Look in Wonder~Beyond Ego

                             

                                                 A saint named Augustine once said:

“People travel to wonder

at the height of mountains,

at the huge waves of the sea,

at the long courses of rivers,

at the vast expanse of the ocean,

at the circular motion of the stars,

yet they pass themselves by without wondering.”

                                                                           WHAT A WONDER!!!

Consider right now – are you aware of your eternalness, your inner light?  Have you experienced the greatness of being a soulful compassionate being? Have you recognized your light in the mirror of your heart, the flame of your extraordinary divine heart?  Are you in the habit of listening to the      still, silent voice within?  Or has the ego caused you to believe in IT!  That IT is all you are?

                                                       IT HAPPENED AND HAD TO HAPPEN.

Getting beyond IT, the ego,  to a new point of clarity, becoming stable in the awareness of being an eternal soul takes patience, determination and practice.  But do not make yourself or anyone else            wrong… no one is to blame.  We all forgot…it happened and it had to happen.

 HEARD THE EXPRESSION – EDGING GOD OUT-EGO ?

Why would one take this approach, you may be asking yourself. One of the  core beliefs of a the conditioned ego is:  “I’m all alone in a big world therefore I must protect myself at all costs to survive.”

INSTINCT VRS TRUTH-BODY VRS SOUL

The instinct to survive kicks in and can be so strong, that the soul is afraid to listen to its true self / its higher conscience.  Surviving as a bodily ego trumps growing as a spirit.  This became our reality for awhile…actually for a long while in the course of human history. Until it doesn’t work any more!

NO ONE CAN LIVE BY BREAD ALONE

The soul must master the body, because the soul knows how to benefit the body.  The body was not meant to be the master- it is simply the vehicle of the soul.   I, the soul, must have courage and make time to connect with myself as a living soul and receive nourishment from a Higher Power.  ( No one can live by Bread alone). As this truth takes root, that I am soul…I am Light, I begin to experience a stirring from within…the virtues and powers of the soul are given space to grow and be nurtured by the Great Light.  I begin to feel Love from within.

 TAKE COURAGE

If you’ve ever had even a moment’s glimpse beyond the velvet curtain of bodily existence, but didn’t know how to move forward – you’re not alone.    The first step requires lots of courage.  Understanding the power of you, the Light, will help you get free from the limits of IT ,the ego’s comfortably uncomfortable cage. It takes courage to transform. To acknowledge fear or weakness in the self takes courage. When you take that first step, you will be met a hundred fold, even a thousand fold, by the Highest on High- congratulating you for moving in the right direction.

GETTING FREE-SIMPLY MEANS CHANGING HABITS

To look inward isn’t easy, if we haven’t made it a habit.  To change the habit of looking outward takes time. Looking inward offers the golden opportunity to love and respect the true self(spirit) and discover your original worth and strength.  The form of spirit is Light, not flesh. The form of the Supreme Spirit is also Light.  As children of Light, who recognize themselves as light, a living flame… we are able to receive the Divine Light of the One Above, directly. This added power and support of the One is essential in order to get free from the ego’s velvet-covered clutches.

Every soul contains an inherent stock of Love. Turn inward to feel the love…believe in the power of you, the soul. Believe and experience the power you have to change your direction from looking outward, to being inward-facing! Drink from the well of love you find within. You will be empowered…fueled by inner love and light. Believe in the power of Love again! Believe in doing what is good for the soul! Know that this one change from outward to inward will change your destiny.

 TRANSFORMATION-DOING WHAT IS GOOD FOR THE SOUL

Experiment as you transform from living as an ego fueled by fear to living as a  soul fueled by inner love and the Great Light. Watch the magic begin when you chose to put the, focus on you, the inner being of light, instead of on the outer you, the ‘costume’- the ego and the body.  Be willing to let the ego die by doing what’s good for the soul!  Let your love and joy emerge and rise; let go of anything in the way

What does that mean? It’s easy…it simply  means that instead of being fear-based, you become love-based.  What does that feel like?   It will feel intentional, (conscious) rather than habitual (unconscious).  What does it look like?  It looks like you, the inner light of love, pausing, being aware of breathing deeply, knowing that you are love– before you say or do anything; before you react from the fear-based ego or old habit and do something that you will regret later.

It means that you are sitting in a new seat of awareness, the awareness that you can choose your thoughts, your words, and your actions, as a loving soul, based on what’s good for the soul- for you and the other souls too.

Will this be automatic as soon as I recognize who I really am? YES!  But it will still require practice to stabilize in this new seat of awareness beforehand.  Visualization, meditation and loving detachment are three practices to adopt so that your ego and your body do not become overwhelmed, triggered, and act out of reptilian instincts, habit, and fear.

Take a second to remember that you are a soul and that – you are naturally detached from the body. This gives you a moment to take a deep breath, let go of pressure, and feel into one of your core qualities or powers – such as the qualities of love or peace, or a power such as discernment and the ability to choose. Next you view the scene or situation or person in front of you as if you are – sitting up in the balcony of a theater with a bird’s eye view of what’s going on down below on the stage.  From this new seat of awareness,  you choose your next thoughts, words, or actions on the basis of what’s good for the soul.   With practice, you the soul- the loving and detached observer/witness become the observer and the doer/actor at the same. The advantages of seeing yourself and others on the stage of life from this bird’s eye point of view are huge…this state of awareness makes it easier and easier to make better choices in the way you speak, interact, and respond. To get to the point where it feels natural, does take practice, practice, and more practice.  If you choose this method to experiment with, remember to start with familiar activities , with people you already have positive interactions with, and where you naturally feel comfortable so you can experience  success.  As your “practice ” acting from this soul perspective of loving and detached- builds over time – it starts to become second nature, just as living from the ego perspective had become natural.  This is a big step in living from the point of awareness of the soul, rather than just from the point of awareness of the ego.  Remember start this step with familiar scenes for It is a step that takes practice, practice, and more practice. Look for the divine assistance that shows up to support you along the way.

Another practice that I have found very fruitful when used on a consistent basis, is the following.  real changes in your thinking and feeling and attitude and awareness can happen.

At the end of your day, have the determined thought to let go of a weakness that caused pain or distress, before sleeping;  replace it by tuning into a virtue that can fill in the space where the weakness was.  Receive the virtuous quality by connecting with the Divine Source of All Goodness.  (see Guided Meditations at the end of this article to help you in this process)

Here are some examples of what to surrender and what to replace it with to feel lighter : let go of arrogance and the feeling that you have to be right and replace it with humility.

Before sleeping, come to terms with the  judgments you have passed upon yourself and others. Then let go of  the judgments passed upon you.  The virtue of forgiveness from the Mother Father of all souls can be visualized and felt coming into the soul like streams of cleansing sun light, washing away criticism, anger, sadness, and pain, replacing them with the balm and healing power of forgiveness.

Let go of bossiness and control by visualizing and feeling the patience of the Supreme Mother.

To become a spiritually powerful soul make this practice of replacing weak, negative thoughts and feelings with powerful thoughts a habit. Fall asleep in peace each night.  Grow strong in mercy for yourself and others.

We are unlearning the ways of the ego and replacing them with the ways of the heart and soul.  This takes time and practice.  Some are ahead and some still have a ways to go.  Don’t judge yourself or another.

Keep  encouragement alive in yourself and others.

Thank you for the work you are doing to free your Self!

Here are some helpful guided meditations to listen to before bed.

youtube/Anthony Strano Meditations:linkoflife