291: The Light - Connectedness, parts One and Two
Connectedness, Parts 1 and 2
Part One:
Have you looked at the sky recently? Have you taken a moment to sit in the grass, alone and gaze up at the sky? If you have not I encourage you to do so. In the midst of my running around on a gorgeous Saturday, nature spoke to me. I literally was rushing out the front door with no earth- shattering destination in mind. However, in my humanness I felt a compelling need to be doing something, anything. There were things that needed to be done of course. Or so I felt. Thankfully, my higher self intervened as I felt the sun hit my face upon exiting my house.
“Where are you going?
What needs to be done”
were the words echoing in my mind. I raced to find an answer, believing that if I had no destination then surely I was wasting time. I was purposeless.
I am thankful to have a host of wise entities surround me as I go about my day. It was in this instance that I was told that I would be better off “simply being”, as opposed to “doing”. There is a distinct difference I came to find out.
A calm came over me as I laid down on the grass in my front yard. All was quiet. Not a sound but birds or breezes were in the air. The sun felt warm on my face. When the urge to think about what “needed” to be done came over me I was awash in calm as I looked up at the trees swaying in the breeze. The clouds, so full and white, beckoned me to watch them make their way across the sky. In that moment I was connected, to everything, to every energy that is nature. I had no concerns, no worries. My only thought was to immerse myself in my surroundings. What a gift that was. Looking around everything seemed to radiate a clarity and connectedness that I was a part of. And indeed I was. By taking a moment out of “doing” I was “being”. I was connected to all that is creation, to all of nature. Sights and sounds had a brilliance that was unnoticed by me earlier as I went about my day.
One of the best ways to connect to all that there is to be in the midst of nature. Is it any wonder that when we think of our “happy place” it is usually somewhere in nature. Most of the people I teach to meditate think of the beach or the forest as a place to rejuvenate. Think of it. When the days are sunny most of us want to be outside. Why do yo think that is? I can certainly offer my opinions but I think the real lesson will come if you ponder that. So take some time under a tree or in a field and think it through.
Part 2
In the course of a day millions of thoughts occur within us, perhaps billions. And while many of them may seem rooted in the mundane just as many occur that tie us to our higher selves. Every thought has power. And indeed every thought is in actuality its own reality. Each thought can generate a chain of events that can either spiral us into the depths of self-pity or can lift us up to experience the wonder and beauty of feeling wholly connected.
We can become connected to our higher selves but with a single thought. And there are many times in the day when we can choose to be connected or choose to live completely humanly, void of our higher selves.
In some cases, hopefully many, we walk a path that has us integrating both aspects of who we are, human and higher self.
Think back to the last time you were in line at a store. You have the items you wish to purchase and you scan for the shortest line. You find one and get in queue. The person in front of you is paying. As they are completing the transaction they seem to be fumbling with the card reader or perhaps they are just talking with the clerk. What are your thoughts at that moment. Are you angry that the person is slowing down the line keeping you from what you need to do? Are you patient, taking the time you have been granted to slow down and be in the moment? Do you isolate yourself from the situation and wait? Or do you insert a compassionate remark to lighten the situation, thus creating unity, connectedness. These are but a few of the thoughts and responses we could have. Some of them create compassion and unity. Others, based in need and ego, separate us from our higher self.
There is a distinction. Interactions and moments that tie us together, not only tie us to each other but to our higher self as well. The reason? When we connect, we embrace the belief that we are all truly one, that the person in line in front of us is not a completely different entity but a different version of who we are. They too have challenges and goals. They too have dreams and qualities that are empowering. And they too have lessons to learn.
We are truly one entity, one energy, with a common goal; experiencing our divinity. And we do this by imbuing the qualities and energies that lift us up, that form connectedness. Patience, kindness, compassion and joy are but a few of the energies that have us realizing our high purpose.
Denser energies, like want and ego, keep us from realizing all that we can become.
Some of the wisest among us realize that we are indeed all equals. Even those who came before us, regardless of their time in history, realized that we are all o ne people. Abraham Lincoln, Rosa Parks, Susan B Anthony and several others realized that beliefs, race or gender should not be a barrier.
Why is this noteworthy? Because even in other times there was a knowledge that when we look to unite ourselves we truly grow as a people. And because they did, we grew, we evolved and we lifted an entire planet up.
So embrace the knowledge that the person standing next to you is indeed you. Treat them with the same kindness and Love that you would hopefully show yourself. Revel in the joy that you are not alone on this planet, nor anywhere; that despite the fact you are unique you are truly connected.