Reading through some older posts and loved this one … perfect for my day ;-).
In meditating today on my prior post ("Alice in Wonderland"), I found myself "chomping at the bit" … getting on a specific path and GOING is something that I find myself wanting these days. What I discovered is that I am already on the right path, I have just been looking at things from the wrong perspective.
To explain, I will share a recent conversation with a family member. This person has been in the business world his whole life, and is not spiritual in any form that I can discern. As is the case when talking with family the subject of the future came up, and what my plans might be. I explained that I am at a time and place in my life where I really want to wait, see what opportunities present themselves, and then act when they do (in other words; I want to focus on God and see what God manifests in my life … but worded for a non-spiritual businessman). He proceeded to explain to me why I was SO wrong for not coming up with a plan! He very passionately explained that I needed to figure out what my end goal is, and then plot each step along the way so that I would achieve success.
I already knew that really, that has been the type of path that I have been on for my entire life. Study, train, get educated, audition, work, repeat formula ad nauseum. That is a path of a man/woman trying to impose their will on the Universe, to make It what they want It to be. That simply isn't me any longer. I'm done trying to build up constructs to make myself look good, or to try build a facade of success and happiness. Happiness comes from knowing God, and being on the path that God intends for me. Don't get me wrong … the study, train, get educated, audition, work, etc. route is good … and it could certainly be what God intends for me to do. I'm not ruling anything out.
So, as I meditated on the concept of paths I actually began to realize that I AM on a path. I feel that God has revealed to me that I am supposed to wait … and in this time of waiting I am supposed to prepare myself by meditating and spending time with my Creator; excavating internal blockages, working through spiritual issues in my life, and overcoming the bad habits that I have allowed to exist. By doing all of this I will be making myself ready for whatever it is that God intends for me. That is exactly what I have been doing with this blog and my daily meditations … so, the path that seems sort of like in-action to me is ACTUALLY the path I am supposed to be on for now.
So what is the difference? Well, one path (the path that seems to be taught to everyone in the world) is to look WAY in the future, decided which peak you want to reach, and then go about doing all of the work to reach that peak. What if the peak that God wants you to be on is on the other side of the planet, and you couldn't even see it from where you were standing?????
Well then, what would I do? I would either go about doing everything I could to end up in Sri Lanka, OR I would do everything I could to run away from that. In either case, I would be missing all of the doors that God was opening for me along the way. So God, in all His/Her/Its wisdom, keeps the final destination from me … God simply wants me to focus on the here and now, the present … and do the things that I need to do to prepare myself. That is the path … not one of gazing off into the future, but one of being completely aware of my surroundings and taking care of the present … so that when God guides or prompts me, I can hear or see or feel that and act accordingly.
That is the path … the Path of Manifestation from Spiritual Abundance in the Present.
re-blogged from Spiritual Abundance in the Present.
– pic from The REAL Center.
re-blogged from Non-Reaction – Eckhart Tolle.
What a TRULY amazing quote … summing up just about everything I believe spiritually in one paragraph. The only limits in this lifetime are what we impose on ourselves.
Some might say this is silly, "Well human beings obviously can't fly, so that's a limitation!" I say, "Why limit yourself this way?!" Jesus was supposed to have walked on water, and that is also something people would say is impossible. Why even argue about whether it is possible or isn't?? It's a waste of energy, and who are any of us to say that we know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, what is possible or impossible?
Too often we think of ways to LIMIT ourselves, instead of thinking of ways to expand ourselves. Why do we do this?? It is far better to think of ways to expand ourselves, than ways to limit ourselves.
via Ineluctable Void – Personal Limitations.
For basically all my life I have placed my focus outside of myself … where it really doesn't matter and does no good (or at least very little). Trying to get others to like me by trivial means like what I wear, how much I know, how fun I can be, how nice I am, whether I follow social etiquette or how many laughs I can elicit … all the emphasis here is on what everyone else around me thinks.
The problem is that their thoughts are all completely unique to them … their upbringing, environment and personal makeup that I have no clue about. If you think about it, each person is their own unique island of opinions and assessments … every one of us are totally original and different.
Are you beginning to get an idea for how utterly ridiculous it is to try and gain inner fulfillment by trying to manipulate everyone else's opinions of you. How could we ever strategically predict what every person will think or do? Talk about a waste of energy!
Whatever anyone else around me thinks … is their own issue to work through. I have no responsibility for what they think, do or espouse. The same is true for me … my own opinions are just that, and they are mine to deal with.
Opinions are far more powerful than I ever was aware of … we base our whole lives on opinions. Not just others' opinions of us either … nope, that's just the tip of the iceberg. Where opinions truly gain power is in your own head … failure, weak, ugly, stupid … whatever your personal mantra is, we all have one.
Most of them come from events in our childhood … and then we just keep bouncing them around in our heads like some sort of endless pinball game for the rest of our lives. To actually STOP doing this takes a great deal of work, practice, awareness and concentration … and time, lots and lots of time.
Try it … think of one of those awful words your inner voice says to you when you have done something to set it off. Think of how many times you have heard that mantra, and how it makes you feel every time you do. Now … stop it.
That's because these thoughts are the deepest habits you have in your entire life. In order to change those thoughts you have to put in just as much work and practice to not only break those habitual neuropathways, but create new ones that bring fulfillment and healing.
It can seem overwhelming and discouraging at times, I know.
The fact is though that you are presented with a perpetual fork in the road … to walk the path of change, or the path of the same. I would say it's actually a Divine requisition to first become conscious of this fork and then make the decision that brings you closer to God.
Every day, everywhere you go during that day, you are generating opinions of others and of yourself. You are choosing to either cling to the mentality that creates your own suffering (being spiritually disconnected), or you are choosing to generate a new way of being that brings peace and contentment into your life (being spiritually connected).
We don't want to see it either … these thoughts have become SO engrained that they seem normal … you are actually addicted to them. They are the structures you have based your whole life on … if you let them crumble, what happens to you?
That is the great test … which pill will you choose to swallow?
– pic from The Matrix.