Not There Yet!

Today I was reminded of the importance of the guidance provided by the three questions I ask myself before acting (Would I do this in front of God?, Is it my responsibility?, Will this increase the integrity of the universe?).  The actions I have taken recently fit all three criteria, but were not at all popular to some people. It’s interesting to observe my reactions, knowing it was the right thing to do and getting a mixed response.  I still do not like it when people are angry with me.  I do like to be praised.  I am also reminded that Jesus said many wonderful things about love & how to treat your fellow men.  He was mis-interpreted and then killed.

Death As Part Of Life

My experiences for the last several years have led me to realize that death is a vital part of life.  In this culture, death is viewed as a very negative event, which it is not.  Physical death is an event that takes place at the end of life.  Many people believe that death is a transition and release into another state of being, which I know to be true.  My awareness of death, thinking of death as a companion during life, adds significantly to my appreciation of life, adding to its apparent value.  I attended the movie “The Fault Is In Our Stars” a few days ago and was pleased to note that the vital role of the awareness of death was depicted very well.

Allowing

An attitude or approach to life’s ups and downs that I have found very useful is allowing life to happen rather than trying to make it happen or controlling it in any way.  What I do is to pay close attention to any sort of guidance or intuition, take action accordingly and then allow the outcome to unfold without controlling it in any way.  That is, taking action without being attached to the outcome.  I find this to be a very peaceful and stress free approach to an active life, which also requires a substantial faith that “the universe is unfolding as it should”.

Self-care

Writing things down, journaling, as I do each morning, enables me to clarify things that either have or will occur in the near future.  I use it as part of my process.  Writing both necessitates that I think about my day and the act of writing “pulls” thoughts and feelings out of me.  The result is that journaling helps me sort out the events of my day.
I also indulged in a lot of self-care these last couple of days.  Things like relaxing, exercising, hiking, cooking and weeding in my yard.  As I mentioned in my recovery meeting today, it is important that I care for myself if I am going to be of service to others.

Deep Meditation

One of the things that I practice each morning and have been doing for years, without understanding it, except on a very superficial level, is what I call “zoning out” or deep meditation.  As I described the process the other day, I first make a connection with “the God place”, then I clear my mind of distractions and just be an open vessel.  Having done that, I can then be “gone” or in a state of minimal conscious awareness for up to three hours, usually one hour or less, depending on the time available.  I first started using deep meditation several years ago when I almost died and needed physical assistance to overcome my condition and get on the recovery track.  Now I depend on that process each morning to provide me with information to assist me for the coming day.

Reality

In being open to life, I discover different levels of what we call reality.  Some events are very transient, illusory and vapor-like, while some are more solid, but still very transient and then there are those that seem relatively solid and permanent, eternal even.  What takes place between my own ears, in my brain, is clearly the most vapor-like and illusory - in fact a great deal of what happens in my brain will never and has never taken place, outside of my own head.  On the other hand the day to day events of my life, like paying bills, owning things, my physical condition or my participation in sports or other physical activities are also very transient and some have called them illusory since they have little long-term meaning.  Then there are the events like love, relationships, compassion or being of service that have long-term or eternal significance.  All are valuable, sometimes enjoyable, sometimes amusing parts of the texture of my life.

Staying Open

I participate in a number of relatively mindless activities that, collectively, I consider sorting time.  Activities such as weeding in my yard, playing free cell on my computer or exercising, all allow me to sort through daily events and maintain a loving and peaceful attitude.  Without adequate sorting time, I tend to become anxious and feel emotionally bound up or tight, not the least bit open.  In the event that I believe there is one major event that is bothering me, I make use of meditation specifically about that event, asking what is troubling me about it.  The combination keeps me clear and allows me to be open to the flow of life.