Wednesday 1 August 2012

Sticking Plasters

As we continue on our personal and collective quests for enlightenment, it seems that some are beginning to see life from a fresh perspective. Whilst so many continue to look for external fixes and solutions to life’s problems, there are those who have realised that enlightenment and bliss cannot be found outside; it can only be found within.

Of course, the trappings of modern life, from a nice house, a nice car, money in the bank, the perfect job, the perfect partner etc., can all make life feel more bearable, but it is how we feel within that truly counts. This is not to say that we shouldn’t have all of these external things though, for life should be enjoyable and comfortable, but it is important to realise that none of these will ultimately bring us the inner abundance and enrichment that we truly seek.

Whilst we all have our own personal agendas when it comes to enlightenment, bliss and the fulfilment of our dreams (after all, we are all unique), there are still common threads that bind our paths together. These threads are part of our spiritual and energetic tool kit and include awareness, knowledge, conscious living and inner stillness. We all have access to these (albeit these take practice and perseverance), but many choose not to embrace them or utilise them in life.

Sometimes it is all too easy to get caught up in the hamster wheel chasing external dreams and spending life trying to ‘get’ happiness and success, fulfilment and peace. It is only when we are brave enough to step off the hamster wheel (even for just a short while), that we begin to realise that ‘having it all’ (money, house, car etc.) doesn’t really mean anything in the scheme of things.

In the world, money, status and power are the dynamics of modern life and they shape and determine so much. We need money to survive, and we all have duties and responsibilities from bills to family to a myriad of other things as well. Yet, when we become trapped in this external cycle of chasing ‘stuff’ and quick fixes, we slowly distance ourselves from our inner worlds and lose sight of our inner treasures.

Our natural state of being is not one of constantly chasing the horizon, trying to get; whilst we will always strive to do more and be more (for that is part of being human), our natural state of being is living a more balanced life where we are fully connected to the world within. From such a space, we no longer need to chase happiness or success, money or status; for we become our own creators, and our thoughts, intentions and beliefs begin to shape all aspects of our lives.

We are all too familiar with the law of attraction and the power of thoughts, but so many of us quickly dismiss this as ‘pie in the sky’ and inapplicable in the ‘real world’. And yet, we are all energy, everything is energy, and everything is interconnected as energy, so why is it so hard to see that our thoughts can shape so much? Sometimes, we have to extricate ourselves from the intoxication of chasing ‘stuff’ and external fixes and go within in order to find the answers.

Once again, there is nothing wrong with ‘stuff’ or money etc., for this makes the wheels go round in life (and it makes life rather pleasant in many ways), but we get lost when we make this the focus of life. If we see money and ‘stuff’ as the path to happiness, then we soon feel the emptiness inside when we realise that it cannot bring us the warmth that we seek within. Nothing or no one external to ourselves can bring us that warmth; we might touch happiness, but it doesn’t last, it cannot, until we are truly happy within.

Finding peace and happiness within is not an easy path, for it means unpeeling the layers of conditioning, facing residual pain and emotions from the past, and opening up our hearts and souls to Truth and love (being vulnerable, facing fear and taking a chance on life). None of this is easy, and it is understandable why so many choose the sticking plasters of external fixes to soothe the way, but it seems that stepping fully and consciously within is the true path to Self and perhaps the only path to enlightenment...