“Not doing” is about stepping “out
of mind.” That is, to step out of what we think and believe to
become different than who and what we think we are. It is used to
become aware of where we lack freedom in our life and become aware
of how and where we have given away our
creative power/Creative Power to someone or something that lies
out side our being
“Not doing” is a simply set of exercises where we create an identity
or a set of experiences that are completely different from how we
define ourselves. The “not doing” exercises that we do are things
that we, as we have defined ourselves, would not do or not normally
do. “Not doing” is simply choosing a pattern of action that it
outside our characteristic mode of acting. The purpose is to break
habits and show to our
ego we are more than who we think you are and how it defines as
us.
A “not doing” practice allows us to go beyond our established
limits, boundaries and barriers and create the space for new ways of
actions and creation. In this way “not doing” activities allow us to
expand ourselves beyond the limits and barriers as to how we have
defined ourselves. By stepping outside the established patterns it
helps to break the habits of existing patterns. It is a way of
proving to ourselves we are more that who we think we are.
To understanding what a “not doing” practice may look like in our
life, we can ask ourselves, “Is there is anything in life where I
said, ‘I would never be caught dead doing that!’” If so, well, then
do it. That is “not doing.” It is doing what we would never dream of
doing if we lived within the limits and boundaries that we have
created and impose on ourselves that define our
ego. The purpose of “not doing” is only to show to our own
psyche, we are capable of acting, being and doing more than what we
have defined ourselves to be able to do.
The “not doing” practice can be anything. It can run the spectrum of
doing something that is only a little different than who we are and
defined ourselves to be to something that is tremendously opposite.
For example something simple is we never take the bus to work when
we can do so. “Not doing” would be to take the bus to and from work
one day. Something “not dong”can be more difficult and radical.
Suppose you are a man. You feel it is entirely inappropriate to get
dressed up like a woman and be seen in public. “Not doing” could be
to get dressed up like a woman and be seen in public - ever if it is
on stage as part of a theatrical performance..
It needs to be clearly understood, “Not doing” not just about doing
things different in our life or being different. When we do the “not
doing” practice, we should become very aware of what we are thinking
and feeling about what we are doing. We especially need to become
aware of the judgments and feelings of uncomfortableness that we may
have. We may even have some physical reactions in our body and/or
suddenly surface memories from the past. Whatever happens and arise,
we need to become aware of it. We need to
pull the string and ask ourselves to understand why we have the
reaction or reactions that we do and why the particular reaction we
have as opposed to any other.
If we are free, we can do anything as thought we are in the
spontaneous innocent playfulness of a child. Very young children are
capable of dressing up and imaging things all the time. However,
when we do the same types and kinds of things later in life a whole
series of feelings, judgements, opinions and concerns suddenly
arise. We can use this information to understand why we are not free
to just be who and what we are and live in the freedom to do what we
feel like doing. We did it as a child to explore and discover the
world in which we found ourselves. It is how we learned about our
world. It can be said to play and experiment are our primary
learning styles. The question is. “Why can’t we have the freedom to
explore and discover as an adult in the same way we did as a child?”
When we become aware of where we lack freedom in our life, we will
become aware of how and where we have given away our creative power
to someone or something that lies out side our being. We cannot take
back our creative power until we become aware of were we have given
our power away. “Not doing” helps us to transcend the limits and
boundaries of who we think you are. It also can assist us to
identify what controls we have placed on our life even if that area
of life lies outside our normal boundaries.
One of the easiest ways to implement a “not doing” practice is to
use
meta-theater. It is to create some type and kind of theatrics or
play as we would perform on a stage. However, what we create allows
us to play a role we would not normally play in life. We play the
part as if it were real and see what reaction within ourselves that
we get in playing the role. It is meta-theater in that it is a
theatrics we create but it is “meta” in the sense we are using it
for more that just entertainment. Rather we are using it to explore
our inner world.
Since any true creative effort takes us into the unknown, no matter
what we try and create, “not doing” is going to be integral to our
efforts whether we realize it or not. We will be required in one way
or another to become different than who or what we have defined
ourselves to be. If we don’t do it, we cannot create. “Not doing” is
essential for transforming one’s being and some type of a “not
doing” practice will need to be incorporated.
The “not doing” practice should have some elements at all levels of
being (spiritual, emotional, mental and physical) relative to the
intention we are trying to manifest. What needs to be understood is
that any creation requires us to be original. To be original is to
bring into the world something that did not exist before. Anything
and everything we can think or say about ourselves is based on the
past. Hence in some way we will have to become different than we
are. Exactly how we need to become different we cannot know before
hand. By consciously choose some way of “not doing” that takes us
totally out of being who we are and who we think we are we free
ourselves from our own limitation and allow the universe to lead us
where we need to go.
“Not doing” is one place where a guide or an initiator can be most
effective. Everything that we can think of “not-doing” will be
biased by our conscious and subconscious mind and what we already
know. If we have a trustworthy guide, one who we can place our
complete trust, they can create for us an adequate “not doing”
activity appropriate to the intention that we set. The fact the “not
doing” activities are arranged by a mind other than ours with the
specific intention of taking us out of our mind helps to create a
set of experiences that guarantee our mind does not bias what is
chosen to be done. Of course it needs to be recognized the guide
should working within what we feel is a safe and secure space.
It needs to be understood, if we fear the unknown and/or try and
have a safe and secure space that looks like what we think is safe
and secure, we will not move past our current thinking. In looking
into what will make a safe and secure space we need to identify the
attributes to such a space rather than the details. The details will
always be based on the past and what we currently think. But it is
our current thinking that we wish to transcend. For example, we can
describe a ball by the particular size, shape and color of a ball
that we have experienced or we can describe a ball by its attributes
without particulars. In this second way, we then have available an
infinite number of ball to use. That is balls of other sizes, shapes
and colors, that meet the requirements for a ball that is not locked
into what we think.
For many creative efforts, it is often entirely appropriate and even
necessary to move beyond “not doing” and shattering the vessel of
ego that we have constructed. Here we desire to create a
completely new creation where the current ego cannot support the
type and kind of creativity activity we wish to pursue. The most
common example is a military boot camp. The most obvious reason why
someone would desire to shatter their ego is to claim
their birthright as a
being of infinite and unlimited creativity. To claim our
birthright, we need to replace the existing vessel of our
creativity, our ego, with something much more appropriate to our
infinite being. Although the suggest to destroy our ego look
frightening, actually is only in keeping with the nature of
consciousness and its ability to recreate itself as the
phoenix and how it created our current reality.
Related topics
Who am I questions
Question about our essence
Recapitulation of our life
Reprogramming the past
Life map
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