Beyond the Mind

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This is the normal condition for most people - divided internally and consequently conquered.  Conquered in the sense that there is very little harmony within, there is ineffectiveness, indecisiveness, inner turmoil.  Even the part of us that wants to be free from this suffering is part of the cause of the condition itself. 

This reminds me of a great line from an old Sting song  Consider Me Gone - “the search for perfection is all very well, but to look for heaven, is to live here in hell”.  Thank you Sting, that would sum up very nicely the point I try to make in almost every blog entry I write.

Anyway, back to this divided self.  Almost all spiritual, meditative disciplines attempt to address this condition.  There are also various therapeutic schools of thought designed to contend with it.  For example Gestalt therapy frequently employs a method of creating a dialogue between various parts of the self.  Internal Family Systems therapy is another form that takes a similar approach to the various selves within us.  There are many more. 

This is not a new understanding, the fact that our personalities consist of a fragmentation of sub selves, each with often times very different attitudes, beliefs and agendas has been known for a long time.  Many times one self will sound a lot like mother and another a lot like father.  But there are invariably many more selves than that.

These modern forms of therapy believe, as I do, that if we can get these parts of the self talking to each other, maybe we can forge some understanding between them, possibly even make some agreements and compromises amongst them to act harmoniously, as a whole.  This alone would be great progress for most people.  In many cases certain parts do not communicate at all to other parts, we are closer to schizophrenia in this case, but all ego is schizophrenic to some degree.

Of course, there is another level to all of this.  There is a matter of ultimate importance.  Amidst all the ideas, hopes and dreams we might have about being a better version of ourselves or having a better present moment something is occurring - the actual present moment is happening to the actual you, HERE NOW.  If you can’t be here for this NOW you won’t be able to be “there” for the “then” you are holding your breath for.  And if you can’t love and accept the actual you here and now, you won’t be able to accept and love the improved version of yourself that seems so important to attain.  The search for perfection never ends because the one searching does not know how to feel satisfied.

There is a way out.  The way we can immediately remove this divided, conquered condition is to be IMMEDIATELY here.  The word immediacy is a good one for describing this quality of presence.  We become total, there is no space between ourselves and our experience.  We can become one with how we feel, with the sounds in the room, the smells, the sensations in our bodies, even the accompanying liking or disliking of what is and the constant commentary/thinking process on top of it all.  Everything is OK in this oneness, there is no longer any problem, no more turmoil.  Suffering needs the fertile soil of division, fragmentation and separatness to thrive in.  You can escape this suffering.

Instead of being divided and conquered you can be ONE and LIBERATED!  But you cannot have this in the future my friend, you can only have it NOW.  Won’t you join me?

Peace and Happy New Year,

Ralph

Tags: Spiritual Enlightenment, Spiritual Counseling, Spiritual Health, Spiritual Health Coaching, Spiritual Journey, Spiritual Growth, Spiritual Healing, Meditation, Life Coaching, Spirituality, Spiritual, Spiritual Awakening //