In much of the Eastern Philosophy I have read the descriptions of the personality or Ego have not been so flattering. Even though it's often depicted as an enemy, the ego actually fulfills a function. We all have a persona which serves a function socially. We begin cultivating "who we are" very early in life and it is very much part of our story. However, we must remember that the persona is little more than just a story. It's a story which is comprised of our likes and dislikes, our past, our aspirations for the future, our habits, our tendencies, the things which make us happy and the things which push our buttons. It 's carved out by life experiences, by our inherent rhythm and way in which we approach life. It is truly part of the whole. It is not you! It's more like a hand which you can control. You are soooooo much more. You are body, you are energy, and you are an aspect of all creation; you are creation. Every cell in your body resonates, and it's this resonance which dictates how matter forms. In fact everything in creation shows an identical way of being, and your vibration is simply not separate from that. You can look at every human, animal,. rock, and plant as part of your family, because fundamentally they all reduce down to a vibration, a vibration which emanates from a progressively less differentiated pattern until a common source is reached.
In many books the ego is depicted as an obstacle because we have chosen to identify it as the extent of who we are. This is not a fault, it's because we use language and description to navigate life. The moment we label something we loose its essence. Here is a cliche' example, suppose you are admiring a daisy, many of us immediately go into some sort of mental description, "Oh look how lovely", or "it has white petals and a yellow center", or if you know about botany maybe you obsess over some technical aspect. The problem is with each label we move further from source, further from the essence of the daisy. Another example could be your reaction when you hear about a crime. No matter how minor or despicable a crime is we almost always form a judgment about the person who committed the crime. I am not saying the person deserves amnesty, but I am saying your judgment is an obstacle to compassion for someone who is every bit the same aspect of creation as you, and lack of compassion is an obstacle to the experience of Joy and Love.
So after we can see the ego for what it is then we have an opportunity to mold it, it is after all mailable. There is no doubt that we have choices to make in life. The choices we make will dictate the shape of the ego we create. If we decide we want to live life with levity then we must make choices which do not burden us. The careers we choose, the choice to have a family or not, the foods we eat, the amount of exercise we get, do we cultivate awareness (meditation), how we communicate, etc... all play a part in creating a new story. Discernment is key, we must be able to see where our thoughts and emotions originate from. Thoughts arise from a signal in the nervous system, or e-motions (energy in motion). Where we get caught is at the point of defining. The mind defines what is experienced. If we experience a resonance (e-motion) of agitation, the mind will take hold and define the resonance as anger, then it will try to determine where the anger stems from, " so and so said such and such". The truth, which is in line with natural law and the higher self, is the agitation is just a sensory experience which we are the owners of. We are not our agitation, it is just present. It does not matter if someone else pushed our buttons, we are still the ones who have to carry the emotion. So what you have to do is simple, just be aware of the feeling that is present, witness, allow its story to be told, and return to your still space. If there is any self defeating talk, just feel where in the body the underlining agitation lies and realize that by holding onto that limited belief you are limiting your own happiness, and say to yourself the opposite (which is in essence creating a new reality). Example, I feel alone and the World is not a safe place, notice the truth which is that it is a safe place for you right at this moment (and this moment is all that matters) and you are connected to all creation. If you are feeling alone, then be with it, don't avoid it, don't try to change it yet; just being present with the feeling will allow the pain to reveal its origins. Pain and negativity are there for the sole purpose of being witnessed, they are an inherent part of what it is to live in duality and too be human; however we need not live as pain, as fear, as frustration.
How do we decide on what choices we want to make? Many of us do not know why we are on this planet at this time, but we have a feeling it has to do with more than just living. From birth till death humanity likes to fill the time with activity, much of the activity we choose is done without regrets but some we end up having to carry with us for a long time as an emotional pattern. We all want our life's work to be aligned with joy and purpose, however we don't always know what our passions are. We may sometimes think the ideals which may not be our own, such as the "American Dream" are what we should be striving for, and that if we achieve this then there will be joy and peace. The truth is joy and peace are available right now, all we have to do is slow down long enough, and touch the stillness within to see what our heart holds. This sounds simplistic, and it is, but sometimes we have some work to do first. We need to redefine our relationship with ourselves. When we decide we want to create a supportive, sensitive, loving relationship with ourselves then the Universe simply guides us. The Universe shows us opportunities always, but we need to develop our intuition and our sensory system so that we can be still enough inside to identify where opportunities lie. That's where Yoga and meditation come in. Yoga and meditation are simply about awareness. Awareness of movement, breath, light, love, touch, hearing vibration, vision, and other experiences which are difficult to put into words. Our potential for experience is infinite, and our craving for altered states of awareness forages the path.
Peace,
Akal
to schedule a session with Akal please contact at: somaarts1@gmail.com
In many books the ego is depicted as an obstacle because we have chosen to identify it as the extent of who we are. This is not a fault, it's because we use language and description to navigate life. The moment we label something we loose its essence. Here is a cliche' example, suppose you are admiring a daisy, many of us immediately go into some sort of mental description, "Oh look how lovely", or "it has white petals and a yellow center", or if you know about botany maybe you obsess over some technical aspect. The problem is with each label we move further from source, further from the essence of the daisy. Another example could be your reaction when you hear about a crime. No matter how minor or despicable a crime is we almost always form a judgment about the person who committed the crime. I am not saying the person deserves amnesty, but I am saying your judgment is an obstacle to compassion for someone who is every bit the same aspect of creation as you, and lack of compassion is an obstacle to the experience of Joy and Love.
So after we can see the ego for what it is then we have an opportunity to mold it, it is after all mailable. There is no doubt that we have choices to make in life. The choices we make will dictate the shape of the ego we create. If we decide we want to live life with levity then we must make choices which do not burden us. The careers we choose, the choice to have a family or not, the foods we eat, the amount of exercise we get, do we cultivate awareness (meditation), how we communicate, etc... all play a part in creating a new story. Discernment is key, we must be able to see where our thoughts and emotions originate from. Thoughts arise from a signal in the nervous system, or e-motions (energy in motion). Where we get caught is at the point of defining. The mind defines what is experienced. If we experience a resonance (e-motion) of agitation, the mind will take hold and define the resonance as anger, then it will try to determine where the anger stems from, " so and so said such and such". The truth, which is in line with natural law and the higher self, is the agitation is just a sensory experience which we are the owners of. We are not our agitation, it is just present. It does not matter if someone else pushed our buttons, we are still the ones who have to carry the emotion. So what you have to do is simple, just be aware of the feeling that is present, witness, allow its story to be told, and return to your still space. If there is any self defeating talk, just feel where in the body the underlining agitation lies and realize that by holding onto that limited belief you are limiting your own happiness, and say to yourself the opposite (which is in essence creating a new reality). Example, I feel alone and the World is not a safe place, notice the truth which is that it is a safe place for you right at this moment (and this moment is all that matters) and you are connected to all creation. If you are feeling alone, then be with it, don't avoid it, don't try to change it yet; just being present with the feeling will allow the pain to reveal its origins. Pain and negativity are there for the sole purpose of being witnessed, they are an inherent part of what it is to live in duality and too be human; however we need not live as pain, as fear, as frustration.
How do we decide on what choices we want to make? Many of us do not know why we are on this planet at this time, but we have a feeling it has to do with more than just living. From birth till death humanity likes to fill the time with activity, much of the activity we choose is done without regrets but some we end up having to carry with us for a long time as an emotional pattern. We all want our life's work to be aligned with joy and purpose, however we don't always know what our passions are. We may sometimes think the ideals which may not be our own, such as the "American Dream" are what we should be striving for, and that if we achieve this then there will be joy and peace. The truth is joy and peace are available right now, all we have to do is slow down long enough, and touch the stillness within to see what our heart holds. This sounds simplistic, and it is, but sometimes we have some work to do first. We need to redefine our relationship with ourselves. When we decide we want to create a supportive, sensitive, loving relationship with ourselves then the Universe simply guides us. The Universe shows us opportunities always, but we need to develop our intuition and our sensory system so that we can be still enough inside to identify where opportunities lie. That's where Yoga and meditation come in. Yoga and meditation are simply about awareness. Awareness of movement, breath, light, love, touch, hearing vibration, vision, and other experiences which are difficult to put into words. Our potential for experience is infinite, and our craving for altered states of awareness forages the path.
Peace,
Akal
to schedule a session with Akal please contact at: somaarts1@gmail.com
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