I recently went to two workshops that addressed the issue of living True Magic. They both used the idea of living from your Higher Self to represent connecting with True Magic. One of the primary reasons I like to go to other people's seminars is to watch to what degree pride of knowledge and desire for recognition arise in my thoughts and cause emotional turmoil. When this happens...and it does, I do three things. 1) I practice relaxing into the energy of the emotional turmoil by taking a breath (or several) and intentionally relaxing those areas of my body that seem most tense. This includes the tongue, jaw and throat, which used to be overlooked. They are important areas when the desire to speak up and be heard are at issue. 2) I focus on the thoughts -- the storyline that is inviting me to believe that I have a dilemma. "I can explain it so much better." "These people need to know how great my explanation is. It will help them more!" I look at these ideas and feel the emotional pull in my body and recognize what a narrow perspective is being presented, i.e., my irreplaceablity! 3)Then I practice smiling, relaxing and letting the distressing thoughts dissolve by taking the big chance of letting other people speak and by listening to them instead of to my inner dialogue. I remember my first meditation master's seminal teaching: Cultivate "Beginner's Mind." I did that enough in these seminars to learn something new! Both presenters gave us a list of Higher Self qualities like Patience, Kindness, Empathy, Compassion, Encouraging, Courage, and Gentleness. But one of them made the point that the term Higher Self is too vague to help us actually connect with our Higher Self. He also listed Lower Self qualities like fearfulness, complaining, doubting, negative judging, shaming, and blaming. He asked us to think of these two lists of qualities as players on a team. Then he asked us to imagine entering a situation deciding, "Which team do I want on my side?" And then as the situation unfolds, instead of telling yourself to be in your Higher Self, you pick a specific player, a specific Higher Self quality to call forth and manifest. And it is fine to fake till you make it! This idea of picking teams was a wonderful refinement for me for practicing staying in touch with Higher Self qualities -- the True Magic of our own being. It brought home to me again the importance of skillful means. It is not enough to "know" something -- we must know what we "know" in a form that makes it possible for us to access it and put it into practice. For example, this morning my wife woke me very early because something was causing her distress. I didn't initially connect with her and was wishing I could go back to sleep. Then I remembered the teams and picked the Higher Self team and the player, Empathy. Then I made the conscious effort, repeating "Empathy" in my heart, to practice listening and responding with empathy. The results were a renewed closeness and loving exchange because my Higher Self team player enabled me to drop my petty annoyance and recognize that my beloved needed my support. So...until next month, or forever!, list the players on your Higher Self and Lower Self teams and contemplate which team you want on your side in the various contexts of your life. Practice picking individual players from the team of your choice to meet specific challenges as they arise. Notice how this may serve you. Have an exuberant day, every day! Copyright 2006, Jack Elias, All Rights Reserved |
