It is so easy to fall into the trap of looking at the world and finding fault.
When we look, we find what we are looking for, every time. Because we are CREATORS. We create our reality in the form that we choose. We are all-powerful.
If you want to experience peace in the world around you, there must first be peace in your heart.
If you would like to have more money, first find abundance in your Self.
If you would like to know more joy, first seek that place inside yourself where joy comes from.
The world around us is perfect. Don’t you see it!
Through a telescope: All the galaxies expanding and contracting in the eternal rhythm of life (universe)… the planets dancing around each other in their perfect orbits.
Through a microscope: All the internal systems expanding and contracting in the eternal rhythm of life (breath)… the electrons and neurons and atoms and molecules dancing around each other in their perfect orbits…
I am not a scientist, so please forgive me for any factual errors! But the fact remains that when we look up, we see the macrocosm. When we look down, we see microcosm. There is a perfect symmetry to the world around us, a perfect order. This is the truth behind the ancient Hermetic law: “As above, so below; as below, so above. As within, so without; As without, so within“.
When we see chaos, it is because we have created chaos. When we experience suffering, it is because we have attached ourselves to suffering. When we find we are without, then it is time to look WITHIN!
Then it is time to learn from our mistakes, to ask ourselves “what am I trying to teach myself” and to re-learn to see the world as a child does.
A child sees through eyes that are untainted by expectation. It sees things as they are.
Let’s see things as they are. Without fear. Without expectation. Without judgement. Without shame.
Don’t look. Have the courage to see.
It means that we must open ourselves completely.
It means that we must not hold on to what we think we know.
It means letting go of all that is comfortable.
But the trade off is this:
We step out of our little bubbles, our little comfort zones; and into a whole new world of beauty and joy.
We realize that we are infinitely connected to ALL THAT IS, in unimaginable ways – unimaginable because we cannot experience that reality with our imagination, with our thoughts, or with our ideas. Only through BEING, can we come to know that bliss.
I was once teaching a seminar, and I told the group that everything is perfect. One student asked me:
“what about war? what about rape? what about all the suffering in the world?”
It’s a good question, and not one that is easy to answer!
But the answer is this:
All human suffering is caused by our belief in duality. When we believe that there is suffering, there is. When we believe that the world is a hard place, it is. When we look for problems, we will certainly find them. And that is what we have been doing for a very, very long time.
Now, in this age, on this day, at this moment, we can change all that.
At any moment, any one of us, no matter what our circumstances, can change. We can always look inside ourselves and choose a different way. We can always look inside ourselves and let go of the pain, the suffering, the depression, the anger, the lack.
We can always see beauty, joy, and love, WITHIN. Because that is where it comes from. And if we all do that, then war, rape, suffering, will disappear. We create them with our negativity.
We are perfect as we are. God, whether you see him as a being, or an energy, or nature itself, doesn’t make mistakes.
TRUST
Dear friends, the other day I wrote this post on my Prem Center facebook page: “When we TRUST the world around us, we align ourselves with the natural order. We experience abundance! But when we WORRY, we hold on, and become tense, blocking that natural flow of abundance. Let go. Don’t worry. You have always had everything you needed, and always will. Trust, and be truly joyful”
And an old friend of mine from L.A. asked a great question. I always love questions(especially such good ones as this!) because it opens up a channel of communication from which not only the two of us learn, but also anyone else who is listening. This is how we can grow and evolve: IN RELATIONSHIP. To me that is what questions and answers are – communication; relationship.
So, here is my friend Joyce’s question: ” what do you mean by “natural order”? i’m asking because i (think) i understand what you mean but then, upon reflection- i’m not quite sure what ‘natural order’ means beyond being born (been there done, that) and dying (eventually, hopefully a ways off)… i’m being simplistic but i really am curious about understanding what you mean by this… moreover, can a ‘natural order’ be pursued in an environment immersed in industry, consumerism, and avarice? a place, like say… los angeles? i think it’s possible, but it feels like a struggle at times…”
The theme of my original post (the one quoted above) was about Trust versus Worry. For me, the natural order is what every animal, vegetable and mineral experiences… faith. It is a silent knowing, a deep trusting – that everything in life is just as it is meant to be. Even when things go ‘wrong’, there is always a reason. We may not immediately know what that reason is, but we can always look back later and say, “aha, that experience had a positive effect”.
In English, we have the saying: “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger”
And one of my favourite singers, Beth Orton, has the wonderful lyric: “regrets are just lessons you haven’t learnt yet”…
Whatever we think, however we judge a situation, there is always a bigger picture – much bigger than our thoughts and judgements. In fact, if we look at it scientifically, where do thoughts and judgements come from? They come from the frontal cortex part of our brain – the part of our brain that is unique to adult humans. It is very useful, helping us to use language, and analyse the world around us. Without it we wouldn’t have flown to the moon or even invented the wheel. But it is also the part of us that WORRIES. Worry is fear in disguise. Not a very good disguise either. If you worry a lot, it’s because you are afraid. Thoughts, judgemtents, worries, fear – it’s all in the head.
So if fear and worry is in the head, where is trust? It’s in the body. Trust is in the natural movements of the body: walking, dancing, jumping. It’s in the breath, and the rhythmical expansion and contraction of the lungs. It’s in the flow of blood and energy throughout the body, and the involuntary processes of the internal organs and the digestion.
When you eat a meal, you put the food into your mouth, and then what? Do you have to worry about the food after that? No! The stomach does it’s job, the intestines do theirs, and finally…! It all happens naturally, spontaneously, and without the need for our attention.
In the same way, the universe and the earth do what they need to do: the planets stay in their orbits, the sun keeps on shining, and the earth keeps up just enough gravity for us to stay here where we belong. Trees give us all the oxygen we need; rains give us all the water we need; there is an abundance of food – more than enough to feed every person on the planet. So why then do we worry so much?
I’ll tell you why:
Because our society has lost touch with: guess what?
Yes, THE NATURAL ORDER. We have entered into a battle with nature, trying to manipulate and control, instead of simply trusting. We are afraid that if we let go, something terrible will happen – a new disease, or an earthquake, or a volcano.
And guess what? These things DO happen – it’s just part of life. But honestly, when did any of these things last affect you, and how often does that happen? And more importantly, did worrying about anything ever affect a more positive outcome!
So trust! Trust that you will have everything you need. Trust that no matter what happens, there is always a reason. Trust that “the only thing we have to fear is fear itself”.
Let your awareness come down, out of your head, and into your body.
The natural order for human beings is this: our energy enters our body in and below the solar plexus. (There is a wisdom there that is ancient, from long before we were human: it is something instinctive and faithful.) That energy flows into our solar plexus, and up, through the heart (our emotional center) and from there into the brain. Our brain is a computer that sorts out the message from the solar plexus and then organizes the necessary action: the brain is like a secretary. It organizes and it gets things done. But the boss, the manager, the chairman, is deeper down – in the solar plexus. Most people let the secretary make all the decisions – and guess what: the secretary isn’t good at that, it’s not his job, and so he gets stressed. That stress accumulates, and if you’re not careful, it leads to all kinds of problems, like depression and disease. On the other hand, if you bring your awareness down into the body; focus on feeling more. On being more real, more here, more present. Being aware of the ground beneath your feet, the air in your nostrils, the sounds around you, the life in your body. If you do that, life becomes more joyful – because it’s the way we are meant to be: it’s in alignment with the natural order.
It’s not easy – because we’ve been conditioned by our society to do the opposite (at school, by our parents, by television, media, advertising, etc). But with practice you gradually eliminate worry, and cultivate a feeling of trust. That trust leads to respect, and that respect leads to love. For oneself, for others, and for the world around us.
What could be more natural than that?
To answer the second part of the question: yes it is possible to live in trust and love surrounded by industry and consumerism and avarice (greed). But it’s REALLY HARD. I think it’s essential to get out of town regularly, back to nature. Like, preferably every day. That’s why I moved to the countryside – and I have to say I could never go back…
AUSTRIA, January 2010
Breath: Bridge between mind & body
You will survive for months without any food.
For a week perhaps without any water.
- Always breathe (whenever possible) through the nose. Inhalation, and exhalation! Guess what – that’s what the nose is for!!
- Breathe from the abdomen. This means that you use the diaphragm, and breathe deeply into the belly. If you find it difficult (if you have a habit of breathing in the chest) then practise lying on your back. Put one hand on your belly, and the other on your chest. Focus on breathing so that your abdomen expands like a balloon as you inhale, and slowly sinks back down towards the spine as you exhale. The chest should remain still. Practice until you master it. Then you can try sitting up – it’s a bit harder… and finally standing.
- Concentrate on the exhalation. Exhalation is active, inhalation is passive. When you exhale slowly and deeply, two very important things happen:
- You stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system (which releases stress from the body), and
- You empty the lungs! When the lungs are empty, just relax the body, and watch as the lungs expand deeply and effortlessly.
This is the natural rhythm of the breath, the body, and the universe. When you begin to breathe better, every aspect of life gets better. Immune system, glands, organs, emotions, feelings, thoughts, relationships… everything is affected in a positive way. BREATHING BETTER is the fastest and most effective way in which we can improve our health and every other important aspect of our wonderful lives – and it’s FREE!
If you have any questions about this or anything else, please contact me. I am always happy to help.
With love,
Ben
FREEDOM
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