04/03/2020
I’m just going to drop some truth right here, feel free to pick it up if you like.
“My entire life has been a series of never-ending tragedies, none of which ever happened.” -unknown. “Nothing is good or bad, only thinking makes it so.” -unknown. You are not your thoughts. You are not the stories you have created in your mind. Your thinking mind is only a tiny aspect, one of many aspects that make up who you are, but it is not who you truly are. You are the aspect that is able to observe everything, including your thinking, and it is quite possible to do so without identifying with it. You are the awareness, the consciousness that every aspect of yourself happens within, not the aspects themselves.
Not knowing this (ignorance) led me down a deep dark path consumed by anxiety and depression, so severe it was debilitating, without medication I could not function. On the other hand, fully realizing this has led me down a completely different path, one where everything is possible, where there are no limits, where I’m able to truly experience what it’s like to be fully present, to experience true joy and happiness.
How can you more fully express who you truly are? Who you are beyond the fear, beyond worry. Emotions come and go, as does everything. Impermanence, another profound truth, is only profound if you realize it. Nothing lasts forever, everything is always changing. To resist change, is to resist nature, and we are nature (not separate from it). Do not fear death, for without death, there is no life.
Practice acceptance, always. Practice non-judgement, always. Ask yourself, am I coming from a place of love, acceptance? Or a place of fear, resistance? And when you are in resistance, ask yourself what you are resisting. The hardest part is becoming aware of the resistance, but once you bring awareness to it, you can begin to dissolve it. The thing about resistance that we often forget, is that it actually does the opposite of what we think it will do. We think by resisting something, that thing will stop being a thing, that it will change into what we actually want. But it does the opposite, it gives it energy, it makes it stronger and causes it to stick around even longer! What an interesting paradox. This is why every attempt to wage war on every problem in the world, always fails, and instead makes the problem worse. Being part of the solution, not the problem, means much more than what first meets the eye. To be part of the solution, you have to be the solution, you cannot be part of both. If you resist (or fight) the problem itself, you give it energy, and that’s the energy you share with others, which compounds the problem; rather than helping, which is what you intended. It’s starting to sound complicated, let’s simplify. If you accept it, your actions will be more in alignment with the solution, you will instead share that type of energy. The simplest concepts are the most profound, they aren’t necessarily easy to implement, but with practice they become habitual, and the results speak for themselves.
For example, the problem right now, is not some "virus", but the reaction to it. The real pandemic is the fear-based energy that spreads like wildfire, which is fueled/created intentionally but that's a different conversation altogether. The real pandemic is the endless unnecessary suffering (most are unaware of) that is a result of being completely disconnected from who we truly are, of being identified with the thoughts, of not knowing how this whole human experience even works. The real pandemic is ignorance, simply being unaware of so much. Resistance can prevent us from ever figuring anything out. If there is tension, there is resistance, let go, choose to be in acceptance, and act from there.
When you notice tension, imagine how it would feel to completely accept a situation, and have zero aversion to it. You can do that, right now, try it, choose to fully accept everything about your current situation in life, let go of all opinions and judgement about everything; imagine that nothing is good or bad, everything just is as it is. Then ask yourself what you would do if you were living from this place of acceptance? Ask yourself questions that are relevant for you, like what’s important to me? What do I value more than anything else? What do I want to bring into my life? What can I do right now to bring more of that into my life? Ask yourself whatever you want, whatever question seems most relevant for you, and then let go (don't try to force answers, try to allow the thoughts to just pass through), you can sit there with your eyes closed for 5 or 10 minutes and just observe whatever arises and let it pass away as well, just see what happens (this is a practice of being, just be. here. now.; try taking a few deep breaths (in through the nose, deep into the belly with a long releasing extended exhale). Perhaps you will notice something interesting, like the fact that none of the things/stories happening in your mind (your thoughts) are actually really happening in the present moment. If you're not sure what I mean, just ask yourself (with regards to what you think is happening), is this actually happening, look around, think about what is actually happening in your life around you, does that picture align with what you think is happening?
Be present, and be careful where you allow your attention to go, for example: your phone, all it does is take you away from the present moment every time you look at it or hear a ding; be aware of and choose how you use technology, do not be used by it.
When you come from a place of complete acceptance, you will act more in alignment with who you truly are, rather than from a place of resistance, which is completely different, not at all in alignment with who you are. I’m not saying it’s easy to do this, but like anything, with practice it gets easier, and the benefits of utilizing your capacity to do this are huge! Why not try it, what have you got to lose? Build better habits.
I've only barely scratched the surface on some profound truths in this short write-up, I hope I've planted some seeds that will grow, and I hope they will have a positive impact on your life like they have mine.
With Love,
Truth Prescribed
