As we experience this time of transition, several ideas stand out in my mind that might have some insight into how we proceed going forward. I would like to share them with you so that we might continue to draw upon each other in meaningful and fulfilling ways in order not to separate, but rather to be open to all that arises.
Humanity is in a transitional place. If we look around us, we can see the many areas of our lives that offer us reference points for change. Yet many/most of us do not know how to influence that change. As we attempt to move from fixed and rigid points of view to views that allow for more openness to differences, flexibility, and awareness, we come up against this inability to actually make those changes happen, thereby creating frustration and unrest inside of us.
This is a time to name desired changes we want to see, and the hard work is actually incorporating those changes into our reality and being. As a result, we project into the world that chaos, frustration, and unrest not understanding how to manifest the change we believe we desire.
The truth is that we do not have to influence or direct the flow of change. We simply need to be in the presence of the experience itself. What does that mean? When we experience the experience, present moment to present moment, nothing else is required of us. This is called Faith and Faith is a “knowing”. It does not need proof. There is no judgment. It is a direct experience of the presence that holds us all. The “knowing” basically allows that, whatever the present moment experience is, we do not need to name it or judge it or define it. We just need to be willing to be open to it, allowing it to be in our experience.
When we permit our beliefs, reactivity, and judgment to arise in the present moment, we then lose sight of the “path”, falling into Hope. Hope, unlike faith, is about “not knowing.” It is allowing ourselves to believe that something will be provided in the future. It is not at all about the present moment experience. Therefore, we then remove ourselves from the present moment experience, losing sight of the path of which I spoke.
When we let our beliefs tell us that something will be provided in the future, knowing that there is no future, but only the present moment, we give away our present moment experience as well as our knowing. The experience of the ground of being is then lost and we mimic life with an attempt to recreate what has been lost. The mimic, however, is false; it is the ego structure that we create in an effort to have an experience of the ground of being. The ego welcomes our beliefs, reactivity, and judgments. It, in fact, feeds upon them, allowing them to throw up repeated obstacles to our present moment experience and “knowing.”
The invitation then to humanity as we enter a time of Unity of Consciousness is to be more present to the experience of the present moment without any preconceived belief that we know the right way or even without holding onto our belief as the correct belief. It is best to eradicate the belief as much as we can. Our beliefs create our reality and when we name something the opposite is oriented.
Simply rest in the unfolding of the present moment, whatever it is, knowing that we are facets of the creator/god, and we are creating our universe moment to moment. If we can do this with an open, loving, and non-dual heart, our world will continue evolving in the spiral-like fashion which has been happening for centuries, as it was meant to be. The light and dark appear and then disappear, reappearing again and disappearing again…ad infinitum…
Do not get attached!!!!
Dr. Deborah Ooten is the founder and director of the Conscious Living Center.