Whatever it is you’re dealing with, which you might consider stressful, is only real on the level on which it is perceived.
When you have young children, and you see them being frustrated in learning to crawl or walk or achieve a goal, from your level, you know that even the frustrations they are dealing with are part of the growth process and are healthy and necessary and not really a problem the way they are perceived from the child’s perspective,
Your awareness of this provides a unique kind of knowledge that cannot be experienced at another level.
You, as an adult, may be very much affected by the weather. On one level, there are hurricanes, winds, and all kinds of other things that have to be dealt with on that level.
If the wind is blowing and the rain is coming down hard, your knowledge of that informs you to take shelter, which is necessary, and as it should be.
And yet, if you’ve ever had the experience of being on a jet plane and taking off in bad weather, there’s a kind of amazing discovery that… above the clouds, the sun is always shining. It’s quite profound.
The significance of the storm below pales in comparison to the brightness of the sun. And then, those same clouds that were wreaking such havoc on the ground seem fascinating and wonderful as you fly above them, not at all being affected by what’s below.
Sometimes, the consciousness that you have of that ever-present sun above the clouds is what you need to be able to endure the situations at another level that you are dealing with.
How do you do this? How do you stay connected to the sun when you’re dealing with a hurricane?
You may look around, and on one level, you see things falling apart. You see difficulties being suffered everywhere. You see injustice. You see great shifts. And yet, it’s possible to deal with them appropriately and, at the same time, not lose sight of (or lose the experience of) the everlasting presence of the sun above all of this.
I’m using the sun metaphorically, meaning the presence of light, the ever-present peace that is in the moment.
The answer lies in the moment. Hurricanes become more worrisome when you ruminate over them, when you worry about them, when you think about past experiences and what might happen in the future.
But, in the moment, you have access to the peace that’s everlasting. In the moment, you can choose to focus on what’s happening right now, starting with your breath.
And, if you make that your business, you are breaking through to the sun in the midst of the storm. If you focus on the love where you find it, the things that are troublesome become interesting, fascinating, much the way clouds look from above.
You have this ability to connect with what is real, with what never changes, with what informs you, protects you, loves you, secures you, knows you… and is you.
Start with your breath. Stay present to your feelings. Notice what you notice without any judgment and allow yourself the realization of the eternal in each moment.
It takes practice.
If it is your intention to know peace, you will know it. If you intend to experience love, you will.
Your will is supreme.
Thank you, Dr Jim…
