Presence

Venus over Santa Monica Beach

It is extremely difficult to shed the belief systems which are so deeply ingrained in our consciousness.
We have been conditioned since birth to believe that we are a male or a female, of a certain age, of a certain religion, education, economic status, residence, political party, etc.  Each of these identities carries a complex and mandatory set of beliefs, which must be adhered to.

A series of thoughts emanates from these belief structures.  We have a constant internal mental monologue of thoughts, all arising from the belief systems which were created by our exposure to family, friends, teachers, the media and so on.

We maintain our identity and sense of safety from belonging to these various groups and belief systems.  However, most of these beliefs were not chosen by us and do not serve us.  Since these belief systems are built upon a foundation of lies, instead of feeling a sense of belonging and satisfaction, we are frustrated, angry and afraid.

What is the alternative?  We can live an authentic life of peace, joy, love and freedom by surrendering our beliefs and allowing Presence into our lives.  It takes courage and faith to take the leap away from our societal beliefs into the Unknown.  We believe that we will be lost without our identity.  We are afraid of losing what little we have.

We will not be lost.  We will not be alone.  When we surrender our beliefs and turn our awareness towards the Infinite Energy Source, it turns towards us to meet us.  In every single moment of our lives, God is whispering to us to join him/her.  God whispers, never shouts.  It can only be heard when we are still and quiet.  When our minds are filled with thoughts, we cannot hear the whispers.  When our awareness is in the present moment, we are in harmony with the Universe.  Things start to turn our way.  Good things happen unexpectedly.  We experience the peace, joy and love which are our natural state.

Let's turn our awareness away from thought and towards Presence.

Stillness

East Cape, New Zealand

Are we feeling unhappy?  Afraid?  Lonely?  Unloved?  Angry?  Frustrated?  Do we believe that life keeps putting one obstacle after another in front of us?  Do we believe that the Universe is a horrible place, where bad things happen to good people?  Or at best a random place, where we have no control over what happens to us?

Our fear and unhappiness are caused by our thoughts, and our belief that our thoughts are true.  Our natural state is one of joy, peace, love and freedom.  How do we access that state when it so strongly contradicts our thoughts and beliefs?

We can return to our natural state through stillness, the space between thoughts.  We cannot stop our thoughts.  However, once we comprehend that our thoughts are not true, we can stop identifying with them and view them with indifference.  Once that separation between who we are and who we think we are occurs, we begin to experience peace, which is our natural state.

It is very difficult to create this separation in our very busy, media infused lives.  The only way that I know to slow our thoughts in order to create this separation, is through meditation.

When we meditate, our thoughts begin to slow.  When our thoughts move slower, we are able to realize that in every given moment we have a choice.  We can be lost in thought, believing that we are who we think we are, or we can experience who we truly are: Infinite Presence.

When we choose presence over unconscious thought, we are aware of our connection to (please insert your most comfortable label for the Infinite Wisdom which permeates us all).  Let's call it God.

When we surrender our will to God's, we can stop driving the bus.  Our life is guided by the Universe, and every action that we take is for the highest good of all concerned.  Things start to go our way.  Our anger and frustration diminish.  Good things start to happen, although often in very unexpected ways.  Old habits and friends may fall away, but we attract people who are in harmony with our energy.  Our life's purpose is revealed.

Let's be still.

Truth

Bay of Islands, New Zealand

We cannot think our way out of our problems.  We can try, but, since our thoughts are the cause of our troubles, thinking about solutions will, at best, give us temporary relief.  Since thinking is the cause of our problems, it cannot provide real answers.

To solve our problems, to live a life of peace, joy, love and freedom, to have our prayers answered, and to be fulfilled, we must transcend thought.  We cannot think our way through our problems because our thoughts are not true. They are created by our belief systems which have been built up over a lifetime of conditioning.  If we examined all of the thoughts that we have in any given day, it would be a mixture or regret about past events, worry about the future, guilt, dread, as well as pure gibberish.

The only way that we can see our situation clearly is by choosing presence rather than thought.  We awaken to a new world of being by realizing that our thoughts are not true and turning our attention to the present moment.

Thinking about the past and the future will never get us anywhere good. When we believe we are who we think we are, we are living a life of illusion.  Thinking about past events with regret or imagining what the future will be is a waste of time.

If we are not who we think we are, who are we?  We are the awareness which is trying to solve our problems by thinking through them.

Instead of finding answers by thinking them through and adding something to our lives, we can find Truth by surrendering all of our thoughts, beliefs, and judgments.  When we surrender all of the ideas of who we think we are, we are left with pure awareness, i.e., that which perceives, without judgment.  When we become one with Awareness, we experience the peace, love and joy that we are seeking.

Let's surrender our thoughts and be present.

Courage

Te Kouma, Coromandel, New Zealand

It takes courage to awaken.  When we move into presence, all of the thoughts and beliefs that we have pushed down into our unconscious because they were too painful to deal with, begin to surface. Facing thoughts that we have pushed down for so many years (since our childhood traumas) requires courage because we think that our thoughts and beliefs are true.  They are not.

Once we realize that our thoughts are not true, we can have the courage to accept and release them, regardless of how heinous we believe they are. The more we comprehend that our thoughts are not true, the less courage that is required.  When we stop believing our thoughts, They lose their power over us.

When we observe our thoughts, we realize that 99% of them are pure gibberish.  They do not serve us.  They hinder our awakening and interfere with our peace and joy.  When we can watch our thoughts without judgment, we can laugh at their ridiculousness.  No courage required. Hilarity ensues.

Let's have the courage to be present.

Who We Are

The best moment of our lives is the moment when we realize that our thoughts are not true.

Aren't our greatest moments those where our basic assumptions are challenged, such as when someone loves us even though we believe that we are unloveable, or we get a big promotion even though we feel that we are unworthy?  One of my most elated moments was the moment I heard that I was accepted to Stanford Law.  It challenged my basic self-assumption that I was mediocre.

If we are not who we think we are, then who are we?  That is the most significant question we will ever face.  If we are not our thoughts or beliefs, who are we?  We are what remains when we surrender our thoughts.  We are awareness.  We are the being who perceives.  The being who perceives is part of the Infinite Being Who Perceives.

http://www.outerplaces.com/science/item/4518-physicists-claim-that-consciousness-lives-in-quantum-state-after-death

Let's appreciate the moment.

Peace

Venice Beach

Peace is what we all crave, yet we don't know how to find it.  We seek it out through relationships, money, career, etc.  If we only had X, our lives would be at peace.  But even if we achieve X, we do not find peace.

What is peace but the absence of thought?  Isn't it our thoughts which cause us to be agitated?

We cannot find peace.  It is what we are.  How simple is it to know that what we crave is what we are.

We just need to choose it in any given moment.  What about this moment?  We will never find it in the future.  The future does not exist.  We can only choose peace in this present moment.

By moving away from thought and bringing our attention to the present moment, we are one with our peaceful eternal selves.

Let's choose peace.  Right now and forever.

Loneliness

Paris

Sometimes it seems like we are utterly alone, even when we are surrounded by friends and family members who love us.  We are not alone.  We are a divine portion of Universal Intelligence.

How do we become connected when we do not feel that way?

We connect with the Divine Energy by surrendering our will to Universal Intelligence.  We do not have to do this alone.  When we towards towards the Divine, It turns towards us.  God will never insist, but only suggest.

It is identification with thought which makes us feel lonely.  When we are connected to All That Is, we can never feel alone.  In fact, we embrace our solitude because it assists with our connection to Universal Energy.

Let's surrender our thoughts and choose Presence.