BE, Just BE
BE, Just BE
Contentment vs happiness. The mind seeks spirituality because it thinks this will bring happiness. Contentment is just our natural state without the mind seeking happiness.
There used to be a bookstore in the Old Town neighborhood of Chicago called Transitions Bookstore. Transitions’, specialized in transformative and spiritually awakening books with a homey atmosphere. I remember in 1996 picking up Neale Donald Walsch’s book Conversations with God, Book 1: An Uncommon Dialogue, first published 1995. Now I am not confirming if Mr. Walsch did speak with God, but since all is an expression of Source, why not. At the end of the book and I am paraphrasing, God says ‘Just Be’.I was flustered at ‘Be’. Be what? What a conundrum! Here was my answer and I didn’t have a clue what this meant. I wasn’t that happy being who I currently was, that’s why I was at Transitions’ looking for books to enlighten me. Such disapointment!
Now let’s fast forward to 2024 and a modicum of knowledge and wisdom has sunk in. Being is in the present moment. Being aware of the sights, smells and sounds. Noticing the inner dialogue, feelings and emotions and seeing what’s behind it all. Being aware of the thoughts that pass by. Where before I thought these thoughts were mine, now I realize these thoughts are as much mine as the clouds overhead. All part of my awareness of all that is.
Being is the “I Am’. It is what notices our normal selves. Being recognizes the usual feelings and activities of the little ‘s’ self. Being recognizes focus and attention. Yet Being is not dependent on focus and attention. Being is much deeper.
Being is the reality of Self. We tend to say we are spiritual beings having a physical experience, but in reality, the whole consciousness is available. This consciousness of Being is outside the mind, yet the mind is within Being.
Day to day we are engaged with focus on activities. Activities are changing. Activities can be outside or inside activities. Thinking, running, astral projection, meditation, waiting, changing the world and understanding is an activity. Being is stable, activities are always changing. Noticing is Being. All happens within Being.
Slow down, you move too fast
You got to make the morning last
Just kicking down the cobblestones
Looking for fun and feelin' groovy
-Simon & Garfunkel "The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy)"
To Cultivate and Allow Being
I can only share my experience. Being is already present, but like the oxygen we breath, we don’t notice until we become aware of it.
Relaxing is a good first step. Take moments in your day to relax your mind and body. Notice the thoughts and feelings in the moment you relax. In that moment, notice who is noticing. What is being aware?
Utilize an Awareness Presence Meditation. A meditation I like to use to establish the day is an Awareness Presence meditation. An example I use goes like this: Once you have done your first steps in meditation, my first steps start with a body relaxation and light body infusion*, I then become aware of select parts of the body. First right and left big toes, then notice the right and left knees, then right and left elbows and then right and left shoulders. First, just one at a time as you run through becoming aware of each. Then put combinations together such as right and left shoulders, do this with each pair. Next start mixing in right big toe with left knee and so on with the others. At a certain point as you go through doing this, combine more and more of the mentioned body parts until you are aware of all of them at once. Hold these body parts all in awareness. Sense the space you’ve now created. Hold this space and notice the thoughts that come through this space. Notice the noticer, the awareness present.
This space is Being and can be cultivated in meditations as you go forward to play with and discover Being. I like to go through the day when relaxing mind and thoughts to feel the presence of being by holding awareness of my big toes, knees, elbows and shoulders and be in that space. That space is Being. Feel the presence of that space. The more you do this, Being becomes more apparent and thoughts then just roll through without much interaction. This space of Being has no bounds.
As the activities such as thoughts start to slow down you have access to your Being. There will be that one or many thoughts that can take you out of this awareness of presence. Recognizing what engages you in activity, what captures your attention and focus can start to be observed. Especially if it is repetitive and continuously shows up. Being can see what’s behind thoughts and feelings as the unconscious becomes conscious. Bringing the unconscious conscious expands consciousness. It may seem like a small step, but keep in mind, losing one atom changes hydrogen peroxide H2O2 to water H2O. Water being lighter has a lower boiling point. Once you bring a feeling to the conscious mind, it can now be looked at with Being to see what’s behind it and stay with it all the way to fruition and freeing oneself from it.
Being is just who you are, your true Self. Life lives through Being. There can be multiple experiences in Being such as presence or as an observer for instance. Yet awakened, as freeing as it is, there is expansion in consciousness as one awakes to their true self.
Being as cultivating awareness with the knowing-ness that you are one with source gives you a bright beam of light energy to shine on your life on earth and allow your intention for this lifetime to come through.
*Visualizing white light entering from the top of your head and through your body
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