No Expectations
Moving Mountains Effortlessly This is the perfect New Years post. I love how I "meant" to write this weeks ago but it just naturally happened today. One of the 'themes' I'm experiencing in my current life is the idea of having no expectations. This is, right now, my favorite thing to practice daily in life. Believe me, there are numerous times even within one day when this practice can be applied. As we enter this New Year there is a tendency for us to set '"New Years Resolutions" or things we want to change during the New Year. Most people choose physical goals- usually exercise more or lose weight or some other thing they would like to change physically. Those goals usually turn into insurmountable mountains that we bang our heads against and eventually we just give up on. Some people's New Years Resolutions are given up within days, some are more stubborn and it takes months while others never start. This year, I'm setting more abstract 'spiritual' goals. I have chosen to see this year as the unfolding of a present. I sit back, watch the paper get taken off (Spring), the box open (Summer), the plastic wrapping within removed (Harvest) and finally the revelation of the whole (Winter). I don't want to hurry the process but just enjoy each part. Another way to view it is a journey into the forest. Grandma's house is at the end of the Journey in December. Until then we get to go on all of the twists and turns of a familiar yet different hike along the path. Not Projecting Too often, I have discovered, that I project too much onto an upcoming event. Other people do this too. When I do this and I have high hopes of an exceedingly fun and 'perfect' time I've discovered I often feel incredibly disappointed in the moment and unable to truly enjoy the experience. In the other direction, if I'm dreading a particular event I find that I make it worse subconsciously when I'm undergoing the experience. I'm leaving the door open this year to limitless opportunities. I do not want to color it in any fashion or project on it because I know I have a limited point of view from my perspective. I might not currently see all of the doors and if I set in my mind that I only wish to open certain doors along the path I might leave great adventures and opportunities undiscovered. I'm not expecting anything but I'm open to the sheer possibilities. I figure that my Higher Self will fill in the blank canvas and it will be better then anything I can really come up with on my own. Now, this doesn't mean I'm going to be lazy and not help. Obviously, I will follow the general formula of life. I'll make appointments, show up to work, and all of the normal tasks. What it means is that if something doesn't appear to be easy or I don't know how to do something I'll just let it unfold naturally. Things always find a way of happening regardless of how much 'work' we feel we need to put into it. Effortless Life is an effortless process. The sun does not require us to perform rituals for it to rise every day. Yet, in Ancient Egypt at one time the priests believed that if they did not perform their daily rituals it would not rise. We know that Mother Earth has a rhythm all of her own and that she is very good at taking care of herself without the intrusion of man. Indeed it is whenever we try to exert our control over her that things become troubled. (Which is why this trying to 'fix' global warming thing sort of worries me). We will wake up each morning regardless of the state of mind that we had when we entered into our slumber. We do not simply wink out of existence when we will it and wink back in...instead it's a continuous cycle. No matter how much we try to influence or control that cycle of sleep with stimulants that natural rhythm prevails. We don't need to consciously DO anything to "make the system work." In fact, I've discovered that the more I try to push my influence and my will onto life or others the more resistance that I get. The harder life seems to be when I try to do things my way. When I have a concrete idea of what I expect without allowing anything else to happen I feel as though I begin banging my head against the wall. Suddenly the task or goal appears to be a mountainous process that I cannot surmount. Then because it's not happening the way I want and I'm not getting my way it is painful. I feel unsupported by the universe and separated from everyone else in my toil. The seemingly lack and turmoil seems to solidify and I just endure it while experiencing a great deal of pain. When I let go of the idea I have in my head of 'what should be' and accept things the way they are issues seem to resolve themselves effortlessly. Events and situations occur naturally that lead me to navigate away from that which is causing me distress and without even 'trying' I discover (sometimes weeks later) that what I thought was such an immovable mountain simply ceased to exist. Indeed, usually with a surprising twist that I would not expect it resolves itself into a glorious situation that is better then I could have ever imagined. The River of Life A river simply flows, it does not think of where it is going, it does not make conscious decisions of how to twist and turn. Instead, it works with the landscape, molding the softer rock and being naturally diverted by the harder rock. When water reaches the hard rock through which it cannot pass it simply changes it's course and continues to flow. The river does not stubbornly stay there attempting to change the nature of the rock. In life, it is much the same way. When I come up against a perceivable seemingly unchangeable obstacle it is better to just let life flow so that it takes its natural course. I have begun to see obstacles not as an obstruction but a sign (provided by my higher self or spirit) pointing me in another direction. Sometimes that avenue is simply closed down for further construction. Sometimes I find a more productive journey for my soul elsewhere. Not Comparing Myself To Others No two rivers are alike either. You do not hear the Colorado River talking to the Nile discussing which one has a better route. Nor do the people who travel on those rivers compare them to one another. They do not compare the sound of the water rushing along. They do not compare the various waterfalls or canyons they race through and see one as lesser. If all rivers were alike they would be boring. The idea of comparing one river to another and finding one wanting is also silly. Instead, when we look at rivers we see them as unique beautiful monuments to nature. Each unique and appreciated for their uniqueness. Rivers are notorious for shaping (or moving) mountains. Our lives are much the same, they are monuments to Spirit (God) or the Higher Self. Each journey is unique and appreciated for that uniqueness. That is what life is like...each of us have our unique journey through this 'spiritual landscape' (or matrix). Each of us come up against the hard rock that changes our course...we have our waterfalls, we have our canyons that we race through but eventually just as with any major river we return to the ocean. The river does not question its journey, it does not question it's course but it simply trusts the landscape to lead it to the right destination. When it encounters resistance, it changes course and flows around it to a new adventure. In much the same way, we need to trust that our Higher Self( or God if you wish) has molded that landscape for us in a way that is appropriate. When we encounter resistance we change our course appropriately. In a way, it is how we can communicate with our Higher Self (God) in a subtle sublime method (instead of an overt fashion which would take away from our free will as though we were puppets on strings). Conclusions We are taught to set expectations and goals in life. From the time we are a child we are told to choose our vocation as though it will not change. We are taught to start planning for college, plan for working, plan for children...etc. etc. If something fails we didn't plan well enough so we need to subject ourselves with self-blame and start over. We should not be satisfied until we obtain the dream of having a job that makes us wealth, lots of stuff, a big house, a four car garage filled with vehicles, and children that we need to send off to college. However, nothing is set in stone and just as a child that thought they were going to be a vet (as I did when I was younger) sometimes we end up in unexpected places. I could have forced my will and settled for nothing less insisting on that future but I'm pretty sure it wouldn't have brought me the same amount of happiness let alone wisdom. Currently,I am a Barrista serving coffee and that is my ultimate favorite job in this moment. I simply adore this job, even though it is not prestigious and it doesn't provide me with a lot of money. What it does do is bring me unlimited joy and restores my faith in myself that I lost when my daughter died which is far more valuable. I have discovered when I do not set expectations that I find myself in a far better situation that I can imagine. The first step is to decide what I'm passionate about, the second is to let that passion run it's course in whatever way I can. Then everything else seems to unfold in a natural progression with very little 'work' on my behalf. This is hard sometimes, don't get me wrong, I am just like everyone else that I am programmed that all of the boxes must be checked, all of the 't's' crossed and 'i's' dotted in a painstaking manner. Yet, I've discovered this rigid point of view is not the natural way of life...it is actually unnatural. My experience, so far, when I let things take their course in a more holistic way is that not only do I enjoy the process more it actually has a better outcome. So stop ramming your head against immovable mountains (obstacles). That obstacle probably means that your current path leads you somewhere you really don't want to go. Let life flow naturally in it's natural course with no expectations and you'll find the mountain moves effortlessly and sometimes dissolves completely. Life then becomes like a babbling brook filled with sparkling laughter as it joyously leaps among the rocks of life that guide it.
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Brave Soul! May Your Journey On The Path Of The Seeker Bring You Joy and Peace! I'm currently posting every Saturday. With a new addition the family I have pre-scheduled most posts through December 2022. Full Moon Posts will contain up-to-date content when I can get to them. Thank you so much for your support and understanding! This is a place where you can encounter new spiritual ideas that have helped me develop as an Individual On The Path of the Seeker. Take or Leave this information as you see fit. Archives
April 2024
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