My recent experiences, readings, and lessons have been about appreciating the wholeness of being, including the body meditation in Letters from 500: Portal (page 92) and the movie About Time. The message is to notice all the beauty, fun, and joy that we might otherwise miss if we are too caught up in the tension and worries to appreciate. The same events may occur, but the differences between a bad day and a good day does not depend on the events, but rather the perception and appreciation. Stop for a moment to notice and appreciate.
The Letters from 500 mention that the mind is but a small fraction of our total being. It is just a tool. But we are so caught up in the mind, in the relentless thoughts, that it consumes our attention, and we believe it is who we are. We can break this cycle by first paying attention to our whole body. It is an exercise in being fully present in the moment. Be aware of your whole body, your whole being. Your breath, the inward and outward flow of life from Source. The energy and vibration in every cell of your body. You do not need thought for this, just present awareness. You will realize that you are usually very out of tune with what is going on with your body. We would be much healthier and happier if we stayed present and in tune with our body. It has a wisdom and intuition that guides us when there is an imbalance, irritation, or stimulation – the heart chakra especially.
Wholeness and being are mutually dependent. You cannot have one without the other. To be whole, you must be fully present in your being, rather than preoccupied by doing. To be present, you must be whole, fully aware of wholeness, instead of focused on the mind, which is a fraction of the whole. When you are being aware of the wholeness of your body rather than focusing on thoughts, you realize your body is much healthier and more well than you would otherwise think as your thoughts are always focused on health concerns, usually minor or imagined, and you do not appreciate the millions of intricate processes in your body working in perfect harmony.
There have been moments, especially at the beach in Malibu, watching the sunlight sparkle on the ocean waves, alive and dancing like a light show, where I have paused my thoughts long enough to appreciate the wholeness of my being. You realize that it is possible to live naturally aware of your whole being, rather than the dreamlike trance of living in your mind. When you live aware of your whole being and totally present, the mind is still there, but quieter, more like a small fraction of your being, there to be used as a tool if needed. And when you live from a space of awareness of your whole being, you naturally become at one and aware of all that is around you.
It is a choice how to be. By habit, you may slip back into the trance like state of mind. But set an intention and choice to notice it, just catch yourself without judgment, and choose to break the cycle and start a new habit. First by being aware of the wholeness of your body, which frees you of the mind, and then expand to the wholeness of your being. Awaken.
