Life Itself flowing abundantly through this body it has created, IS ALL THINGS. Nothing can be added and nothing can be subtracted. Evolution is what happens when the soul moves by desire.
Some teachings say to be desireless – I like to think of desire not as something to want, such as an ego desire – rather as an impulse to grow, like the acorn or the butterfly. Both burst forth from a shell when the time is right and they follow their natural impulse to grow and mature into beautiful forms.
So too us. There is an impulse, a soul desire to evolve, to mature into a life form on this planet to our fullest potential and magnificence based on that which Infinite Intelligence intended.
Surrender to Each Moment
All we have to do, all we can do, is surrender to the moment, focus on inner body awareness, do our meditation and connection routines and then live our days becoming more and more aware of the background of Presence. We will be guided. We don’t have to decide, we don’t have to make things happen. Rather the deciding and the direction in which to move, the actions to take, come through us as the impulses of Life Itself.
When we are fully surrendered, we are being lived. The magnificence of Divine Mind reveals itself. There’s a huge relief in this surrender. Resistance/ego will continue its fight – that’s what resistance/ego does. But Life Itself in its awareness, which is not present in ego, shows us how to navigate through all the distractions, the pitfalls, the temptations, the prejudices. The impulses of evolution itself are the stalwart river banks through which the light and love of Presence flows in luxurious abandon.
The Duality of Life on Planet Earth
On planet earth, we experienced life through duality: hot/cold, night/day, up/down/, tall/short, activity/rest, etc. Where trouble arises is when we judge or become attached to our ideas about what is, our concepts of good and bad, right and wrong, love and hate, shoulds and shouldn’ts.
We want what feels good and we don’t want what feels bad. We don’t realize that these perceptions are simply judgments that we move towards or away from in order to create the lives we think we want. Transcendence means understanding the nature of duality and releasing all of our likes and dislikes, rising into the clear air of pure Presence flowing naturally through us into all our actions, dreams and goals.
As primal creatures, we want to move away from pain and towards pleasure. These are natural reactions that keep us safe. But if pain and pleasure are based on judgments of what is, then they become distractions.
Transcending Duality
If the idea of going without a comfort food creates anxiety then we will move away from the going without, even though the comfort food causes pain in the form of excess weight and other side effects. We will fail at our dream. If the idea of ice cream because a family member yelled at us gives us pleasure, we will move towards that pleasure and fail again at being healthy. BUT if we are deeply centered in our inner essence, then we can recognize those thoughts for what they are – elements of ego mind – and they cannot affect us. The absolute power of Presence is a force that quietly moves through the center of everything. And duality is transcended.
An Equal and Opposite Force in Every Dream
Steven Pressfield, in an interview I saw recently with Oprah, said every dream has a shadow side just as every tree has a shadow.
That hit me like a ton of bricks. Newton’s 3rd law of physics says, For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.
I had never considered the creating of a dream as having an opposite – a shadow side. But of course, as soon as we step into the action of creating something new, equal and opposite forces are going to arise in any of the myriad forms that resistance takes.
Obstacles
Yes, I well knew about obstacles – I had written about them in DreamQuests – How to Create Your Heart’s Desire – but I had never considered that they can be in direct response to a positive action undertaken.
So there are two sides to making a dream come true – taking action and fighting the reaction that arises in the form of obstacles. But fighting isn’t the best avtion. Fighting keeps us stuck in duality. A better term is transcending. If we know that obstacles will arise since that is the nature of life on planet earth, then we can be aware and recognize these obstacles as they arise – and they will. When we recognize something like fear of success, or fear of not being enough, or procrastination, we can then relax and release those obstacles as they arise and in doing so, evolve, as we create from the essence of Presence working through us.
Think about the dreams you have made come true in your life – or not made come true. Think of the obstacles you had to overcome, or rose above. Or maybe you didn’t overcome them, instead they overcame you, but if you had been able to recognize those obstacles as elements of the natural resistance that arises as you move into action, you might have been able to rise above them.
Action Stimulates Reaction
Note that this reaction only ever takes place as you take action. If you do nothing, ego is not threatened. It is happy – it has you where it wants you. (This is not the doing nothing of the state of being, this is the doing nothing in the face of the calling of an impulse of Life Itself).
Evolution is about taking action. Evolution is about Life Itself expressing itself through a planet earth form. It is about the ability of the form to be open and surrendered to the moment, so that Life Itself can flow freely and fully.
So often that is not what happens because the obstacles that arise are in the form of subconscious beliefs that say I’m not enough, I don’t deserve, it’s too hard, I know best, I am better than everyone else, I’ll be crucified, I’ll be successful, I’ll be a failure and on and on.
Looking at duality in more depth has helped me to rise above the action/reaction dilemma which causes so many of us to allow the callings of Life Itself to disappear into the wastelands of ego resistance.
How it Works
So – lets take a look – let’s say you have in mind a get healthy regime you want to follow. Let’s say you need to lose some weight, learn about the food that goes into your body and how it affects your body, and create a fitness regime. You want your body to be in optimum health for living your best life.
You make your plans and you start off with great enthusiasm, hope and intention. Then, little by little, distractions arise – you are too busy, too tired, too apathetic, it doesn’t really matter anymore after all and you despair of achieving your dream. Which is going to win – the first set of feelings or the second – or a see sawing back and forth of both.
Is there not a wonderful example of duality right there? What is the opposite of enthusiasm but fatigue. What is the opposite of hope but despair, what is the opposite of enthusiasm but apathy? You have the action and you have the reaction.
Centered in the Dream, In Presence, Transcends
What if you started out aware of both sides of the dream? Aware that those inspired feelings will generate an equal and opposite REaction of despairing feelings? Would that awareness at least prepare you for the apparent battle ahead?
And what if … even better … there was another perspective with which to approach the duality situation that is inevitable? What if you were to sit in and sink into the essence of this dream, deeply? What if you were to immerse yourself in the awareness of Life Itself, that you are an expression of Life Itself already and that Life Itself is the best director of this endeavor? How does Life Itself want to flow through you in this moment of this dream creation?
Evolving Through Impulse is Who You Are
Walk through the narrow gateway of inspired action that completely ignores every other thought – good or bad, happy or sad, important or unimportant. Allow the power and force of Life Itself to drive this dream, knowing that those distractions are all around you, and that you can walk through the middle of them all, because you are grounded and centered in who you really are.
You are NOT your thoughts, not any of them. You are so much more. You are an expression of Life Itself in physical form on planet earth, moved by impulse to evolve.