Live consciously

When you live unconsciously, mindlessly, you are unaware of self.  That is, in this moment, how you think and feel escapes you.  If you are not paying attention, in the midst of cutting veggies, you may slice a finger. Then again, maybe you think it'll be bloody tasty?!

You may be unaware you decide whether or not you allow mind and its filters to control how you receive information.  Notice what passive, reactive and observant vibrations feel like.  Notice whether you are aware of unique perspectives of the veggies, the knife, the cutting board and stew as well as the big picture of the flow that interlaces everything in the whole web of life. 

As you engage the analyical, comparative mind, you shift attention away from being. Imagine being raw veggies, the knife, spices, cutting board, pot, stock, aromas, air, water, fire. Appreciate each alone and how it feels to be the whole stew with unique and evolving flavours.

Similarly, to feel the way beyond the individual 'you' triggers awakening of childlike innocence and the feeling of being part of something bigger than you alone. Living consciously is recognizing unity, wholeness.  Oneness is the Source of all, genuine soulfood.

Recognize 'you' are the common thread in all aspects of 'your' life. Observe this 'you.' What does it feel like? Who or what is it pointing toward? The mind after all, is a gift, a teacher.  Identify which words and thoughts takes your focus away from one world. Notice what brings 'you' back. Silence the mind even temporarily.  Live more consciously.  Subside into the peace of silence.

Moving Mind

Two men were arguing about a flag flapping in the wind.

"It's the wind that is really moving," stated the first one.

"No, it is the flag that is moving," contended the second.

A Zen master, who happened to be walking by, overheard the debate and interrupted them.

"Neither the flag nor the wind is moving," he said, "It is MIND that moves."

Beyond rationale

To rationalize is to reason. To explain keeps you confined in the head. Notice what happens as you feel your way through justification. You sense selective awareness. That is, you are allowing the mind to block out what is real. What you think you want to hear is not the vibration felt in the heart and soul. Ask self why you want to feel anything other than love and acceptance. Be out of the mind.

Amidst the mental noise, the active inner judge and surface emotions, you hear phrases such as; "It's REALLY nothing!" ; It was ONLY nothing!"; "Nothing TRULY matters." ; Nothing ACTUALLY makes sense!" ; "Nothing is the end of me!". Ask yourself who or what is interpreting 'nothing'? Who gives meaning to nothing? Do you detect irony, cynicism, or fear? This is not what is here.

Go beyond the tactics of the mind. Nothing is quiet, reserved, humble. It simply observes.

Recognize nothing real is ever threatened and the unreal is never real or threatening.

Listen to the harmony

As you listen closely to the world, you no longer always feel the urge to talk back.  Why is it people are conditioned to be good talkers but not effective listeners? How do you receive what is said? Often, people pay more attention to their inner chatter than what others are saying. 

As you begin to truly listen to yourself and the thoughts that pass through the mind, you discover how it feels to sit quietly for hours and appreciate the silence.  Present moment awareness brings your attention away from the business of life.  You have less to discuss.  Pay attention to your conversations.  Notice how often you refer to the past or future. To listen is to absorb wisdom, to hear what is between the words, where the words are coming from, what is expressed in body language, the vibration of the sounds.  You listen with all senses. The present moment reveals all.

As you allow yourself to grow quiet, you let go of all static between the ears.  Listening to the body triggers catharsis.  In essence, you know what is wrong or unbalanced right away.  You sense what the body requires and take action to recify it.  When you feel tired, you rest.  When your body feels ancy, you exercise. When you sense hunger, you eat.  When you sense a full bladder, you relieve it. When you listen to the mind, you know what it wants. As you get in synch with the body, perceived time is irrelevant. If you feel awake late at night, you do not force sleep.  Emotions are also a reliable gauge for how well you listen to inner self.  Deep listeners only know peace, only show love and compassion, and only hear through a lens of complete acceptance. 

In essence, give yourself permission to listen to the soul.  Give yourself permission to transcend conditioning.  Compassion and kindness are the silent guides that invite you to listen more deeply to yourself and the world.  When you listen rather than think, your intuitive powers kick in and guide you to gather insight.  Open to trust. Harmony is ever-present. It observes your thoughts.

All or nothing

Ever think you have to choose between all or nothing? Notice what happens as you begin to recognize all, nothing and every possible experience in-between are all here for the taking.  You have the freedom  to recognize what this is really about, and the freedom to choose how to feel.

The mind is conditioned to expect to doubt, to make you think you have to deprive yourself or sacrifice  what matters most. The mind's perspective is clouded by its own judgmental filters.  Let them go.  See what happens.  Shift focus to view everything through the lens of the heart. 

Its all pointing here

Imagine a life where you do not have to do anything about anything.  Imagine a  life where nothing is wrong, where every choice you make at a given moment is the right one.  Give up all your emotion and effort to get somewhere. Let go of restlessness.  It may seem too simple to be true. Recognize you are the seer and experiencer, the observer and participant in this life.

What if you do not have to do, be or become anything? From this moment, notice what the mind would have you believe.  Then step back and accept every view is a reflection of the timeless recognizing itself.  Reconnect with the dimensions and perspectives you temporarily cut off.  

As the mind carries no intention, ambition or neediness, it is spontaneously one. It does not view itself as a separate part of anything.   Recognize the attitudes you hold toward 'the other.' All you think is a self-fulfilling projection.  As you drop the resistance and false ideas you adopt as a child, you slowly let go of all fixations and identities connected with the body.  What's left?

Be  true nature, the state of pure awareness.  See things with less distortion.  Allow peace to fill you. To see everything as equal is to love and appreciate yourself unconditionally.  When you are truly free, you expect nothing and simply flow freely with the stream of life. He who is truly rich wants nothing.  He who has desires is simply playing the role of creator for a while.

"All the world's a stage, and all the men and women are merely players: they have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts, his acts being seven ages." - William Shakespeare