“You've been criticizing yourself for years and it hasn't worked. Try approving of yourself and see what happens.” – Louise Hay
Have you ever re-read a book or watched a talk again, one that you may have not watched for a number of years. And it’s like you’re watching a completely different talk or something that is said suddenly lights up or lands with you in a new a fresh way.
In the words of my wise soul sister Madeeha “you are healing, open your heart.”
And the more we heal and the more we open our heart, especially to our troubles the more the illusion of the mind is stripped away and the more accurately we see, hear and feel what is true.
I watched a talk during this self retreat by one of my spiritual hero’s Eckhart Tolle, in it he said that he doesn’t meditate and is constantly surrounded by people who can sit still in silence for longer than him.
Although I have heard him before state that he enjoys sitting for long periods of time in contemplative silence.
In this I saw that he actually meant that for him very moment was a natural meditation, which actually is incredibly powerful as a statement. And it’s one that I notice the Zen (Chan) masters living in the mountains of China seem to echo.
It’s what Lao Tzu also advises in the Tao, as living in constant contemplation.
This means eveything can be made into meditation and the most profound meditation technique I have found to bring me happiness is this.
Loving awareness
To bring that gentle vibration of love to whatever I’m perceiving inside or outside of myself. Last night I loved my headache, I lay down with it silence and inwardly smiled to it and welcomed it into my being completely.
As I did this and relaxed deeply into the sensation of the subtle tension, it dissolved into a flow a blissful energy, and I had visions of Lamas meditating in states of bliss with me.
Then as soon as I started thinking or moved away from this calm loving acceptance the pain started to return, and in no time I’d fallen into a blissful sleep.
For me I’m seeing again that it’s not really about consciousness as much as it’s about love, to fall in into love with each moment, with each shadow, with each traumatic experience, with everything that presents itself inwardly and outwardly.
As I’m starting to feel that eveything that presents itself internally or externally does so, as it wants to be free of suffering, free of that pain, eveything wants to be loved at the deepest level.
As Rumi tells us in his poem the guesthouse, allow everything that presents itself at the door of your consciousness.. the joy and the grief, the jealousy and the happiness to be welcomed fully and held in the complete presence of love.
And then watch what happens..
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