Star Light, Star Bright

As we continue to weave our way through the ebb and flow of life, we so often forget to find moments of pause where we reconnect to the ‘bigger picture’ of our lives. It is so easy to become caught up in the throes of life and find ourselves running on the hamster wheel without even realising it. As humans, we are creatures of habit, and our beliefs, thoughts and storylines shape and mould our lives in so many ways; we can get lost in the array of things to do, places to go and people to see, for we can find ourselves stuck in routine and growing increasingly numb and distant from the very things that bring us joy.

After time, such routines shape our lives and we can find ourselves entrenched in a life that doesn’t bring us all that we intuitively know that we want, need or desire. Yet, sensing the discord and acting upon it are quite different things, for it can be so hard to step from A to B, when A is creating a familiar, albeit uncomfortable, ‘norm’. In other words, we can resist creating change for even though we are not happy in the present, we take the ‘better the devil we know’ approach and try to keep on keeping on as best as we can. 

There can be no denying that by adopting such an approach things get done, but where is the heart? Where is the joy? It seems that when we step into the world of going with the collective flow rather than finding our own true flow, we can lose the connection to the world within as we start to switch off our expansive and inspirational consciousness in order to keep on keeping on; we become sheep and ‘forget’ how to truly live. Of course, we have responsibilities to meet so this can keep us locked in the belief that we cannot afford to create change or it is too risky to step into the unknown. Yet, when we step back, even momentarily from the hamster wheel, we can see that nothing is ever truly permanent, even the current status quo of our lives. 

It is in these moments of stepping back where everything starts to change, for in the pause we re-connect to our essence and our Truth, and the need to stay on the hamster wheel diminishes as we realise that it is possible to live the lives that we know we were born to live. This is not about throwing caution to the wind and starting afresh (although this is possible!), this is more about shifting the focus of the world within to realise that we are not sheep, nor are we hamsters. 

Yet, both sheep and hamsters do have something that we have lost sight of, they both live consciously in the present moment. How many sheep do you know that put their lives on hold waiting for the perfect home to come along? Or how many hamsters have you met that refuse to meet someone new because their last liaison proved too emotionally painful? Of course, one could argue, that, as humans, our consciousness and awareness is far more expansive than either a sheep or a hamster, but we can learn a valuable lesson from them, and this lesson is conscious living.

As humans, we tend to make life far more complicated than it needs to be, we find ourselves wrestling with thoughts, ought’s and expectations as our busy minds work overtime. Our minds are valuable assets, but so many lose sight of their true selves and begin to solely identify with the mind. Yet, in those quiet moments, those pauses start to re-connect us to a more vibrant way of living and being; we begin to move beyond the constraints of the mind and feel more expansive and alive. If we then step back, whilst nothing has changed, everything has at the same time, for we bring a little bit of that awakened state back with us. 

Of course, the odd moment of pause in a busy life can bring respite, but longer pauses are needed in order to step beyond the world of the mind and embrace a life of living more consciously and vibrantly. Many get stuck at this point, for what does living consciously and vibrantly truly mean? Well, it means feeling truly alive and feeling totally connected to the Universal Whole. In those pauses, we can feel every heartbeat and every breath, and this feels not only right, but natural as well.

We are not meant to live as isolated islands, struggling to keep the wheel turning, and when we take the time to pause, we allow ourselves to step beyond the routine and connect to the joy and the wonder within. It is this joy that can bring us true peace, for in this joy is love, happiness and bliss; when we feel this from within, we no longer feel the pressure to chase life, we start to think about living it instead. 

It is so easy to get lost in the churning cogs of everyday life, and this can make it so hard to even notice the pauses, let alone rest in them. Yet, if we take the time to gaze at the night sky or to walk in nature, we can find such opportunities. The stillness and the joy is all around us, as well as within us, we just need to allow ourselves to experience it more. Gazing at the night sky and losing ourselves in the magnificence can help us to connect to the vibrant and divine state of being that is not only possible, but is our birthright as well. 

Sensing the expansive nature of the world within changes the shape and the vibration of life, for we no longer feel trapped and confined to the routine; we can see (and feel) how to embrace a new way of living and being that brings us true happiness and joy from within...

Planting A Seed Of Consciousness

As each of us continues to tend the gardens within, there is a growing sense of new life emerging through the stillness and the majesty that flows freely in this place. The garden of the soul is so often overlooked by many, and it is only when we take the time to tend and nurture this beautiful place, that we realise just how vital it is to our well-being and growth.  

Yet, there are times when the garden within can become lost in the mists of confusion, for we can lose sight of the powerful simplicity of the landscape and instead become focused on trying to make it bigger, better and somehow more impressive. Of course, striving towards enlightenment is important, but does this come through planting more flowers and building new pergolas?

There are times when our mind takes over this beautiful place, and we become disconnected from the peace, tranquillity and stillness that lies at the heart of our inner garden. We somehow feel that we have to do ‘bigger and better’ and so we drive ourselves harder; the irony is of course, that the more we allow our minds to push us, the further away we shift from the garden within, for we lose connection with the silent power that lies at the heart of the garden: consciousness.

The mind is the force that keeps us occupied in life, chasing dreams, and creating cycles, beliefs and patterns that keep us locked in repeating storylines. The mind keeps us away from the true beauty of the soul, for in this place, there is no room for the mind as we move beyond linear thought and towards a more infinite and indefinable force of being.

Of course, as human beings, it is hard not to give the mind room to manoeuvre, for we shape and define so much by how we think. As a result, it seems only natural to try to apply the world of the mind to the world of the soul. Yet, it is only when we allow ourselves to truly rest in the majesty of the garden within that we find ourselves connecting to the force beyond the mind and this takes us into a new dimension of awareness; we begin to feel the infinity and divinity flowing freely within (as it always has and as it always will).

It therefore seems important to take some time to rest in stillness and silence in the garden of the soul; building pergolas may keep us occupied, but it also keeps us distracted. It is in this stillness that we let go of the need to be ‘bigger or better’, for we realise that we are already magnificent exactly as we are. At the same time, by resting in the stillness, we give ourselves an opportunity to plant a new seed in the fertile soil; this seed is one of consciousness. It is without definition and beyond explanation for it is a feeling and a state of being; with it we somehow feel more complete, but without it our lives can feel hollow and empty.

Planting such a seed may sound complicated, but it is not, for it simply involves resting fully and wholeheartedly in the stillness and allowing the chatter of the mind to subside. The more of these moments that we create, the more we tend this special seed and allow it to grow and filter into all aspects our lives. When we allow ourselves to live consciously from the soul, everything changes in life, for nothing seems the same anymore; it is as though the vibration of everything has altered and we feel more alive and interconnected than ever before...