Every step on the inner path, however seemingly small, Ann K Gryczan Hi there! It has been a while since we last met on the road to Shangri-La. Remember Shangri-La, the symbol of our journey to Self? Here in the world of form, we all received a vehicle for the journey – our unique body, family and circumstances. How is it all going so far? The body we got works well or not so well. How it looks means something – in our opinion and those of others. Plus, we came with a family. They were kind and good and showed us the way of life, or they were bad and mean and ruined it. In the last post there was a bit of a rocky start because of the differences in the vehicles we each got for the trip. Some of us got fancy convertibles and some got broken down wrecks. The mind wondered, “Why?” and had a lot of opinions. It can be easy to get stuck in form (by cultivating opinions and “why” questions), but basically, we came away with these three clues for success on our journey:
Shall we continue on? Remember We’re Not the Vehicle This can seem hard to do! The ego attaches to anything, makes it special and calls it “mine” or “myself” – even so-called “bad” things like hardship or handicaps. Form actually has a wonderful use if you are a student of consciousness: you can always find yourself in it. Not the ego’s “identity,” but something we need to face or remember, or a potential we didn’t know we could be. Some forms are very straightforward and tell us exactly what to do to advance on our journey: If we’re broke and uneducated, we educate ourselves and get a job. Some forms are subtle, convoluted, intractable and almost forgotten. Sometimes it can seem like forever to find our way through them. Then our approach is different: If we are broken inside, we go see what is the matter – very carefully and deliberately. What is the matter? Sometimes we have to look into the abyss and then jump in, sometimes we have to remember something we put aside for this moment. And then, once we have gone to see, we ask ourselves, “What is looking?” It will always be I – the seer, not the seen. Are we broken? No, we realize, that is not possible. Forms often take a whole lifetime to teach us their lessons: Like when we are dancers but missing an arm or a leg. Eventually we find the unique beauty of movement that only we can know, and only by missing an arm or a leg. That is the brilliance of form. Our bodies, families, circumstances, the world around us, and even emotions and thoughts are all aspects of form. They all show us who we are. They show us our innate beauty and truth and they show us the inner limitations we are now ready to face. Nothing is Random Eventually we realize nothing is random; nothing but the shape of our lives was possible, precisely because of what we were and what we have become as a result of encountering it. We also realize that this is not only true for us, it is true for everyone else too. So Where Does Helping Others Come In? We help others along the way because it is in our nature to do so. But not in the way we thought. Amazingly, we discover that the more we find our own way, the more we have to offer others. We can see an increasingly larger picture that has more options. We become increasingly aligned with the qualities of Life: loving, generous, kind – and we find out what kindness really is. It is never kind, for example, to take someone’s responsibility away from them because then we have taken their chance. Here’s the Thing In every moment we have a choice – ego or Life, form or essence. We can milk the form for all it’s worth – have a really good sad story, feel guilty about a good story, be angry or a victim – and that is fine! Life does not force us to accept its promise or its responsibility. Or, we can accept the grace of Life and the forms it has placed strategically in our way to guide us on the journey to Shangri-La. If this is your choice, remember: Recognize the great fortune of being born at all. Accept the form – body, family, circumstances – as yours. Promise to fulfill what it requires and become who you are. And see? That is life’s promise, to become the greatest possibility and potential of who we are – beyond even the dream of our very best self. See you on the road!
Get the latest posts delivered to your inbox!
Find out more about Paradigm Practice — a powerful method for healing and spiritual development.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Learn about Paradigm Practice Receive the
Paradigm Practice Handbook & Audio Guide Guided
|

-
We may at first have thought consciousness was in the mind, or even thought it was the mind itself. That it was somehow part of our domain; our personal interface with life or our go-to source of thinking and reason.
Exploring the mind however, we discover it is not consciousness that is personal, but the mind. We discover the mind is limited and finite and that we can go beyond it — to consciousness itself. Even as a new explorer, we are aware of something here vast and whole, an infinite peace, potent and complete. And we know — as if remembering — that this is also the intrinsic, intimate truth of ourselves.
Welcome!
This is a blog for those who travel an inner path, seeking truth, beauty and the source of being.
Here are ideas and practices to help and encourage the traveler, and to address the obstacles that we, as students of consciousness, inevitably encounter. Everything you find here you can do at anytime and take as far as you want.
This is a blog for those who travel an inner path, seeking truth, beauty and the source of being.
Here are ideas and practices to help and encourage the traveler, and to address the obstacles that we, as students of consciousness, inevitably encounter. Everything you find here you can do at anytime and take as far as you want.
I invite you to use Paradigm Practice as a foundation for your practice, which you may find here, free and available for your use. Paradigm Practice is a powerful guide for bridging the gap between limitation and new awareness. Awakening into the happiness and peace of your true nature benefits all the world. May you be blessed on your journey!
Ann |
Consciousness is the ultimate teacher: it is always showing us what we are.
About| Kumu Consulting
|
|
Copyright © 2023 Kumu Consulting, All Rights Reserved