Along the spiritual or even self-help path, we can accidentally pick up or even invent ideas that hold us back and restrict our flow. Here are five potential conditionings to notice in yourself, accept, eat with your light and let them go back to the source…
1) You must have a silent mind
Of course it can happen, it is beautiful, but it is not a rule. There will always be turbulence at some point, especially if you just stepped onto the path, or just got into meditation — there is years of old crap or old energies inside that need to come up and be released. You will experience them on the surface more intensely for a while. Remember they will pass.
If you fight with turbulence, or noise, you become swept up in it all. Be out of the water, on the bank, out of the trouble, and close your eyes.
2) You must always feel good
Again, great if you do, but creating a MUST or a SHOULD creates another expected ideal for yourself to live up to, reinforcing the belief that you are not yet enough, or not yet good enough. It is still reinforcing the struggle away from life, the resistance to experience. When you don’t feel good, and fully let yourself not feel good, then you will probably feel much better.
3) Money is bad
This is a major one in spirituality. Perhaps often because the famous spiritual masters have come from poor countries, and so naturally not having much is associated with spiritual greatness? I’m not sure, there are other reasons, but it is important to investigate this one within yourself. If there is anything that you think is bad about money, in the effects of money — is it because of money, or is it because of something else?
A hammer sits there, innocently. It doesn’t have any motive, it doesn’t even think of itself as a hammer. I pick it up and I build a house with it, along with many other tools. The hammer is awesome, I love the hammer. Then what if I pick it up and begin to smash it on people’s heads? Is it the fault of the hammer? The hammer is just a tool, how it is used is up to the user.
4) Suppression of desire
Desirelessness is indeed blissful, in its purity, but we can misunderstand it. Desires being said to be a cause of unhappiness, is referring to the constant cycle of lack-based desires — thinking the next thing will MAKE you happy, getting it, overlooking it, no longer appreciating it, and going on to the next thing. There are different kinds of desire, as Bentinho Massaro says.
If they are creative desires, forceful, enjoyed movements of energy to create or do something, then why not enjoy that rather than suppress it? Let the energy flow. I feel that this can include everything, including money and possessions, if that’s what’s inside you. Create them within yourself, let the energy flow. Life is a creation.
5) Imitating an ideal
If you read about equanimity, non duality, presence, calmness, then you might get caught trying to behave a certain way on the surface, which is not coming from an authentic place. You might try to imitate a spiritual teacher because you feel that this is the best way to be. But every human being is different. Some spiritual masters have been known to be meek and mild. I don’t mean Jesus, by the way, if that table-throwing scene in the temple is anything to go by. Other masters or teachers have been known to be rather ferocious. You don’t have to be either of them, you just have to be what is natural to you. Your character or personality will change over time. That doesn’t mean you are less spiritual if it does. Forms change, bodies, minds, emotions, ideas, all come and go and change and dance. You don’t have to be like anyone. And in terms of being a human, you are completely unique.
If you detect any of these traps or conditionings within yourself, don’t try to change them. You can try, but it will probably feel like a struggle. Instead embrace them completely, so that they have no resistance to live off anymore. All there is, is the light of acceptance, which shines on them, goes in them, and eats them from the inside. I will post more about this tomorrow.
Hope that’s helpful,
Adam
Originally published at www.innerpeacenow.com.
Originally published at medium.com