Detached Observer

Where the intellect is free from assumptions 
the right decisions are made

Situation
As soon as we are faced with a situation we directly correlate it to some previous incident and make assumptions based on our past experiences about the situations or the people involved. Such assumptions sometimes lead us to wrong decisions.

Soulution
The solution lies in detaching ourselves from our past experiences. Of course we have to learn from the experiences of our past, but we also need to be open to look at the situation in a new way. Such detachment will enable us to make the right decision.

Detachment is a special quality of the human soul. It activates the faculty of the intellect which is connected to judgment, discernment and decision making. The intellect is empowered through pause, silence, a self respecting dialogue with the self or through reflection, and thus all the clarity that is needed is released.

Exercise
Today, just before a "prefabricated" thought emerges in your mind about someone or something, take a deep breath… stop , observe the "ready made" thought that comes from your memory and choose your next creation, your next thought…

The seed

Once the seed of spirituality really blooms inside me, then its’ fragrance will touch the others without any effort. If spirituality is just an idea for me and not a reality, then the seed will not be able to bloom, no matter my efforts.

Realization of our own role

To recognise the uniqueness of one's own role is
to be free from negativity

Situation

When things start going wrong in our life, a thought sometimes comes into our minds:"…if I only had a better role…". We then begin to compare ourselves with others or wish for something better in our life, which makes us lose all our enthusiasm. We then make no effort to better our role.

Solution

We need to recognise the importance of our own role. Like an actor who doesn't try to change his role but instead decides to bring perfection to his role, we, too, need to concentrate on our own unique role. The recognition of the importance of our own role and the desire to bring excellence to it, makes us free from the vicious vicious circle of negativity.

Exercise for the day

1. What is my role in the scenery of life? What is my speciality and which aspects of my expression through this role need to be revised?

Happiness

Genuine happiness transforms any burden to a pleasure. Then there is no task that I am not able to perform and there is no spiritual height that I am not able to reach.

Quality Transformation

Quality transformers can be compared to the oyster. When a tiny foreign particle invades (enters) the oyster’s home, it secretes a liquid that combines with the particle to finally create a pearl.
The pearl can live in the oyster's home for the rest of the oyster's natural life without causing any disturbance.

In the same way, rather than react negatively to people and events, we can accept them and mould with them. Through thoughts of acceptance and power, our consciousness jumps to another level of perception and we realise that what we might have previously regarded as a problem can, if handled correctly, be a means to develop our strengths and remove our weaknesses.

We will realise that a problem or can in fact be a gift : it all depends on our perception of the experience. The choice is ours and not anyone else's…at the end of the day we all have to live with ourselves...!

Exercise in silence
Have some quality time for yourself and make your silence creative by noticing all those "problems" that come in order to become your… pearls.
Remaining detached from the external form of the situation let me ask myself:

- What message / quality is hidden behind the external name & form?

- Which internal power should I develop so that I can stay uninfluenced?

- Where will I draw that power from?

- Which pearl do I still deprive myself of?

In the scenery of my mind

Where my mind goes... that is what I become... this is what I am

The sun is a suitable image for positive thinking.

The visualization described below uses a sunlit landscape as a comparison for the four levels of thoughts we create: positive, necessary, waste and negative. It can be used to increase your percentage of positive thoughts everyday.

Through these levels the soul has the opportunity to create its internal experiences and finally its external behaviour, its action.

Visualize a beautiful valley with a lake, forested foothills and high mountains rising up into the clouds. This is the landscape of your mind.

Your position in this landscape and the form in which you are displayed depends on the quality of your thoughts.

Are you a fish swimming in the muddy depths of the lake (negative thoughts)?
Are you a frog jumping back and forth from the shore to the lake, wasting time (wasteful thoughts)?

Are you a human, wandering into the forest to gather food and build a shelter (necessary thoughts)? Or the sun, which sustains (nourishes) all life on earth (positive thoughts)?


Points to Reflect upon:

Which position and form do you prefer to have in the landscape of your mind?

What is it that prevents you reaching this position and whose choice is it?

Today, what is your internal plan of action for reaching this position and what kind of fuel is necessary for this journey? Where do you plan to find this fuel?

Bon Voyage!

My principles

When my principles are very deeply rooted inside me, I will follow them no matter what the situations are or what others do. I will never have the expectation that others should also accept, respect and follow them.

Less is More

Anything that goes too far, like too much thinking, speaking, acting or even listening can become a problem. When I feel complete I don’t need to have an opinion about everything. I don’t need to prove anything to anyone.

Determination enables elevated thoughts to become … fruitful

Situation
When we have an aim in our life and are working for it, we sometimes are not able to bring into practice all that we're planning to do... We then tend to become disheartened and give up after trying for some time.

Thus we lose out on the benefit that our thoughts can bring in our life and in the life of others.

Soulution
Thoughts are like seeds in the soil of our consciousness … in order for them to bear fruits "out there", special care and attention is needed on a daily basis.

Our determination, also, will be like water for them helping them to come to fruition …

Thoughts & words like "I'll try…", "let us hope…" "maybe…" change turn  into… "I will do it!", "done!"

Where there is determination there is success.

Exercise for the day
Today let me stop for just a minute. Every hour has 60 of them! Let me check in a detached way the vocabulary of my mind... do I sustain the pure thoughts I created yesterday ?

Spiritual drill

The real spiritual drill will give me real independence and will keep me constantly in my self respect, self esteem and self confidence.

Controlling Power

The more control we have over ourselves and our lives, the happier and freer we will feel:

Example
A simple example is when we are drinking a glass of water: we move our hands, we turn on the tap, we fill up the glass, we direct it to our mouth, we drink this invaluable liquid and thus we quench our thirst. Our body 'smiles back at us'... 
This is a simple example of controlling matter and being part of a game. This sense of control over matter doesn't mean exploitation rather something that is pure: interaction.  

But...
...we sometimes get angry with situations or other people. Why does this happen? We have the 'logical' expectation that all of our thoughts, desires and directions should manifest in this game of interaction around us... for many reasons though, this is not always possible especially when it concerns other people too... and even if it is possible it doesn't last...

Sometimes, the simple expectation that a person should behave as we want them to is in itself an attempt to control them. When we try to control another person, which is impossible, we are bound to fail, feel frustrated and stressed. Thus, we lose spiritual energy and feel exhausted which comes back as anger towards those we try to control or other people that are 'easier' for us...

This is the magic moment in which I can ask myself: "What kind of control do I truly need in order for me to be really happy?" We are capable of having power over ourselves; we can be more responsible for our thoughts and feelings. We have the capacity to choose the quality of our response to different situations and people that we come across in our lives, whatever the outcome.
If we do not exercise much control over our thoughts and emotions, we easily fall into the tendency of seeing ourselves as victimized, and we blame others, making them responsible in our own minds for how we feel. When we do this, we are forgetting that we are the creators of our own thoughts. When this happens, we are handing over the control of our thoughts to those who influence, criticize, attack or slander us.


If we want to recover control over our life, we must learn to control our thoughts and feelings and not blame anyone else for them. The more self-control we have over ourselves, the less will we want to control others and our capacity to influence other people positively will be greater.

By feeling victims we build walls around our heart keeping life and our 'enemies' outside... we become more and more cynical which we cover under the words 'maturing process' or becoming more 'experienced' or 'realistic'...

Exercise of Self Control
The more we turn inward for gaining control the more we will feel content and rejuvenated. In order to fulfill my need for control in a healthy way I need to have 'spiritual gymnastics': mind and heart exercises by practicing meditation.
By being a systematic spiritual effort maker I can empower my mind and my heart and thus I gain trust for myself and my life. During meditation I create simple thoughts and emerge feelings which replenish me and empower the circulation of spiritual energy within me. I will need less and less to impose my will on others or try to ‘control situations’ externally - on the contrary, I will have more power to affect others positively. 

It's a matter of power, and for power we need healthy 'spiritual nutrition' and systematic exercise...

Our subtle property

Time and thoughts are our subtle property. Let us not waste one single thought, not one single moment. Let us find a way to use our subtle property in a worthwhile way and success is bound to come.

Humility versus depression

To be really humble means to respect others, to learn from them, but not to be too impressed by anyone or anything. If I am too impressed by a person or an idea then I expect too much from them and great expectations may bring great disappointment and depression.

Making the choice to develop soul consciousness

The situation
Frequently, even if we are undertaking an important task, our consciousness becomes dull because our intellect is disrupted by negative thoughts about ourselves and about others. This type of internal environment in our heart and mind pollutes the purpose of our task and makes it seem so mundane: it takes on no significance within us.

And so, that which was to be undertaken in a beautiful way becomes ordinary: quantity surpasses quality. ‘Action consciousness’ begins to take over. That is, we simply go through the motions required for us to finish a task quickly and haphazardly: it therefore loses its meaning within us.

In other words, despite the fact that we are focused on the action we wish to undertake, the result of our efforts is left lacking something. Isn’t that peculiar?

Love from the heart

Love from the heart gives to the soul the power of determination. Love from the heart brings contentment even when there is not an external achievement. Not to depend on external achievements will give the soul stability and great liberation.

Escaping ... Part C'

Growing up a child will observe the ways in which adults invent numerous forms of ‘rejuvenation’ and ‘escape’ from the daily grind….Sooner or later however these pleasant pastimes prove themselves to be ways of avoiding truth and become a source of new addictions…..

Other people

Many people utilize others in their search for fulfillment….

Detached observer

The “safety valve” of the self is detachment and observation. It helps the self to maintain a stage of equanimity for good or for bad situations, for praise and defamation. No matter what happens there is a benefit in everything.

Escaping ... Part B'

Growing up a child will observe the ways in which adults invent numerous forms of 'rejuvenation' or escape from their daily routines... Sooner or later these pleasant pastimes prove themselves to be ways of avoiding truth and become a source of new addictions…

Substances
Some external habits stimulate substances within our body… how long will we be chemically enslaved to these habits?
Take the exhaustive habit of anger as an example: it stimulates adrenaline in the body,giving the illusion of liveliness and 'control'. Gradually, however, it is possible to get addicted to this ‘chemical comfort zone’ and to create a hostile facet in my character (a trait which has become socially accepted as meaning we are being 'frank' or even 'courageous'). Adrenaline suppresses our natural state of peace and also the health of our body… but social reward or our own temporary satisfaction blinds us.

What should I do? Feel supressed ?
Somewhere between explosion and implosion there are many alternatives which we have not explored. Alternatives which we do not have the real courage to exercise… In this, spirituality can give me a helping hand… Let me move away from what seems to be  black and white…  Let me begin to talk with myself honestly:

"Because deep down I am reluctant to change anything about myself, I am for the time being unwilling to live a higher quality life (and so I am complacent) …I am reluctant to move closer to my true nature… maybe because I haven't yet really focused on discovering it… not yet at least… but any moment is the right moment to begin…"

It is a matter of discerning and choosing: will I let my habits emerge 'just like that' without the slightest filtering of them… without even really listening to them?

in silence let me listen… what is their message ? … what is it  that I don't satisfy within me?.... what are my deeper needs… from where are they originating ? … which deeper call am I not acknowledging? … which control, which power am I missing and substituting with anger…? 

So, what is the solution?
Solutions always hide behind problems… let me bring them into the light...

Substances
There are some substances that do not cause addiction and … we have unlimited and free quantities of them. Where? Within ourselves… There are some non-physical substances that are called virtues and powers: Peace, purity, friendship, inner wisdom, goodness, these are our imperishable instincts.

These eternal instincts or archetypes, want to emerge in our consciousness and they are determined to do so… For example, the substance called peace pulls us to a peaceful forest. Purity and innocence pulls us towards a dolphin or a deer.

With meditation I expand my understanding. Through my systematic reactivation of my true peace I start discerning the mechanism of chemical illusions. I realize that through any temporary satisfaction I loose valuable spiritual energy: I loose the power to direct my mind to beneficial thoughts and my heart to pure feelings. 

NOW is the time to learn the art of listening to my inner peaceful nature, the call of the self, time and the supreme source for true empowerment...

What is time calling me to do? To choose between chemistry or clarity… what is my supreme friend, the One who remains stable in his true state, calling me to be: … the embodiment of peace and pure happiness, away from illusion…
When I keep my inner space clean,  I am able to bring my mind close to the Pure Source, I'm feeling the current of clarity and grace… this grace restores and recharges me… this current enables me to keep improving myself…

Let me remember my true identity… that I am an eternal being… wherever I may be I can always remember my eternal Friend….. and as I do this, my consciousness is purified,  I begin to be like you again,…after all, you are my eternal parent…

The Language of Silence

As everything external becomes more and more noisy we need to become more and more quiet and deep. We need to learn and use the language that every soul understands, that is not the language of words, but the language of peace and light.

Love

Love is not a word, but a feeling. Instead of just using the word love let me ask myself deeply: "Am I the embodiment of love?" "Am I generous enough to change myself to the point that pure love is experienced through my eyes, through my attitude, through my each and every action?"