by Ada Porat | Feb 24, 2021 | Conscious living, Cope with change, Happiness, Joy, Life skills, Peace, Personal growth, Spirituality
The Four Noble Truths represent the Buddha’s fundamental teaching that liberates humans from suffering. These four truths can be summarized as follows:
- Life Inherently Contains Suffering And Struggle
Life involves struggle, frustration and suffering in both obvious and subtle forms. Even when things appear peaceful externally, we do not experience permanent satisfaction in anything but may feel an undercurrent of internal anxiety and uncertainty. This is the inherent problem of existence.
- Craving Is The Cause Of Suffering
The cause of suffering is craving that stems from ignorance. We suffer because we tend to blame our difficulties on things outside ourselves. We resist the truth that life is impermanent and change is constant – instead, we grow frustrated when the world doesn’t behave the way we think it should and life doesn’t conform to our expectations. We try to push away some things while grasping for others. This process of attachment and resistance stems from our desire for life to be different than it is and causes suffering.
- Suffering Stops When Craving Ends
Since we are ultimately the ones that cause our own suffering by perpetuating the cycle of craving and resistance, we also have the power to end our suffering. Even when life is unpredictable and impermanent, we can change the way we respond to it. By awakening to the true nature of our timeless souls, we can end the chase after external satisfaction and permanence, and so end the suffering. In the awakened mind, it is not the suffering that ceases, but the craving.
- There’s A Path Out Of Suffering
By embracing the path of right living, we can awaken to our Higher nature. This path involves ethical living, developing wisdom and discernment, and adhering to a personal practice that supports our emerging consciousness. This personal journey of awakening frees us from suffering and ultimately leads to enlightenment.
Most of us struggle with the practical application of these Four Noble Truths. Our human tendency is to avoid all pain and suffering, which only perpetuates our struggle.
Instead, I suggest that we look at the Four Noble Truths as recommendations for right living; guidelines to help us navigate life’s challenges more effectively. By presenting the Four Noble Truths as practical guidelines for living, they become powerful tools to guide our responses to life.
I propose using the acronym AREA to remember the structure of the Four Noble Truths in practical ways: Accept Life As Is, Release Reactivity, End Grasping, and Act Appropriately.
When we respond to these Four Noble Truths in appropriate ways, they will indeed expand our inner area of spaciousness and peace, and ultimately expand the area or scope of our True nature.
- Accept Life As Is
When we allow conscious awareness to infuse everything we do, we become more tolerant. We no longer interpret everything that does not go our way as a personalized attack on our ego selves; instead, we recognize it for simply being a part of life. When we experience a setback, we can see it as an opportunity for learning and growth; not as something unfair to be judged or avoided.
The Course in Miracles teaches that it is the meaning or interpretation we give to things, that makes them appear as good or bad; in truth, it simply is a part of life. Embracing the very impermanence of life can foster in us a deeper appreciation for the fleeting and precious nature of each moment.
- Release Reactivity
Human neurobiology makes it virtually impossible for us to constantly maintain a state of inner equilibrium without spiritual awareness. Our senses are continuously providing feedback through physical symptoms, emotions, thoughts and feelings. Equilibrium requires us to be with reactivity in a different way: learning how to respond instead of to react. We stop the cycle of reactivity by understanding that sensory feedback loops are valuable messages to respond to; not interference to react to, judge, resist or avoid.
When we experience physical symptoms or pain, our innate reactivity may prompt us to either resist the symptoms with medication or to grasp for some miracle cure outside of ourselves. Instead, perhaps it would be more meaningful to first dialogue with the symptoms for a deepened understanding of what they’re trying to tell us; and once we understand the deeper message, we’ll be able to respond appropriately so the messenger can be released. This process of responding instead of reacting allows us to create more inner space for growth in consciousness.
- End Grasping
It is essential to learn how to respond to life’s difficulties with an open mind, free from the conditioned behaviors of judgment, fear or craving. This inner attitude of non-attachment frees us from the endless cycles of attachment and aversion to offer us genuine freedom and inner peace instead. The Sedona Method puts it this way: “Embrace that which you resist, and surrender that to which you cling.”
Relinquishing our positionalities rewards us with freedom from craving. Positionalities are in truth nothing other than learned behaviors and limiting beliefs, so relinquishing them truly opens up space for us to thrive.
- Act Appropriately
In shamanic traditions, appropriate action is referred to as “right living.” Appropriate action requires conscious awareness of our inner motives, beliefs and reactions. It nurtures the development of the observer/witness, or our Soul self. It is in aligning with this Higher aspect of being, that we are transformed to live from our full potential.
The more we fine-tune our responses to life appropriately reflect our Higher nature, the more inner freedom, peace and joy we experience. This is the core of all personal growth. Creating a path of appropriate action nourishes us at all levels and honors our true purpose in life – the embodiment of our Higher nature.
Using AREA can serve as a practical reminder to keep us aligned with the Four Noble Truths. The result is more inner peace, harmony and joy.
About the author
©Copyright Ada Porat. For more information, visit https://adaporat.com. This article may be freely distributed in whole or in part, provided there is no charge for it and this notice is attached.
by Ada Porat | Jan 28, 2021 | Conscious living, Cope with change, Mindfulness, Personal growth, Photo: Unsplash, Self-awareness, Spirituality
Photo Credit: Michael Rodick, Unsplash
During this time of great upheaval on the planet, it is essential to tap into your true discernment – your superpower at this time.
As old structures which fed on fake values crumble, it is quite predictable that people would look for some sense of certainty. It’s equally predictable that so many are attempting to fill your imagination with scary visions, angry emotions and toxic paranoia, only to then peddle their ego-based solutions. Discerning truth from falsehood is not only helpful; it is essential for survival.
It is wise to remember that during these times, none of us will be saved by some strong leader, powerful guru or religious savior. We are the ones that we’ve been waiting for. We are on the planet now because we answered the call to lead the way forward, to embody the change we wish to see and to create a better world from the inside out. We are called to walk this path with eyes wide open, listening to the guidance of our Higher discernment as it speaks through that still, small voice within to competently lead us along every twist and turn of our true destiny.
The coming months and years will be ripe with opportunities to lay the foundation for a new world that actually honors the magnificence of the human soul. On this heroic journey, true spiritual discernment is your superpower that will not fail you.
Before new foundations can be laid, the old, dysfunctional ego-driven processes need to be excavated and removed. It is a messy time, and we are in hard-hat territory. The old is dying away with all its corruption and ugliness in full display.
That is why we need to learn how to fully embody Higher discernment and truth; allowing our truth to emerge from within and not from any of the sources operating on the astral highway of electronic disinformation. The only Source that can teach us how to fully embody truth, peace or compassion, is Presence. Aligning with Presence and learning to discern from that sacred space instead of from the ego self, is essential to surviving and thriving now.
What is important is not our mental accomplishments and understanding; it is not the number of workshops we have attended or the number of books we’ve read; it is not even about the important names we have learned from or our family pedigree; it is completely, only about remembering who we truly are as eternal souls, and operating from that core integrity.
Personal integrity is a prerequisite for appropriately functioning discernment.
What is your true nature? How well have you neutralized the stranglehold of ego and purified your beliefs? How effectively are you living from your inner truth rather than the outer dictates of the society around you? How much of your Higher nature is embodied in your daily life to inform your choices and experiences?
If your true nature only shows up when you have a positive experience or are in the presence of a resonant group, you are not yet operating from embodied truth. You need to learn how to embody truth at all times, wherever you are. And embodied truth grows as we cultivate more Higher discernment.
Consistent, ongoing personal purification and transformation are the core principles that will transform your mind and emotions, and expand the function of Higher discernment in your life. There are no shortcuts to embodied spirituality!
Your true nature now and always is wise, pure and whole; the work lies in letting go of illusions and lies, both within and without. And that process requires inner responsibility and self-inquiry.
Self-inquiry is at the core of all true spiritual growth.
Only when we question the source of our individual emotions and drives, can we let go of what no longer serves, learn to recognize core truth and fully embody it. This work is at the heart of true spirituality, regardless of the spiritual path you choose.
Self-inquiry as pathway to embody Higher truth requires all our intention, all our commitment, and all our presence to bring awareness to the dross of social conditioning and to dissolve the dynamics of ego. That is how we become aware of what is really happening beneath the surface, both in ourselves and in the world around us, so we can make appropriate choices and embody Eternal truth in physical life. It is a continuous process without an endpoint; endless, fluid and potentially transformative. This process of self-inquiry facilitates the great work of purification which is necessary as long as we are in the body. It is a requirement for spiritual life, and an essential prerequisite for all who wish to access Higher discernment, wisdom, and truth.
I am reminded of Deepak Chopra’s words on the topic: “The busyness at the surface of our lives, are a distraction to the deeper work of soul-making.” And the range of options available today to distract ourselves from this deeper work, is endless!
At the same time, we need access to Higher discernment more than ever now! As we swim in the very waters of change permeating life at this time, we need to learn how to distinguish between truth and falsehood, between Spirit and ego, between content and context, between inductive and deductive reasoning, between our unconscious drives and our conscious choices.
Simply being against something is not enough to serve as a basis for positive change and transformation. It is necessary to identify what each one of us values at our core, and then to orient toward that by taking positive action steps.
When we orient only around our personal experience and preferences, we function in a closed universe of limitation that will eventually sabotage us or lead us astray. That is why it is so important to question our drives, beliefs and fears, even as we remain open to other viewpoints, insights and ideas.
We live in an interconnected world where separation and exclusivity no longer serves the greater good; those actions belong to the limiting specialness of the ego’s domain. We need to understand the profound truth that we are on a collective journey, and as long as we divide to conquer, we will hamper the evolution of the collective.
To thrive in this world now, we need to think inclusively: we need to balance our personal choices with the demands of the greater life flow in which we find ourselves. We need to find balance between the individual and the collective, between self and others – whenever we focus on simply one aspect of polarity, we will get sucked back into duality consciousness to find ourselves pulled out of alignment with Higher truth and discernment.
Thriving in the emerging new world also requires courage and faith. Fighting or avoiding the darkness does not work. Instead of fighting the dark or isolating ourselves in a smug spiritual blankie, we are asked to purify our minds from the viruses of half-truths and lies that permeate the astral domain of technology; we are required to embody whatever we fully resonate with, and we are challenged to embrace and embody the change we wish to see on this planet. We need to nourish an authentic vision of the world we desire to be part of, and then fully embody that energy.
To shake off the old shackles of duality consciousness and go free, we also need to forgive ourselves and the whole world around us for not being perfect. We need to search for and embrace nuggets of truth that resonate with our exquisitely calibrated inner compass, dismissing the surrounding dross without engaging in judgment or fear.
Finally, to thrive and fulfill our purpose in this time of turbulence and change, we need to cultivate true, Higher discernment.
Differentiating between fearful fantasies and authentic, accurate discernment is one of the greatest spiritual powers you can possibly develop. Take time to observe how true discernment emerges from the wise, loving core of your being like a slow-motion fountain of warmth. Fearful fantasies, on the other hand, drain your energy and cloud your judgment. They drive you with obsessive urges to run and hide or take desperate, impulsive action. There’s more to it but here is the gist: emotions that accompany Higher discernment are never alienating. They will never make you feel superior to others or fill you with hatred and terror – that comes from ego.
Higher discernment may rouse your anger, yet is not destructive: it ultimately leads to clarity and constructive action. True discernment may show you difficult truths, yet always does so with guidance on how to deal gracefully and courageously with that difficult truth. It may reveal imminent issues that compel you to make necessary changes, yet always does so in an empowering way.
True discernment is not Pollyannaish and does not indulge in spiritual bypassing. It will not cover up truth or falsely promise that everything will be fine, and it won’t mislead you to think you’ll be able to continue without making changes.
Instead, it will serve as your inner compass to alert you to changes, hidden dynamics, and where you need to embrace transformation to deepen your inner life. It speaks quietly, and therefore requires you to tame the monkey mind so you can receive Higher truth which emerges with calm and clarity, not in a cacophony of fear.
True discernment reveals the path from your soul’s point of view, not your ego’s. It is the voice of your inner guidance system, which happens to be the Divine part of you. It is your superpower!
These times require a universal leap of trust from everyone on the earth plane. Cultivate your superpower of true discernment, do your best and give God the rest; and together, we will take this leap into the hereto unknown to create a better world for everyone.
About the Author
©Copyright Ada Porat. For more information, visit https://adaporat.com. This article may be freely distributed in whole or in part, provided there is no charge for it and this notice is attached.
by Ada Porat | Dec 22, 2020 | Conscious living, Life skills, Personal growth, Self-awareness, Spirituality
Source: Stainless Images, Unsplash
“Without order, nothing can exist. Without chaos, nothing can evolve.” — Oscar Wilde
Amid these chaotic times, we are seeing a global awakening to higher consciousness. This process of emerging inner awareness and spiritual yearning is opening our eyes to new ways of being, removing the blindness that kept us in the tyranny of egos run amuck.
Yet it begs the question: after awakening, then what? In Buddhist philosophy there is a saying: “Before enlightenment, chop wood, carry water; after enlightenment, chop wood, carry water.”
In other words, awakening to higher consciousness does not exempt us from doing the work; it changes the consciousness we bring to the task. We learn to live with the eyes of our consciousness wide open. There is no magical point of arrival; it is a lifelong process that continues as long as we live in physical bodies.
We cannot download awakening, we become it. We do not buy it somewhere by paying for some blessing by an enlightened being; we cultivate awakened spiritual awareness within by finding and aligning with truth. We nurture awakened consciousness by question those aspects of our self that mitigate against it.
In the process, we discover how wise action in each present moment can change the next. We learn how, by staying present to the full triumph and catastrophe of human experience, we can recalibrate and shape the course of history rather than being shaped by it.
We’re living at a historical crossroad of monumental proportions. To choose well we need to harness our emerging consciousness to engage courageous thought and nurture fresh perspectives; not to stifle debate and feed dissent.
Living with eyes wide open enables us to affirm the healing radiance and power of the human spirit because we remember who we really are – Divine in origin, even as we travel along this human journey.
The power of our true nature cannot be diminished by tyranny or lies; it cannot be tarnished by manipulation or fear. It is unassailable. We need to remember this.
The journey of global awakening is a long and winding one. This is not a time to go back to sleep!
Compassion asks us to recognize that each soul we meet along the way, is awakening at their own pace and level. Courage is needed to stay the course. Likewise, we need a sense of humor. We have to discern when to speak up and when to keep our advice for a more propitious time.
Besides birth and death, no outcome is assured in life. That can be a very good thing!
We have incredible creative ability and free will to use our awakened consciousness for good, so let’s not settle into smug complacency. None of us have arrived yet, no matter how awake and enlightened we may appear. Life is a journey and there is no point of arrival until we complete the course.
There is much we can do to enhance the process of staying awake.
We can recognize our individual limits and pace ourselves for the duration. Let’s take care of our physical vehicles and lean into the spiritual Life Force that sustains us.
And there’s more: Let’s take full responsibility for living from our inner truth and values. Let’s fine-tune our moral compass, so it can lead us toward truth. Let’s stay open to learning, changing and becoming more awake with each passing day. Let’s discard the old and embrace the call to evolve!
Each one of us is here to learn, grow and contribute to the process of life. We can choose to embrace the opportunities embedded in every challenge, instead of resisting the call to growth. I love the way Richard Moss puts it in his book The Black Butterfly: An Invitation to Radical Aliveness, ”The very forces that crush people can become profound radiance in an individual who no longer is resisting or attempting to modify life.”
By not reflexively resisting dissonant ideas and concepts, we can discover nuggets of gold everywhere. We can use our individual sovereignty to find clarity by processing external evidence through our innate wisdom and discernment. We can honor our individual truth without hating or trashing the truth of others, understanding that the higher the truth we abide by, the more unity we will experience with others.
There is no return to some romantic past. As Ken Wilber puts it in A Brief History Of Everything, our tendency to rewrite history as a romantic fairytale, is just a dream to pacify our fears of the unknown future.
Instead of looking for a place to return to, let’s focus our vision to create a bright future as our living legacy for future generations on this planet. Finding a new way forward requires courage, audacity and faith, yet we can do it.
You and I were born for this time. We have been preparing for it all along, and now the time is here. Gather yourself! Let go of what no longer serves and harness your courage! Opportunity is calling. This could be a very good time for all of us!
About the Author
©Copyright Ada Porat. For more information, visit https://adaporat.com. This article may be freely distributed in whole or in part, provided there is no charge for it and this notice is attached.
by Ada Porat | Nov 18, 2020 | Change bad habits, Conscious living, Fear and anxiety, Life skills, Mindfulness, Personal growth, Spirituality
Photo Credit: Nadir Syzygy, Unsplash
Life as we knew it, is going through some enormous shifts at every level. This can be uncomfortable, even scary, especially when we focus our attention on external matters.
Fortunately, the external world is the world of effects; all true change happens from the non-physical Field of energy. As awakened beings, we have the ability to direct our focus to this unified, benevolent Force Field and to let our alignment serve as a conduit for the flow of Life Force to create optimal outcomes in the world around us.
This is our privilege and our mandate. Living as awakened beings asks us to recognize that we are the culture carriers of an emerging new world, no matter how unimportant we may seem in the larger scheme of things.
The currency of this emerging new world is not money, but consciousness. It is the level of consciousness we embody, that will enable us to create optimal outcomes for ourselves, our loved ones and the future. The higher our embodied level of consciousness, the higher the outcomes we can create.
Each moment of each day, we contribute to the field of consciousness, from where possibilities and probabilities can emerge when critical mass is reached.
We can contribute to the creation of optimal realities only to the extent we embody awakened consciousness. None of us can create outcomes at levels higher than our embodied consciousness.
That means we need to discipline our thoughts, for our thoughts direct the energy flow. All creative activity starts with this inner work because as within, so without. We cannot create outside of ourselves that which we are not in alignment with.
It reminds me of a talk the Dalai Lama gave about world peace, and someone questioned how we could ever accomplish world peace with so much conflict around us. The Dalai Lama’s response was: “Today, you can have peace in the world if you commit to become the peace you seek in the world. If each one of you reaches out with forgiveness and compassion to the one person you react to the most; the one person you most judge, hate or despise, you will have laid a stone on the path of world peace.“
Peace starts with each one of us. And if we wish to build a more peaceful world, we need to learn how to control our reactivity.
Everyone experiences different triggers: for some it is the news, for others politics, or the fear of what could happen, or the demands of others, or frustration over external setbacks or events. You may simply be aware of having a hair-trigger anger or impatience, which represents your individual reactivity to triggers.
Once you recognize the triggers that get to you, you can learn to use them as opportunities for awakening more fully and disciplining your mind.
Your state of consciousness is your most valuable asset in awakening. By becoming conscious of your specific reactivity triggers, you can use those triggers to awaken more fully instead of feeding the ego with reactivity. You can use every triggering situation as part of your spiritual practice to move deeper into Truth.
Most of us don’t like conflict. We seek harmony and when there are too many conflicting triggers around, we ‘lose’ it. Yet dissonance is an integral part of life; the key to inner peace lies not in trying to avoid triggers, but in learning to use them as a way to become more conscious, more awake and more aware.
Every trigger in your life – annoying people, political infighting, COVID constraints, and even the nagging of your children or the traffic noises, offer you lessons in disguise. Instead of feeding the ego with reactivity, you can take advantage of each trigger as an opportunity for growth.
External situations teach us to focus on the one thing that matters: inner peace. Amid outer clamor and drama, we can move our awareness past the ego’s resistance and reactivity to focus on the deep inner peace at the center of everything. This is our primary work as awakened beings; when we no longer feed ego reactivity, we become instruments for peace on earth.
We transform our own reactivity with conscious awareness, awakened choice and disciplined repetition.
As soon as you recognize a trigger arising, you are already in the driver seat. You remember that you have a choice. You can choose to react or you can shift your focus to the observer within, where Eternal peace prevails.
When you recognize anger or frustration arising within, choose to focus not on resisting the present moment or reacting to it. Instead, consciously move your awareness within to find the presence of Eternal Peace beneath the surface there.
If you ‘lose it’ emotionally and lash out or react, it simply means that you momentarily lost conscious awareness and became unconscious.
When you first set about working on reactivity, you may lose it and only recognize that you had become reactive after it happens. Disciplined awareness will help you to stay conscious in the midst of triggers, and you will increasingly maintain awareness that you can choose how to respond.
Do not be discouraged when you lose it and become unconscious; some of our unconscious behaviors have been ingrained for lifetimes. This is why it is so difficult for societies to acknowledge their shadow and to work with it.
By noticing how we have turned away from truth and become unconscious, we may experience guilt, shame or fear, which simply adds another of layer of reactivity to the mix. And when we project that emotion outward because it is too uncomfortable to face, we not only feed the ego instead of the soul; we feed divisiveness and become a part of the problem.
Staying conscious requires you to have compassion for yourself. Recognize that when you choose to become spiritually unconscious, you are feeding the ego with reactivity and harming yourself. Compassion allows you to simply acknowledge when you fall short, and resolve to remain fully conscious the next time around.
Self-discipline brings incremental empowerment. The next time a trigger arises, you may notice that you remained aware for a longer time before losing it. By recognizing that you lost it, you are increasing your awareness. Each time you are triggered, your growing awareness empowers you to stay alert so you do go unconscious and feed the ego with reactivity.
Cultivating conscious awareness is the key to moving through the gamut of daily triggers without losing your peace or feeding the ego. Stabilize your consciousness in your inner observer awareness; it will remind you that every trigger offers you a choice. By choosing to align with Higher awareness within, you will gradually detach from the tyranny of the ego and remain at peace.
About the Author
©Copyright Ada Porat. For more information, visit https://adaporat.com. This article may be freely distributed in whole or in part, provided there is no charge for it and this notice is attached.
by Ada Porat | Jun 25, 2020 | Conscious living, Cope with change, Empowering changes, Gratitude, Love, Personal growth, Self-awareness, Spirituality
We are gifted with life in the physical body and world to learn how to truly love. Our conscious participation in this process as awakened souls allows us to fulfil our highest purpose. And from the conflict all around, it’s clear that we’re not doing very well with mastering this lesson!
Life is very simple, really, but because most of us live from the mind and not the heart, we’ve developed the false belief that life is complicated and our ultimate purpose too complex or hard to find.
There is a better way.
It is time to remember why we came here in the first place. We did not come to earthly life to divide and conquer, but to find our way back to Oneness through love. All the great wisdom traditions tell us we are born from love, though we tend to forget that and operate on autopilot much of the time.
Learning to truly love requires us to develop gratitude and forgiveness. We cannot truly love with judgment and hatred in our hearts; and we cannot enjoy the beauty of life when we are driven by insatiable greed.
Ram Dass said, “If I’m an ego, I am judging everything as it relates to my own survival… souls love. That’s what souls do. Egos don’t, but souls do.”
From the soul perspective, a life well lived is not measured by the amount of power, money or status an individual can amass at any cost – a well-lived life is measured by how well the soul learned to embrace gratitude and forgiveness as expressions of Divine love.
We are intrinsic parts of nature and inexorably interconnected with all other people. Anything detrimental we do to the planet or to others, we ultimately inflict on ourselves. And so, the true wakeup call sounding for all of us is to see just how far we have drifted from the moorings of love so that we can course-correct.
Only when we acknowledge our part in the game of separation, judgment and fear, can we begin to heal the wounds of separation consciousness. There is no transformative benefit in reacting to the voices clamoring for separation, division and conflict, because whatever we react to, we entangle with energetically.
Instead, this is the time all awakened souls are asked to first go within and realign with Higher consciousness. From that alignment with the Source of love, unity and truth, our presence becomes transformative as we interact with fellow souls. We heal when we align with our Source – that truth, love and unity is what sets us free.
Our realignment with Source enables us to approach life from a place of Divine love rather than from survival anxiety. It also enables us to live with greater interdependence. As we increase our awareness of existing within an intelligent and benevolent universe, we experience greater intimacy and connection with all forms of life, including ourselves.
Will this guarantee a life of safety and comfort?
No – that is not why we came here. We embarked on this life for our personal soul growth, not to isolate ourselves from the lessons of this earthly school and our fellow soul companions.
It is true that life can be full of suffering. We all get physically sick and our bodies sometimes ache.
Just as in school, we may not enjoy all the lessons that come our way. There are abundant opportunities to feel let down by others or frustrated with ourselves. And the world at large—now there’s a circus! We are confronted with all sorts of painful, alarming situations—abuse, starvation, poverty, war, lack, uncertainty, corporate depravity. On any given day we might get into an accident or learn that someone we love has died.
Over eons of time, we’ve developed many coping strategies to survive, and not all of them are helpful. Coping strategies allow us to roll out of bed each morning and face the world. And while some of them are useful, we may overuse or over-identify with these survival strategies. When we do so, we become cut off from love, separated from trusting life and our Source.
Separation consciousness is rooted in the belief that the external world is separate. The ego believes that it resides “in here” and everything else is “out there.” By locking in this duality-based viewpoint, we cannot see our role in co- creating all our experiences. We become limited, fear-based and paranoid.
This duality-based view of life is an obstacle to the emergence of our Divine nature. To heal that, we need to return to love. A Course in Miracles states, “Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.”
Science tells us that we reside in a unified field of energy called the universe. Every major religion, spiritual path, and wisdom tradition has some version of Oneness at its core.
From an energy perspective, we are all interconnected like billions of mirrors endlessly reflecting and stimulating one another’s growth. The world is an enormous reflection of our psyche. Our job is to attend to the source of the projections, not the mirrors. We are to heal the roots of separation, not to slap labels on others that keep us separate.
Anais Nin said, “We see things not as they are. We see things as we are.” When we stand in judgment over something, it can be very enlightening to ask ourselves what it is we do not wish to see in ourselves, for it is that inner blindness that makes us project our self-judgment out into the world instead.
Spiritual awakening frees us from the blindness of unconscious living. It allows us to transcend ego as our primary identity. Awakening empowers us to bridge the separation we formed with life beyond ourselves. This ongoing process calls us to heal and reunite the wounds of separation consciousness, both in ourselves and with others. And we do that profound work with the tools of forgiveness, gratitude and love.
Persian mystical poet Rumi wrote, “Everyone sees the unseen in proportion to the clarity of their heart.” Clarity is what remains within when we replace our ego distortions with growing awareness. This shift in consciousness enables us to recognize the spiritual lessons presented in our experiences.
To the awakened soul, everything is a benevolent lesson—despite the ego’s endless stories that tell us otherwise. Stress, frustration or “negative” emotion is just an indication of something that needs attention, an invitation to expand our true awareness and heal the underlying separation.
We expand our conscious awareness through the practice of forgiveness – it asks us to surrender our attachment to the ego’s need to be right, to feel validated or empowered.
The ego wants to win, whereas the soul wants to grow.
When we let go of our attachment to the ego’s power addiction, we forgive. And when we forgive, we discover gratitude for what is. We’re able to see the beauty of what is, instead of blindly striving for what is not.
Situations the ego may construe as failure or loss may now be seen as opportunities to learn rich and necessary spiritual lessons. Even trying situations contain buried gifts. The imperfections of the world are perfect for our purpose of learning how to love in a healing way.
Instead of asking “Why this? Why me? Why now?” which implies that we do not trust the implicate order of life, we can start to ask instead, “How is this helpful on my journey? What can I learn from it? How do I need to change to return to my inherent state of peace?”
In true awakening, the presence of spiritual love within calls on us to have compassion for the struggles of others and to forgive them for their limitations. When we do that, we start to heal the wounds of separation. We don’t love the other because they are black, or white, Muslim or Jew, rich or poor – we love them because they are part of our family of humankind.
All our fellow humans deserve our love, forgiveness, respect and support because that is how we heal separation consciousness – not by sticking labels on them and then arguing about the meaning of the labels. And certainly not by destroying the fragile physical vessel of the soul.
Humans evolve when they can see and grasp a better way; a better vision of themselves and of the world. One of the greatest gifts we can offer others, is to recognize their true potential as souls and to mirror that for them so they can evolve toward that potential.
We heal anger with love, hateful acts with forgiveness, and disrespect with respect.
This is the real work of awakening. It is the work of healing the wounds inflicted by egos operating on greed and inequality.
If you are reading this, you are one of the awakened souls on the planet who are being called to be part of this monumental task. The time is now. Together, we can do this!
About the Author
©Copyright Ada Porat. For more information, visit https://adaporat.com. This article may be freely distributed in whole or in part, provided there is no charge for it and this notice is attached.
by Ada Porat | May 27, 2020 | Cope with change, Empowering changes, Faith, Fear and anxiety, Life transitions, Personal growth, Spirituality
COVID-19 changed our world: yours, and mine, and everybody else’s. Life as we knew it, is no more. Moreover, there is no going back. The past is irrevocably over; we are called on to create a brave new paradigm of life.
To move forward, we need to let go of things outside ourselves that we cannot control, and take charge of our inner reality, which is completely in our hands. We also need to act in mature ways to support wise choices. Let’s look at how to get from here to there.
What is it you need most now? What do you wish to see in your world? How do you intend to participate to bring that about?
Despite months of turmoil and upheaval, the totality of life remains filled with possibilities and probabilities. Every challenging circumstance contains seeds of possibility for us to tap into and create more optimal outcomes from the inside out.
Everybody responds differently to change: some are awakening to their true soul identity, others are grieving their losses, and yet others are huddling in denial for lack of knowing what to do. Some may even look for a way to return to the past because they don’t know how to cope with a world that has irretrievably changed.
Trying to resuscitate the past is not helpful. We cannot go back to yesterday or the life we lived ten years ago. Life happens in this present moment, and it is the choices made in each present moment, that will create a sustainable future for us all.
We all feel the enormous impact of irreversible change that has swept around the globe. None of us knows exactly how our lives will be different by the end of this year. We simply know that it will be different in more ways we can imagine. There are no iron-clad guarantees and reassurances – and so everyone is learning to devise ways of coping.
During this upheaval, emotions can feel overwhelming. Daily events may trigger shock, grief, fear or anxiety. After all, we are awash in a world of uncertainty and unknowns.
It is easy to become defensive in the face of uncertainty because defensiveness is a natural human response. It is normal to look for survival tactics and protective measurements to survive.
However, defensiveness keeps us stuck in resistance and prevents us from moving forward.
To avoid getting stuck, it is important to remember who you really are: you’re not just an ego in a body suit, you are an eternal soul who embarked on this earth journey to participate in the evolution of consciousness at this very time of unprecedented change and awakening.
You are so much more than your physical being! You have more resources available to you at non-physical levels than you can imagine. Whenever you start to feel overwhelmed, stop instead and take inventory of your spiritual arsenal.
Humans are blessed with innate creativity and innovation. Even during this challenging period, we can create effective ways forward.
To do so, we need to let go of lower levels of consciousness from where the quagmire of problems in our world were created. We need to expand our awareness of multiple possibilities coexisting in the Field, because higher awareness and a larger scope are essential to creating optimal outcomes now. Clearly, we need more than duality-based options that belong to an outdated Cartesian world view.
This time of social distancing offered us opportunities to reflect and return to right relationship with our innate Self. We have become aware of what no longer works, what no longer nourishes us, and what we’ll no longer tolerate in life. We’ve also been able to recognize what we truly want from life, so we can choose wisely.
This global time-out helped us reconnect with our inner being and what we truly need. By reconnecting to our inner core, we can make empowered decisions for our path and the greater good.
Humanity has outgrown the place where a few can dictate and make choices for the collective. It is time for each of us to step into maturity and take full responsibility for our own decisions. From there, it will ripple outward and create optimal collective outcomes.
During this season of loss and uncertainty, don’t look back. Go beyond!
Beneath the surface defensiveness of reactivity and blame, lies the presence of Spirit. That Presence contains all possibilities and potentialities. By stepping away from the ego chatter and centering deeper within, we access that Core where all possibilities exist. We can detach from habitual ego reactions of fear and anxiety.
Instead, we can enter a centered space of peace and calm from where we are able to simply observe. We can hold this space until clarity arises. We can cultivate awareness of possibilities beyond our linear thinking to make optimal choices.
We can use this perspective to recognize the limiting conditioning that hampers us and let it go so we can step into our true potential. We can anchor into the Creator Presence within and align with all that is possible to create a brave new paradigm.
This season of change also calls for spiritual maturity. It challenges us to let go of waiting to be rescued, and to step into choosing the path forward ourselves. Spiritual maturity empowers us to step out of old roles of limitation that were assigned to us and to become co-creators of a more empowering future.
Maturity gives us faith in unseen possibilities, so we can hold the intention for what can be. It calls us to elevate our viewpoint above the limitations of what was or is, to what truly can show up in response to our choices now.
Along the way, do not allow obstacles and appearances on the surface of life to undermine your faith. Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of what is not yet seen. Hold on to that.
We are asked to clear out old conditioning, to heal the memories of what happened before, and to let go of what’s no longer needed. By freeing ourselves from past wounds and limitations, we create more room for our path to unfold.
Do not let others tell you what is appropriate for you. Step out of that habit and embrace a more empowering approach. Evaluate, contemplate within and choose for yourself.
Do not resist the process of individual growth, for it is your evolutionary lifeline. Let go of resistance and allow possibilities to emerge from the Truth within.
Trust in the benevolent plan of a loving Creator – and trust yourself. Maturity requires us to trust in ourselves, in the unseen hands that guide and uphold us, and in the Divine plan that we may not yet see but which is unfolding even now.
When we were children, we needed continuous reassurance and simple solutions to feel safe. As mature adults, we learn to be at peace with not knowing. Maturity teaches us to embrace the ever-changing nature of life, and to take full responsibility for our individual choices along the way.
Maturity also teaches us to stay in the void of uncertainty and discomfort; to resist grabbing for some easy version of permanency or settle for some substance to numb our awareness. The security we want is within; it does not lie outside of us.
We also must avoid the pitfall of settling for the devil we know. If we wish to evolve, we dare not let the familiarity of known limitations hold us back from the limitless possibilities we do not yet see.
When we turn away from external conditions beyond our control to focus on our inner life over which we have ALL control, we will find our innate power, peace and creativity restored. That is an important step toward creating a brave new paradigm in which everyone can thrive.
About the author
©Copyright Ada Porat. For more information, visit https://adaporat.com. This article may be freely distributed in whole or in part, provided there is no charge for it and this notice is attached.
