Ripples In My Pond 

The day is still and quiet as I walk about to take in the beauty of this existence. I have no direction in mind as I let my feet go where they would like rather than guide them with my thoughts. I pass by all manner of people and things and notice each in turn. I do not see what some would call their faults, instead I revel in the wonder of the diversity of expression. Each of them is a unique crucible of creation, expressing themselves as they are in the moment. There is nothing to judge for they are doing as is their nature just as any interpretation I might have of them will be what is in my nature. There is only the joy of perceiving that unique expression in all its glory. There are no flaws, no imperfections, save to the rational mind, there is just what is and I can share in that so long as I stay in the moment. 

 If I want to see this wondrous creation as it truly is I must quiet my mind and remain in a state of observation - with my rational mind unengaged. I can gaze about and take in everything and allow it to be what it is. But, the rational mind moves so quickly from contrasting, that is noticing differences, to criticizing that I must be careful to simply allow what I perceive to be, untainted by my minds tendency to interpret, evaluate and judge. All of these are person actions, initiated by my mind. If I am quiet enough within, when my mind does stray to wrestle control of the moment from me, I feel the ripples that arise from my judgment and know there is a lesson in it for me.

If I am still enough I feel the ripple as it washes through me and its wake is the engagement of various aspects of my rational mind. Thoughts are stirred where the ripple meets other ripples in my mind. The ripples do not cease, they remain and reflect amongst themselves. I make a mental note of that ripple, for it is the ripple that is important and not the thoughts it manifested. But, what are the ripples...and where did they come from?

The ripples are the result of imbalances I have created for myself. If one imagines the flow of the Cosmos, and all of its inherent properties as the flowing of still waters then a ripple is created when there is something that disturbs the flow of those waters, say a pebble in my pond. The ripple itself is not an issue, though we make big fusses about what we perceive and what we see as its impact in our lives. We often express this with our lower emotions which in turn, being out of balance with those still flowing waters, create more ripples. Interestingly enough, the imbalance is not an issue either.

Even though I flow with those still waters I am not the waters, I am a unique expression of it. A rebirth of aspects of it in new relationships that never existed before. When those waters flow through me I move with them manifesting as I go, I continue to be in harmony with them unless what I manifest is not in alignment, and a pebble is born and a ripple created. The ripples are the key to finding the "rocks" in the pond of my mind that deflect and personalize the still flowing waters.

The ripple is neither good nor bad, it is a reflection of the state of my pond. Such decisions are the result of other ripples. I want to find those pebbles and this is why when my perception of an experience leads to a ripple I want to notice. The operative word is want to. I will not see the ripples if I permit my mind to help me ignore them for any one of an uncountable number of reasons. That wanting is the personalized kind, it is rooted in my need to be liked, admired, cared for or even loved for these are the needs of the rational mind, and I am not my rational mind. No, it is a pull from within that seeks the stillness of those flowing waters, and be at one with them, like an elastic band stretched by personal desire will return to it's natural harmonious state once that desire ceases.

That ripple leads me to the pebble, for in the ripple is the combination of the still flowing waters and my mistaken impressions which are that pebble. And if I listen to the ripple it will tell me of the pebble, and I can "see" the pebble in relation to the still flowing waters as they are in the ripple itself. If in a moment of clarity I can undersand what that pebble is telling me about me it will start to fade and the waters will become still again. There are other pebbles in my pond and I will likely add more, but I know that if I am still I can become acquainted with them as well.

So, as I walk about and notice a ripple I smile and try to accept it for what it is, not what I conceive it to be. Anything else would simply add another ripple....

© 2011 Allan Beveridge