76th The Flow
The illusion that you’re the thinker. “What do you mean? If I’m not the thinker of my own thoughts then who, or what, is? It certainly feels to me like I’m the one doing the thinking.”
Yes, and for good reason too. Whether in our waking life, or in the dreams that visit our evening’s rest, thoughts and feelings fill our every present moment. But just because you can feel or sense all of their diverse characteristics such as worry, fear,
fantasy, impatience, relief, courage, or compulsiveness doesn’t make the you that experience these movements real; anymore than standing under the cascade of a waterfall, and feeling its flow, means that your nature is water.
Thoughts and feeling are energies. They’re forces that we have passing through us continually. And each has a distinct nature. But neither any one, nor all of these mental or emotional qualities put together, is who we really are.
Again, we feel the heat of the sun on our face, but we know better than to think that we’re a blaze. And yet when we feel the fire of an angry thought or emotion, we believe we are that burning sensation. We are not! We only make the mistake of thinking that we
are; which is why these painful and unwanted internal fires go on and on, but never out.
“This is unbelievable. And yet it all makes perfect sense please continue. What else do I need to understand to cut myself loose from these invisible psychic strings? More on tomorrow. |
75th The Flow
Anxiety or confusion over our inner condition is usually a sign we’re nearer the truth of something about ourselves than we’re ready to admit. Our primary fear here is in not knowing what will happen to us if we open our eyes all the way and consciously
acknowledge what we see. Yet, if we’re to succeed in our quest for freedom, we must dare to make our invisible lives as clearly visible to ourselves as we can. So, which is it? Are we in charge of our own thoughts and feelings, or are we really their secret captives.
Here are some examples of how the mind has some control over us. It seems to me that I’m capable of starting my own thought process rolling. But, on the other hand, there are also those times when I’m powerless to stop the cascading momentum of those same
thoughts for instance, I may begin thinking about one of my past pleasant experience and before I realize what’s happening, I’ll be taken over by some sad memory I never intended to consider. Or maybe I’ll be planning how to better secure my future and the next thing I know I’m
anxious wreck for fear I won’t be able to succeed with my plans! And when I’m shackled by these sorry or stressed out feelings, there nothing I can do to get them off my back. Thank goodness they eventually fade away: or something nice happens to me and their unpleasant presence
is replaced with a brighter one.
|