From the time I started offering insights about better living via this blog to right now, today, the external circumstances of my life experience have, at times, been exceptionally uncomfortable. In fact, I even ponder whether external circumstances have become uncomfortable explicitly because I’ve chosen to offer insights about a better life experience.
Is the universe testing my qualifications, so to speak? Or testing my resolve? Or perhaps I’m being assisted through on the job training, if you will, so that the insights I offer will be surely valid and thus legitimately helpful to the audience? If this is so perhaps the audience and I both are being given assistance — two birds with one stone.
Who can say for sure…
In any case, as I’ve encountered these uncomfortable external circumstances I have — in some instances — become wholly identified with thinking instead of following my own advising, which is to remain consciously in the now and observe thought from a detached place. When one becomes entirely identified with thinking unconsciousness occurs, and action may automatically follow thinking patterns.
For instance, during unconsciousness angry thought can precipitate angry actions; sad thought can precipitate sad actions; anxious thought can precipitate anxious actions; and so on.
I must admit that I have followed this pattern myself at times during recent uncomfortable external circumstances. I have reacted in anger, in flustered stress, in annoyance, have passed judgments, and more. I have not been the consistent picture of enlightened grace, moving evenly along through the storm.
Have I failed then as an adviser to others who are facing life challenges and suffering? Perhaps so.
But there are things, I think, that come from my lack that might be a help to others. The first insight is that when making a commitment to enlightened change, stuff may come up. I noticed this back in my pre “adviser” days when I made a strong commitment to using the ho’oponopono method. While I definitely noticed a positive change result, I also noticed what felt like various negative circumstances arising.
I presumed it was the ho’oponopono method flushing out my karmas.
Now as I go public about the virtues (as I see it) of ho’oponopono and conscious living, what feels like negative circumstances come up yet again. As I said previously in this writing, I don’t know what is “going on” but be aware in your own path towards enlightened living that it may not always be — and most likely won’t always be — uneventful bliss.
The other lesson that can be learned is a lack of full compliance is not the same as failure. I have not been completely conscious in the face of my recent uncomfortable external circumstances, but neither have I been completely unconscious. I have also been aware at times that I was in an unconscious state. Awareness of being unconscious is progress towards enlightenment, and so is being conscious even if consciousness doesn’t happen all the time.
Each bit of conscious living carried out is progress and that progress doesn’t get nullified. Your conscious presence increases every time you are engaged in consciousness: it does not decrease when you fall out of consciousness. The progress you make is permanent.
I can personally testify to this as I have noticed, clearly, a change in my being through a commitment to conscious living. This change doesn’t leave me, and in fact I notice it on some level even when I’m unconscious — something that helps me pull out of the unconscious state more easily and frequently.
I may not be an enlightened conscious master but I don’t need to be to benefit from the conscious way of life. And neither do you.
Good for us.
