Ever noticed how it can be a tad challenging when your reality doesn’t match your desires and you can feel the tension of the void of the unknown inside - what are you going to do about it???
Before you remember that your soul doesn’t feel this tension - only your personality suffers this angst, realise how usually it is the ego wanting to know, to be in control of the situation and to make everything comfortable and secure. In my experience the ego will struggle desperately to return to the security of “knowing”, to be in the comfort zone of having all the answers.
Here is the thing:
When I go insight I find that my ego can only work with what it already knows. Any solutions it identifies and the resulting story I tell myself (and others…) will necessarily be more of the same. So nothing really changes until it does.
Alright, the truth is
.... isn’t what I am really looking for a whole new freeing level of experience? How often do I want something I’ve never had before, yet I may find myself in situations where I don't get what I want or want what I cannot get. Sounds familiar?
How to change this?
Connecting with a different paradigm or outlook on life ... it can be life changing.
One of the keys is the willingness to just be ok with the void of NOT KNOWING. This can be very scary for the personality and what it is identified with.
OK, one could let this rest go to a very deep place inside, because you may not be completely aware of how important it is yet. Look at it this way: if you can genuinely feel what it’s like to NOT KNOW, you may find it’s a very spacious place to be. I certainly did!
The "OHzone"
You may or may not have experienced it yourself...living life with a mindset wonder, i.e. being in the church of perpetual astonishment , you may find it’s ripe with potential and offers plenty of opportunities because you are able to relax as much as you can and not more or it.
Doing this, you may discover how easy it is to free yourself out of the box of your old thinking. How comfortable is it sitting there quietly, not giving in to the ego’s pressure to do something but let the answers come to you in the same way you are able to relax trusting the power of your unconscious …without knowing exactly what is going to happen.
How often did I discover that when my mind is obsessed with finding the perfect solution it is preoccupied with its own thoughts and not really listening for guidance. When that happens it easily misses opportunities for something new or something appropriate , because the expectations are not being matched.
The ego also doesn’t have the bigger picture of our development because of its desiring nature. Ever noticed how it can try to push you into situations for which you are not yet ready yet and hence ignore the voice of your intuition. I certainly can tell many stories when that happened in my life and how I felt about it hitherto…it usually has been connected with that frustrating comment: “Dam, I knew it, I knew it and still…didn’t follow it. Sigh!!!!
Another truth is...
you don’t always grow at the pace your personality prefers. Sometimes you seem to move too quickly desiring the outcome you are longing for. Sometimes you don’t seem to be moving at all and how often have you noticed the stories or dramas which derive out of this frustration.
Sometimes it happens that there is a sense of feeling ‘stuck’ in the void of not knowing for years -- it’s an incredible challenge to remain patient and not get lost in depression. It’s easier to accept the discomfort of this void if you have learned to TRUST that all is unfolding for your best interests because you are living in a benign universe, but only as much as you remember. Hence the deep shifts that this acceptance may bring you… may be you dream of new ways to live and change your life.
The more I can accept living with a sense of perpetual astonishment, the more I invite synchronicities, coincidences and miracles into my life. In this way consider to wonder what happens when you just decide you aren't going to let the worries of not knowing don’t bother you anymore because you know that you love and accept yourself unconditionally?
A different approach
Naturally I would not want to tell you that the more you can focus on your INTENTION rather than the details of what you desire, the more you’ll find brand new solutions that are completely different than what you might have expected. A wise woman once said that 'you attract what you are feeling' ... so you might as well have an attitude of being willing to be pleasantly surprised.
Many people have come to appreciate that the more you can ACCEPT whatever comes up, whether it be obstacles or confusion or dead-end opportunities, the more naturally you’ll manifest that new situation you’re yearning for. As you move out further and further into the future you notice the purpose and direction of this new attitude to life, how you have learned from it and what it allows you to do. People can, you know, find ways to make these changes easily and comfortable.
Of course, we all have unrealised dreams, unmet potentials and unanswered callings that can gnaw at us. Notice what happens when you explore shifting your perspectives and experience NOT KNOWING as a positive, creative, exciting place to be. Focus your awareness on what you most intend AND be aware and accepting of how you feel because you don’t yet have it…yet.
Let that tension be and avoid pushing it away. How easy is it to release expectations and have faith that with openness, a solution will emerge. You are able to discover how true this is for you and make sure you make the changes that are necessary, but only as much as you need now. That is my experience. I have learned that I don't know everything; it’s not my job to save the world and that I can't teach a pig to fly. But I can be willing to stay supportive in difficult times and to speak with good purpose.
Can you really enjoy choosing to be free and stick to your willingness to let life guide you?
…to be continued
Well... you just hit the nail right on the head here. This has definitely been a recurring lesson for me over the last few years.
I always try to step back from a tough situation, and instead of being stressed and anxious of what the outcome will be, I remind myself that I always tend to be pleasantly surprised with how it all turns out, so seeing things with wonder and excitement makes the process so much easier on me. Easier said than done, of course.
Another reassurance I like to give myself in times where I truly have no idea where we'll be next (and in fact, I am going through that right now with my family), I meditate on the fact and visualize that we are super happy wherever it is we'll be. So surely wherever it is we do end up being, all will be well, because we will be happy there. This has helped me lots over the last few years, and during times where I just don't know exactly what I want for myself.
A quote I love by Bashar comes to mind here as well, "Life is fundamentally meaningless, because YOU give it meaning".
I'm glad I found your page, @copa-communion, I do love the term perpetual astonishment, it definitely sits well with me :) Onwards and upwards to all on this journey, spiral out <3
Thanks for your message. Yes, it sounds like you have discovered the magic of living with a mindset of perpetual astonishment and find the blessings of expressing gratitude but only whenever you remember. Welcome on the journey
I'm continually astonished as to how I catch myself in a sort of self-deception arriving from certain mental habits and conditioning around how I'm perceiving something. Your helpful insights here also reminded me of a simple instruction that a great teacher in India passed on to me some years ago:
"Just Stop."
Thanks for the wisdom here.
Yes, I know who you are talking about...I saw his clip. Spot on indeed!
Life is full of problems you can't get a rest from it, that's why "detaching" has been a very important part of my life. My faith is a great help for me, because you can't have everything under control you have to give up all your worries to Him and have faith that someday somehow everything will fall into place. :) Great post! I'll follow you, hope you can follow me back.
Thanks for your message and sharing your experience. Yep, isn't it always is an adventure to discover what we give energy to and what serves us ...till it does no longer. A journey of perpetual astonishment when you come to think of it...
Nice post, beautifully presented and explained. detail oriented with nice pics. thank you for sharing this with us, Upvoted
Thank you kindly and I am glad you can relate by the sounds of it...to be continued...
Amazing post! I recognize this too in my life.
I am traveling for a year now and I notice the more I trust in life and step into the unknown the more life supports me.
Having no job and no home is a great way to grow this skill of trusting the unknown but it isn't always easy as the mind can be tricky some days, but seeing the support that life gives me every time makes me a believer of this truth more and more and this makes life a lot easier.
Now I start to understand that security has the potential to create a lot of conflicts on your journey because control is an illusion and resisting reality seems to bring a lot more of what you don't want in my experience..
Thank you for sharing your great insights with us, it's always nice to read other peoples experiences and see similarities with our own lives..:)
Much love
Michael
Thanks for your message. Yes, indeed it takes a little courage to step into the unknown and to trust...as there is no trust without risk. Deeply questioning the thoughts and beliefs that cause insecurity can be a a hugely freeing process. Hence I love the work by Byron Katie as it is a such a freeing and empowering journey towards freedom www.thework.org. But I guess you know that already. Enjoy your travel and adventures in the church of perpetual astonishment and join the sermons...
Nice post
Thank you kindly for your message