Only Soul

There is only soul. Only one reality, one truth.

When we tune into the deeper layers of life, the world appears to be a stage set.

As we move through our day, look beyond and beneath the surface. Slow down and allow time and space to expand in our presence.

Time and space actually alter the way they feel to us when we are quiet and contemplative; their very qualities seem different when we move further into the moment, experiencing it more deeply.

Life takes on a richness and a fullness that has nothing to do with anything more than just being.

Just being, fully in this moment, allows its beauty to slowly unfold itself before us - to spread its wealth at our feet.

Living here and now is enough.

Allow the richness of the moment to alter time and space.

Before the revelations of the soul, Time and Space and Nature shrink away. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Going Within

Going within can be terrifying; to be willing to truly be still and with self is not easy.

Because it can be such a despairing feeling to go within and not find what we need, rather than tolerate the emptiness we race headlong into the acquisition of more of what we think will fill us.

When we live suspended amidst the promise of fulfillment, we see the solution to emptiness as adding and subtracting outside experiences.

Each time we leave a job or a relationship, the parts of ourselves that we left unresolved are still within us.

Until we resolve them, all we are doing is creating more complication in our lives.

This keeps us busy with the illusion that we are working on our problems, which only too often are not the problem at all. The problem is generally within ourselves.

Until we are willing to look for it there, all the switching and changing in the world won't give us what we need.

Have the strength to be still.

You are so afraid of losing your moral sense that you are not willing to take it through anything more dangerous than a mud-puddle. ~ Gertrude Stein

The Dream of Perfection

One of the surest paths toward feelings of inadequacy and an inability to move forward in life is to set unrealistic goals for ourselves.

That is, to have standards that represent "getting there" that are so high that we always fall short.

More likely, the effect of these overly high standards will be to keep us from ever beginning because the point of arrival looks too far away, and we cannot imagine how to find and take all of the intermediate steps.

Today be realistic. Know that there is no such thing as perfect, so why should we worry about getting there?

There is the here and now, and when we get there, it will be that day's here and now.

Recognize that perfection is only an illusion, learn to take daily pleasure and fulfillment from the process.

Live in today.

We have trained them (men) to think of the Future as a promised land which favored heroes attain - not as something which everyone reaches at the rate of sixty minutes an hour, whatever he does, whoever he is. ~ C. S. Lewis

Alone in the Presence of the Self

When we do not allow ourselves the time to develop an inner relationship with our own souls, we leave ourselves open to countless maladies. We are alone in the presence of self. Being alone in the presence of self is the worst kind of aloneness.

There is something very disturbing about not being able to be comfortable with our own insides.

The reason that a process of introspection is so vital on the road toward self is just this: when we sit quietly with ourself, all the unfinished business, old hurts and unquenched longings begin to rumble around and make themselves felt to us.

If we cannot sit through this process of feeling our painful feelings, sorting through them and resolving them, we really cannot sit with ourself because sitting with ourself is too painful.

When we have sorted out the problem and learned methods of sitting with inner pain, we are able to sit through these feelings so that we can eventually get to serenity and self.

Be willing to sit with all of who you are.

Neurosis is the way of avoiding non-being by avoiding being. ~ Paul Tillich

Commonality

Acknowledge the humanity in other people.

Who I am, they are also.

We need not fear exposure because all the secrets that we think we keep so well hidden from others are only too visible, only too obvious.

We are more transparent than we think, but we are not alone - others are transparent, too.

We are all insecure. We all feel love, hate and fear rejection. We are maddeningly alike under the skin.

If we are unusual and unique, it is not so much because we try to be different, but because at a deep and spiritual level, we recognize the essential sameness of all people.

Live with the understanding that human beings are fundamentally similar.

See the divine spirit in all people.

Learn to see God in all persons, of whatever race or creed. You will know what divine love is when you begin to feel your oneness with every human being, not before. In mutual service we forget the little self and glimpse the one measureless self, the spirit that unifies all men. ~ Parmahansa Yogananada

Things of the World

Why chase after shadows or expect the things of the world to fill our souls?

Any experience, object or passion cannot make up for, eliminate, or otherwise fill up any holes within us.

When we expect the world to complete our insides, we are asking it for more than it can offer.

The world is limited in what it can give us. Bitter though this awareness may be, it is our road to truly enjoying the world as it is.

When we learn the true value of worldly gains, what the things of the world can and cannot offer, we cease asking them to be what they cannot.

People, places and things cannot make us happy. We have to do that for ourselves. It is our ability to use and enjoy objects, rather than letting objects own us, that gives our lives its pleasant rhythm.

Our happiness emerges once we have learnt to value things correctly.

Every real object must cease to be what it seemed, and none could ever be what the whole soul desired. ~ George Santayana

Stepping Back

Keeping a broad view in mind allows us to keep our sense of perspective - it keeps us from getting lost in unimportant details.

In order to do this we must practice an attitude of some detachment. We must step back from our thought processes to see how our day feels when we act as a witness to our mental processes.

Become a watcher of our own process of thinking, an observer within our own mind.

We can better grasp the larger picture when we do not get derailed in obsessive mental machinations.

We feel better about our lives, and it makes more sense to us, when we accept that it has an overall purpose and plan.

Relax, let go and enjoy the ride. Take a deep breath and step back.

A tourist visiting Italy came upon the construction site of a huge church. "What are you doing?" he asked three stonemasons who were working at their trade. "I'm cutting stone," answered the first tersely. "I'm cutting stone for twenty lire a day," the second responded. "I'm helping build a great cathedral," the third stonemason announced.

3 Keys to Accepting Change and Letting Go

Is there an area in your life where you’re feeling stuck?

Perhaps you’re feeling stuck in an unsatisfying job or in an unhappy relationship. Or maybe you’re feeling stuck reliving past events that are causing feelings of sadness or regret. Use this awareness as an indicator that it’s time to go with the flow - use it as your inner compass to get you moving again in a new and positive direction.

To go with the flow, ask yourself these three questions:

1. Will any amount of thinking, forcing, or coaxing alter my situation
2. Which thoughts and old beliefs do I need to let go of?
3. In which new direction would I like to head?

1. Will any amount of thinking, forcing, or coaxing alter my situation?
If the answer is no, accept that fact. Without acceptance, you’ll continue to fight, resist, and struggle, which will erode your joy and energy. On the other hand, accepting the situation for what it is and choosing to go with the flow will bring tranquility, peace, and lightness.

2. Which thoughts and old beliefs do I need to let go of?
Let go of any thoughts about the situation that are causing upsetting feelings; such as impatience, jealousy, fear, or anger. One way to do this is to trust that out of every situation, good will come. When you choose to believe that good will come out of every experience, you’ll soon discover that perceived obstacles are really blessings in disguise. Sometimes these obstacles serve to nudge you in a new direction - one that will open up your world to magnificent experiences. Sometimes they help you become a stronger, better, and wiser you. Take all the positives you can out of each experience and choose to leave the negative feelings behind.

3. In which new direction would I like to head?
It’s important to understand that going with the flow doesn’t mean you drift aimlessly and allow the tide to determine where in your life you’ll end up. It’s fulfilling to decide where you want to go and then take the steps to get there.

Free yourself and go with the flow: Accept the situation for what it is, let go of negative thoughts associated with it by trusting that good will come out of every experience, and open up to a change in direction. Allow the natural current of life to take you on a marvelous new adventure.

(Denise Marek)