Not long ago a lynx came out of my neighborhood and crossed the street in front of me while I was riding my bike. It happened on a shaded part of the road near a park; I stopped and stared in awe with wide eyes. I live on the Atlantic coast of Florida, in an area that I consider heavily occupied by humans, especially in winter which was when this event occurred, so seeing a wild cat on a usually well traveled road was startling. Internet research later revealed that lynx are not uncommon in populated Florida areas; but while their tracks are plentiful, actual sightings of the animal are very rare. Part of this is because they are graceful and stealthy in movement and their coloring acts as camouflage. But  I wonder if a large part of their invisibility is because people don't expect to see wild animals in their neighborhoods and therefore don't see them even when they are present.

There is a scene in the movie "What the Bleep" that describes a Caribbean tribe's inability to see Spanish ships on the horizon because the tribe did not have the concept of a large boat that could ride on the water. Once the idea was introduced to them by a shaman who saw the ripples in the water and was able to expand his mind to the new concept, they could all see the ships. I think of Einstein noticing ripples in the universe and opening his mind to new ways of viewing and understanding. I wonder what is going on around us every day that we do not see because our minds are not open to the perception. What amazing phenomenon occur daily outside our awareness? I wonder how many times I miss seeing something because I do not have the vision that allows me to see it. 

When I sit with my own questions, something I often ask myself is "what are my choices here?" Whether it is conscious or unconscious, humans tend to see what we expect to see, that which is in our anticipation and awareness. Many of us have had the experience of coming into contact with an unfamiliar car, and afterwards noticing that make of car on every corner. Likewise, if we anticipate a particular behavior from someone, odds are good that we will see it frequently. If we expect ourselves to fail, or be unloved, or not get what we want, it is likely we will see it happen that way. In a previous tidbit I wrote about how the human mind fills in the details of a situation to fit what we think is right and appropriate, to manifest 'our story' about what we believe to be true. So if we decide that something is a certain way, it is that way for us as the result of our perception and co-creation. In his book, Man's Search For Meaning, Viktor Frankl, an Austrian psychiatrist and concentration camp survivor, wrote about "the last of the human freedoms",  the ability " to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way". And so, consciously using my best human freedom, I remind myself to choose to be open to possibility, to see events as opportunities, and to cultivate an attitude of awareness and appreciation for what is around me. As a result, I am gifted to see a lot of things that I previously missed: beautiful wild cats, miracles, synchronicities, sunsets, and significant evidence that leads me to believe things unfold in perfect divine order. May you see what you need to see. 




Add Comment
 
 
We are always "thinking". Even in our sleep, the unconscious mind is sorting, registering, processing, dreaming. There is a constant conversation going on in our mind that  we may or may not be aware of. If we put our attention to listening we might notice the repetitive nature of our inner thoughts and the perspectives they support. If we take the effort to observe this conversation, we might be surprised at what we discover about our beliefs. If we take control of this conversation, we will find that we are indeed in charge of our emotional state. 

As an experiment, I spent 10 minutes consciously being grateful for everything I came in contact with during that period. I thanked the refrigerator for keeping my food cold when I took an apple, and my teeth for allowing me to eat that apple. This was on a day the temperature was in the 90's, so I was totally grateful to my AC for doing its job and I appreciated the roof over my head to keep the sun at bay. I was grateful to my terrazzo floor for helping to keep the house cool. I loved my Macbook for its ability to effortlessly connect me to people I cared about. You get the picture. I found myself smiling and being happy at the end of those minutes, flooded with  gratitude and happy with my life. 

So, then I took 10 minutes to think about things that concerned me in a worrisome way. Business is slow all over. Will I make enough money to buy what I need? The cost of gas is on the way up again. There is a war going on. I don't know if we are having hurricanes this season. The rugs are full of sand. The weeds have taken over the garden. My parents are getting old. Big Pharm is really getting scary. OK, you get the picture on this one, too. This exercise did not leave me smiling. I felt uncomfortable in my body, restless in my mind. And I did it to myself with my thoughts.

So what goes on in my head when I am not consciously choosing my thoughts? Old unconscious programs are writing the script, creating my reality, my emotions, my life. I can inhibit that process by choosing where to put my attention. And if I redirect my attention on what is working in my life, I can feel good. "Positive emotions create bodily sensations of openness and expansiveness. They invite the world in........ Negative emotions create a tight, contracted feeling. Everything pulls inward. The world is pushed away. Positive feelings invite unity. Negative feelings invite isolation."  Joan Borysenko, Minding the Body. 

So what goes on in your head all day? Abraham / Hicks encourages us to "work to improve the way you feel, not the situation." I can do that if I consciously choose to redirect my thoughts when they start heading for the dark side. (I can also use energy work to re-write those old scripts; but that's another tidbit.) 


Add Comment