Awakening Our Gifts Part 6: Seeing and Knowing
The day has been a good one despite starting with a steady stream of rain. I enjoyed the rain though it was heavier than a light shower as it is another part of nature and I love listened to it patter, in this case on the window in my study. I enjoy getting out in it and was looking forward to a round of golf later in the day despite the steady drizzle, though it did not last as the clouds yielded to the sun by noon. After I got my morning tasks done I headed to my home course and played a relaxing round of golf.
Part of the reason it was so relaxing was I love the challenge of the game, but it also the grounding that comes when one is wrapped in the beauty and the energy of nature. I felt its soothing embrace and as I went along I found my thoughts wandering back to the series I have been sharing over the last few weeks. My thoughts did not go into the details of what I had written, nor the many concepts that were included. They lingered on the reasons I started it in the first place and what I had hoped to communicate through it.
The trigger for these thoughts was actually the birds that call the greens, fairways and ponds of the golf course home. I spoke with the geese, many with their young ones, as I paused to appreciate their being. I have been saying hello to them for years and some are quite willing to let me get within a few feet of them without running away or hissing at me. As for my thoughts, I barely touched them consciously and merely let them stir up both my non-conscious and non-rational minds so that I could tap into it later.
Later came when I sat on the deck with a bank of dark clouds rolling in from the North West. My energy remained calm, yet I could feel the push to write what had been “stewing” in the background all day. I broke out the laptop, poured myself a fresh cup of coffee and went out to start writing. The impending rain meant that I would be forced indoors soon, so rather than start writing as planned, I let the thoughts and energies that had been rolling around in the background surface. The one thought that struck me first was the sense of connectivity I felt with those that would read my words, and how I am lucky to be able to tap into it to help guide my writing.
When I write on spiritual topics I try to do two things. One is to get my thinking mind out of the way as much as possible (sometimes I have to ground, clear and center myself) so that what comes out is as unencumbered as possible, the other is to try to tune my energy to that of those who will read my writing. I really cannot explain in words what I do or how. What I can say is there are particular energies or vibrations that those who seek have, regardless of whether they are just starting to entertain the idea of spiritual development or have been on the path for some time and attained some measure of their higher “spiritual awareness”.
I can feel the energy I refer to in people, even if it is from someone I have not connected with but who will read what I write. They may not do it today, or even this year, but they will. I then use this energy to “find them”, like a tuning fork, and at the same time firmly formulate the intent that what I write and share will be for their highest good. I imagine a web of interconnected people, those that share this energy. I then keep this energy “in mind” as I write, as well as the energy of what I am writing. Where the energy of my writing is in harmony with this energy the words flow freely, when I am not I know I need to stop and refocus. All I need to do is pay attention.
This may sound like a very taxing process; and it can but does not have to be. When I do this, I am not consciously connecting with anyone in particular. I manifest the construct (the guiding thought) of matching the energy I feel with anyone who shares a commonality with it and let my consciousness do the actual work. If you have ever consciously expanded or contracted your auric field then you would have some idea of what I am referring to. Remember, energy follows attention, which is why the trained mind can use symbols to trigger states of awareness effectively. With this particular energy and the connectivity I feel comes a sense of thankfulness and humility for there are some powerful awareness’s that read what I write, though many aren't consciously aware of it at the time of this writing. To be able to assist them on their journey in any fashion is a tremendous honour.
As I feel the first rain drops fall I find that my conscious thoughts, about the conclusion to the series, are not aligned, two in particular. That is I am not doing the first of the two things I mentioned a couple paragraphs up, I am not setting my thoughts far enough aside.
One set of thoughts has me thinking the best course is to meticulously connect the dots formed by the previous parts the other has thinking about writing something eloquent, something that uses the figurative mode instead. However, I get the sense that neither of these are right and further, that I must not formulate any intent outside of “What I write will be in everyone’s highest good”. So, I sigh, smile and feeling the rain starting to come decide it’s time to take the laptop and me inside. When I get settled in at my desk, which usual means some clearing of debris, I focus on one thing, tuning into the energy I mentioned and then simply type without concern for what comes out...
Awakening our gifts is not unlike an apprenticeship. One works towards it step by step, developing the capacity, skills and awareness along the way. There are many ways to go about it. Some try to be more direct, forceful, while others focus on one or two areas with the idea this will be sufficient. I believe in a conceptual approach, one might call it a holistic one. This is view is one that looks at the whole self and gets the mind and spirit working together. Doing this means working on "whole mind", that of which we are conscious as well as that which we likely aren't. It also means trying to gain access to or open up our non-rational or "intuitive" mind something many would refer to as our spiritual awareness. This is what we've done in this particular series.
We have covered a lot of ground in the first five parts of this series; starting with the first one where I introduced ten areas we need to work on to develop our gifts, our awareness. I stated my purpose for writing this series in part 1 as:
“I believe that developing our non-rational awareness is something that everyone would benefit immensely from and the primary purpose of my writings is to assist those who would like to do so. The challenge is how to develop it for doing so is fundamentally different that how we develop a physical skill or even how we tend to acquire knowledge.
My approach has been first to explore why people are not consciously aware of their gifts and then to try to find out what will help people to overcome this.” (1)
In the subsequent four parts we examined these ten areas in some detail by explored the thinking mind and its development following that with how our thoughts affect our energy and awareness. In the last two parts we took a look at the impact of our relationship with the Cosmos on our awareness. All in all they comprise a body of knowledge that you should keep in mind; however, as I have stated before, in terms of the material I share, they are meant to train the mind not inform it. Our minds are able to allow our higher awareness through, we are the ones that block it through our creation of then residency in the illusion we build, one commonly referred to as our ego.
Of course it is a given that one must want to change and not just say the words or go about it in a haphazard fashion. We must have both the intent and desire to grow and to develop our awareness otherwise our progress is greatly limited (2). Yes, one can read and try to follow what I suggest in this series; however, one will not get very far without these two qualities and in their absence, it is possible to create even more problems for oneself.
A firm intent and a strong impetus to go forward is what one needs. Once we have these in some measure we can begin to work on our minds to allow our awareness to shine through. This is what this series is about and the material covered so far, parts two to five, can be grouped into the categories of modification, preparation and alignment of our mind. Modification refers to the changes we make in our thinking processes
Our mind will do as we "tell it to", that is it acts in accordance with what we teach it through our reactions to our experiences. We all have a spark or a "piece" of our higher self, our divinity if you will, that does not need to be lectured, and it only needs to be coaxed out from behind the wall of our ego. We have within us vast capabilities of awareness and modes of expression that we are only beginning to be able to access and which currently remain untapped. This is what working on the areas I mentioned starts to do for us. To bring them all together we only need to look at the big picture, namely, “How does working on these areas help us develop our higher awareness?”
The reason they remain untapped is that while we have the capability, our capability is limited, like a lake with just a little water in the middle. We must build our “higher aspects” or fill the lake. Filling the lake takes a great deal of experience to do and is a requirement if we want to use our higher level capabilities. This is something we have collectively and individually been working on for millennia; however, it is only recently have we started to be freed from the need to fight for survival so that we can start to build these aspects or capacities.
We cannot coax our awareness out by doing the same things we have been doing all our lives. You might ask “What is it that we have been doing?” Well, we have been clinging to the “I” and this allows selfish thoughts to dominate. By selfish thoughts I refer to any and all that see "I" before "we, us or ALL". To access our broader capabilities we must come into harmony with us and the Cosmos. I mean “we” in several ways, as connected and interdependent aspects of the Cosmos, as a group of souls evolving together and in singular form, as individual manifestations of that expression. And it is a truly spectacular Cosmos, with all its modes and forms of expression of which we are but one.
There is splendour behind the illusion.
It is all around us and everywhere we look.
It is unfortunate that it gets lost in the looking.
We spend most of our time reacting to our own reactions rather than acting in the moment. We do this because we do not train our minds properly, hence we end up chasing what our minds tell us rather than simply allow the splendour all around us to be and then move with it. Nor can we use our mind as it has developed to help us break free of its embrace for if we could we would have already.
The splendour I refer to is in and all around us, but we do not see it as we keep searching for it using our minds to direct the hunt. The untrained mind creates thoughts quickly, and if we do not apply due diligence, that is if we rely on superficial observation and erroneous reasoning, what we get is a puzzle box (3). This obscures the splendour, keeping it out of view.
The puzzle box is a maze of thoughts and we end up chasing shadows and blindly following them into dead end passages. There is an old saying, “garbage in, garbage out”, and therefore, the only way out of the maze is to change the way we react to, or integrate our experiences. By changing how we integrate experiences we not only reduce the amount of garbage we put into our minds, we are building the mental tools to deal with the garbage we have created already. The idea is not to find our way out of the maze, it is to let the maze fade away.
We must learn to crawl before we can walk, and walk before we can run and we have been crawling for millennia. The process of building capabilities and actualities from potentials is a slow one. Einstein could not have done what he did in the year 100 CE, for what he discovered required the discoveries of those who came before. Any idea that we have we create from existing vibrations, this is the process of integration. What is new is the "spin" we add to it with our imagination and in doing this we have introduced a new vibration into the Cosmos. While our thoughts may seem personal, and in a sense they are, they add to the collective consciousness of humankind. This is how we have progressed to the point where we are now.
To be mentally conscious of a thought requires a connection with our physical aspect. When this happens the energy or vibration of the thought passes down through the range of energies we know as emotions. In doing so our thoughts induce a reaction within our lower astral, activating or manifesting a vibration generally referred to as an emotion. The thoughts we have combine and connect to others we have creating even more complex though forms. Further, each new vibration induces reactions to it as this is the nature of things.
Every time we react to our experiences we manifest energies and these vibrations all go through the process mentioned manifested. This occurs with every thought we have regardless of whether we are conscious of it or not. The mind is not concerned with the validity of the though, it is simply vibrations interacting based on their and our nature. Gaining the awareness to listen and hear our own thoughts so that we are aware of them is challenging.
For example, when we observe someone and judge something about them the thoughts of our reaction, from perceiving the person to our judgement of them, are new and specifics vibrations. The exception is that the mind may use an existing judgment. We are likely consciously only aware of a small portion of the thoughts activated or created in the process of perception. We are even less likely to be aware of the energy of either the reactions and thoughts that arise.
We do not see the energies the thoughts stir, at least no generally (you can see or feel it if you are paying attention (4)), nor the reactions to or consequences of it. The result is we tend to fly blind until we have had sufficient experiences to figure it out what thoughts are mind used or manifested in making its judgment. To simply this, I am referring to our ability to attribute a consequence to particular thoughts. The result is that, for the most part, rather than being aware of our thoughts and the possible outcomes of them we are playing a game of hide and seek with ourselves.
There is mystery in the seeking,
A game of hide and seek with ourselves
We will poke and prod and see what we discover,
Until it’s time to step aside
So that the hidden can speak
And silence the hunger
We do try to figure it out, each of us in our own way, though we are not likely aware that this is what we are doing. We do things and get results and then do more things and so on. At some point in our long journey, we come to realize that the problem is not the doing" so much, and our doings are the result of thoughts in our mind, as is how we go about deciding what to do. With this notion we start to recognize that we are not our thoughts, though we have allowed ourselves to buy into the illusion, and it is our thoughts that prevent us from seeing the splendour. This sets up a paradigm of sorts, that being how can we see it if our thoughts prevent us from seeing it and at the same time we need thoughts of some kind and level to function?
If you think about this there are two possibilities; one being that it is impossible to set them aside, hence we are permanently blocked, as anyone with spiritual awareness knows is not the case, or the types of thoughts we have are the problem hence the blockage is not permanent. This is what I was referring to in the third part of the series when I stated the following (5):
“The foundation of our mental house is not the thoughts that we have; it is in how we react to and “process” experiences. We begin to work on our foundation, as covered in part two, by changing how we consciously react and act. If we do not do this we may clear up some issues but we continue adding to them. By applying the concepts we covered we begin to lessen how much “garbage” we create within our own minds, which also makes it easier to work on our issues and challenges. Once we begin to work on how we react to experiences, hence what thoughts we manifest, we turn our attention to our existing thoughts. Primary among our thoughts, in terms of growth, are the beliefs we hold.”
And ...
“Our minds act on our beliefs even if we do not know what they are. What we want is a well ordered mind with as little erroneous thoughts as possible, one that we are familiar with rather than being estranged from. The problem is when we have uncertainty and cannot resolve or understand our experiences or reaction to them we tend to block or ignore it and our thoughts about it, unaware that by doing so we are introducing disorder and more conflict into our minds.”
We can renovate our mental house by various means, though we must be focused on what life presents to us. Our illusion is what weaves the experiences in our lives; therefore we focus our attention on what is going on here and now to start to unravel the knots we have created. While we have almost countless thoughts, the ones that concern us the most are of two kinds, those that cause us issues and challenges, and the root constructs that enabled them to be created.
Let us say, for the sake of argument, that I have anger issues. The anger will have its root in how I reacted to an experience, one where I may have felt hurt, embarrassed or been fearful and so on. Now it is like that subsequent experiences reinforced the thought making the emotions that result stronger. The anger is rooted in the first thought or first few thoughts. If I am to clear the anger fully, these are the thoughts I want to find as they are the source of the thought(s) that I have since added to.
What happened, at the time of those early experiences, was my pre-existing thoughts led me to interpret (react) to the experience the way I did (hurt, embarrassed, fearful and so on). This thought(s) arose from the integration process that led to the original emotional reaction. It is the beginning of the chain. Continuing with this example, I may have believed that everyone cares about me, and when in my perception an experience clearly indicated to me this was not the case, I may have felt betrayal and become angered by it. Subsequent experiences have reinforced this leading to anger issue(s).
Now this is but one example, and there are too many possibilities to try to list them. Suffice it to say, we need to examine what we believe is the case, something that is easier said than done. We have spent a lifetime building up the illusion; it takes time and effort to deconstruct it. This is why “What Do I Believe” (6) is the first exercise in the core Twin Powers material. We need to figure out what beliefs we hold as they are what allowed us to develop the poor programming in our minds in the first place. We must want to do this, or the mind will remain uncooperative. Having done this we then use our developing skills at observation and reasoning to examine them. We must question them, ask ourselves if our beliefs are reasonable and are they reflective of what actually is the case or what we thought was the case?
Getting through this stage is a process, like peeling away the layers of an onion. It does take effort, but more than that it takes time. One of the biggest hurdles comes when progress seems to falter and we find ourselves running out of steam. It is likely the appearance of faltering only, instead the work being done is happening under the covers. What can help us here is the higher level “qualities” we have already developed. I say developed as it is highly unlikely you would be working on such things as I suggest without already at least sensing there is a greater whole or ALL that we are connected to and part of.
Indeed part of the impetus to do so comes from deep inside; it is almost a hunger to find balance, to be in harmony with oneself and the world around us. Use your awareness of this, tap into your sense of devotion to awakening to that ALL, to the purpose or intent you have manifested towards that end. Tap into your growing circle of caring, remember why you are doing what you are doing. Tap into your compassion, not just for others but also for yourself and for the joy and delight of working with your nature and in harmony with the all. When we do these things we are literally stepping outside and beyond ourselves.
Our limiting thoughts come from our creating the illusion of “I”. When we have supplanted enough of such thoughts with the notions of “we or us or ALL” the webs of “I” thoughts start to break down, the maze begins to fade.
The result of this is that the “I” we have created is gradually being put aside and in doing this we begin to allow more to flow from within and without. That is we are beginning to satisfy that hunger or need we have inside, the one that keeps us on our path. Even more than that, we begin to start being rather than always doing.
So many lines cross, and where they meet
Lies the choosing but there is no choice to make
The past’s collar has already chosen
We are either on lines that limit
Or one that’s open to ALL
Each and every moment we have a multitude of options or choices. We can choice to do one thing or another or something else altogether; however, we generally go with what our minds or the “I” presents to us. We come to like certain foods, clothing, music, circumstances or situations and so forth due to whom we are and the experiences we have. We tend to gravitate towards them because that is what we have come to prefer. These preferences are the collar of the past and most often our ego is doing the choosing for us. When we follow these choices we are on lines that limit us, though if truth be told working through the limits we have created is part of the process.
Through our development work we are clearing our mind and we come to find, as mentioned, that our perspective changes. Where before we likely will go with what we want, we start to go with what feels right and not in the sense if right for us, it just feels right - period.
Such feelings do not come from the Rational Mind (RM), they are rooted in our true self, our ability to know without having to think about it. Everyone has moments when they get that inner sense of knowing something which could not be verified, yet which later proved to be true. The thoughts may have come out of the blue with a clarity and intensity that cannot be denied. It is likely also true that most people have recollections of such moments occurring where they did not follow that knowing and later found out they should have.
The clearer our minds are, the less encumbered they are by personal need and desires related to “I”, the more of these moments we have. How often depends on a great number of factors not least of which is how fully we embraced and empowered a belief such as “I am a reflection of the ALL and so I choose to do what is in the best interests of everyone, including mine”.
This can be a hard nut to crack, especially when following this results in what we might perceive to be personal harm or hardship if we do the right thing for ALL. Developing this quality is, again, like peeling an onion. We develop it by nurturing the idea, by wanting to find ways to act on it and then taking the opportunity to do so when they arise. But, you must have the wanting to so, similar to my reference to being hungry to feel connected.
Over time, if one stays on this path, the wanting will be replaced by the inner confidence of knowing. Turmoil over choices will begin to lessen, you will find the joy and love of caring for everyone and everything growing and overcoming the sense of personal loss you likely would have thought you would experience before.
And we are never free without yielding
Not to others - to the splendour all around
Where our magic was lost in the looking
It is now found
Our gifts are our birthright; we have been evolving for a very long time and have earned them. It is true that some have developed those aspects to a higher level. Having said this I must be clear, the capability to do so lies within each of us. Further, our capacity to develop these qualities is relative to the lessons we are here to learn. Not everyone is supposed to walk the path of higher enlightenment, everyone is to live the lives they are given, to learn from what their lives present them. If we are “supposed” to walk such a path we can find out by doing the things I have suggested in this series and in many other compositions. It matters not what one’s trade or occupation is, for one can use their gifts in any of these and in their daily lives. If ones path is to be the best pipefitter, police officer, gardener or any other then that is the path is the correct one and no less worthy or valuable than any other.
What holds us back is our mind. If we stay focused on “I”, we are not free; we are in a sense slaves to our thoughts. When our personal actions are those that follow from what we know rather than what we think then we tap into more of the capabilities of our consciousness. Or, to put it another way:
The less there is of “I” the more we act from a state of knowing and acting rather than thinking then doing.
The “I” is the mental program we have constructed, a process that started at birth. Over the years thoughts from misconceptions, incomplete or tenuous beliefs, conflicting notions and the like, all empowered to different degrees, build up. It is thoughts such as these that help create the relatively rigid “I”. We want to get these thoughts out of the way, to clear them so that we can start to know and act.
It is this clearing, this putting or stepping aside of thoughts that gives us clarity, that allows us to feel connected and in tune with everything around us. When we aligned more we get stronger and clearer energy flowing through us. We begin to notice where we can be of assistance; we act at the right time for the right reasons, putting aside how one decides what is “right”.
Being able to know and act in cooperation with the Cosmos as reflected through us is magical. There are underlying “mechanics”, in a vulgar sense, to how knowing works; however, one does not have to know the mechanics to take advantage of the principles behind them. Remember, we train our minds, we do not inform it.
The Cosmos or GOD is unfolding and we are part of that unfolding. We have taken our basis from what was and are manifesting new forces, both thoughts and emotions that never existed before. I liken what we are doing to creating the mental and emotional body of GOD; it is not OUR body for we are not separate from GOD or the Cosmos. We are part of it and it is part of us. We can only get beyond the illusion that we are immersed in, an illusion of our own creation, by recognizing, accepting and then acting in accordance with this. This is how one measures their development at any point in time.
We all know that the journey of a thousand miles begins with one step, and that one should on what they are doing in the moment rather than on the future, the goal. What matters most is our devotion and commitment to it right now, and if we have articulated our intent clearly enough we will get there. Hence, the key is not to be concerned with becoming more clairvoyant, empathic, and telepathic and so forth. The focus is not on awakening our gifts, though that may be the goal one sets. We focus our attention on aligning with the Cosmos here and now and as we work towards this, our gifts unfold ... almost magically.
The woven webs of “I”’s witchery
Are no longer Master of the house
Where once they were self-possessive
They act in service instead
The ages of toil and turmoil fade
And the I and the All are wed
End of the series...
© 2012 Allan Beveridge
Last edited February 11, 2019
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