Seven years of spiritual strolling

 In November 2017 I walked out of a 27-year career in economics and finance with the intention to make spirituality my avocation—writing books, working with people, educating, building communities with others. Seven years later I wanted to give an account of what happened. The magic of the Way always stays the same, and people are people wherever you go.

Choice-less awareness

 There are endless discussions in philosophy, neuroscience, spirituality and biology if we have free will. Why don’t we ask a different question, is there an individual who has free will? If the decision maker is part of the illusion, then how can something that doesn’t exist have anything? When “you” are part of the illusion of separation, keep inquiring and keep listening to the viewpoints of others until something “clicks” inside. When the veil of separation has lifted, enjoy being carried by the energy of the web of Oneness. Choice-less awareness carries the day. Enjoy!

 

There are ways to get our arms around the present moment

 From a spiritual perspective there are two ways to grasp the present moment …

 

… everything is an act of God/everyone is God speaking, or

 

… every thought, feeling and event is an invite to get our self out of the Way.

 

Hanuman put it best when asked by Rama, “who are you monkey?”

 

He replied, “I am You when I am conscious, and worship You when I am not.”

 

Likewise, we are Awareness and can be self-aware when we are not.

Hack the man-made matrix

 Spiritual teachers—especially in the tradition of Vedanta and non-duality—assert that we are already free. Our self identification is an illusion, a thought that was given to us by our parents, society and forefathers, while we strengthened it over the years with our experiences, memories and thoughts building a wall of “proof” around this concept of individuality.

 

The teachers are not wrong. Everyone can experience those moments of Oneness when signs of synchronicity and moments of serendipity show us the web of Oneness that covers us all, and when insights and love overcome this illusion of separation. Alas, these occasions are glimpses for most of us, and so we toggle in-between these modes of separation and oneness.

 

It appears some have permantly broken through this web of Oneness. The old experiences of having an individual self may reassert themselves, but these masters look though them and manage to stay in that dimension of serenity, love and compassion no matter the circumstances. If you have the chance to work with them, enjoy the high vibration field they emit.

 

The question is how to get the rest of us into that field of serenity, love and compassion even though we still carry the conditioning of the past and society. That’s’s the mental mistake! There is no separation between us and the master. Everyone is embedded in the web of Oneness—there is no individual looking down benignly on the newcomer. So what to do?

 

If the master appears in “your” field of experience just as the unfriendly neighbor who reminds “you” that some folks are better loved from the far, then both are a projection of “your” assumed reality. Be one with that tension until the hack in the man-made matrix appears once again. It’s not a projection of serenity, love, compassion—it’s a rediscovery of truth.

 

There is serenity in the dance of yin and yang

 Says the depth of the ocean to the waves who seem to be running to the shore as fast as they possibly can, “Look how restless you are. I am the serenity down here. Why can’t you be still like a mountain lake!” Respond the waves, “We take all the heat from the incoming hurricanes. Unless we sheltered you, you wouldn’t feel serene either!”

 

There is serenity in the dance of yin and yang. Let the waves be restless and the bottom of the ocean be serene. The struggle only comes if we want to stop the waves from moving, not understanding that we are the system in motion, the wind, the rain, the waves and the stillness at the bottom of the ocean. That insight is the “being, consciousness, bliss.”

 

I have downloads in the morning hours. The truth appears and the resistance of the prior day resolves. Yet, to accomplish this feat I need to be one with the interferences of the prior day without trying to push them away or to escape from them. I am the healer without trying to be one. The wave accepts being restless while the ocean enjoys the serenity.

 

#spirituality #serenity #yinyang #wholeness

 

As within so without

 It was a last vacation day and we were done with all the sightseeing. My wife reminded the boys that they had essays to write, and I excused myself and headed to the hotel lounge and left the three behind to figure that out by themselves. When I arrived the lounge was empty and I just sat with that foul energy without doing anything about it. An hour later our youngest joined me and started working on his essay as well. Another hour passed and we had a great brainstorming session of how to proceed. When we returned our oldest proclaimed that he just wrote his worst essay in his life, which is his speak for requesting a little help that my wife gladly provided.

 

Just like that the foul energy dissipated and a constructive process started for everyone. As within so without. I am convinced, had I not faced this foul energy within, had I escaped it instead, with say drinking or watching videos, this resolution wouldn’t have happened. It’s actually a lot of fun once we are able to see these connections, when we let life take care of itself without interfering, while we just show up for the ride. The secret of a fulfilled life is getting your self out of the Way, which of course implies to face everything that is buried beneath and let it come to the surface and let go of it. As within so without. Experience the beauty of this truism as well!

Observe the observer!

 It must have happened to you that you read a book, or saw a favorite movie, or talk to someone so interesting that your awareness of your body disappeared. Your body was the vessel allowing that experience, but the energy of the experience flew right by it. It was as if your body didn’t exist at that moment!

 

Awareness is just like that, only that the story of “me, myself and I,” the memories we carry with us, the established neural network and the pain body are put out of commission. How to get there? Well, just take a close look at your surroundings, see the beauty, watch the thoughts and feelings in action and realize you are not them. “You” aren’t even the one listening to your thoughts, you are the Awareness watching that inner dialogue and all these spiritual memes others have installed in you. There is no “you,” just the silence and serenity of the moment that speaks for itself.

 

Everyone is driven by an energy to get somewhere. Sometimes this quest is conscious, often it’s unconscious. Onwards and upwards the quest goes. When we say, “I want to be aware of this subconscious quest,” we are part of the same problem statement. That’s because we want to be serene, loving, happy instead. That’s why we observe. Yet, when we observe the drive as is, without wanting to get anything from this understanding, just observing what drives us without motive, that’s when this force that doesn’t want to be here now deflates. That’s when Awareness floods in.

 

I observed that my reading, writing and teaching was the subconscious quest. While no longer looking for the truth I made my calling writing and lecturing about it. There is nothing wrong with the mission. It’s what gives me pleasure and I will likely continue with it. Hey, by being aware of this motivation serenity set in. The observer saw the observer at work and the story of “me, myself and I” as a teacher and light worker came to an end. When Awareness is present “you” ceases just as the body appears to disappear when we are totally engaged.