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Awareness Beyond 'Belief'

This site is dedicated to all and is a heartbeat with a simple message: Change is an inherent property of the expression of being, and is therefore integral to the expression of Self. Through embracing change we can awaken to our true nature as Love, and to our capacity for co-creation and fulfilment. With deeper awareness, we really can witness emancipation from the mind's conditioned patterns or beliefs, as well as the dissolving of fear, doubt and judgement. As a result, the perception that the world's 'problems' are to be resolved by someone else, is also made redundant. Embracing change begins with a willingness to acknowledge Oneself as the vehicle or catalyst for that change. Good intentions are only the beginning. Reawakening to our heritage as Integrated Participants Now, is our true calling, and Awareness is the way. This is your ultimate opportunity, which your mind may not want you to seize.


WiserLifestyle Articles

Identity, Reality and Truth
Posted: [14 March 2012]

I recently noticed a post on Facebook by someone asking for advice on how to meditate. They wanted to know what techniques were available and what steps to take in order to progress. This sort of question typifies the general sense of seeking that is more and more prevalent in our times. Of course humans have always wondered about the 'meaning of life', but it is clear that there is a definite gathering of momentum in terms of interest in self-awareness. For some, the journey of self-enquiry reveals ever widening perspectives, rather like shedding skin. These transient perspectives are not absolute in themselves, but the continuing unfolding process somehow informs the 'viewer' or witness of an Ever-Presence or Absolute. For others the journey is much more of a struggle, as they wrestle with the insidious logic of their conditioned minds telling them to try harder.

The difference is subtle but has profound consequences. Ironically it is the mind's typical insistence which is the source of misinterpretation. And so long as this habit remains unnoticed or unchecked, then the sense of stagnation or failure, frustration and unworthiness are felt in a kind 'negative' feedback loop. In concept, breaking out of this state is quite simple. The difficulty lies in the degree to which the 'seeker' or 'seer' is involved with or subscribed to the logic and beliefs which persist as mind. The most illusive aspect of seeing is when the mind is so conditioned, that the 'seer' is totally unaware of the fact that the conditioning is itself the source of the question in the first place.

The conditioned mind is thus the modus operandi, or personal frame of reference which is experienced as the identity 'I am' or 'Me'. This is rather like the analogy of someone having grown up with a pair of coloured spectacles. They keep asking why the world is so coloured and their focus is always on objects 'outside' of themselves. Pointers offered, suggesting that the answers lay not is the external objects themselves but in the manner in which they are being perceived, seems paradoxical when compared with the compelling 'evidence' of the objective interaction. The mind confirms that 'it is the objects that are coloured, not me'. It is the adherence to the compelling 'evidence' which hides the truth in the wide open. Smoke and mirrors. Not being able to see what is right in front of us. This is the inadvertent yet ultimate best kept secret ever, and we are all worthy of fully realising it for free! If you feel that this sounds way too good to be true, then you are simply exemplifying the above.

So back to the question of 'how to meditate'. There are of course many references available on the topic of meditation techniques. Hence the compelling logic of the pursuit of the perfect mediation technique for 'Me', so that I may study, practice long and hard and become enlightened. Who can deny that sounds like a great 'idea'. Meditate by all means. But rather than dwell on the compelling idea or belief that meditation has the answers, simply dwell on the following in the subjective first person. Consider these three pointers at length and as though they are your own seeing, so you are not just passively repeating them, but actively realising them in yourself - feel them out:
  • 1. All questions arise simply as a result of the principle of Identity, the sense of 'I am'.

  • 2. All perceived Reality is illusion – including the identity 'I am'. Concepts, ideas and beliefs are like reflections in a mirror – they are experienced as reality but are only virtual.

  • 3. The Truth is not some hidden information, but is simply the undefined source of ever-presence and 'witnessing'.
Forget about meditation and return to dwell on these three pointers time and time again. Eventually someone is bound to point out that you are meditating!

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From Head To Heart
Posted: [10 October 2011]

One has only to consider the global economic downturn to appreciate how much our lives have become reliant upon 'illusory' systems. We have allowed ourselves to become dependent on an economy and the pursuit of financial gain, to the point that we then suffer the effects of their control over us. The fear and stress this then causes makes us even more dependent on these systems for solutions and remedies. And so the addiction is inadvertently reinforced in a viscous circle. The subsequent debates, polarised by the media, lead to an inevitable blame game while the 'truth' of the big picture remains perfectly hidden.

For us to enjoy fundamentally better lives, we need to shake the addictions and rediscover our natural inner 'immunity' to such dependence. This requires us to change our own habits and attitudes. Such a change will of course be a huge challenge to some, if not to most. An addiction is not an easy thing to admit or to change. But change should not be something to fear. After all change is inevitable. “The Only Thing That Is Constant Is Change”, as the saying goes (Heraclitus 500BC). Change for us human beings is about becoming ever more aware and realising our potential as dynamic creative beings. We need to rediscover our natural rhythm of being and our heritage (natural responsibility, not imposed) as stewards of the world we live in.

This change is not about imposing some new doctrine or opinion. Ironically, it is about revealing that which is our original nature, but which usually goes unexplored/unrealised because the mind, fixed in patterns of behaviour, considers to be of interest only that which is relevant to it's 'addiction'. The mind is easily addicted and these addictions are taken completely for granted such that these then define the frame of reference and the modus operandi for all subsequent discerning or judgement. Addictions are also self-sustaining, defended, justified and reinforced by all their comforting rational. Change requires that we be willing to hear the message in the first place. It then requires us to act. To the addicted mind this can often seem like too much to ask, and is the reason why some will never choose to embrace real change. This is also the reason why generations come and go, so that the 'unchanging' may be replaced by the new. Change wins every time.

So how do we begin to shake the addiction? The biggest hurdle is being able to understand and admit our situation and to choose to want to BE the solution. To be willing to act mindfully rather than react out of conditioning. The process requires that you not remain in the intellect, but that you begin to participate or feel at first hand. If you can admit that it is no one else's job to do, then you really can begin the process of changing the world. By simply following the steps below, the Butterfly Effect will take care of the rest. In time you will then come to know at first hand that you are the world itself.

1. Create Time For Reflection & Contemplation

The chain/addiction has to be broken, so you simply have to make the time to examine your perception of your world and walk through your assumptions, beliefs and desires. The mind may simply balk at the idea of sitting in contemplation, but remember that this is because it is addicted to being preoccupied and involved in story. Also it may be convinced that it is above such scrutiny. Many an eminent scientist would still today ridicule such self enquiry, claiming that it was to abandon all reason and objectivity. Yet subjectivity is clearly a primary principle which enables the recognition or experience of objectivity in the first place. Still, many continue to ignore this basic first principle. Such is the addiction of the mind to set patterns. But do not fight, blame, or hate the mind for its conditioning. The mind is the greatest tool you have at your disposal. You will need to acknowledge its 'resistance' as simply old habits, and gently coax it round through compassion. This will typically take practice and is the reason why contemplation, meditation, self-enquiry are all practiced daily, just like learning to walk.

Throughout your day there will be many occasions to simply sit and 'observe' your state of being. Even if it is only for 5 minutes at a time. For many, the mind will of course make you believe that you have not got the time, or it will simply not let you remember to take time. For this reason it will be useful to have reminders built into your day. Put a reminder in your mobile phone calendar, or you use a wristband or post-it notes, to jog your memory. The conditioned mind is easily influenced and you may well find it awkward to find some time alone away from other people. In this case use the more obvious times available to you, such as first thing in the morning perhaps, or during your lunch break, or on the train to and from work etc.

2. Keep Returning To The Heart

Throughout your enquiry, don't be so sure that you have it all figured out. Allow yourself to enquire more deeply each time. Do not be gullible, but do remain open to possibilities ALWAYS, and thoroughly question and observe your thoughts and motives as well as your ideas about who or what you believe yourself to be. During your enquiry you may well find your mind expecting some kind of answer or result to materialise. And it can seem very boring and frustrating to not get responses in the the way the mind has been conditioned to for years. Eastern mysticism speaks of this life being an illusion - the great Maya. Yet our experience of day to day living seems so defined, determined, certain and concrete. This highlights the power of the mind. Its capacity for making things appear so concrete suggests that it can therefore hide truth. There is 'much more' to our being than we currently know through our minds. To know the truth of the self we need to remember not to cling to beliefs along the way. Understand that you ARE all the answers and always seek deeper. Your natural state of being is dynamic, always able to change or adapt to novelty. So when you find yourself getting caught up in logic to the contrary or paradox, just remember your mind is simply resiting through conditioning. Return your focus to being the observer of your thoughts and beliefs, without actually participating in them. You will eventually 'see' and feel that it is your 'participation' as the thought or belief that gives these any life or power. It is this participation as thought which is the addiction itself.

Note that your image, ideas and beliefs of yourself can all change over time. These can come and go like waves moving over an ocean. These therefore are not the core of you. Your truest nature, which is not known to your mind as yet, is as the eternal ocean itself, but which for now appears 'lost' in the play of its own 'waveness', identifying with separate, individual waves.

3. Crisis & Uncertainty

It is a natural reaction of the conditioned mind to want to find and maintain the solid ground, to 'get' the answer or solution and to fix the world around it. The mind would have us move away form and avoid any crisis or uncertainty, and seek the settled, solid ground as a generalised and 'correct' vantage point from where to assess and validate the rest of the world. The tendency to blame, wanting acceptance and recognition, being opinionated, are all tell-tale signs of the mind claiming and defending its solid ground. But reality has a way of striking in unexpected ways, and when it does cracks begin to appear in one's most cherished beliefs. This can be deeply troubling and can lead to confusion in terms of one's identity. We need to remember at all times, that as dynamic beings, it is the mind's addiction to clinging or identifying with concepts, beliefs and habits in the first place which is the 'cause' of the confusion and suffering experienced when change take place. Uncertainty is therefore the mind's interpretation of the change. Uncertainty should be welcomed as it is the bringer of opportunity. When uncertainty and crisis are embraced as opportunity for positive change, they will eventually lose their negative connotations and reveal such freedom to being!

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