I believe not only that the Universe is alive, conscious and self-aware, but also that we are an infinite, eternal, ever-expanding part of it, and as we expand we add to the overall expanse of the Universe itself. As our self-awareness and consciousness grow, as does the Universe’s own magnificent vastness. Therefore, it makes sense, to me at least, that to make our mark on this world, we would be wise to learn what makes us expand out; to shine that light within and to never stop reaching for the proverbial stars.
If you've ever studied Sacred Geometry, then it is likely that you have come across the manifold structure known as the Torus. A Torus is the 3-dimensional doughnut form which has been used to represent a number of things in our “real” material world as well as our “potential” imaginary one.
A Torus is the perfect representation of the “Cosmic Flow” – everything in, everything out. There is no attachment, no judgment, just a perfect working order of absorption and release keeping things in harmony and balance. This is surrender; perfect trust, cooperation, connection, and oneness with the Universe and all that is. The only thing that disrupts this natural flow which sustains balance within us is our own free will; our own thoughts.
Here on Earth, we reside in the 3rd dimension which happens to be one of duality, or so our perceptions would have us believe. As humans, we tend to see our capability of self-knowing, of consciousness, as what puts us at the top of the species pyramid on this planet. Our ability to think logically somehow makes us the ones in charge, the rule-makers, the way-showers and controllers of all other life-forms and of course, of one another. We walk this path of supposed linear time, convincing ourselves it is a path of progression as we see continual advances in medicine and technology, but along the way have we lost sight of our most precious gifts towards Self-Mastery, simply by overseeing the nonlinear truths lying just beneath the surface of our own egoistic minds? Are we too distracted by our outer world which we struggle to control, that we have forgotten to retain the natural state of the Torus, which brings forth the knowing that there really is no need to try and control anything? If we only stop for a precious moment and surrender, we then allow the creation of the space where everything we expect the outer world to fulfill for us, can actually manifest within us.
When one is solely focused on the physical world around them, it becomes easy to be governed by the illusion of duality. The veil of thoughts and the five senses pulls the mind outside of ourselves and we get enamored with the endless opposites all around us; everywhere we look and in everything we know and care about. There’s good/evil, light/dark, and perhaps the hardest to deny are the ones that the laws of physics support moving more into polarity such as up/down, hot/cold, big/small, etc. But if we look closer, they are all relative and mere measurements of the same whole, just on opposing scales.
To further instill the illusion, we are usually taught at a young age that we must be on one side and must not like whatever is at the opposite end, without any regard for the middle-ground, or the fact one extreme could not exist without the other. We often see this in gender inequality, racial tensions & segregation, religious wars, homophobia, etc. We might even be taught that we are “special” or “different”, to compete or “be the best”, all which emphasize separation, however we are not often taught that we are all connected, or that things like race, religion, gender, and nationality are mere labels and underneath it all we are one and the same. We are rarely told of the beauty and balance found by walking in the middle, and that to be of the Light, we must also face in ourselves all that is Dark. Instead we are usually forced to repress or condemn certain feelings that are labeled as bad or evil. As we know, repression only emphasizes, builds up and leads to an eventual full-blown release. Why, then if we see so much damage done to our psyches, relationships, self-esteems, etc. are we not taught about healthy ways to know and feel through all of our emotions so we can best maintain our emotional, physical and spiritual bodies? This has been a question I've been trying to answer for myself for over 20 years now, and it always leads me back to the “damage of duality” and how we’ve literally been stuck in a generational loop of misguided consciousness about who we really are, where our true power comes from, and how we can all have the best chance at being our whole, happy selves.
So, how do we begin to transcend duality and walk the path of Self-Mastery? I've compiled a list of 3 main things I go to when I tend to get distracted, or “stuck in the mud of matter” to re-center, to find my balance and essentially my way back home.
- Remember – It’s All an Illusion. I always remind myself that when anything gets on my nerves or annoys me for not going as planned, that it is merely coming from my interpretation that I am separate from whatever or whomever might be bringing this feeling up in me. Instead of immediately reacting, I ask myself, “What is this trying to show or teach me?” “What can I learn here?” And more often than not, things that didn't work out the way I initially had wanted them to ended up turning into something even more awesome! Allowing myself to trust and be in the natural flow of the Universe has only brought me more peace and less stress. We always have that choice as to how we react to things going on in our “outside” world, and I've learned that not immediately reacting emotionally serves to not only empower us, but has saved me from saying or doing things out of anger I would later regret. This is not to say I am repressing my feelings, but instead acknowledging them, sitting with them for a moment & feeling through them, and then letting them go energetically rather than verbally or physically spewing them onto another. This has not only empowered my life by allowing to step out of the “victim” role I used to so easily jump into, but also has given me a better understanding of just how conditioned we all tend to be, and how with practice, we can all learn to make conscious choices in our everyday actions and overall lives that work to better serve ourselves and our relationships. This in turn, deepens our connections and strengthens our bonds, reminding us of the truth that we are all connected; we are all students and we are all teachers. And when we can live in that heart space, rather than in fear, we find we are not so easily fooled by the illusion of separation. We begin to know; above all else that nothing truly exists but Love.
- Take Time to Be Still. Meditation is a daily ritual for me as it is for many. It is a way to declutter the mind and take control of your head-space. Too often we let the mind run on auto-pilot as we go on about our lives, and to me it is absolutely vital to put it in “time out” at least once a day. When you take time to quiet the mind and just be present, you are giving yourself the gift of your own full awareness and attention. Just like you would appreciate that from a friend while you are speaking, be kind enough to give that same attention to yourself as often as possible in the stillness of your own being. You will learn things about your body you may never have noticed before, simply by being fully present with yourself. It is only our thoughts that ever disrupt this presence. Yet it is in the stillness where truth lives, because it just always IS; always just BEing. If you have trouble quieting the mind, do not give in to rising emotions of frustration or judgement. Just let the thoughts and feelings come, feel through them and release them with a good exhale of your breathe. Think of it as a game you are playing with your thoughts, where you just always come back to center; to stillness; to peace. Your conscious mind will fight you tooth and nail to chat away endlessly as it doesn't like being told to be quiet, especially if you are new at meditation. But over time, this will become easier. Even if you start with a couple minutes a day, that will be a welcomed break for your spirit, as ANY amount of time you literally pause your thoughts and become present, you immediately connect your heart space to all that is; to the Universe…to the pulse of existence.
- Keep Your Cup Full. One of the hardest lessons for me to learn on my own path was accepting the fact that I was teaching others how to treat me. I was always the super nice girl, the “yes” girl, the girl who would help anyone, anytime with anything no matter what it took from me emotionally, physically or even financially. I would act from guilt and a feeling like I wouldn't be accepted as a “good” person if I wasn't always giving, giving, giving of myself and while I told myself I was doing something nice, I could never figure out why it always left me feeling horrible. I would agree to do favors for people who I knew were taking advantage of me, but to whom I simply lacked the courage to set boundaries with and say no to. And perhaps my greatest lesson of them all lies within my past relationships where I always dated guys that I felt needed to be fixed in some way. And every time they left me, they left me completely drained in every area of my life. I eventually learned that I wasn't being my authentic self and I wasn't truly helping ANYONE by doing what I was doing. I realized that to truly be of service to others I had to “keep my own cup full” so that I was never depleted. How could I ever help others if I have no energy, no resources, no self-esteem, no direction and no self-love? Fact is I couldn't. So, I had to learn to finally put myself first and to be okay with that. Self-love is far from being selfish, and in fact it’s the most important love you need in your life as without it you truly cannot love others. Until you love the entirety of your own being, including all of your flaws, shortcomings, etc. you will only continue to pull in people who act as mirrors to you who will reflect those most inner parts of yourself you still do not love. And you will see this as something wrong with them, unless you are aware enough to know better. So, it’s actually the most conscious, healthy choice you can make for yourself, in my opinion…to love yourself first, so that you can then love the world with your whole heart! To love yourself enough that you are constantly receiving from the Universe as much as you are giving out, doing your service in the flow, rather than depleting your own energy. This is the magic of working with Source-energy rather than against it.
It might sound selfish to love yourself first, but it all depends on where you are coming from. If you come from a place of fear & separation and act as if you are better than or more deserving than others (inflated ego), then yes, that is not a good place to be. But when you love yourself from your heart space, with the intention to want to be the best you, so you can shine the brightest light and expand the farthest you can out into the world, making a difference; a positive mark for the greater good…well, I believe that just might be what life is truly all about. Coming from this space allows us to overcome the insistent illusion of duality and to walk the path of Self-Mastery with confidence, courage and peace in our hearts. This speaks not only to the individual, but to the entire collective consciousness we are all a part of. We are but a drop in the ocean, but as much of a vital part of it as any. Do not be afraid to make waves!
Tamara Rant is a Co-Editor of CLN as well as a Licensed Reiki Master, heart-centered Graphic Designer and a progressive voice in social media activism & awareness. Connect with Tamara on Facebook by visiting Prana Paws/Healing Hearts Reiki or go to RantDesignMedia.com
Hey.
i loved every single bit of this.i would love to read more-regulary.
its incredible.
What a lovely article! So true!