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Being mindful and aware of what we feel and what we think - Piece 2
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| A way to return to a state of childlike play and becoming opening to feeling | |
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A Releasing Your Unlimited Creativity discussion topic | |
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Copyright 2008 by K. Ferlic, All Rights Reserved | |
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To return to a state of childlike play and/or open ourselves to feeling, we need to become very mindful and aware of the thoughts we have, what we feel and where we feel it, what we say, what we do and the memories we have. We need to pull the string as to why these thoughts, feeling and memories, as opposed to any other. We need to be willing to explore the origins of our thoughts, feelings and memories. At first glance, becoming mindful and aware of what we think and feel looks as though this is about learning to meditate. Although meditation techniques can be used to become mindful and aware of what we think and feel, it is really something slightly different. It is about moving out of being occupied by thinking to just watch and observe what passes through our mind and in our body. It is to simply observe. It is to observe as if in slow motion. Most of us have seen a times lapse photography of a flower blossoming speeding up the process. This is the reverse. It is to slow down our mind to simply watch what is before us and inside of us. To meditate in any way is a choice by mind and most meditation programs have objectives well beyond just observing our thoughts and feelings. To be mindful and awareness is just that. To be mindful and aware. It is not about thinking and choosing in any way. Learning to meditate seems to be the best answer to develop the necessary discipline for it does teach an aspect of becoming mindful and aware of what passes through the mind. But becoming mindful and aware is not about learning to meditate. Meditation can be used to learn to sit and observe our thoughts and our feelings but its usefulness ends there. Meditation itself is a distraction as to what needs to be learned and accomplished for two reasons. The first reason is that any mediation is a action by mind and whatever techniques that are taught tend to come with a philosophy and an approach to life. That philosophy and approach to life then takes over as the point of focus and the individual gets pulled of the journey they originally set out to take. The second issue with meditation is that what one will come to see is that once we are able to discern and capture any particular thought or feeling to pull the string on its origins, we will have to surrender to where pulling that string takes us. That means moving internally or externally as pulling the string requires. Many are quite surprised at where pulling the string on a thought or feeling takes us. To attempt to stay in a meditative posture when pulling the string will break the string. Pulling the string requires surrender. In particular, surrendering to what we need to do the remove the block to returning to that state of creative play or becoming open to feeling. The goal in becoming mindful and aware of what we are feeling, the thoughts we have in any given moment, what we say, what we do, and of the memories we have is to be able to pull the string on any of them. It is to look to the origins of the thought and the feeling we have to see from where the thought or feeling arises. It is to be able to pull the string on why we say and do what we do and have the memories we have. There are two reason for this. One is obviously to see which thought and which feelings are directing us into the direction we wish to go and reflected in what we say and do. The other reason is that we need to be aware of when insights arise and break through the "background" thoughts. feelings and/or our actions because of what we are doing. These insight are like flashes of lightening that seem to come from out of nowhere to light our path. We need to learn to be attentive enough to recognize them no matter what we are doing and be able to capture the information they contain. If we are attentive and aware, when the flash of insight occurs, we can see the path we need to take before us. To become mindful and aware of the thoughts we have, what we feel and where we feel it, what we say, what we do and the memories we have we need to become a detached witness. Being a detached witness allows us to not be pulled into what is happening so that we can be mindful and aware of what is happening. The answer as to how to gain the ability to stay focused as a detached witness seems to be to go and learn to stay focused with some type and kind of discipline. The discipline is not as important and just knowing how to discipline oneself to develop and keep a single point focus. The discipline could be learning a musical instrument, learning martial arts, learning to meditate. However, learning any discipline tends to come with baggage. That is, whatever we use to develop the discipline tends to become the end in itself rather than the discipline becoming a tool to use to simply remain focused. What is not understood is mind will generate thoughts based on its belief structure. In learning a discipline, any discipline, what mind learns in learning the discipline reprograms the mind. In reprogramming the mind the thoughts mind generates from the energy it experiences in life becomes different. That in turn causes the mind to direct the individual more toward the philosophy of life behind the discipline we learn rather that keeping focused on the feeling we wish to create. To become mindful and aware, we need to say focused in simply being mindful and aware. It really doesn’t matter what we do except for the fact our intention is to return to a state of creative play or opening ourselves to feeling. To do this, we need to stay focused on the creative play and/or the intention of becoming open to feeling. It is not about following any approach to life or the thoughts we have although we can be mindful and aware in any activity we do. To return to a state of play or to become open to feeling, we need to stay focused on the creative play and/or being open to feeling. If we want to live life in freedom, we need to stay focused on the feeling of freedom in all that we do and grow a life around that feeling of freedom. Similarly, if we want a orgasmic life, we need to stay focused on the feeling within the orgasmic experience and not become distracted by sex or sexuality where most find the orgasmic feeling. What people don’t understand is the blossoming of our own creative spirit is an orgasmic experience and we can experience an orgasmic life if we so choose and remain focused. Similarly, we can experience a creative play life fully open to feeling. To do so we need to stay focused on creative play and/or becoming open to feeling and we need to grow our life around those activities. What takes us away from staying focused on creating a life based on a particular feeling is the mind and all that distracts mind. So the issue becomes how do we train mind to keep focused. Or alternatively said, how do we reprogram mind so that the thoughts it generates tend to be supportive of what we desire to create. This then takes us to the need for a different perspective about life. In particular, a perspective about life that causes thoughts to be generated that support the life we desire to live. Suggested approach The approach used in workshops which address this topics is to provide short exercises to see how well individuals are able to see their own thinking and/or to be aware of what they feel. They are not the kinds of exercises that can be easily provided in written form. Analogously is it is like asking a person to throw a baseball to see how they throw it to see what they are doing incorrectly. The are experiences used to watch and observe an individual in who they are actually responding to life. In lieu of such exercises under observations, the recommendation is to start some type and kind of discipline that requires you to be mindful and aware of what you are doing and develop and intense focus of your concentration. This is normally sufficient. However, you just need to be aware that if whatever you use to become mindful and aware is within some philosophy or spiritual beliefs system like most meditation practices, the philosophy and beliefs that you will be given will most probably distract you form what you need to do. Just learn to focus your attention and awareness and the drop what you given as to philosophy or spiritual beliefs unless they truly serve your creative needs. That is, do they allow you to hold your creativity sacred and you do not give your freedom and/or creative power aware to anyone and the beliefs do not curtain your creative ability in any way so that you are totally free to explore options. In any case, it is advisable to make notes to capture the insights which arise. The easiest way to become mindful and aware is to practice it in whatever we do. The nest step
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