Showing posts with label joy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label joy. Show all posts

Monday, 11 June 2012

How to Start Living Your Perfect Life


Have you ever wondered why things happen in your life as they do? Do you ever ask yourself, why is this happening to me? Does life anger, confuse or frustrate you with what it throws at you sometimes? If you are human, and are honest with yourself, then you will most definitely answer yes to all the above questions. We all desire to know the answer to this enigmatic question, “are the events in our life random, or is there something greater taking place that we cannot naturally see?”

The answer, in reality, is a lot simpler and easier to grasp than we would originally think. Actually, it is the mind, or more specifically, the ego-mind, that is the very cause for such a question needing to be asked. If it wasn’t for the ego-mind, such a question would be irrelevant, as the answer would be eternally before our eyes. For those of you not acquainted with the ego-mind, here is a brief description.

As human beings, we have a split mind in our current phase of progression. We have a unified-mind and an ego-mind. At any given moment, we have only two choices; to see life through the unified-mind or to see it through the ego. The unified-mind is connected with all things, sees all things as being one, and perceives things as they really are. The ego, on the other hand, separates all things, sees things as being separate from the self, and perceives things according to our beliefs, values, language, memory, past experiences etc. The unified-mind perceives reality; the ego perceives illusion.

The problem for each of us is this: we tend to identify with and look at life through the ego, instead of the unified mind. The ego, because it sees things as being separate, creates the illusion that people and events are external to us. On the other hand, reality, only perceivable through the unified-mind, sees all life as being one with us. The unified-mind is based on the truth that, ‘there is only one person in the room’, and that all things are one and interconnected. But, to the ego, such things are ridiculous, as it is based on the illusion that, ‘there are many people in the room’.

For many, this will be the first time you have come across these concepts. Please be aware, that you will most likely be reading this with the ego-mind, and not the unified-mind. Resultantly, your ego will be disgusted at these words, and will be resisting them vehemently. The ego helps form that little voice in your head that talks to you constantly, the one that you have a hard time turning off sometimes. Essentially, these words challenge the ego, especially the hold it has upon your life and what you perceive within it.

The whole purpose of the ego is to create and maintain the illusion of separation. One of the main principles it works according to is found in the phrase, “perception is projection.” Simply put, what we perceive in others is our own projections coming from the ego. If we dislike how our co-worker has a short temper, it is because we also have a short temper. If we regularly get gossiped about, and it angers us, it is because we also gossip, and we feel guilty about it. In reality, all that we experience in others and life is a reflection of our own inner projections. The ego projects all these things, and then perceives them outside in others, thus confirming to itself the illusion that these things are separate from the self. This is the cycle of illusion that we are all trapped in to different degrees.

Thus, to live a perfect life, and answer the great question asked at the start, we must expose the ego, and start living from our unified-mind. When we live from the unified-mind, we accept that everything is perfect in any given moment. This is the true meaning of love. Love can only be experienced from the unified-mind, as the ego only experiences fear, anger, sadness etc. We can only access the unified-mind in the present moment, as all thoughts of past and future come from the ego-mind. This is why the unified-mind perceives reality, as reality only exists NOW, in the moment. This is the great secret to life that it exists in the moment; there is no past or present, only one eternal now. The ego cannot exist in the moment. Because of this, you or I can never live a perfect life from the ego, as ego is based on illusion, and in reality, it doesn’t even exist. This may come as a shock to some, but know it is only the ego-mind that finds this shocking, as the unified-mind, who you really are, already knows and accepts all these truths.

To live your perfect life is to live in the moment. It is to know and trust that each moment will reveal the best course of action. It is to cast off the ego and start perceiving life through the perfect lens of your unified-mind. When you come to realise that you are the only person you interact with every day, you will start living your life, instead of having life live you. The perfect life is to see the universe as a great mirror, always reflecting back to us our own projections, ultimately to move us closer to love. It is to accept that life already is perfect each and every moment. In this way, your perfect life is that of perfect love. To attain this perfect love, we must let go of the ego and start embracing the unified-mind, who we really are.

Saturday, 13 August 2011

Living Life In The Flow

I have been contemplating recently how sometimes in life we seem to be "in the flow" and everything just happens naturally and effortlessly. It is in these times that we are most happy and it almost takes no effort on our part as things just seem to fall in place like slipping our feet into a sock. Now here is the conundrum, how do we get into this "flow of life" more often?

It seems to me that life is most natural when we are in this flow. What do I mean by "living in the flow"? I am referring to those times in life when there seems to be no resistance, where each new block is placed before us and we intuitively know where to place it. It is in those tranquil phases of life where we don't seem to put in any particular effort, but yet everything falls into place. It is during these times that we feel the true peace and joy that life has to offer.

Yes it is true that for some of us these times can be fleeting and short lived. But I'm pretty confident that each of us has had at least glimpse of this "living in the flow" at some point in life. Admittedly some of us experience this more frequently than others, and it is here that I wish to direct my attention. Is it possible for a person, any person, to intentionally create more of these "in the flow" moments in life?

From my own experiences and intuition I would answer strongly in the affirmative. I firmly believe that it is possible for each of us to experience and get in touch with this phenomena known as the "flow of life". From what I have come to know, this "flow of life" is none other than the will of God. When we are living in the flow we are living according to God's will.

Now I am not saying that when one lives in the flow that life is easy and devoid of challenges and trials. This is certainly not the case. Even when one "lives in the flow" there will be challenges in one's life. When we face a challenging situation or trial "outside the flow" it seems unbearable and we wonder if we can make it through. It seems to us as though we are banging our heads against a wall and getting nowhere. On the flip side, when we face a similar situation while "in the flow" it is a completely different story. We accept it as an opportunity to grow and it seems like a natural part of life just like it was natural when we decided to walk as babies. 

It is my belief that when we experience any pain, suffering or resistance in life it is because we are NOT "living in the flow". It has been my observation that life in its natural state flows and moves effortlessly without any pain, resistance or suffering. Just look out at nature and see for yourself. The trees stand in elegance and serenity as their leaves and branches sway in the peaceful breeze. Birds grace the sky in freedom, bees patiently search for nectar to take home and the mighty Sun gives life and vitality to all life. Yet the true power in all this is that it all happens so naturally and effortlessly.

Life in its natural state is "in the flow". There is no pain, resistance or suffering in nature. It is in nature that we can witness the true order of life. Now when any human being experiences pain or suffering in any form it is because they are doing something that is going against the natural order of things. Put another way, nature lives according to God's will and prospers accordingly, because the Divine will "is the flow" of life. It is only when you step outside the Divine will that you begin to experience any type of pain or suffering.

It is true that we each have a unique purpose during our lives here on earth. Each of us fits into the giant jigsaw puzzle and we each have our place within it, without exception. "Living in the flow" is about letting the higher aspects of life guide you into place on this giant jigsaw puzzle. We only begin getting "out of the flow" when we think we know better than the Divine. When we live according to our own will we begin experiencing pain, suffering and resistance. We try and move our own puzzle piece and place it where we feel is best.

The trouble with this is that we can only see a tiny aspect of the entire puzzle at any one time. So when we decide to move ourselves around we are doing it blindly, not knowing how we fit into the grand scheme of things. But there is One who knows the entire jigsaw puzzle at all times and who sees it in its entirety. Now let me ask you a question. Is it not easier to follow the One who knows everything than to follow your own comparatively tiny viewpoint?

The natural answer to this question is "yes, of course it is". So then how do we begin "living in the flow?" In my experience I have found that the heart is where the will of God resides within us. It is manifest in our feelings, not our emotions, and also in our intuitions. When we let go of the mind and trust the still small voice within we begin to get in touch with the will of God that leads us to "living in the flow". Feelings are of the heart, emotions are of the mind.

When a person turns their attention to the deeper aspects of themselves they begin getting in touch with the deeper aspects of life. As within, so without. By deeper I do not mean anything complex or dark in nature. By using the word deeper I simply mean those aspects of ourselves that we often overlook the 'real' parts of ourselves. Often times we are all guilty of viewing ourselves only superficially without really learning about who we really are within.


It can be challenging but it is possible. Each of us has a unique place to fulfil in the grand puzzle of life and there is only One who knows how it all fits together. We can either learn how to get in touch with the parts of us that guide us down that path, or we can choose to follow our own path based on the more familiar parts of our being. Either way it is within our power to determine which path we go down.

Therefore life is a choice. Do we choose to move our own puzzle pieces or do we choose to let the Divine move and direct our puzzle piece? One leads to being "out of the flow" and the other leads to being "in the flow". At the end of the day it is our choice. All of life is about choices. In this instance, one choice leads to pain, suffering and resistance; and the other leads to peace, joy and freedom. Now which path you choose to follow is completely up to you!