Awareness of the Present Moment

Posted on March 7, 2010 by Craig

Reading Eckhart Tolle’s work lately has been a reminder for me to “live in the now.” So how does this “Power of Now” apply to my life?

Last month I drove 7250 km on a 19-day road trip through the western United States. The first couple days were long: about 12 hours to my first overnight stop in Montana, followed by another 8-hour drive to Denver. As I drove, I watched for destination boards, so I could update how much further it was to the next city, and I kept an eye on my GPS, which told me exactly when I was supposed to arrive at my destination.

With one eye on the time of arrival, and my thoughts drifting through what I would do when I got there, I had little mental space left for Eckhart Tolle’s words of wisdom, which were playing on my car’s stereo. “Live in the now,” he says, as I catch a glimpse of a destination board and wonder if there are any good restaurants in that city, and then wonder what I’d like to eat for lunch, and how that will affect my arrival time. “Live in the now,” he says.

And then the words hit me, and it’s as if the blinders come off. Instead of burying my mind in some imagined destination, suddenly the beauty of my surroundings come out from behind the mental curtain and stare me straight in the eye. Suddenly, I see beautiful rolling hills covered with snow, where before I had only seen the miles between me and my lunch. I see golden beams of sunlight coming through breaks in the clouds. I see a herd of deer grazing at the roadside. I see nature’s beauty. I feel my breath in my body. I am grateful for my life.

I am here. Now. This moment is irreplaceable. I live it.

There will be time to worry about my destination later, when I get there. For now, this moment is all there is.

Posted in consciousness, gratitude | Leave a comment

Attracting what you want (by not wanting it)

Posted on March 6, 2010 by Craig

In her book, Steering by Starlight, Martha Beck explains how contentment leads to getting what we want, rather than becoming content after getting what we want.

When someone acts like they already have everything they need, we tend to feel more comfortable around them. And the opposite is true, as well. A man who acts like he’s desperate for a woman will find that getting a woman is well-nigh impossible (because what kind of woman would want to date a desperate man?). A retailer desperate to make the sale will become pushy and give off vibes that make us feel threatened, so we’re more likely to leave the store than to buy something.

However, if someone acts like they don’t need anything from me, I’ll feel comfortable, since I don’t have to worry that they will try and take something from me. If I feel like the person is not trying to get anything, but rather is offering support and service, I will have more of a feeling of abundance around that person, so I’m more likely to want to develop a relationship (or business interaction) with them.

This creates an interesting challenge: How do I get what I want, when the feeling of wanting it actually pushes it away from me?

Those who teach the Law of Attraction will tell you to do affirmations in the first-person, present tense, that instill a feeling of already having what you want. This is tricking the brain using visualization. So, if I want a successful relationship with a happy partner, I visualize having that already, as clearly as I can in my mind’s eye. With any luck, my brain will believe what it sees, and give me a very contented feeling.

Over the course of the coming days and weeks, my brain will be more likely to support me in achieving my goal by watching for opportunities that are in congruence with the goal. For example, it had a happy feeling about having a happy partner, so next time I come in contact with a woman I find attractive (assuming I don’t already have a partner), I’ll naturally act and speak in a way that supports her in being happy, and supports me in being confident and attractive myself. This improves my odds of at least getting a date.

Well, that’s the theory anyway. If you have other theories, feel free to leave a comment.

And try it out. See how it works for you.

Posted in Law of Attraction | 2 Comments

Meltdown

Posted on March 4, 2010 by Craig

What most people don’t know, is that when a caterpillar turns into a butterfly, it first has a complete meltdown. It doesn’t just sprout wings – it first turns into a little glob of jelly inside that cocoon. After the meltdown, it is ready to become something new and incredibly beautiful. Not before.

There are many of us who have experienced various forms of meltdown over the last few years. Old structures fall away. Long-term relationships fall apart, jobs disappear, and even identities that we had held most sacred – such as a religion – evaporate before our eyes. Sometimes we come to the point in our lives where nothing seems to work any more. Everything we had identified with is gone.

We end up alone, broke, scared, without the beliefs that once gave our world structure.

Actually, we don’t “end up” there. It may seem like the end, but like a caterpillar turning into a little pod of liquid on a tree, it is only one stage in a larger process that we can’t see clearly yet.

After our old, limiting beliefs and identities have been melted away, we have an amazing opportunity ahead of us. Stripped down, we now stand unencumbered by the old clothes that no longer fit us. We can now become someone new, bigger and more joyful. We have the opportunity to reinvent our lives based on the Truth that we have discovered about ourselves.

So many people have had unhappy marriages fall apart, and dead-end jobs end abruptly, and it seems like the end. Who am I without this person? Who am I without this career? Who am I now, in this moment?

The truth is, I am not my relationships, I am not my career, and I am not my possessions. Who I am, underneath it all, is someone far greater. The material things of life had obscured that, and needed to be taken away for me to have a clear view.

Once I get clear about who I am, and the life I choose, there is incredible joy ahead. Without the unhappy, limiting attachments I used to have, I am now free to choose commitments and activities that best serve my soul and the souls that I connect to around me.

If you’ve just had a meltdown, it may seem like the end. And it is. But not the very end. A new world awaits.

And it’s more beautiful than any caterpillar can imagine.

Posted in compassion, growth, healing | Leave a comment

Surrender

Posted on March 3, 2010 by Craig

Lots is said in spiritual circles and 12-step programs about “surrender.” Most of us like to ignore it or interpret it in such a way that we can avoid the call.

What comes to mind when you hear the word “surrender”? Do you perhaps think of a vanquished army, wounded and dying, giving up, ready to accept enslavement only to avoid death? This is usually what the Ego thinks of, anyway.

In spiritual terms – when we are dealing with surrender to the Universe – it has nothing to do with giving in to a hateful enemy. Instead, it is about giving up what does not work, in favor of what does work.

To use a mechanical metaphor, a car’s brakes work to keep a car stopped when it needs to be stopped. The car must surrender to the brakes in order to avoid harm. However, when it is time to move, the brakes must surrender to the car, or else the car will be useless.

The average human being (and that includes me) spends far too much time stopped by fear. Our fears keep us from being useful, by not allowing us to move forward when we need to. To realize our full potential, and to experience all the joy that life has to offer, we need to surrender to the flow, and give up our fears.

A train is most at ease when it surrenders to the tracks. A tap is living its life mission when it turns on and surrenders to the flow of water. And we are most at ease when we surrender to the flow of divine energy that is available to us at all times.

I have tried living alone, in fear, unable to surrender to divine guidance and energy. And I have tried allowing that spiritual energy to flow through me and fill me with peace, wisdom and compassion. Let me tell you, surrendering to that flow feels a lot better than the alternative.

When I surrender to divine flow, I find healing, inner peace and inspiration. I find that life feels easier. I don’t have to do it alone – I have strength given to me. Surrendering is like plugging in to the Universe and accepting the power that comes through that connection.

When I unplug, it’s like locking myself in a darkened spiritual basement, afraid of what might happen if I ascend the stairs and live in the light. Who are those people living upstairs? What do they want of me? Will they make me do things I don’t want to do? Universal Spirit stands at the top of the stairs, inviting me to rise up and live a greater life. To do this, I must surrender to the call, and accept that the life above is one of connection, joy and power, and that the life I fear is actually the life lived in isolation – the life I’m afraid to give up.

One last note: Surrender is not something you do once, and then never have to worry about again, like how some preachers talk about being “born again.” It is a daily practice of allowing divine compassion to flow through us into our lives and the lives of those around us. It is a moment-by-moment discipline of giving up fearful, hurtful thoughts and accepting creative, compassionate thoughts instead. Surrender is a decision that must be made continually.

At least it is for me.

Posted in God, service | 1 Comment

Tantrums

Posted on March 3, 2010 by Craig

I have a few little voices in my head, telling me to do things. Yes, that may make me insane, but no more insane than you are, since I know you have similar voices in your head.

One voice is the toddler: “I want it now! I want this! I don’t want that! You can’t make me! You’re not the boss of me!”

Another is the six-year-old who has learned the rules, and learned that he has to do as he’s told or face punishment: “You have to do it or mom and dad (or the boss) will get mad at you! You can’t have what you want right now! If you don’t do what I tell you, you’ll be sorry!”

In his book Awaken Your Strongest Self, Dr. Neil Fioré talks about these different parts of our brains, and how these sub-personalities emerge as a result of our evolution and conditioning.

Fioré’s advice is to listen to these voices, but then rise above them, and use our more evolved “adult” mind to make appropriate choices.

Staying stuck in “You have to” vs. “I don’t want to” leads to guilt, self-criticism, resistance and fatigue. But when we recognize that these voices are not who we really are, we can take a more spiritual and mature position, and treat ourselves with both compassion and accountability.

I am more than the sum of my parts. I can choose to observe the smaller parts of my brain (ego, inner child, etc), hear their voices, and respond from a place of freedom, choice and love. Rather than beating myself up (which the ego loves to do), I can choose my response to the situation without guilt, fear, blame, complaints or justifications. I can choose based on what I intuitively feel is best for all concerned.

Making these accountable choices helps me rise above the petty demands of fear and ego, to a place where I am more in touch with my higher, spiritual self. It takes practice, but the pay-offs are both immediate and long-term.

Posted in Ego | Leave a comment