A: Well really the question isn’t the role that nature plays in your journey, but how you perceive nature based on your frame of reference. So for instance, right now it’s snowing outside slightly, and it’s very beautiful. It’s beautiful how the snow covers the trees, the ground and it brings light and illumination to everything. Seeing it another way however, you could see it as cold, nasty, slippery and dangerous, something impeding your work, the list could go on and on. The ego has endless problems that it can project onto anything. That being said, when you go out in nature, you tend to put some distance between your higher Self and lower self. It makes you realize that there’s more than just your personal thinkings and problems and that the world and universe is much more expansive. When you see beauty in nature it reflects to you something outside of your ego that is not of your creation, that is just there, and that is the reason why it feels good, relaxing, and more like home. A good practice would be to get out in nature and look around for about an hour a day. It really helps to expand consciousness. Also, when we observe nature, it tends to slow down our brain waves and brings us out of the highly stressful high beta waves down into alpha waves. This not only reduces stress, but it also tends to lower blood pressure and help us observe the self (“little s self”). Therefore, strenthening our awareness of the Self (“Big S Self”). That is why you feel so much better when you go for long walks. Conversely, then your ego takes it and thinks that longer is better and wants to do it all the time. However, it’s all about balance. The key isn’t just to become identified with the higher Self but to be aware of the small self and the big Self at the same time and have them come into a union. The ego is an expert at creating either/or situations. This is how on the Journey to Enlightenment, one of the first steps is the development of the spiritual ego. Knowledge of this will result in recognition of the spiritual ego versus true spirituality and help you realize that you are neither the big Self nor the small self but a union of the two.
Tag: higher self
Different types of meditation.
Q: What is meditation? What is the best way to meditate?
A: First, it goes without saying that there are many, many different ways to meditate. To determine the best way to meditate, you first have to decide what you are going for.
It’s best of course to be completely honest about this. If you say that you are meditating on awareness, but the whole time you are concentrating on opening your chakras, your results are going to be very mixed up and inconsistent at best.
Are you trying to manifest money? A lover? Are you trying to relax? Are you trying to open up the chakras, or open up to the siddhis? Or are you trying to become more aware of awareness itself? I’m going to tell you about meditating on awareness.
First, most people in meditation circles are aware of meditations based on awareness. This is best done in a relatively quiet space, where you are really doing nothing but being aware, aware of where consciousness takes you. This is really a meditation of witness consciousness, or your higher self. It is also akin to becoming aware of the inner adult persona, who is balanced, rational, and loves all parts of itself like its children.
This may become a meditation where you become very aware of the automatic nature of your ego, constantly making noise, trying to figure and refigure things out, in the past present, and the future. It’s curious how the ego is constantly trying to rewrite and reconfigure events of the past, the present, and the future.
This meditation may also make you much more aware of your surroundings and/or the constant presence of peace which surrounds and envelops everything, like the air we breath.
But there are other meditations of awareness. These are important because to be free of the dominating nature of the ego, we must be aware of and accept all parts of ourselves at all times, whether it be while it’s quiet, noisy, during the day, and during times of stress and conflict. Only by knowing all the parts of ourselves and accepting them can we be free.
Continued in next post.
On our relationship with our own higher self.
Q: How come I sometimes feel very close to you, and other times I feel totally distant?
A: All things come and go. Communication comes and goes as well. Don’t be attached to anything, let life flow through you.
People think that all things progress in a straight line, which they do tend to do in the material world. But in the non-material realms, things take place in their own time. You can set your intent, or do the best to set your intent, which is the only thing you can really do. What happens is up to God. Another way to put it is to say that you are responsible for the effort you put into things, but not the result. Another saying is “Let go, and let God.”
Be as clear cut and consistent on your relationship to me, and leave the rest to God. Be at peace with this. Communication comes and goes just as it does in the material world; you haven’t talked to a certain friend for a long time, then one day you pick up the phone and call (or text), and the next thing you know you’re having lunch together.
Your relationship with your higher self is like this. Just set your intention to communicate with your higher self, and sooner or later it will happen.
What is “happiness”?
Q: What is “happiness”?
A: First of all, I think it’s very important to distinguish the two states, or forms, of happiness. That is, what happiness is according to the ego and what true, eternal happiness is.
Happiness, according to the ego, is an imagined or perceived state of security. This can come in the form of accumulation of wealth, property, or power over others. Of course, since by definition the ego is insecure and not happy, it has to accumulate more and more in order to keep this temporary state of happiness, more like a fix, going.
Ironically, this happiness the ego feels when accumulating something is actually when the ego feels like it has conquered something, and it rests, or stops briefly, in its incessant quest to accumulate. Therefore, the happiness is noticed when the ego is temporarily inactive. Very ironic.
Eternal happiness is what happens when what you want, and what is happening, match. It’s when there’s a lack of resistance to what is. Happiness happens in proportion to the amount of identification you have with your witness or higher self, rather than your egoic imaginary image. It’s really state of flowing; whatever is happening is not resisted.
What is the ‘Big Me’ or ‘Higher Self’, and how do I communicate with it?
Q: What is the difference between the small self and the Self with a big ‘S’?
A: If you take the small self, and take away all of its attachments, its opinions, its points of views, what you’re left with is pure witness consciousness, the highest expression of one’s self, the big Self.
Q: How do I communicate with this?
A: First, you have to acknowledge that there is a big Self, and a small self. Then, you have to admit that communication with the big Self is even possible. Most people do not know about the big Self, and those who do think they have to enter into some trance state — some meditative state — in order to communicate with it. Just the opposite is true. The big Self is always there, it’s just that we’re too busy paying attention to, and are addicted to, our day-to-day drama. Others think it’s heresy to think that we have a higher Self with which we can readily communicate. Meanwhile, they put an altar at the feet of their egos — that’s the real heresy.
To communicate with the higher Self, we first must admit that we have a higher Self, then we must put faith in the act of communicating with it. Then, we may ask for permission to speak with it. Then, we wait patiently with faith that communication will come. In my case, when I am feeling peaceful, either during the day or at night, I will ask “Are you there, Big Me?” Oftentimes, a voice will come back and say “Yes, I’m here, I’m always here”. Then I start up a conversation. And when Big Me speaks to me, I listen, just listen, the best that I can.
Ask Big Me 