Carry On

When the going gets tough, who does one turn to? Do you turn to someone else, or do you turn to yourself?
What gets you by when you're feeling hopeless, downtrodden, and completely rid of any energy?

When you experience a time like this, it's hard to keep perspective. It's hard to keep that smile on your face, your head held high and work through it. However it's important that you do. People go through hard times so that they can grow. You yourself might have something to realise or learn, someone else may have to learn from you, or you may have to experience something before other doors can open so that you can move onto another phase of your life.  More importantly - you may just need to let go of whatever it is that is causing you hardship, pain and struggle.

The best person to turn to in all of this is yourself. Your Higher Self. Listen to your intuition, and don't doubt for a second anything that little voice tells you, because it will never let you down. Your higher self is the real you. The part of you that rings true, the part of you that lifts you and lights you up. It's the wise voice inside that reminds you what to do or not to do, which you may sometimes brush off and regret later.

Never forget to stay true to yourself. You are responsible for your own happiness, no one else is. You are always free to make choices (better choices), and don't believe for a second that you aren't capable. You are! Learn to say no to others if something doesn't resonate with you, and learn to say yes to yourself.

There is always something positive out there waiting for you. You just need to listen to your inner self, and be prepared to look deeper.

Your Identity

I picked up a great book today - a book called "The 7 AHA!'s of Highly Enlightened Souls" by Mike George (You can downloaded a copy of his book here). I'll share a part that resonated with me most:

"What you see in the bathroom mirror in the morning is not you - it's only your body. The moment you think (believe) you are your body, you automatically think (believe) you will grow old and ugly and die. Though your body will, YOU don't. But if you believe that YOU do, you will think according to that belief, and youwill give birth to fear. And, as we saw earlier, all forms of stress have their roots in fear. All fear has it's roots in the fear of death, fear of loss or fear of the ending of comfort. They are all forms of death and this is why 99.99 per cent of all people experience some stress (fear) everyy day: because we have all been taught to believe we are only physical entities. However, belief is seldom truth and, in this case, we need the truth to set us free of false belief! In this case, the truth will set you free of fear, and therefore stress.
The truth is that you are not that body you see reflected in the mirror, you are a soul, you are spirit. It is not that you have a soul or spirit somewhere in your body, you ARE a soul. You are it! You, the soul, are conscious and self-aware. Soul, self, spirit and consciousness are synonymous. You are  not your body you occupy. The body is the dwelling and you are the dweller. You animate the body. It is your car, your temple. You cannot be cut, burned, drowned, or set on fire. Your body can, but YOU cannot.

Scientists have nothing to say about soul, because soul cannot be captured in a test tube. That's why you must not believe a word of what you read or hear (including here!) - you must put it to the test. Only when you test this insight, and experience it to be reality, will it be true for you. Belief is not truth and the greatest trth is your own experience. Or in this case, 'insperience' because, in order to 'insperience' as you truly are, you must withdraw your attention from the world 'out there' and transfer it to the world within. Do this only for a few minutes to begin with, until you are accustomed to the method. The following is the method.

Think of yourself as a conscious, self aware, point of spiritual light sitting inside your head, just above and behind the eyes. Your body is simply your car, your temple, your costume. Meditate on this insight and gradually it will become a direct 'insperience'. You will begin to go beyond your own thoughts (you are not your thoughts) and into the direct experience of your silent self. You will begin to realise and experience yourself as non-physical, therefore not subject to death, and therefore eternal, and therefore without the need to fear anything. As this truth becomes mroe real in everyday situations, you will begin to feel less fearful, less unsure, less anxious, less helpless, less dependent and less powerless. Slowly but surely, in every area of your life, you will begin to feel calmer, more relaxed and more confident in your power and ability to handle the challenges which you encounter in everyday life.

You are not your name, position, nationality, or belief system. They are labels and roles, but they are not you. You are not even male or female. You are the being aspect of the human, the mind not the matter, the soul not the body. You are not even your thoughts and feelings. When you realise this, then change will come easily, all your problems will begin to dissolve, and a natural happiness and a deep inner peace will return."

The Power of Being.

I was sitting in the garden today reading Eckhart Tolle's "Power of Now" book, when an overwhelming feeling of understanding and stillness washed over me. I suddenly learnt how important it is to live in the present moment at all times. There is no such thing as past or future, all we have is now.
When a person is still within themselves, present, and aware... you suddenly catch a glimpse of your deepest self, your higher self - who you really are. There is no ego, there is no stream of insistent thoughts, there is no negativity... all there is is simply contentment and peace.

I'm learning to disidentify from my mind. When I do that, my mind is no longer in control. There is space of consciousness. Therefore I am at peace, quiet and still. I am. The mind was meant as a tool. It was not meant to control us.

So every now and then whilst I was reading, I would stop for a while, and experience moments of contentment and peace. It was in one of these moments that suddenly out of "nowhere" (also known as the unconscious self) bursts of creativity shot out - I created two quotes, based on what I had learnt and felt.

"Observe your thoughts and your emotions. You will learn a great deal about your conscious self".

"As I sit peacefully with myself, suddenly I am able to see the world as beautifully as intended."

It's lovely having had such an experience. And now that I know how to achieve that genuine feeling of peace, love, contentment and joy (by living in the present moment, and practicing awareness by watching my thoughts and emotions)... I can live it again and again.

Note: Do not confuse joy with the 'fake' joy that is derived from something external, something outside you. It is the joy that arises from within. The joy that arises from beyond the mind. Now that is something beautiful.

Join us - Meditation Flash Mob!

If you're keen on sending some positive intentions out to the world and encouraging others to live a life of peace and harmony, please join your local MedMob group for an hour of (random) public meditation.

Sydney will be holding it's first meditation flash mob event on November 11th, 2011 @ 11am, at the Tarpeian Lawn, Royal Botanical Gardens in Circular Quay (near the Opera House).


NO experience necessary, everyone is welcome! You may meditate, sit quietly, or simply stand by if you wish. Your presence is what's most important :)

For more information please go to:

https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=219082058137084
and
https://www.facebook.com/MedMobSydney

Hope to see you there!

In the end, only kindness matters.

Life is made up of little moments.

Please don't forget to be kind to someone today.

Smile, offer a helping hand, listen to someone free of judgement, compliment them, open your heart and fill others with love, hope, and courage.

And most of all, please don't forget how special you are, why you were put on this earth, and just how much you're capable of influencing or changing another's life for the better.

“Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.” – Leo F. Buscaglia