Dropping the Mental Filter

Clever ways
may cover
the way
beliefs
have been built
and carried along
through the ages.
Perhaps the most
beautiful
freedom from them
is the recognition
no one is
above or below you.
We all are love.
And deeply worthy.
(Carolyn Wind)

I had my preconceived notions of what it means to be a man, just as I had my ideas of what it means to be a woman. Who knows where exactly these notions came from—society, upbringing, collective unconscious, my own nature, or perhaps my expectations and stereotyping—but truth of the matter is that over the years I have met many different people. I have experienced all kind of shades of yin and yang in women, men, and especially in myself. As it turns out, there are differences of things, attributes and beings, and then there is what our mind does with it. Awakening is the process of dropping the mental filter and seeing life as is without judging, projecting and stereotyping.

Just look at the Tao symbol of yin and yang. Do you find the black any more appealing than the white? Do you mind that there is a block spot in the pristine white color? We don’t. We see the symbol as is, but not so much in real life. The filters we carry around are subconscious in nature but life can awaken us to the wholeness of AllThatIs. Life encourages us to drop the mental filters after first cementing them in us. Anyone who has lived life intensely for a few decades has experienced the 50 shades of grey first hand. We meet AllThatIs in all shapes and forms. We develop compassion and love as we walk in each other’s shoes.

Kali and Durga Maa are the divine image of AllThatIs in Hindu mythology. Durga Maa creates and nurtures even in the lowest forms of earthly vibrations just as Kali Maa destroys evil that has outlived its spiritual usefulness in all manifestations. A devout Hindu would never prefer one divine manifestation over the other. AllThatIs is embraced wholeheartedly; dualities are accepted as is, and with it a chance for transcendence in a wholeheartedly unitive experience is possible. Duality is not the problem. Wholeness does not require that every duality has to be transcended. Life is designed to rip the mental filter away from us. Don’t stand in the Way.