, and this makes the ego all warm and fuzzy. If there are no changes on the horizon, nothing that challenges or threatens its ascendancy, the ego is a happy camper, and tries hard to keep us from the new adventures the day was meant to bring.

The non-physical realm represents our true being - all the aspects of the metaphysical world that connect us to the Cosmos. All the stuff that throws ego totally off kilter.

The heading of ‘intuition’ is therefore meant to include much more, as we recall from Gary Zukav:

“The multisensory mode includes all the non-physical perceptions from our higher selves – intention, intuition, hunches, thoughts, dreams, imagination, Spiritual teachers and guides, and more… it brings with it a new potential… the potential of authentic power… the alignment of the personality with the soul… it has its roots in the deepest source of our being.”

I end this section with some insightful thoughts from Louise L Hay, whose universally acclaimed ‘You Can Heal Your Life’ I championed in an earlier chapter. Ms Hay had a unique capacity for bringing out truths about the entire human condition, from birth to death, and from seeking joy and gladness to healing sadness, badness and madness. She unabashedly reveals a traumatic childhood; later comes the seeking that she gradually parlayed into great wisdom and the rare ability to mirror back to us both the fullest scope of human challenges and the mental and verbal healing processes available to all of us for every ‘condition.’

So, I’m just going to share some of her observations.

On being aware of, and appreciative of, our uniqueness: “Often what we think of as the things ‘wrong’ with us are only the expressions of our own individuality. This is our uniqueness and what is special about us. Nature never repeats itself… our fingerprints are different, and we are different. We are meant to be different. When we can accept this, then there is no competition and no comparison. To try to be like another is to shrivel our soul. We have come to this planet to express who we are.”

On affirming self-love, the foundation for success at life:

“Self-approval and self-acceptance in the now are the main keys to positive changes in every area of our lives… Remember, you have been criticizing yourself for years, and it hasn’t worked. Try approving of yourself and see what happens.”

From among hundreds of individual affirmations scattered throughout the book, I have assembled an amalgam affirmation that I read in the morning:

“In the infinity of life where I AM, all is perfect, whole and complete, and yet life is everchanging. Each moment is ever fresh and new.

I believe in a power far greater than I AM that flows through me every moment of every day.

My day begins with joy and gratitude.

I open myself to the wisdom within, knowing that there is only One Intelligence in this universe. I trust this intelligence, knowing that whatever I need to know is revealed to me, and whatever I need comes to me in Divine right order. I AM always Divinely protected and guided, and I make choices that are beneficial for me.

I now choose to rise above my personality problems to recognize the magnificence of my being.

I consciously release any mental patterns that could express as dis-ease in any way.

It is easier for me to forgive than I thought. Forgiving makes me feel free and light.

The more resentment I release, the more love I have to express.

I live in harmony and balance with everyone I know.

Deep at the center of my being, there is an infinite well of love, and I now allow it to flow through my body and consciousness, and it radiates out from me in all directions and returns to me multiplied.

I take loving care of my body with nourishing foods and beverages, and my body lovingly responds to me with vibrant health and energy.

I only attract loving people in my life, for they are a mirror of what I AM. I live only in the moment, and each moment is experienced as good, knowing that my future is bright, joyous and secure, for I AM a beloved child of the universe.

My unique creative talents and abilities flow through me and are expressed in deeply satisfying ways.

I AM constantly increasing my conscious awareness of abundance.

I rejoice in others’ successes, knowing there is plenty for all.

I accept radiant health as the natural state of my being.

I share who and what I AM, for I know that we are all one in Spirit.

All is well in my world. And so it is. Amen.”

Kinda covers the good stuff pretty well, is how I feel about it.

NAMASTE