Jafree Ozwald June 9 2013
“There are no mistakes anywhere, at any time. What appears to be wrong is simply your own false imagination.” ~Robert Adams
Sometimes the river of life can take us by surprise. We may get going sooooo rapidly downstream that it becomes this wild weekly fierce bumpy ride. Our mind can become caught in achieving our goals, attached to a personal agenda, certain social circumstances, intimate relationships, emotions, financial situations, long term goals or simple daily desires that we don’t realize how we feel that we are drowning in the river’s powerful momentum. These goals and obstacles may entertain us to the degree that we forget the possibility to actually just pull the boat over and take a walk on the warm sand on the beach! Sometimes it may seem that we are unable to stop our boat in this crazy adventure called life, yet the truth is we can pull our little ship over at any time. We always have the option to take a long deep breath and relax ever so sweetly into the cozy nest within our precious heart and soul.
It can easily happen to the most conscious advanced beings on this planet, that suddenly they realize how deeply unaware and unconscious they actually are. Perhaps they lose their keys, stub their toe, or something doesn’t go exactly how they thought it should. There suddenly comes this flash of awareness where the mind wakes up and realizes how everything is simply flying along on “automatic pilot”. This instant awakening effect is very powerful and is a gift given to every human being no matter how conscious or unconscious they believe they are. You see, every mind has a built-in hypnosis factory inside it, which is continuously creating new fabrications to lay across and over the old ones. It’s perpetually generating new ideas to believe in, and as long as we are unconsciously believing in the thoughts the mind is thinking, it means the mind is in charge and we are slaves to its patterns and programming. It’s only when we become conscious of the mind, and perpetually aware of its creative illusions and delusions that we can awaken from the dream and discover the immense God force that is breathing at our very core.
When you take just a tiny step back from your life you can get a glimpse of the bigger picture of things. You may be able to understand something very important that can transform your entire life. You might see that there are no real coincidents or accidents in our lives because nothing is 100% by chance or completely destined by fate. This is a very important wisdom to compliment because the mind LOVES to attach itself to ideas and beliefs to get a grip on reality. When the mind realizes there are only certain degrees of chance and destiny, and nothing is 100% certain in this world (except for uncertainty) it tends to loosen its grip on us. This loosening is caused by a higher level of awareness which is something we can unconsciously or intentionally fall into at anytime. The Universe is always giving us the opportunity to humbly hold onto the steering wheel of our life, and only with this pure awareness can we redirect it towards what our heart most desires to experience. I’ve found that one of the most effective and easiest ways to massively increase awareness inside, is learning how to slow down.
Slowing our pace down instantly empowers us with a conscious ability to remove the illusion that we are separate beings who are unlovable, unworthy, struggling through life and all alone on this journey. By slowing down we can instantly drop into a state of pure presence, where awareness of what is can become rooted in the body. We can finally relax and have a much larger perception of our world, seeing reality from a new angle and the opportunity in every situation. By slowing life down we gain the natural ability to think more clearly, have more energy, and can feel into what will truly serve our soul. In order to arrive in this great inward haven, we must do one little thing. Surrender our addiction to being busy. We must relax our desire to arriving somewhere better than here now, achieving some goal, and multitasking our way through the day. We can only discover this divinely rooted awareness when the essence is at ease, and are curiously exploring each new life experience through a body that is more open, welcoming and totally relaxed inside.
“My understanding is that whatsoever is given to you is precious. If it was not so, existence would not have given it to you.” ~Osho
I find that our breath is the most powerful and magical gift we have been given for increasing consciousness and slowing down. You’ll notice whenever you are rushing through any experience in life, a part of you is freaking out emotionally and your body is not breathing deeply. Always remember that rushing through life is an act of violence against your soul. Anytime you are rushing around anything whether it be a conversation, a meal, around money or a plane flight, ask yourself this little question, “What is my soul really wanting to accomplish here?” You might see that the ego is trying to push the river faster, so that you’ll get “more” out of life? Yet, the truth is you actually get more life by not forcing it, and you feel more creative, empowered and conscious by slowing down and opening yourself deeper into each new experience. Isn’t the point of your life to become more conscious? Its certainly not to become more unconscious.
When you take enough time watching your mind, noticing how often you are pushing through each experience life is offering you, you to get to point of realizing that you are actually missing out on life by rushing through it. It’s not that there will ever come an end to the infinite series of goals and desires to accomplish, yet how juicy where they along the way? The entire Universe is more available for you to explore when you are more relaxed, soft and available to receive it. Each new moment we have the option to expand into this moment, and by feeling into the soft sensations from our breath we naturally become more receptive to life and capable of moving deeper inside ourselves. With a little practice diving into the release of your most conscious exhalation, you will be able to touch something that may feel like the Heart of God that abides in your deepest relaxation.
Anyone wants to master their life must first master their mind, and to master the mind you must master your breath. There is no enlightened being who has not mastered their breath on some level. The breath and mind are deeply connected, so when the mind is racing off to experience the next new fantastic fabrication, it never actually gives you the chance to cherish the last one. It’s only the enlightened being who lives on such a conscious path of living in pure intention that he/she can completely slow everything down and life from a different pace. Everything this master does simply happens more slowly because they are involved in expanding into more consciousness within each new moment. They are deeply engaged in exploring consciousness and are soooo penetrated by it to the point that the body is simply eating slowly, walking slowly, talking slowly and working slowly. This snail pace lifestyle catapults the mind into utter freedom. It may seem quite boring to one living in the rat race, yet it truly is the master who won’t experience a burnout and is enjoying this lifetime to the extreme.
Every being throughout time who has mastered life on this planet has found plenty of time to feel the sun caressing their face, walk barefoot on the grass, taste the delicious food they are chewing, and feel the wind of God’s hands combing through their hair. They are living in perpetual gratitude for existence, feeling the breath of life flowing through them and in reverence for this precious moment they are getting to experience. Their mind has given up on getting somewhere else that is better than the here and now. They find that even more amazing things begin to manifest when they actually create space to enjoy this moment of life, no matter how boring it may seem.
If you ever decide to practice slowing your life down, you will find out that your body is randomly and unconsciously holding onto your breath. There is a subtle form of fear running the show under the surface, that tends to hesitate and control each inhalation and exhalation. When you make the decision to let go of the fearful control of the mind, you’ve taken the first step towards true freedom. You will be stepping directly into the unknown, yet the light of awareness will always be there as your divine guide. As often as you can, you simply abide in that fire of awareness whose light is instantly ignited by the loving oxygenating air from your breath. Living in this pure light awareness you realize how ridiculous it is to waste another day in fear. The lightness takes over everything as the mind only sees how amazing, loving, free and brilliant you actually are.
The brilliant light of awareness inside us is very powerful, as it gives us the ability to be free from any thought the mind throws our way. Awareness contains everything we need to pierce through the deepest habits and stuckness of the mind. With just a few minutes of pure awareness, ancient old unconscious habits burn out and transform into new self loving, relaxing, healing, and abundant feelings inside. A pure mind-free awareness provides the light we need to see this new life path to follow. Without this awareness we are all living in the dark. It is only through this speck and glimmer of consciousness that all answers are found and mysteries are revealed. The darkness inside us is unfathomably deep, yet with the light of a candle flame, the secrets of our most hidden treasures can be uncovered inside.
“Your Inner Being is always guiding you…so don’t be concerned that you may make a fatal choice, because there aren’t any of those. You are always finding your balance. It’s a never ending process’’ ~ Abraham-Hicks
I find that truly discovering the soul purpose of our lives acts a lot like the water that trickles down in a valley of mountains. It naturally is seeking the lowest potential ground, and gravity will do everything it can to make sure it gets there. Life naturally tends to move us towards our deepest dreams, even whether we want it to or not. The crystal clarity of what our life purpose and soul mission truly is about, is found at the greatest depth and source of love and stillness inside. When the water has moved through the mountain, down the stream, into the ocean and relaxed at the bottom of the sea, then and only then can it know the amazing and vast purpose of your being. Finding this depth is a natural occurrence which requires no conscious effort on your part. You simply live your life, relax about everything, and let life take you to the deepest depth. It will naturally come to you.
Without any efforting on your part and the utmost laziness, the enjoyment and fulfillment of your life will deepen, brighten and expand on its own accord. When you slow down and give up the struggling habit to get somewhere, you will soften into this experience. The reason you may not see the amazing joy available in this ordinary moment, is because the quick paced mind is working too fast and cannot see it. Like the story of the tortoise and the hare, the mind is sooooo quick, racing and running in circles and ends up burning out and missing the entire event in the end. It’s the pace of the steady tortoise who always wins the race because he enjoyed the journey. The tortoise had the time to develop the deepest love, most exquisite awareness and profound patience along the way.