Finding Stillness in the midst of Chaos

The 'Observing Presence' or 'Witnessing Presence' (Higher Self)
behind the mind (Ego)

The Witnessing Presence

What happens when you turn the lights off at night and lay your head down on your pillow? Does your mind begin chattering aimlessly? Are there images that flicker incessantly behind your eyelids, like someone flipping through  channels inside your mind? How does one meditate effectively with so much psychological and mental pollution flitting about? Is there an effective way to shut off the noise and allow the stillness to envelop you?

Through the years and with practice, becoming the 'witnessing presence' of our minds (egos) is possible. Many philosophies teach various versions of the witnessing presence, the 'higher self', 'consciousness', 'light body', and so on. Modern day spiritual teacher Eckhart Tolle discusses the witnessing presence in his book "The Power of Now" concisely and extensively. The Witnessing Presence is our higher self, our higher consciousness whose neutrality silences the mindless, incessant chatter of our Ego-ic Mind. We can learn to simply observe our ego mind as the witnessing presence without judgment, without critique.

Quieting the Mind

Humans tend to over think, over analyze, over process and over exaggerate. It's an affliction of the mind, the ego. The ego is constantly threatened with annihilation, so it clings to conditioned thinking with a ferocious, white-knuckled grip. It's not easy to let go of all the extraneous garbage that clogs up our mindscape (I just made that word up ~ LOL!) and sometimes renders us immobile, because fear (anxiety) is debilitating if we allow it to be. 

Something that has helped me in the past is during the act of meditation, I'll simply allow my thoughts to come in without judging them or giving them an audience. I allow the thoughts to come into my mind, acknowledge them and don't give them any more time or energy than that. If it seems my mind is running away with my thoughts, I will bring my attention back to my breathing. I'll focus on each inhalation of breath deep into my lungs, as well as each exhalation through my lips. Calm and relaxed. Calm and relaxed. 

Simply allow your thoughts to BE

In that way, my mind becomes quiet one thought at a time. There are other ways to quiet the mind, as well. But that is the way that I've found most effective while in the midst of meditation or while preparing to meditate.

I teach meditation to those who have anxiety issues, bipolar disorder, PTSD and other mental health issues, because it helps them to relax, to expand their consciousness, and to ease their unwarranted fears and anxieties. It's a most effective remedy for those who are interested in quieting their minds naturally without using drugs, chemicals or any other extraneous or unhealthy methods.

It's taken me many years to harness the act of meditation to its most effective and fullest. But meditation has changed my Life dramatically. If you're a non-believer, one who thinks he or she cannot meditate or who thinks you cannot let go of anxiety without the use of pills, chemicals or other unhealthy means, continue doing what you've been doing, by all means.

When you're tired of living as you have been, beating your head against the brick wall over and over and expecting different results ~ perhaps you'll seek out a person who can help you learn to meditate.

The ONLY guarantee I can offer to you is this: Meditation will change your Life exponentially. The ball is in your court. Try it. You've got nothing to lose ~ except your fear. Except your anxiety.

For more information or to connect with Reiki Nurse via her website and subscribe to her monthly updates at: Reiki's Mystic Circle

Peace & Blessings ~

Reiki Nurse 

 

Success: Mundane or Magnificent?

Quenching the Moon's thirst ...

For me, the term 'success' has never been measured in terms of material things or acquisitions or money. That is to say, even as a young adult, the term 'success' was so much more than material and mundane: It has always been a term in which I measured the quality of what I felt was Spiritual for me. How well I live my Life, how well connected I am with my Higher Power, and how much kindness (or not!) I show to others. 

As I've progressed on my Journey, I've come to understand myself on a more intimate level, and I've learned what triggers my anger, my sadness, my happiness, and my sense of inner peace. I am much more discerning now than I was 5 or even 10 years ago, and I'm more aware of how my angry words can wound another Soul. I continue to struggle with my quick-to-anger defenses. I am more aware when I am feeling defensive and more importantly, WHY, I am feeling defensive. The reason one can't change everything overnight is evident: we're on a Journey, each individualized for every individual. The Journey I'm on isn't necessarily the Journey that you are on. And we didn't develop our negative coping mechanisms overnight. It's taken many years to develop the coping mechanisms, healthy or unhealthy as they may be, that we use to navigate our lives every day. 

Our Third Eye is the Doorway to Higher Realms

Because of this, it will take years of being aware of our character flaws to change them, one by one. I tend to come to understand things at a slower rate than others, and sometimes it takes a few times of 'banging my head against a brick wall' to fully comprehend what it is that needs to be changed within my Self, my psyche to help me become a better, kinder, more loving person.

Success for me means that each morning when I open my eyes, though I may feel discombobulated and confused at times, I know that my Core is pure LOVE that radiates through my entire Being, and outward towards all of Humanity. It means that I don't get caught up in the everyday mundane, the negative, the chaos of the outer world. It means that from my Core I radiate the Love, Peace, and Truth that is who I truly am. It means that I AM, and that makes everything okay in my realm. 

Simply Believe

Success isn't about how much money I make, what kind of car I drive, how large and extravagant my home is, or whether or not I have a college degree. For me, all the material wealth in the world isn't worth anything if I am not Spiritually fulfilled, Spiritually fit and connected. If I am not connected with Nature, God and/or Goddess, Yin/Yang, my True Self, my Higher Power, all living beings ~ there is no success for me. I don't find success in the mundane, for me it is the magnificence of Being! Success is based in Spiritual practice, in Being, not in doing. 

How one feels about the term 'success' is relevant and pertinent to how he or she navigates her own Journey in this Life. Think about what success means to you. Ponder your beliefs, and if you feel that something inside of your own thinking needs tweaking, set about changing it. Remember that nothing happens overnight. Be gentle with yourself. We can't change what anyone thinks about us, or how they act. But we CAN change how we respond or react to others ~ my reactions are my personal measurements of how successful I really am, and how much further I have come on my own personal Journey of Life. 

Walk in Light, my friends ~ Think SUCCESS!

 Reiki RN

Let Your Child-Light Shine!

Sometimes, the most precious and wonderful memories are made when we allow
ourselves to simply BE in any given moment. It really is a matter of allowing each moment to flow freely. It has taken me so long to realize that by not DOING ~ just by BEING ~ in a moment I can access every aspect of what I've labeled my 'child-light'. It's that moment, that special feeling that allows me to see everything around me as brand new, through the eyes of my Child Self. Everything appears new and wonderful, and the fascination and joy fills me with a sense of wonder and beauty that can not be described, nor can it be equalled!

Every one of us has that special Child-Light within, and many of the great spiritual teachers have spoken about it over the years. Jesus told us: "In order to seek the kingdom of God, you must become like a little child." When we allow ourselves to simply be in the moment, our child-Light shines forth brightly, and our joy expands exponentially!

Many of us catch glimpses of this child-light throughout our lives, but it seems elusive to us, and the moments may seem fleeting. We have the ability to harness that feeling, that BEING, and remain in the moment. It takes practice, but it can be done. Our EGO (Easing God Out) strives to keep us stuck in the muck and mire, making it difficult to see the trees through the forest.

Ego does not want us to simply BE, because when we catch a glimpse of being in a moment, ego has absolutely no power or place in our Life. "Ego teaches us that once we find our peace, everything will fall into place in our lives. Spirit tells us that once we find our peace, everything will fall into place" ~ Marianne Williamson teaches us this simple truth in her writings and teachings, as does Eckhart Tolle. It is our ego that complicates this simple truth.

We are driven by our egos, but we do not have to remain stuck in the egoic constructed realities we've created for ourselves. Ego holds tightly to most of us on this level of existence, because without our profound belief in some type of illusion, our ego tells us there is nothing. And we believe the big lies our egos force us to cling to.

At the basis of any belief that our ego has constructed, at the basis of any illusion regarding 'the way it should be' or 'the way we should act' is fear (Forget Everything And Run!). Fear requires our ego to cling to our illusory 'beliefs' and our illusory 'truths' as though there is nothing else. When we choose to step beyond our personal fears and into the Divine Truth and light, we can free ourselves from the limiting illusions that ego creates.

When we allow ourselves to shake ego off, and simply BE, we become one with the totality of Being, one with Spirit and Nature, one with each other. That is when we allow our Child-Light to shine forth, and we access that purest form of joy. Our Being is Light, our wholeness is Light, we are Light. Our egos want us to believe that we are matter. Our egos do not want us to know that we are the purest forms of Energy and Light. Our true essence is Light and Energy, NOT form (matter). When we allow our Child-Light to shine forth, we are allowing ourselves to BE.

And at that very moment, we are living in the now, in the present. We have accessed the purest form of joy, the purest form of peace, the purest form of LOVE. Our true essence ...

Peace, Love, and Joy, my friends ~

Reiki Nurse