Grace and Clarity

This month we begin a new Home Study series which focuses on the importance of being in the present moment.  Eckhart Tolle’s The Power of Now took the spiritual community by storm at the turn of this century; you may remember Oprah Winfrey extolling the virtues of his other popular book, A New Earth.  If you own a copy of The Power of Now you can follow along at home, but even those of you without your own text will likely be able to check one out at the library if you like.

Today’s text: The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle

Publisher: Namaste Publishing; Copyright, 1999 by Eckhart Tolle

Study pages: pp. 178-188

As the new year unfolds, we have many opportunities to explore and implement our personal Intentions for 2012.  But without presence of mind or what Eckhart Tolle refers to as “being in the Now,” we cannot hope to remember our Intentions at all, let alone put Them into practice.

In order to manifest change in our lives, we must first be mindful of the daily lessons that are seeking to guide us into that change.  Being in the Now means we open to our lives as they are in this moment–not wistfully dwelling on how we wish they would be or how they once were.  On pages 178-179 and page 182 Tolle says (paraphrase),

“Allowing things to be” takes you beyond the mind with its resistance that creates the positive/negative polarities…Remember that we are not talking about happiness here.  For example, when a loved one has just died, you cannot be happy.  It is impossible.  But you can be at peace.  Underneath the sadness you will feel a deep serenity, a stillness, a sacred presence.  This is the emanation of Being (aka our sacred Inner Nature)…When you live in complete acceptance of what is, that is the end of all drama in your life.  (In a disagreement) you can still make your point clearly and firmly, but there will be no defense or attack, so it won’t turn into drama.  When you are fully conscious, you cease to be in conflict.”

An important element in experiencing the power of Now is to stop fighting what is taking place Now.  Try “allowing things to be” while you look within to notice your reaction to what is happening around you.  Knowledge is power, so if we find we are conflicted about our experience, that knowledge gives us the fuel to begin using our spiritual tools to dissolve anger, jealousy or fear.  We must not be afraid of challenges in the Now, because we never know which ones might be special moments of fierce grace waiting to make us strong, selfless or courageous.  Note Tolle’s words on pp. 183-185:

“All suffering is due to resistance.  On the level of form…there are cycles of success and cycles of failure.  If you cling and resist, it means you are refusing to go with the flow of life and you will suffer.  Growth is usually considered positive, but nothing can grow forever…it would eventually become monstrous and destructive.  Dissolution is needed for new growth to happen.  One cannot exist without the other.”

So now the question becomes, “If I begin opening to life’s opportunities for growth, even the difficult ones, where does my joy come from?  Where do I find my solace, my refuge, my sense of hope?”  And the answer is, the only place these can ever come from–within you.  On pp. 187-188 Tolle says:

“Things and conditions can give you pleasure, but they will also give you pain…they cannot give you joy.  Nothing can give you joy.  Joy arises from within as the joy of Being…Being takes you beyond the polar opposites of the mind and frees you…”

Make no mistake, Tolle’s words challenge us in a powerful way.  They require we take full responsibility for our condition and the way we experience the world.  So let’s begin our study of The Power of Now by honestly assessing how we feel about the challenges Tolle lays at our feet.  Using a pen and journal or piece of paper, contemplate the following this week:

1. Do I believe it is actually possible to be at peace, even if I am sad or suffering?  When in my life have I encountered such an experience?

2. Have I experienced a time when I was able to avoid drama because I was being very conscious and in the Now?  When?  How did that make me feel?

3. What challenges have made me stronger over time?  How can I remember these when I try to hide from a difficult Now moment?

4. Is it true that the only lasting satisfaction comes from within as the joy of Being?  How can I connect to that more often?

In session two of our Tolle Home Study, we will be diving deeper into The Power of Now and what the author has to say about relationships…don’t miss it!  Be sure to click and follow our blog so you can be alerted when our next discussion commences.  Until then, stay present in the Now!

Today we begin the third and final installment of our Home Study of the book Oneness, by Rasha.  If you have not already caught up on parts one and two of our series, I encourage you to visit them to help provide a foundation for today’s discussion!

Today’s text: Oneness, by Rasha

Publisher: Earthstar Press; copyright, 2003

Study pages: pp. 47-48; 50; 52-53

In part one of our “Home Study: Oneness” series, we noted that in any moment of conflict there is an opportunity for us to pause and take a breath before reacting in haste or judgment.  Part two examined how such a heart-centering response allows us to connect to our Higher Truth, from whence we can then speak our perspective without attachment to how others might receive it.

But if you are a passionate, emotional person–as many of us are–this may all sound unrealistic.  You may be thinking, “I’m not a robot; where are the feelings supposed to go while I try to implement these spiritual techniques?”  In today’s reading from Oneness, we see that the feelings are not supposed to “go” anywhere.  They are meant to be felt and experienced, understanding that we are in a human incarnation, after all!  On page 47, we contemplate why dramas arise at all (paraphrased):

“It is essential that the peeling back of the layers of experiential history imprinted within your cellular structure (releasing of old emotions, traumatic body memories, etc.) be accomplished systematically and completely so that you are able to liberate yourself from the constraints of the themes (victimhood, unworthiness, etc.) that characterize this lifetime.  Were this cellular imprinting to remain unreleased, the energy patterns would continue to trigger repetitions of situations calculated to stimulate dramatic emotional responses in areas where resolution may have been achieved.”

What this is saying is: if there is an area of old energy/trauma/fear that has NOT been healed, the old energy triggers a repeat of situations like those in the past in order to stimulate total release.  Until we have fully purged ourselves of the old patterns (such as responding as a victim, lying to avoid intimacy or valuing material wealth above spiritual growth), we will keep intersecting opportunities to engage those themes.

So as we said before, we are not supposed to be like robots when these repeat performances emerge.  We are meant to feel the feeling and engage our Truth in a  conscious way so that past pains may finally be purged from our systems.  We are meant to feel…the question is, how much?

Our challenge is in finding the appropriate balance between wanton emotional rampages and the total repression of emotions.  Our goal is the ability to allow our emotional responses to flow through us without them becoming us.  This means we do not attach meaning to them, blame to them or authority to them.  We simply notice their rise and fall, and move on toward a conscious Connection to the Source in that moment of challenge–as best we honestly can.  All this takes place so that we can purge ourselves of the old patterns we once held (p. 47-48):

“It is entirely to be anticipated that dramas transpire that bring into definition and absolute clarity the key emotional issues with which you have been working toward resolution in recent times.  It is in your highest possible interest that you permit yourself the experience of these emotional responses in order that the corresponding patterning can be eliminated from your energy field.  By resisting the inclination to repress such responses, one is able to make a shift to a new level.”

In the end, we begin to see that interactions function as tools for energetic release–sometimes our release, and sometimes that of someone else.  It is critical that we not become self-righteous and begin to judge another’s emotional mannerisms, simply because we know there is more going on than meets the eye (p. 48-49):

“The dramas into which you may be drawn as either observer or participant may not need to be taken at face value.  It may well be that you have been cast in the role of trigger for release work in which another being is engaged…Approach with gentleness and compassion the beings with whom you share this time, for each of you is performing to the very best of his abilities…It is far too easy to see the flaws in another being.  Rest assured that your own performance is equally marred…and the tendency toward the necessity to appear right only serves to undermine the objective.”

Finally, I would like to stress that repeat performances of certain dramas are not necessarily an indication that something is wrong–as long as you are using your spiritual tools and being conscious during times of conflict.  In fact, intensification is a sign that things may be right on track for you to gain freedom from such sand-traps (p. 50):

“Expect the pattern to continue to repeat itself for some time to come as you bring to the surface and release the layers of vibration held within your energy field…Familiar episodes of dramas intensify as you delve deeper into the process of release (and) does not indicate that you have failed.  Escalating intensity indicates a progression in the release work being undertaken.”

Let’s take a moment to apply all these principles to our own lives.  Using a pen and journal or piece of paper, contemplate the following:

1.  With whom do I tend to have recurring dramas over the years?

2. With each of these people, do I tend to vent in an openly aggressive manner, or do I repress my feelings (passively aggressive)?

3. What could I say to express my natural emotions to these people, while still being respectful of them as individuals on their own Journeys?

4. After a difficult encounter, how can I allow my emotions to come out safely? (ex. journaling, talking to a counselor, exercise, speaking my mind to the Higher Realms in prayer)

5. What is a mantra I can use to honor the other person’s Journey and let the drama go as best I can? (ex. “May they find their Truth and I find mine,” or “I honor his need to reach Understanding at his own pace.”)

6. When I see a drama begin to repeat itself, what can I say to my mind to reaffirm that this is just an opportunity for growth and not a life-or-death situation?  (ex-“Been there, done this, ready to do it again!” or “Welcome back, old bugger…I know you!”)

Over the past month we have investigated how challenging interactions allow us to grow spiritually.  You may wish to print and save our study of these pages in Oneness to review the next time you find yourself in a dramatic encounter with someone!  This book has many other powerful insights to share as well, so I hope you will take the time to peruse a copy at your leisure.

Our next Home Study course will dive into the book, The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle.  Many of you have heard of this book and some may own it; copies are also likely available at your public library.  We will begin our study of this book in just over two weeks, so plan to secure a copy before then if you would like.  Remember, I will provide paraphrases and excerpts if you do not have a book by the time we start.  For those of you who finish your Oneness, pt. 3 homework ahead of schedule, you can read ahead in The Power of Now.  Our pages of interest will be pp. 178-188.

See you in a few weeks–and remember our mantra: Energy Underlies Everything.