 “Every hour of every day is an unspeakably perfect miracle.” ~ Walt Whitman This week’s quote is a reminder about the miraculous nature of existence. Since living as a human being on Earth is the only thing you have ever known, you might be tempted to take the experience of life for granted. But many things that people consider to be factors of “ordinary life” are actually pretty miraculous if you look at them the right way.
For example, we accept without question that, in the beginning, there was nothing at all. Then, in the center of this infinite void, there was a gigantic explosion and all the matter and energy in the universe spontaneously burst forth into existence. We also think it’s perfectly ordinary that we’re currently floating in space on a little blue and green sphere that revolves around a much larger sphere of pure, life-giving energy. You might even think it’s no big deal that you were able to manifest yourself on this planet out of nowhere as a tiny baby that has since grown up into a creative, intelligent being. Let's face it, there is nothing ordinary about this human experience. Whenever I hear people talking about ordinary life I always think, ordinary compared to what? Is there some kind of extraordinary existence that I don’t know about? Perhaps normal life is the real miracle? When you consider the vast, complex chain of events that had to occur in order for you to be born as a human being here on Earth, miraculous is the only word that can be used to describe it. As Thich Nhat Hanh once said, “People usually consider walking on water or in thin air a miracle. But I think the real miracle is not to walk either on water or in thin air, but to walk on earth. Every day we are engaged in a miracle which we don't even recognize: a blue sky, white clouds, green leaves, the black, curious eyes of a child—our own two eyes. All is a miracle.”
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 “Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.” ~Rumi Do you want to fall in love? Of course, we all do! Falling in love feels great! Remember what it felt like when you first fell in love? Your heart opened and your breath felt free and easy inside your chest. You had a whole new appreciation for the beauty of life. The future appeared bright and full of possibilities. You were content in the present moment and excited about all the happy moments that were coming your way in the future.
What is stopping you from feeling like this every day? Afterall, when you first fell in love and felt all warm and fuzzy inside, it was your heart that was opening. The experience of love flowing through your being is what felt so good at the time, not the love coming to you from someone else. Rumi believes that love inherently exists within each of us. Love is our basic emotional state, although it is often buried under accumulated layers of stress and emotional baggage. Therefore, to experience love right now, you don’t need to seek it out or acquire it from an external source, you simply need to dissolve the blocks inside your heart that inhibit its natural flow. Imagine an old, tangled hose that is attached to a water faucet. If you turn the faucet on, water will start to flow into the hose. However, if there are any kinks in the hose, the water will get stuck. The moment that you remove all the kinks, the water will begin to flow freely again. In the same way, love is always flowing through your heart but your fears, insecurities, and past traumas act as kinks, impeding its flow. So, this Valentine’s Day, unkink your heart! Let go of your fears, take a deep breath into your chest, and allow yourself to fall in love all over again.  “The way we experience the world around us is a direct reflection of the world within us.” ~ Gabrielle Bernstein This week’s quote is a reminder that your internal state has a direct influence on how you perceive and experience the world. It rests on the basic assumption that your mind is like a lake. When the surface of a lake is calm, it accurately reflects the world around it. When the water is agitated, the reflection gets distorted. Therefore, in order to accurately reflect reality, it is important to keep your inner-lake as calm as possible.
One way to keep your inner-lake calm is by keeping it still. When your mind races, it creates waves upon the surface. These waves are caused primarily by fear-based emotions such as worry, doubt and insecurity. Unresolved emotions like anger or jealousy can also contribute to these waves. Carrying around this inner turmoil has a way of amplifying your external experiences, making even the smallest inconvenience feel like a massive personal attack. When you perceive the world through a lens of fear, you begin to view the world as a threatening place- one where everyone and everything is out to get you. Of course, calmness is only part of the equation. Clarity is also important when it comes to accurately reflecting reality. Dirty water also reflects the world around it, but the reflection will likely be vague and blurry. What is the best way to achieve mental clarity? Again, stillness is the key. As Lao Tzu so succinctly put it, “Muddy water, let stand, becomes clear.” The idea being that, if you leave a muddy puddle undisturbed for long enough, the mud will settle to the bottom, leaving the water crystal clear. In the same way, if you want to bring more calmness and clarity to your inner world, you simply need to step back and be still, allowing space for the process to occur naturally. |
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About The AuthorNick Hughes is a massage therapist, yoga instructor and co-owner of Well Being. Influenced by the ideas of Alan Watts, Eckhart Tolle, Ram Dass, and Deepak Chopra, Nick presents his unique take on human existence with the goal of helping others live a happier life. Archives
October 2024
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