Stop Making Decisions

Pierre at the Tapeka Pools

Wouldn't it be incredibly relaxing if we never had to make another decision?

What if every decision was made for us and was the perfect decision for everyone involved?  I am not speaking about taking direction from a parent, teacher or autocrat.  What if we could ask advice from our own future self?  What if we could ask advice from another version of ourselves who, not only knows the future, but knows what everyone that we know is thinking and doing?  Would we follow their advice?  Of course we would.  This is what happens when we surrender our will to Universal Energy.

When we have to make a decision, we can make a list of the pros and cons associated with either decision.  We can ask the advice of experts and trusted friends.  We can do research and explore every possible angle.  In the end we do not have enough information to know which decision will lead to a positive outcome.  It does not do us much good if we win the lottery and are hit by a bus on our way to claim the prize.

By surrendering our will to that of Universal Energy, we will always be led to the best decision for everyone concerned.

How can we tell the difference between intuition and unconscious impulses?  Following our intuition will always make us feel peaceful and open.  When we follow our impulses, we often feel uneasy and our bodies feel constricted.  When we relax our minds and are in presence, we are in harmony with our true nature.  Decisions flow naturally without effort.

Let's surrender to the flow of life.

The Observer

Phantom

Do we sometimes (or often) feel a general sense of unease, as if something bad has happened or is going to happen?  Do we feel overwhelmed by all of the information we receive and decisions we have to make in a single day?  Do we sometimes feel like the deck is stacked against us, and that we are unable to find happiness or connect with people?

Stop.  Surrender.  Allow.

We do not have to look for a solution, because we are the solution.  We do not have to find what we are looking for because we are what we are looking for.  By observing our feelings and thoughts instead of reacting to them, they lose the intensity of their hold on us and easily pass through us.

What is destroying our mood is our instantaneous knee jerk reaction to a thought or feeling.  Our body constricts and the negative thoughts start to feed upon themselves.  We start spinning and the unease increases.  Our constricted bodies also accelerate the negative feelings.  We end up anxious and frustrated.

If we observe our thoughts or feelings without reacting, they soon pass like clouds moving across the sky.  The observer is who we really are.  When we are in a state of observing instead of reacting, we are in a state of peace, love, joy and freedom.

There is nothing that anyone can say to convince someone of the truth of this.  However, it is easy enough to try.  If we try it, we will soon see results when we experience "negative" events, thoughts or feelings.

Let's observe instead of reacting.

Mindfulness

The Other Venice

How often do we actually pay attention to what we are doing?  Are we remembering past events with regret or wishing things would turn out a certain way in the future?  When someone is speaking to us, are we listening or waiting to say something?

So much of our thoughts are consumed with remembering the past or imagining the future with dread or hope that we lose sight of what is happening to us in the present moment.  We are sleepwalking through life.  Since our thoughts consist of lies and do not help us with our present situation, our time and energy is wasted.  We are missing out on the grace and beauty of Life.  Not to mention all the miracles we could be experiencing.

When we slow down and pay attention to what is happening in the present moment, we are in harmony with our Divine nature.  We see the beauty in small things.  We experience the peace which comes from slowing down and paying attention.  We are more productive.

Let's be mindful of what we are doing.

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.