The world is as you are. The way we experience life has a lot to do with how we experience who we are. When we’re ego-identified, we’re often in an adversarial relationship with others and the world. They respond in kind. We often don’t even realize we’re doing this until it begins to stop. We have few experiential reference points for anything else.
What’s arising has a purpose – perhaps to show you what you’re resisting, to bring an opportunity for resolution, to learn, or to move forward (or all of the above). As we become more conscious, the role of events can gradually become clear. When we recognize this process, the battle begins to end.
Many ask themselves what they’re supposed to be doing. What is my purpose? Ironically, we have to be living our purpose. We’re not separate from life so we can’t live outside our purpose. But because of how we are with life, the conflict and resistance obscures it.
After we wake up to our deeper nature, we experience new ways of being. Our habits and stories become much more conscious. Once seen, these fall away. We develop a more harmonious relationship with others and the world. As things progress, we unite with the world and develop an intimate relationship with all that arises. As we clean up and mature into the shifts, we embody those inner dynamics. They come right on to the surface of life.
What is unresolved comes to the surface too but otherwise our life becomes progressively more supported, purposeful, and smooth. While the differences may seem subtle, they’re profound. Would you rather suffer or enjoy? Live in peace or fear and anger?
The kinds of relationships you can enjoy become much more profound and direct too.
The Old Style:
The person wants to feel in charge and fights change or tries to force what it wants. Yet that control and resistance leads directly to suffering.
Most people don’t realize it’s these ego dynamics that lead to their experience of life. Not knowing better, they continue the behaviour and are disappointed by life.
The New Style:
After awakening, remaining ego attachments are falling away so we gradually allow things to flow and unfold as they’re arising. By getting out of the way, the intelligence inherent in life can express through us. We’re allowing rather than fighting life.
As we wind down the backlog, life becomes smooth and peaceful with occasional little bumps. Most things arise and complete quickly and easily. The play of life becomes entertaining.
Inner peace and happiness well to the surface. Life takes on a character of purpose and we see the benefit of our presence locally and globally.
What you put your attention on grows – do you focus on problems or being? Happiness or pain? But again, the difference isn’t about control. It’s about letting go.
Davidya
Last Updated on May 24, 2018 by Davidya
Yes! The more I go about my days surrendering to what is, I feel less and less wanting to shape things. Letting go and dropping into being has really supported my reality lately. Your words about work-life have really resonated with me back at the job. Especially about whether I need to change jobs or, rather, change my relationship to my current job. The latter never really occurred to me. I am keeping out of the way to see what shows up! Much gratitude David!
Glad thats been useful, Aaron.
It takes time to learn the tricks of being. We don’t stop doing – we just change our relationship with it. We allow doing to happen rather than trying to shape it.
Choice is still active but now its choice of attention rather than choice of doing. Working from consciousness itself, the attention is much more powerful and gets results with much less effort. But the process takes time to polish as we have lifetimes of habit. 🙂
Thanks. I so needed to read these words this morning. Funny how what is needed is found on one’s path at always the right moment.
Funny you say that George. My next article is on that very topic. 🙂
🙂