Life presents us with endless opportunities to open to it. We are unable to take advantage of most of those because we come here with issues to resolve, and those prevent us from living in Truth until they are resolved.
When we cannot hold Truth we are obliged to live according to our beliefs. And beliefs are built on fear. “Is it safe?” “Will I be hurt?” “Am I good enough?” ”Will I be embarrassed or criticized?” Beliefs are sustained by feelings, which we then turn into emotion.
The thing is, beliefs are unfounded. Setting aside physical harm, you cannot be hurt. But as long as we believe the myth, out of the false need for protection we can create all manner of protective strategies.
We can address our feelings and fears directly and try to understand their origins, implications, etc. That is what psychology has been doing for many years, and although there is nothing wrong with the direct approach, it can also be a long, hard and difficult road.
There is another way. It is deceptively simple and also maddeningly subtle, requiring a bit of practice to master. The technique rests on the concept of being aware of a feeling, but not going into it. The difference is in learning to be an observer of your own process.
Normally we simply feel our feelings. We say, “I am angry,” or “I am scared,” or “I feel anxious!” – whatever. And until you work with this a bit, you may not realize that you are constantly subjected to feelings all the time! The technique I am gong offer you asks you to essentially remove yourself from the feeling state to an awareness state. Instead of “I am angry” you move to an awareness that anger is present. You are, essentially observing yourself.
The magic in this process is that feelings are created from beliefs. They exist to occupy our minds and protect us from the things we we fear. In becoming aware of a feeling and not being possessed by it, we automatically loop back to our beliefs, and strip them of their protection. We see them for the false protective devices that they are. And shining the light of truth on them, we can quite literally, simply drop the belief.
Now having said all of that, becoming the observer is subtle stuff. We are accustomed to feeling what we feel, and so moving out of that mode to becoming an observer can take a bit of practice.
Preparing the way is a simple breath awareness step and a short thought clearing step that helps facilitate the movement into the observer. Then to anchor the process, we make an open ended question that locks in the process.
THE METHOD
As I said, I have dealt with a great many healing techniques and this is by far the most subtle.
- Breathe through your nose and as you do, become aware of your feelings. Feel your sinus cavities and your lungs as you breathe into them. Feel your body shifting. The more you do this exercise, the more you will feel. You are not to “do” anything. This is not an exercise in breathing, rather it is an exercise in awareness.
- The next step is to cleanse your mental palate, as it were. Find something that gives you a sense of awe, something that makes you go “Ah!” You could use a sunrise, or maybe seeing a puppy, for example. Notice the sensation this produces. Use it as a conduit and go deeply into it. Don’t try to figure anything out, and don’t let your mind hook you on a thought. Just ride the awareness. This will help clear your mind for the next step.
- As you deepen, you may become aware of tension. Meld with it, don’t think about it. Remember, tension comes from resistance. If a thought or a feeling pops up, recognize it as a distraction. To think is to surrender your power. If you doze off or become distracted, recognize this also as interference. If this happens, search for feelings of anxiety.
- Become aware (observe) what you are feeling. Look for constriction or tension. Remember, don’t get hooked on the feeling, just be aware of it. This is subtle and something we are not used to doing, so it may take some practice. Every thought is driven by a feeling. Be aware of the feeling that created the thought or question. When you start to worry about something, become aware of the feeling behind it. Again, don’t go into the feeling, that won’t help. If you are stuck, look into the feelings about being stuck. If it feels difficult, feel the difficulty. Don’t work harder. Open more.
- When you have something in your awareness, then ask yourself, “What it would be like to not have . . . ? (a stiff neck, or tight shoulders?”) Or, “What it would be like to not be afraid?” One technique I found interesting was, “What it would be like to not have this memory.”
- To address a specific issue, start with the breath and add in the feeling of awe, then become aware of your feelings about the thing. I’ll say again, don’t go into the feelings! Perhaps your neck is tight or you are having problems with your partner. Don’t bring in the issue, but rather become aware of what you feel about it. Then ask yourself “How would it feel to have my neck relax?” Or, “What would it feel like to have a peaceful relationship?” Pose your question in the positive. You should feel a clearing. Problems unfold in layers. At some point you will go back to your core belief. This may take a number of tries, but stay with it, you will be surprised at the result. I find that as I work with the awareness of my feelings, the truth “goes back” into my beliefs and actually sizzles the belief out!
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