Welcome to Week 14 of Beyond Self 2012 in SunnyRoomStudio. We have come a long way since early September. And with only 3 more weeks left in December, our retreat will close on the 28th of this month with Week 17. I hope you have been challenged to look within and to see things from a slightly different vantage point. But I also hope this informal retreat has provided energy and motivation for your unique spiritual journey. Just learning how to “sit” (meditate) can be quite an achievement. Pascal tells us that …
All human evil comes from a single cause,
man’s inability to sit still in a room.
~ Blaise Pascal
His opinion may sound extreme, but maybe he’s right.
It’s good food for thought at least.
WEEK FOURTEEN: Beyond Self 2012
Week One: Extend Your Gaze
Week Two: Always Evaluating
Week Three: Being Brevity
Week Four: Entanglement
Week Five: Beyond Attachment
Week Six: Eternal Nature
Week Seven: If Only
Week Eight: Nonresistance
Week Nine: Caught Up
Week Ten: Daily Life
Week Eleven: Just Look
Week Twelve: Transcendence
Week Thirteen: Awareness
Sitting quietly, doing nothing, spring comes
and the grass grows by itself.
~ Zen Proverb
Feeling inspired to do something is different than simply “doing” for the sake of doing. There is a ineffable truth behind activity that feels inspired, poetic, or joyful. And it seems to spring from something more than physical or mental exertion of the strictly “mortal” variety. Have you noticed the difference? Are you aware of the difference?
When my best ideas come to mind, they feel inspired. They feel “right” and “true.” They also seem to arrive unwilled and unsought. Gifts, perhaps, or simply intuitive awareness. Or is it a matter of being connected to “source” … to the cosmos … to the universal energy that created infinity? I’m not sure, but what I have noticed is that quality ideas don’t come to me unless I have first silenced my mind. Maybe not even intentionally, but after periods of quiet, somehow the ideas are there.
- And such ideas resonate with me in a way that “artificial thinking” never does.
- How would you describe thinking that springs from the mind without a connection to anything beyond self?
- Of course, the ego wants us to believe that “we” are the thinkers. We, alone. But how could that be true?
- I put assumption-making in the same category as artificial thinking. When we “assume” we know the interior world of another person, our “assumptions” are mostly derived from the ego that is looking, and certainly not from an enlightened perspective. Nor are such assumptions connected to reality.
- What is the result? Does this habitual mind pattern enhance your day, your life, or does it merely alienate those in your presence?
Only in quiet waters do thing mirror themselves undistorted.
Only in a quiet mind is adequate perception of the world.
~ Hans Margolius
Clearly, there is a profound connection between seen and unseen forces. Between conditioned mind thinking and elevated perception. One is from a reactive mind. The other flows from an internal steadiness, from something deeper than the moment at hand. Can you tell the difference? Are you growing in awareness? Do you see this dynamic at work in your life?
- Here I have to draw on the life work of Dr. David R. Hawkins. An expert on mental processes, Dr. Hawkins passed away in the fall, I believe, but here is a partial bio from his website.
- Sir David R. Hawkins, M.D., Ph.D. is a nationally renowned psychiatrist, physician, researcher, spiritual teacher and lecturer. The uniqueness of his contribution to humanity comes from the advanced state of spiritual awareness known as ” Enlightenment,” “Self–Realization,” and “Unio Mystica.” Rarely, if ever, has this spiritual state occurred in the life of an accomplished scientist and physician. Therefore, Dr. Hawkins is uniquely qualified to present a spiritual path that is scientifically compelling to modern society. Author of more than eight books, including Power vs. Force: The Hidden Determinants of Human Behavior, Dr. Hawkins’s work has been translated into more than 17 languages.
Dr. Hawkins created a map of consciousness that differentiates between power and force by assigning a numerical value to various states of energy (or energy fields). You may find yourself resisting this approach, this quantification of human behavior, but there is merit in exploring it nonetheless. For instance, energy fields that are considered to be powerful include: courage, neutrality, willingness, acceptance, reason, love, joy, peace, enlightenment. Conversely, energy fields that are merely based on “force” and are therefore lacking in personal power include: shame, guilt, apathy, grief, fear, desire, anger, pride.
He believed that one person holding a consciousness level of 500 or above could counterbalance the energy of 750,000 individuals below level 200 on the consciousness levels.
- What kind of energy are you putting out there each second?
Remember, the goal here isn’t to agree or disagree with Dr. Hawkins. That is ego. That is the conditioned mind wanting to be right. That is artificial thinking that isn’t connected to anything beyond self.
The goal, I would suggest, is to look for something useful or helpful via his message. To realize (and appreciate) our interconnectedness via consideration of his life work. Only by letting go of your “assumptions” will you find merit in anything beyond your own habitual thoughts. And only by moving beyond reactivity to understanding will you grow in the spiritual sense.
Spend some time this week on the bench of enlightenment. Build a spiritual steadiness within. Put positive energy into the universe. See if you can calm your reactive mind so others in your presence might benefit. After all, life is really not about “you” … it’s about the gift of life and sharing that gift with others in ways that are peaceful, constructive, and knowing.
A gift is anything you don’t take for granted. What does that include? It can include everything, can’t it? Inspired thoughts, daydreams, talents, breathing, time, awareness, nature, silence, intelligence, questions, listening, creating, joys, and sorrows. Life itself in all its many forms and expressions. So who among us isn’t rich in gifts? ~ D.A. Hickman, Kindred Spirit Quotes
Enjoy your week. And thanks for visiting SunnyRoomStudio.
See you next Friday for Week 15 of Beyond Self 2012.
We visit others as a matter of social obligation.
How long has it been since we have visited with ourselves?
~ Morris Adler
Since comments are closed for this retreat, you might enjoy keeping a journal instead.
Blog posts by DazyDayWriter @ work in SunnyRoomStudio: all rights reserved.
True silence is the rest of the mind, and is to the spirit what sleep is to the body, nourishment and refreshment. ~ William Penn
