What’s the opportunity in this adversity?

April 9, 2020 |

Surely there has to be a different way, a better way to make sense and use of what’s going on in the world today.
Whilst challenging in numerous ways, the quarantine is forcing us to turn inwards.
This is an opportunity to spend time attuning to the inner voice within, and maybe even begin healing yourself.
So many of us have pain and trauma from early life, and now the ‘system’ is down you don’t have to keep running away from it, or avoiding it anymore.
So what now?
Turn off the news, just for a few hours.
Turn off the conspiracies and speculation.
Shut off the external noise.
So you can, instead, tune in and find your own ‘signal.’
Many self-help teachers, life coaches and spiritual gurus may try to sell you on some particular technique or course to help you, but the truth is, you don’t need anyone or anything else outside of you to be able to do this inner work.
You simply need the willingness to answer the call for deep inner peace, and have the courage to honestly sit down with yourself, by yourself, in a space of not knowing.
“Know thyself,” as Socrates wrote, is the beginning of all wisdom.
From here, what you need to act on, process, or deal with will come up all by itself.
Nobody can tell you what your issues, or inspirations or aspirations are – only you really know that.
You’ve just been avoiding them. We all have… on the treadmill of life… cycling on the endless inner narrative of self-defeating thoughts, beliefs, anxieties, inner narratives, dreams and fears. Building thoughts upon thoughts upon thoughts, and it’s the thoughts that become our sickness.
We are unwell with an egoic addiction to thinking. Instead of being mindful, we are mindless and mind-full!
And so, we perceive ideas that aren’t really there. We imagine enemies where there aren’t any. We build a self image full of doubts and beliefs where there’s no tangible self to begin with – not outside of the thoughts.
We’re hallucinating – dreaming up a plethora of ideas that have no actuality in an altered state of consciousness called ego. Even moreso when we perceive we’re under ‘threat.’
This is what we’re waking up from.
Awakening is simply a non-altered state of consciousness – tuning into what is left when you stop believing in your own thoughts.
So what is left?
As Blaise Pascal wrote: “All of humanity’s problems stem from man’s inability to sit quietly in a room alone.”
I could advise you to explore yoga, drumming, dancing, journalling, poetry, or painting to get you there. But that misses the point. You must find your path, precisely because you are the path.
The World has ground to a halt for now.
What happens if you do too?
Dive in!

 

 

 

 

Amidst the current times we are all facing, I’m conducting mindfulness meditation sessions online to offer practice to everyone, anywhere in the world.

To help keep us connected while we are isolated, help us stay calm during a time of great anxiety, to give us an opportunity to care for one another, and to be together, I am providing two free live and online daily meditation groups.

Every week day, from March 30th, until the end of April at 12 midday AEST (Brisbane time), I will offer a 15 minute live and online, daily meditation/support group on Zoom. Find out more here.

Every evening, for the entire month of April at 8pm Brisbane time, I will offer a 30 minute live and online, daily meditation/support group on Zoom. Find out more here.

Categorized Managing Change, Mindfulness, Mindset, Resilience Tagged , , , , , ,

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