Reality and reality III

One of the great things about the experience of being in Reality is the trust and quiet calm that comes from that trust.  I can trust Reality precisely because it is not me, not my self, my small, ego self, but my Self.  Reality, my Self, is kinder, gentler, wiser and more loving than I am.  I, as an ego, am small, confused, scared, ignorant and mean. I as my Self am not. As my Self, I can know all that I need to know, when I need to know it. I don’t have to plan and prepare.  I can live in the present moment, without guilt over the past or fear of the future.  Reality, my Self, simply is.  It has nothing to prove and nothing to do. It doesn’t struggle as my self does.  God how I love being with It and being that way!

I can trust Reality, rely on It and enjoy It, precisely because it is not me, but Me.  How wonderful to get away from me, to let go, open to new ideas and creative vistas and to simply trust. That’s what Reality is, a vacation.  We know, deep down, and all our greatest metaphysicians from Jesus to MLK have told us, that we are more than we think we are. We know this!  And have experienced it as the intuitive, direct knowing of the immediacy of our Source, as our oneness with It and our identity as It.  This is me, too, the Real Me, so very kind, different and loving than the everyday me.

So it’s a paradox.  I can trust, rely upon and enjoy Reality precisely because it is not me, but is Me.

Reality and reality II

The thing is to first understand, then practice the idea that there is another way of seeing things and being in the world, an alternative to my habitual, every day ways of seeing and being; that what I take to be ‘reality’ is merely one of a number of realities, most of which are dominated by the ego – my small, tiny, limited self.  Spirit –my generous, compassionate, unlimited Self, is the essential alternative to the ego.  In fact, spirit is more than an ‘alternative’ way of seeing and being, it is Reality Itself.

The ego’s ‘reality,’ what we take to be real reality, is merely a dream of Reality, a mere shadow of Reality.  Introducing Reality into reality is like lucid dreaming.  Lucid dreaming is a learned technique for managing our dreams and turning our nightmares into happy dreams.  With lucid dreaming we know we’re asleep and dreaming, but we consciously choose to access the power/vision/truth always present outside the dream and bring it into the dream, to consciously change the dream from a nightmare to a happy dream. 

Introducing Reality into reality when I think I’m awake, works the same way. First I understand I’m dreaming, that what I take to be reality is a bad dream.  Then I understand that I have access to my greater Self, that that is my real identity, not the ego, and I consciously, mindfully choose to identify with and come from that Self, not my self. Then, the nightmare can be changed from its reality to its Reality, the happy dream of our peaceful, kind and compassionate oneness with all that is.

Conscious choice and mindfulness are crucial.  The more I consciously and mindfully choose to engage in the process of exchanging reality for Reality, the better it works, and the seeming difficulties, which are legion, fade away. 

I practice; realizing that everything, absolutely everything, is an opportunity to choose Reality instead of reality.  I practice; I remember that while in the dream, the dream seems real, all encompassing and without an alternative.  I practice; knowing that despite this experience of dreaming, it is still only a dream and not Reality.  I practice; claiming my Reality, my Self, and releasing my reality and little self, without attack and struggle, peacefully and gratefully turning them over to my Reality and Self.  And the more I practice, the better it works and gradually, oh so gradually, I find myself spending more and more time awake in Reality as my Self than I do in reality with my little self.

Reality and reality

What I’m trying to understand so I can do it more often, is what ‘work with’ means.  As I said in yesterday’s post and what my own experience shows me, is that to ‘work with’ the great invisible Reality actually means to not work.  It means letting go of the past, of my habitual, preconceived notions of right and wrong, and what the situation is or should be, emptying myself out (at least on the particular topic of interest) and allow spirit – the great and invisible Reality, guide me, define, diagnose and prescribe for the situation. 

It’s more of an undoing, than a doing.  It’s getting my bloated nothingness out of the way and if feels wrong to do that, like giving up and letting my side down, instead of ‘working with’; and because of the feelings of wrongness and guilt, I resist ‘working with’ in the most effective way.  Instead of ‘working with,’ I’m battling my ego, trying to get it out of the way. 

I want to let Reality shine, as it is always doing if I will but look, to catch a vision beyond the ego’s meager range of what bliss is and allow that vision to pull me towards it.  Doing this is ‘working with.’  Forget forcing or confronting my ego, leave it be and just go for the vision.  Be still and know.  Seek ye first the Kingdom and all else shall be added.  The pain pushes ‘till the vision pulls.

Usually the conditions I’m concerned about - a headache, cancer, being unemployed that I’m seeking spirit’s help to fix, will not magically disappear.  But, when I’m really able to work with spirit, not to ‘fix’ these conditions, but simply to know I am spirit, then how I approach the conditions and what they mean to me, will be different.  Almost certainly less acutely painful and more in line with the benign, compassionate and kind reality that spirit is. 

I will perceive what’s happening as ‘conditions’ not permanent Reality, but as part of my ego’s reality, not all of who I am, but only part of who I am.  And as I release the conditions from my ego’s grasp, as I stop thinking I know what’s going on and what to do about it, giving them over to my greater Reality, the conditions are free to change and reflect their spiritual reality.  I am able to perceive them, not as life-threatening problems, but as life-expanding opportunities to seek the Kingdom first and experience Reality.

Mental Equivalents II

So, OK, when I’m experiencing fear, loss, lack and limitation, I’m using my ego as a mental equivalent.  I can realize my experience results from my projection, take responsibility and do the inner work to change my mental equivalent, or I can try to change the external ‘reality’ that I think is causing my experience.  Most of the time I do not take responsibility nor do I do the inner work, but simply accept the external phenomenon as real and work to change them.

The ego always speaks first, The Course says.  It speaks first and loudest and never shuts up.  It’s the default, what comes up automatically if I’m not being mindful.  But even being mindful and wanting to change my mental equivalent is not enough to actually change it.  For as long as I try to deal with it in it’s own terms as if it were real, I’m stuck, trapped and imprisoned.  The only way out involves more than being willing to shift mental equivalents, it involves a complete and radical shift in what I take ‘reality’ to be.

The non-ego reality is essentially beyond anything my ego can conceive.  This Reality, of which everyone and everything is a part, is just too big and powerful for my tiny ego to conceptualize.  I am constantly cutting Reality down to the size of my ego so my ego soelf can ‘manage’ it, when what I want to do is believe in It, more than my ego, surrender to It, and be guided by It. 

Haven’t we all experienced moments when we’ve felt this benign, all inclusive Reality, this inner sense of being part of a greater Reality; of bliss and a peace that passeth understanding, of unearned and unmerited grace?

We are able to work with this great and invisible Reality because It embodies and embraces us, is who we really are, is the other side of our human experience.  It is the stuff we and everything is made of, that we pour into the tiny mental equivalents of our egos to form our inner and outer reality.  We can also pour It into mental equivalents that more closely approximate It’s reality by surrendering to It and getting our bloated nothingness out of Its way.

Mental Equivalents

At some level, despite what may be happening on the surface of our lives, we always know who we are.  At some level, we never forget our divine identity, our immersion in the nature of spirit, the immense power within. Practices like compassion and kindness for ourselves and others; pausing to be grateful and sensing the benign patterns in nature; letting go and letting god, accepting grace, and catching the universe working for our good help us awaken to our true nature, to remember what we know, who we and everyone is, and dwell there more often.

Surrender to this inner knowing and awakening, is not about weakness but about having the strength to get egos - our bloated nothingness out of the way of the divine circuits and let go of attachments to the surface things of our lives.  Surrendering, we become free of all thought and self-reference.  We surrender to the moment, right now and fall into the depths of being.  We recognize the truth of our being, that we are already complete and that whatever may seem incomplete or out of place in our lives and in the world is the result of our own limited view of things.

The creative energy that is God, from which all is made, responds to our thought, to the mental equivalents – the molds we pour our thought and feelings into.  If we are experiencing fear, loss, lack and limitation, we are using our egos as a mental equivalent, producing limitation, smallness and lack, when it is the mental equivalent of spirit, the limitless, abundant and benign spirit, that we want to be using.

Vote!

Most of history’s great charismatic leaders who started movements that enacted change were young, in their 20’s and 30’s.  Today, young leaders will have to cultivate alliances and share leadership among diverse economic, social and racial groups with class becoming an important topic in the equality equation.  Young leaders will be ‘sophisticated,’ meaning they will not pander to their own natural constituency - their base, but will diversify their reach, dealing with more complex and nuanced issues than in the past, using social media. 

 Dialogue, rather than diatribe will be their strength.  Compromise will not be a dirty word or a betrayal.  Common ground for the good of all, irregardless of age, race, sex and ideology will be valued.  Creativity, innovation and thinking out of the box will be sought, even from France.  Labeling, profiling and blaming will be properly regarded as useless blocks that waste time and energy and keep people from the common ground and the good of all.  Hidden agendas for special interests that undercut the common ground and the good of all will be shunned.

We can have leaders that embody these qualities right now, we don’t have to wait for anyone or anything.  Most people want leaders with these qualities.  We simply have to demand them and vote for them.  Vote for people that embody these qualities, not anger, fear and blame.  This is still a democracy.  Let’s get clear about what we want, and what we know will work, and vote for it.

Carpe Diem!

I was in the ophthalmologist’s yesterday to get my glasses fixed, picked up an old copy of Ebony (10/11), mostly to look at the pictures, and read the following editorial by Amy DuBois Barnett, Editor-In-Chief, part of which I want to share with you.

“Since 9/11, I have not taken a single day for granted.  I understand that every day is a gift, and that the only thing we can control is how hard we live and how much pleasure we take in the small moments.  My mantra became: This day will never happen again.  What can I do to make it count?

“There’s no reason to waste time being afraid of risk, hesitant to have adventures and bitter about lost opportunities.  Live big and bold.  Try new things, visit new places, meet new people, laugh as hard as you can as often as possible.  Stay open to all new experiences and great adventures – and try to have at least one.

“Instead of buying things, focus on doing things.  Don’t shrug off the people and opportunities that come your way.  Think ‘Why not?’ instead of ‘Why?”  Get out there!  Remember, this life will never happen again, and tomorrow is not guaranteed.  Know it’s not about how much time you have, but what you do with it.”