by Hilary Bowring, Contributing Editor
Which voice to believe?
Eastern philosophy teaches that there is One Consciousness pervading everything, which pulsates in a diversity of forms. The unique you and the unique me are still part of the same One energy. This includes everything on the planet, every flower, every bird, every bee-spiders too-all part of One Consciousness. Each of us is a uniqueexpression of this divine light. Hard to imagine that even the things we dislike are part of Us. To fully understand this we need to experience this state of Oneness. Some people do in higher states of meditation brought to the west from eastern cultures. Some people experience in shamanic journeys under the guidance of indigenous shamans from all over the world. Some have experienced through psychedelic drugs. For the rest of us without the experience it is hard to live in this awareness. Regular Meditation is our best bet to get there.
It is said a there used to be a time when human beings followed the voice of their soul who knew all things were interconnected, and lived with reverence for nature and each other…
The Quest
Our soul’s desire is to return to that state of awareness again.
The Bad News:
We have a soul voice and an ego voice and the ego voice has been dominating. After centuries of Patriarchal influence our ego took over and began to believe we are only the physical body with a personality that feels separate and alone. And we forget the plan that we are souls having a human experience to live here with that consciousness. A veil of forgetfulness of our true nature cloaked us, and weakened us.
A strong sense of ‘them’ and ‘us’ developed, even demonizing certain peoples and groups. An ever deepening isolation ensued. The quest was no longer any pleasure.
The separation trauma begins when we are plunged into the density of 3D reality at birth and we are suddenly alone. The ego’s protective attitude kicks in. And as we grow we learn we are in a matrix governed by the polarities of opposites, a binary system. Right –wrong, good-bad. Our evolutionary opportunity is to reconnect with our soul, listen to that voice and live consciously as part of the same One. Treat one another and our planet with love and respect.
Separation is hard-wired
Soul re-connection is very tough, as the ego sense of separation is hard wired into our brains. Science revealed there is a neural network DMN (default mode network), when the brain is hanging loose, not creating or engaged with others, it goes there by default. The part of the brain where we just feel ‘I’, ‘me’ and ‘my story’, ‘my grievances’, ‘my trauma’…. The state of mind where we feel separate from the world and from each other, it’s like a narrow filtering of our personal experiences creating a very small world. Explains why when we wake up in the night our problems seem bigger. We can fall into that mode especially when Fear is around. We see the otherness and sometimes demonize those who think and behave differently.
The illusion of separation is hard to break through. Especially when our biological set up is more protective than expansive in the default state. We are designed to proliferate our species and to survive. Being aware of that helps us to pause, reflect and reconsider our behaviour and move out of the fear-based ego voice ‘its all about me’ mode, be open to new ideas.
The Good News:
- This default mode in the brain can be altered. Psychedelic drugs are shown in scientific experiment to displace it and subjects were able to see things as One, see the light as everything. The same state can be found in Meditation. Particularly when we use breathing to release the thoughts or use a Mantra to over-ride them.
- We also have an inner wiring of compassionate connection. We are drawn to care for others. We’re biologically designed to readily care for our immediate family, but sometimes there’s a heroic caring for people we don’t even know. Where does that come from? Individuals jumping into water to save a complete stranger from drowning? This compassion seems to be driven from our heart which is also an intelligence centre with neurone networks that connect to the brain. However until the heart is open it too can perpetuate the dualistic state-‘Yes-No’, “should I do this? should I do that?” I saw my mother deal with that shift before her death when surrounded by huge family challenges. She would be muttering ‘Yes/ No’ trying to unravel her confusion about where life had taken her. Terrible to witness.
For our compassion to grow its very important to open our hearts because until fully open our compassion can be stifled by triggers that turn on the ego voice of ‘No-ness’, switch on our disconnection. “I cannot believe they said that, think that way…” The separation default wins.
The Gateway:
Opening our hearts is a big gateway to feel our interconnection and open to love. Particularly important now as the ‘difference story’ is deepening in our world as humanity weaves its way through the unknown, Fear is in the air. Fear contracts us back into survival mode, default mode.
Most of us are feeling some “No-ness’ I admit to that—I was remembering my mother would say ‘it makes my blood boil’ when something was offensive and I can feel the same stirring in myself, my blood boiling, especially with some of the political characters. People in authority placed in positions of power with popular support yet sadly are not really able to take on jobs so big. Their human frailties start to be seen more and more clearly, any hope for compassion and care for others seems to disappear down their egoic thirst for self aggrandisement and personal gain.
They can be seen as symptoms of our collective schism… the idea that as we transcend duality to a generous state of compassion for others, the opposite end of the selfish polarity will rear its head. Possibly the extreme is what we need to change how we look at things. May be to see every living being as a soul with a purpose which can include upsetting the apple cart? To feel compassion for the emotional wounds behind Dictators, Abusers and Bigots. To perceive every human being with Equanimity. Learn to hold Compassionate Neutrality.
This is a huge challenge for all of us, and very few have this vision constantly. However through the very act of making the attempt to relate to all others as equal in spirit and see them as lovable, we’ll eventually see life in this way.
In the past ‘Otherness’ has resulted in wars. Now we have another chance.
Move away from the British patriarchal way of domination by Authoritarian Control. Shared by the Russian and Chinese too. Move away from the American way of domination by the gun like the Wild West was still raging.
Most countries have had civil wars and revolutions in the past. We don’t want to keep on going back there.
The more we fight directly fire with fire the dualism will prevail, the differences will become more fixed in terms of ideas and fixed beliefs. Beliefs to fight for? Is that really the best way?
Not generally. But what to do if there is a regime that tortures and reviles, shuts down all living creatures? War is not an option as we would all be nuked into oblivion. Finger pointing and blaming would entrench positions; so what can we do? We can use Diplomacy, conversation, economic pressure as markets are global. And the power of prayer and remote energy healing are getting new found credibility by quantum physics.
We are living at the time of an evolutionary shift to live as One consciousness.
Somewhere deep inside there is a longing.
A yearning to connect with the Divine.
Somewhere deep inside is that feeling.
It is a feeling, not of the intellect,
It is our essence.
The journey is to recognize our Oneness
This is Enlightenment.
Only our illusions obscure this truth
“The Supreme Power of love unites us as One Consciousness”
Suggestions to help with the shift:
-Affirm and send Love to World Leaders:
E.g. Every morning I say “I send love and respect to all our world leaders to treat one another with love and respect, all countries with love and respect, all races with love and respect, our planet with love and respect, the values of compassion, honesty and integrity with love and respect especially ……name…
-Meditation: Opens our heart to Love and with regular practice we can experience our One-ness, connect with our Soul. Here are 2 meditations to assist.
- Heart Centred Meditation: connect with our Soul-Self https://youtu.be/WCoWlMAwcIQ
- One-ness Meditation: affirms our One-ness https://youtu.be/Y1ZTvZkf66c