Monday Meditation Musings #012
“When I have time, I’ll do all of the things I want to.”
“I’ll do what makes me happy… After I get this other more important thing done…”
“One day…”
What are the situations calling for your attention?
What screams out as THE most important thing for you right now?
Each day is like a mini-life.
We arise out of slumber, and have a seemingly infinite number of directions to travel. And then we put our head on the pillow and die a little death.
In such a busy and distracted world, we can reach for a quick fix. I am certainly tempted all the time. Coffee. Phone. Work. Family
There are many things that engage our attention, but how many of these actually take us where we truly want to go?
Does reaching for the phone to ‘check the news’ or to scroll social media make you feel more connected… or less?
For me, learning and work can be a real trap.
I love to study, I love to hear other people’s perspective. Especially from wise, compassionate Souls. I also love to be productive. I like to feel engaged. Always on the go.
‘Work,’ especially the hard variety, brings me this sense of safety and comfort.
I am busy… so I am worthy!
But work, learning and being engaged with the world can also cloud the mind.
An example; Jump on youtube and search for a topic of interest to you. Open your inbox and have a look at how many people are vying for your attention. Go down the rabbit hole. How do you feel after an hour or three?
You can burn an entire day, passionately engaged in the mind.
It can feel infinite. But is this peace?
One myth I hear surface from within, is that if I get through all of the things I know I need to do, if I learn all the things I need to learn… only then will I be happy.
But what happens in the process of all this doing… is that I find myself creating more work for myself, not less.
It’s a trap.
Hard work seems like a good intention, but it has caused me to suffer more than I needed.
So what to do? How to go beyond this mess of being eternally busy?
Simple.
The yogic path lays out some priorities.
And it teaches you to do the same.
The tradition puts forward the idea that if you get these priorities in order, all else will follow with ease.
I love the Himalayan Meditation practice for it’s simple ability to reassert dominance on one virtue above all; Surrender.
This is a practice of prioritising the Soul.
The method to get there?
Let go.
Dissolve.
The Soul is that part of you that feels a connection to something bigger than you.
I call the bigger thing God; you may call it what you like (love, the universe, nature, …. whatever!)
My Himalayan Meditation practice helps me get my priorities in order by making sure that the almighty is acknowledged, every day. This is my rock, my source of strength.
Literally, I have to give up the most precious resources of time and attention. It can be scary.
It is a sacrifice.
But when I prioritise anything else (say, work, or my own learning) I fall prey to the worship of a false idol; not because work or learning are bad… simply they will not scratch the itch that the Soul is truly yearning for.
So meditation is my reality check.
When priority is given to the Soul, the other aspects of my life organise themself quite naturally.
Higher nature begins to rule over lower nature.
Love over pleasure.
Truth over emotion.
Clarity over thinking.
The result of a daily Himalayan meditation practice is subtle, yet profound.
You learn to let go of the past. And importantly, for me, I learn to let go of the future (ie all of the things I know I need to do.)
This sense of contentment and allowance is a bridge towards inner peace.
And peace is the true source of power.
As a serial hard worker, this was difficult for me to learn and to this day, requires vigilance. I’ve got to keep my eyes open… to my own
nonsense.
If I get distracted, I can fall back into my obsessively hard working ways. This is why we suggest that it is best to meditate… every day.
On the path, humour can be a huge benefit.
This morning I smile as I watched the temptation to open the phone or the laptop and proceed to busy myself with work before acknowledging that what was needed, was to lower myself before the Soul, just for a moment.
So I filled my cup.
The reward of this gesture, is that I feel back home.
Less frantic. Less busy, even though there is still an infinite list of ‘things to do.’
It was a return to the peaceful me… where the words flow freely and with love.
This is who I am when I cease to hide myself in my otherwise busy life.
Who are you without the busyness?
What happens when the social media and the job are let go of? How about the family? Strip away even the body?
What remains?
In this place I am home… and I pray that this week you can let go of the places that you busy yourself (just for a moment) and that it helps you reconnect to the divine spark within.
Out here at the Ashram, we call that place the Soul.
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If you are ready to step into yourself more fully and to learn to touch that place of home every day, we would love to welcome you along to the Soul Retreat.
Spring is a fantastic time in the magical Grampians and we have a few spots remaining on our November retreat.
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NOVEMBER Soul Retreat22nd to 26th NovemberLearn More about joining the Soul Retreat
