By Tracy Webb
I have always been fascinated by the phrases ‘you create your own reality’ and ‘you are what you think you are’. At first I thought this was great and very simple – all I have to do is think in a particular way and I would be / have all the things I ever wished for. Suddenly there are laws to abide by and behaviours to adopt and from experience this always brings in the ego and mind identification. There is now a goal to achieve and other things that I have to do in order to have a better life. What happens when it doesn’t work out the way we expected – guilt, misery and feelings of failure set it. It didn’t take long to find out that, although this universal law works, it is not so much what we ‘do’ but how we ‘feel’ and ‘act’ that makes all the difference.
I realised that we choose to ‘be’ whatever we choose. We can choose to ‘be happy’ or to ‘be sad’ at any given moment – usually this is an unconscious choice. We tend to allow circumstances to dictate to us how we act. We then find ourselves reacting to situations instead of responding to them. This can be quite a challenge especially as we are so mind dominated. When we ‘try’ to act in certain ways because we think we ‘should’ or have been told that it good to behave in certain ways, we soon end up with feelings of resentment and of being unfulfilled. When we are peaceful, happy and in a place where we understand that God/The Universe or Source provides for us exactly as we ask and in accordance with the energy vibration we are sending out then striving and trying becomes futile. We can then see how weak and insignificant our egos are and the process of being able to ‘Let go and let God’ becomes more natural.
We are pulled between bouts of realised peacefulness and our strong ego desires. By shutting out the chatter of the mind part of us we can more easily hear the god presence or spirit aspect of us. Bringing the mind, body and spirit into balance and harmony together instead of the extremes we create in each aspect. For example – we can abuse our bodies, feed it foods that don’t nourish it and take addictive chemicals into our systems. We can let our ego/mind become so engrossed in having and wanting more, believing that we are our minds and are identified by what we have. As the mind gets to have more control over us, it becomes loud and incessant making it more difficult for us to hear our god presence, the loving, ever-constant part of us that we so readily dismiss. Worse still, it is seen as insignificant and intangible because it cannot be intellectualised. It is as much a valid part of our being – if not more so - but it is the most denied, instead of being valued, nurtured and embraced.
I have studied the Buddhist teachings of meditation and attended Vipassana meditation courses. I have come to realise how to understand and accept my mind through silence and focusing on the breath. Buddhist Monks devote their lives to achieving enlightenment by choosing a path of simplicity and loving kindness to all beings. All their basic needs are met and the worries that we carry do not exist for them. We, on the other hand, have chosen a more difficult path. The path of the ‘householder’. Our society demands that we must have more and achieve more to be accepted and happy. People all over the world live in varying states of abundance – some recognising and being appreciative of theirs whilst others are never satisfied with their life and never have ‘enough’. It is no wonder that we struggle to attain the peace and inner calm of the Buddha. By choosing a simple path, lives would change beyond recognition; we would be more spiritually enriched and would live more in harmony with our natural environment. I believe we are all worthy of beauty, wealth and to have lovely surroundings to live in. If our outer world is a reflection of our inner state of mind then what does your present situation tell you about yourself? Use this to help you make changes, not to be critical, judgmental or feel guilt towards yourself.
How do we achieve some sense of inner calm and bring about our creative thoughts, as we would like them to be realised? The creative process works on different levels. As stated previously we are three part beings. Creation also works on three levels. Our thoughts are creative, our words are creative and our actions are creative. Used together consciously, these three are very powerful in harnessing the creative power of the Universe. There is also a matter of belief in your ultimate success in achieving this conscious outcome. When you believe that whatever you ask for will be granted no matter what, your experiences will become more positive. Allowing your energy and feelings towards your desired goal to be your guide. Stay positive and focused helps to bring it to you quicker, feelings of doubt and negativity will block your desire from manifesting you way you would like it to. Knowing that whatever comes is exactly in harmony with your vibrational energy pattern. You attract everything perfectly. It is also useful to gauge your situation – use it as a mirror to help you to either change some thought or habit that may be inhibiting your creative process or if you are happy with your situation then keep up the good work! Consciously focusing your mind and listening to your spirit presence and acting in accordance with the desired outcome will bring you success.
The complete knowing that whatever happens is divinely directed and absolutely the right thing for you without exception helps you to accept what does manifest in your life. The more you can let go of control and allow the universe or God to direct life for you the more miraculous the outcome. I have watched myself and society try to control ‘their lives’ doing what they feel is right, striving for excellence and control in ‘their life’. We are conditioned to believe that our mind and ego is in charge. We try to exert control and direction in our life but ultimately this act is not in accordance with the vibration of the universe. Instead of achieving our desired outcome we receive a sort of fragmented version. It is as if our thinking puts fences up that block the natural flow of the universe from coming into our lives. We then experience this version of our thinking in our life. Pull up the fences and let go of the resistance. Trust in the universe that created everything that you can see (and not see). How can our ego compete with what ‘God’ can provide? When you allow the universe to direct your life you will feel like you are being served and provided for in a way that was never possible before. When you stop the struggle and allow life to flow, accepting what comes without attachment or identification with it, you will be amazed at the miracles that start to appear in your life.
In the universe everything that exists is energy and everything is interconnected. This means that we are connected to everything that we want or do no want in our lives; the point is that what is perceived to be missing is so because we are not in harmony with the energy or vibration that it emits. Therefore, to attract anything into your life it is crucial to be aligned to its vibration. We are like magnets drawing our experiences as directed by our thoughts, emotions, words and actions. In this way everything is perfect – there are no mistakes and we receive exactly as our vibration dictates.
As stated in the first paragraph, this probably all sounds like too much that you have to do or change. Again, this is the intellectualised mind thinking and being identified with itself. When we are told to act in certain ways, act in certain ways etc we instantly set ourselves up to fail. This is not how it is meant to be. Unless the action is coming from a place of ‘no ego’ no attachment to the self, we will feel put on, resentful, why should I have to do this? It is the natural way of the conditioned human mind. As stated before, the vibration is not in harmony with the desired outcome. When you are in a state of acceptance and allowing ‘what is’ to be, your experiences and actions come from that place. They become your natural way to respond and act. Instead of feeling the egotistical feelings we normally feel, they will be replaced with compassion and love. The action you take then will come from a place of a higher unconditional love not from striving and feeling unfulfilled, resentful and victimised.
Bring conscious awareness into your life. Start by being aware of the thoughts that are constantly parading through your mind. You don’t have to change the thoughts just become aware of them, the act of noticing frees you from them. This, in Buddhist tradition, is known as being ‘mindful’. When we are mindful it allows us to be aware and conscious of the present moment. Our thoughts can be like clouds that pass by instead of like hooks that grab us in and take us into the past or the future. If you decide to try to become aware of your thoughts you will be amazed at how much time you spend either worrying about the past and your history or projecting a future that does not exist except for in your head. Look at how much time is spent on these intangible things that ultimately don’t exist. At any given time all you have to cope with and be aware of is the present moment. How can you deal with something that is a mind projection? If and when a situation arises, it will arise in the present and you will have the tools necessary to deal with it. Try not to take your thoughts so seriously after all they are insubstantial and mind made – your mind made them. Since we are like ‘magnets’ attracting similar energies into our lives as we ‘put out’ then it is not difficult to understand why we are in the state we are in – when we are not even aware of what we are thinking about at any given moment.
These have been my observations and experiences and by practising what I have written here, life has opened up to me and I experience miracles everyday.