The Serene Way

I.L.C (Integrative Life Coaching) session conversation

PART II

Identify patterns from your life and how they can be used to your best advantage

Achieve balance between work, home and play

Create personal tools to maintain and enhance a healthy lifestyle

Tim W.:  that is a step in creating the witness

Tim W.:  when we look at things from this ‘detached’ witness we are no longer part of the reaction.

Tim W.:  we can look at is as separate, yet part of who we are

Tim W.:  the patterns are so ingrained and sub or un conscious that we are not able to recognize them in a conscious manner

Tim W.:  all programmed before we are 6 years old

P.:  yet does the reaction change…go away? doesn’t there always have to be a reaction to every action so to speak?

Tim W.:  it may not go away…it will be our first line of defence…but in awareness we have the ability to deal with it inside rather than projecting it onto a person or object

P.:  before 6? I’ve heard that children before the age of six can sometimes remember a past life

Tim W.:  we all have that ability…

Tim W.:  we get to a point around 2 where we don’t remember prior to that

Tim W.:  we can however train the mind to find those chemical and biological patterns to go back further…

Tim W.:  then we can remember invitro and then into past lives…at least according to what I have read and it seems to make some sense to me…anything is possible

P.:  would that bring us to a better awarenes?

Tim W.:  that is life’s search

Tim W.:  always within

P.:  I mean an awareness to the truth of all

Tim W.:  I find meditation has been a great tool for this

P.:  I have just started meditation after my accident…it has done so much for me

Tim W.:  that in itself is merely acceptance…we struggle to find reason and we struggle to learn acceptance…that stuggle is struggle not acceptance

P.:  I am a beginner

Tim W.:  we all are…we learn to roll on our tummies before we sit, then crawl, walk then run

P.:  so there does not have to be a reason? we just are, yes?

Tim W.:  start from where we are and move from there…the issue arises that we want the goal immediately…and them mind then says it is impossible

Tim W.:  there does not have to be a reason…all just is

Tim W.:  or neti, neti…not this, not this

Tim W.:  our mind tries to say there are reasons, because that is its function…finding black and white…yet there are many colours and shades

P.:  I have so much to discover…I am only just discovering…I often feel so human in my thinking…smiles

Tim W.:  we have to allow … in that desire we put energy into it and it gets further away…I call it the shopping cart syndrome…we puch the cart and it stays in front of us..only when we let go do we walk

Tim W.:  into it

Tim W.:  we are HUMAN

Tim W.:  so feeling so is a truth

Tim W.:  accept it an be so…we have animal instincts and divine…we are both

Tim W.:  we are all

Tim W.:  all is us

P.:  yes, I think that desire can become a double edged sword in this

Tim W.:  desire again like fear is within the mind

P.:  desire is and fear is…

Tim W.:  we may achieve that desire, but where does that leave us…creating a new desire and the cycle continues

P.:  no?

P.:  sigh…a pattern begins…

Tim W.:  they are manifestations of the mind…they exist there but no where else

Tim W.:  so so they exist…if we make it so yes…if we do not then we only have now, the present, love, bliss and being

P.:  we are all…different parts of a whole

Tim W.:  and the whole is different parts of us

Tim W.:  they are one in the same

P.:  yes i see that now

P.:  the power of now

Tim W.:  refractions of the light…a crystal will refract the colours of the spectrum yet it is from a single light

P.:  a great example Tim

Tim W.:  Eckhart Tolle…power of now…yes

Tim W.:  simple yet the mind keeps us from it.

Tim W.:  depression from thinking about the past

Tim W.:  worry from thinking about the future

P.:  how does one stay on track…

P.:  arrgh

Tim W.:  neither exist except within the mind

P.:  worry destroys

P.:  sounds so peaceful

Tim W.:  on track…we are continually on track

P.:  what will be, will be

Tim W.:  only our judgements on it create the illusion of something different

Tim W.:  yes worry destroys, but it keeps things in check as well…and we come back to good and bad…both and neither

P.:  this may sound strange…but….what does one do with the mind??

Tim W.:  we can try to control it…through awareness…the reactions may still be for a time…but in time with that new patterns are established and then it simply is

Tim W.:  that is what meditation brings us to

P.:  ahhh

Tim W.:  first focus…to keep the mind on track

Tim W.:  then concentration…to keep the mind steady

Tim W.:  then meditation when the mind is stilled

P.:  peace comes with this stillness

Tim W.:  the samadhi…when the soul is now in full awareness

Tim W.:  stillness comes with stillness….peace again is a definition within the mind

P.:  but i have noticed that I am becoming unconsciously aware of things

P.:  after I meditate I mean

Tim W.:  hmmm…unconsciously aware of things…if you are aware then it is in the conscious

P.:  would it be that stillness and peace are one and the same minus the label?

Tim W.:  in meditation then you are bringing things from the unconscious to the conscious mind so they can be addressed

Tim W.:  absolutely…labels and definitions…peace exists because of its opposite…stillness exists because of its opposite…when in total we are just being

P.:  so, the things that I label important are coming to the surface and I am becoming aware of them

Tim W.:  or things that you are not aware of that are important are coming to the surface…

Tim W.:  six in one half a dozen in the other

P.:  thanks Tim

Tim W.:  if they did not exist in your mind prior…they were not conscious thoughts..they lie beneath…in bringing them to the surface then the waves can be seen and they too become only the ocean

P.:  I’m gathering a better understanding

Tim W.:  it all comes P.

Tim W.:  just like the turtle

Tim W.:  he does in the end win the race…though in reality there is no race only being

P.:  ah…the infamous turtle…

 
Tim W.:  hahahah…there are many parables that we take for granted and pay lip service to, yet there are tremendous simplicities within them

P.:  are they not written for children…hmmm…

To be continued….

Stay tuned…

Part III will be available one week from today!

©T.S. (Tim) White, 2008

All Rights reserved. 

www.TheSereneWay.com

“In every one of us there is the yearning for life, for knowledge, for happiness.”

Swami Yatiswarananda, Meditation & Spiritual Life

Recently I heard, “When one lives with an open heart there is no need for protection.” This is a simple truth; it is on a Path to Light that we develop this ability of detachment from the energy, reactions and actions of others, as well as our self as defined by the ego. There are lessons along the way that assist in reaching this goal, one of which is discernment: ‘the quality of being able to grasp and comprehend what is obscure’ or ‘the power to distinguish and select what is true’. Now, there’s the rub: what is true and real and how do we distinguish it?

We often look to our external environment to provide knowledge and happiness. Osho, in The Book of Secrets, says, “Whatever society has given can be taken away again…” This simple statement illustrates the transitory nature of possessions and culture as a means to happiness. A culture lasts only as long as it controls its members or holds that influence, in which case we give away our control to an entity other than our selves. When we think of knowledge, we usually think of it as coming from outside our self. In the age of the Internet, there is a particularly muddy situation as information comes at us so rapidly, yet with many caveats. We must consider who is promoting the information, who financed the research, and what is the purpose of disseminating the information. Whether it be possessions, culture or information, discernment is key in order to sift through this endless barrage.

When it comes to culture, the ‘con’ keeps us all believing in regulations and social manners that keep us in control. We can look at the history of organized religions and how they have risen and fallen throughout history. They have used knowledge as their power base, keeping the masses uneducated in order to maintain a façade of stability. To bring this closer to home, we can see the same thing with the current economic turmoil. In this case, the economic culture has brainwashed society into believing that ‘bigger is better’, promoting the worship of the almighty dollar—values monitored on the screens of the global markets. These are ‘cons’ of outrageous proportion that affect society in its entirety.

There are everyday smaller ‘cons’ in each of our lives, which are employed by the egocentric to manipulate and control, though these are not nearly as evident as those of organized religion and global finance.

I was social networking and received a couple of notes from a ‘self-help’ practitioner. The first two were misaddressed and indicated “how may I ‘serve’ you”. The one correctly addressed said, “What do you need me for; you have your own gig”. I cannot comment on the practice of this person or their ability to help others, but I use this incident to illustrate a point: what a person says to your face may not be what they say behind your back. This is not walking the walk or talking the talk; it is this sort of double-face that necessitates discernment.

There are those that see us as ‘marks’, offering the snake oil remedy, the quick fix; again, the ideology that purchase will buy happiness surfaces. At a health and wellness expo I attended, there was a doctor promoting a machine that costs thousands of dollars. We were discussing the science and research behind this product. He made a most interesting statement: “Say anything to get them in and make the sale.” Here, a person of knowledge and apparent cultural status was ‘buying’ into society’s acceptance of information manipulation in order to sustain the economy of greed and excess.

There are unnerving trends in the ‘self-help’ industry (which is what it has become); it is big business. Recently, I have seen seminars and products promoted as ‘recession insurance’ or ‘recession proof’. But in reality there is no insurance against recession. It is only our ability to deal with the repercussions that can be developed. There are those who play against our fears and insecurities for their own self benefit. Again, discernment is necessary in order to have ‘the ability to understand and discriminate between relations’.

Conscious awareness is necessary for discernment. This allows an ease in identifying those factors that require our attention. This is an individual process; that which works for one may not work for another. It is within that we find the answers, the knowledge and truth. It is here that we can tap into those concepts that resonate with our life’s purpose.

Conscious awareness can assist us in penetrating these façades by developing the ability to judge wisely and objectively, thereby revealing authenticity. This action requires an internal search for our own authenticity. When we discover the authentic self, when it is revealed, then whatever bombards our senses can be dealt with in a positive and constructive manner. I have been known to jump in where angels fear to tread. This has led to many wonderful experiences, each one of which I appreciate as a lesson. Some situations are repeated until the lesson has been fully realized. A simple truth evolves from the experience and can be utilized in a practical manner in other situations.

Life is a rollercoaster; without the ups, the downs have no meaning or reality. The reverse is also true: all is defined by its opposite. Upon accepting that life is full of opposites, these opposites lose their power, as they are non-reality, transitory and illusory.

Once there is a conscious awareness of the mind and its machinations, then we can begin the journey to our centre, our heart. There we can manifest a condition of understanding with complete honesty and detachment. This creates trust within our self. Once established, we can see the truth in others—a gift of discernment on a Path to Light.

©T.S. (Tim) White, 2008

All rights reserved.

www.TheSereneWay.com

‘The Secret’ and ‘The Law of Attraction’ as Fabrications of Greed

“The enemy will hide in the last place you would ever look.”

Julius Caesar, 75 B.C.

The pursuit of happiness and peace is caught in, and now churn and grease the wheels of, consumerism, commercialism and materialism. This ultimately makes a mockery of spirituality and the quest for meaning in our lives, and never so dynamically and ubiquitously as both The Secret and the ‘Law of Attraction’. For years we have been hearing and literally ‘buying into’ the promise that we can have all that we want—the good life—through visualization, belief and a modicum of effort. This only serves to intensify desire, leading to greed and a further spiral into the illusion that materialistic gain will give us the security for which we search.

Perhaps we can say that the rape and pillage of the earth began with Imperialism. Certainly the Industrial Revolution introduced many benefits. However, when we look closely, we see its empty results: the destruction of our air, our water, our earth. We continue to pass down to future generations the responsibility of repairing what we have been systematically destroying. We have not been able to set an example for these future generations, teaching them how to shoulder responsibility, nor have we demonstrated much more than a single care about them. They see only a continuation of the same actions, of single-minded greed that keeps the current system intact and causes endless cycles of crisis.

This repetitive program results in a pattern of fear which is based on illusion, currently manifest as the profit turned in ‘paper’ transactions upon which our ‘free market’ society is based. This programming has become a source of control for the mechanisms of consumerism—its manipulation, calculation and deception. It has been instrumental in separating us from our selves, in giving power to someone or something—an entity—other than our selves.

How can the goal of the bigger house, the faster car, the gold, diamonds and pearls fill this emptiness within? The idea of more, more, more and guzzle, guzzle, guzzle can lead only to a repetition of history, where stock markets plummet and fear grips the world. It certainly hasn’t changed in this lifetime; we need look no further than the real estate crash of the ’80s, the dot-com crash of the ’90s, and now a combination of both monetary lending for real estate and commodities crashing today. Trillions of dollars have been said to have been lost on the global markets, and a single country is spending $700 billion to bail out those that continue this repetition of historic pirating.

The promise of ‘abundance’ has proliferated like nuclear missiles and weapons of mass destruction. In the end, it creates the same emotional reaction—fear—out of power, control, and an ‘I am better than you’ mentality. These ideas, no matter who discusses or promote them, whether it is Rhonda, Oprah, Jack, Bob or Phil, lead us down the path not only to earthly ruin, but to the ruin of humanity itself. It appears that the last bastion of the self—our soul—is becoming fodder for the markets.

Perhaps we are getting what The Secret and ‘The Law of Attraction’ promise, as there is never an action without a reaction.

It has been said there is enough for everyone on this earth. These works, which promote the manifestation of our materialistic desires by focusing on our intentions, lead only to a further exhaustion of all non-renewable resources and move us closer to the brink of extinction.

“We can have what we want” is the chant and chorus bombarding our senses. Do we need a 5,000 square foot home? Do we need a television for every room in the house? Do we need all those gas guzzling cars? They only serve to suck up limited resources and abuse the fertile soil we need to sustain our selves. We encroach upon the habitat of other animals without concern for their demise, only appreciating their monetary value. We continue to destroy the symbiotic relationship we have with this planet and all that exist upon it for the sake of power, control and materialistic gain.

Perhaps the better question is, “What do we need to exist?” No longer do we gather for the long winter. Instead we horde for the sake of hording and feed the illusion that this will give us a sense of identity, our desires creating a self image in a society lost on its path to light. The cycle of abuse perpetrated not only on this planet but upon ourselves has manifested itself in the form of the current economic turmoil—we reap what we have sown.

Originally, abundance and attraction were intended to enlighten, to instil a true sense of security and self. They are now being used against us. The plunder has reached into our most basic nature, raping our very souls. The sanctity of self is being prostituted, sold and re-sold as pretence of materializing the divine—an impossiblity, since it is an infinite expression of energy.

We continue to take an internal quest and externalize it in the form of materialistic goals, missing the point completely. The secret is not to manifest materialistic desires but to release them.

The secret is to know that abundance and wealth in physical terms are illusions. They are transitory; they are ‘no’ thing, not everything.

Take the opportunity to release these attachments and create a new world order that will manifest understanding and compassion on our path to light.

© T.S. (Tim) White, 2007

All rights reserved

www.TheSereneWay.com

Just today I was asked whether “I lived my life full on” to a profiled description. Well, the first thing I had to do was to go back to the details to figure out what I had posted. I have a good memory, it’s just short. My response was as follows… 

“I actually had to go back and read my profile before answering your question…ahahah…and yes that is my full on life…I think most of the descriptions are actually what others have said about me…funny how we define ourselves that way…mostly I just feel like an observer of a bright pantomime, which is this life…I’d be most happy to share what I have…that’s another one of my philosophies or ways through life…sharing what I have…that’s all there is…I think you may have given me the thought for my blog today…I think about something in the morning…let it sit for the day…meditate on it at sundown, then do my writing with the moon…” There was a long period of my life where I never really thought much about what others though of me. Probably due to the teasing that I got from being a ‘large’ young fellow, Pillsbury Dough Boy still rings loud in my ears as do ‘bucky beaver’ ‘pop-eyes’ and the list continues. (They are not part of the current description.) So, I guess as a defence mechanism I just gave into it and decided well if I’m different I’m different. It gave me a chance to observe from the outside all that was happening as I was never really part of it. Not only that it also provided the opportunity to be individual and to build an inner strength outside peer pressure as I was not part of a peer group growing up. This was great as it gave me the momentum to follow paths that many in my circumstance did not or would not consider following. I broke my own trail, said what was on my mind and followed my heart and many doors opened.  

Then there came a time when at last I was accepted by my peers: a new and novel situation to be sure. All those things that made me ‘different’ the individual that I was, well they were swept under the carpet, hidden from view – not only from other but even myself. I wanted the friendships that I did not have as a child. I wanted to be part of a group that I never experienced. I followed paths that were not my own, and manifested for others. Once that and became the rule, my physical self revolted against me. The only recourse to return to that which I was with the experience of the loss and discovery now creating a depth and strength to the words and thoughts that never really changed, but were just kept at bay.  Along the way one of the things that I never gave up was understanding and accepting all those I encountered with love and respect. It was through freely giving that of myself, I received the best of them. We shared the best in each other and what better gift is that.  

Now, I return to this spirit from which I could no longer hide. I have made a journey from the spirit through the body and back again and in doing so have recovered my physical health.. I still see life as a bright pantomime, but now understand this as a necessary detachment from emotions that can sabotage and cloud judgement. There many lessons that have been learned that have taken the empty words of a child and created a ‘knowing’ from experience and connection to the spirit, which is no longer taken for granted but for which I am grateful and humbled. It is now with confidence that I define myself and though others my say these things they are now things that I believe about myself, they are indisputable. The story of my life is for anyone who wants to listen, and I in turn will learn from all I meet on the path to light to be my better self and hope only the same for others.

© T.S. (Tim) White, 2007  All rights reserved