In cycles and seasons of life, death and renewal, everything changes.
All of this change takes place in what could be called the ‘local moment,’ that is, the awareness of what is heard, smelled, tasted, touched, thought, emoted and rationally or intellectually perceived.
There is however, a stability and constancy beyond local human perception, in what is sometimes referred to as the Void. This undifferentiated plasm is well-known in ancient wisdom. Some quantum physicists theorize a similar underlying actuality as well. Although it cannot be observed or measured by local awareness, or adequately named, I refer to it as the greater Moment and Universal Presence. It is not separate from who I am, when my awareness has expanded to embrace it. In Void consciousness all is one.
When ‘meta’ is used as a prefix, it can mean that there is something ‘after’ or ‘beyond.’ For example, metaphysics can be thought of as being beyond physics and metamorphosis, from the Greek for transformation, as a new or changed form coming after its predecessor — as in the metamorphosis of a caterpillar through the chrysalis stage into a butterfly.
Personal transformation, then, might be called metapersona for ‘beyond persona.’ In the manifest, there is always a beyond. So what is beyond metapersona? As nearly as can be conceived, it is the unmanifest, or simply being. A manifest human cannot live as the unmanifest, but can elevate self to Self by expanding awareness and living in balance the lofty qualities of universal presence.
A reader asked, ‘If it is beyond human perception and cannot be observed or measured, how can you be aware of and able to perceive the Void? How can you know about something, if it cannot be observed?’
In ‘local awareness’, knowledge generally comes from observation and measurement using limited sensory and reasoning faculties of perception. Intuitive feeling can go beyond, to touch higher, more complete perspectives in universal consciousness. Of course, a person can get lost either in intellectual understanding or intuitive perception. Finding ways to subject conclusions reached over intuition to the scientific method for intellectual validation is always of interest to me.
Many, including myself, have reported an experience of expanded awareness or oneness consciousness without the use of hallucinogens or psychotropics. In my case, the depth of love and knowing which has accompanied my experiences gives me sufficient certainty to trust in my conclusions. The exact nature of universal presence is merely detail and it is not my intention to convince anyone, only to share a perspective which is still expandable.
The same reader inquired, ‘Does this happen in reality, or just in your imagination?’
I like to distinguish between reality as the local moment, and actuality as the greater Moment. ‘Reality’ tends to be confined to local perceptions. So, my experiences did not happen in this type of reality. Neither did they happen in imagination. The bridge between local reality and universal actuality is intuitive feeling. Somewhere on that bridge is where it happens. Mine have generally occurred when I let go of resistance or allowed deeper trust in the unknown.
The process of change and development in nature can be awe-inspiring. How grand it is when human beings take hold of their innate capacity to consciously evolve into a new and more complex form, an improved version of themselves.
This movement towards improved forms is seen all around, and yet humans also have the capacity to block their own improvement and stagnate into automated patterns. Change is not always comfortable. It often comes with challenges and pain, which may be necessary for learning and growth to take place. Yet it is possible to turn emotional or psychological pain into an ally to strengthen the integration of mind, body and spirit.
The journey beyond oneself has no ultimate destination. I am an unfolding revelation to myself. Each moment is new, and so am I. Life is awakening the creator potential within me. The role of the persona is to stay out of the way. Whether the persona dissolves in this awakening, is merged, or never existed except as an illusory construct of the mind, it has served a purpose as a placeholder, and ‘I’ am grateful for the ride.
I started this lifetime with, it seems, a high level of resistance towards almost everything. The condition is called misophonia. Just a few years ago very little was known about it, and it was considered a rare neurological disorder. Now, by some estimates, it is known that 15 to 20 percent of the population is affected by this high sensitivity to selective sounds.
From what I have gathered, my case is on the extreme end of the spectrum. It went far beyond sensitivity towards certain sounds to an automatic resistance without reason ‘to almost everything’ and has deeply impacted my life, especially in relationship. In mid-life I sought with all diligence to find a solution by seeking help from healthcare professionals. I went to more than thirty conventional and alternative practitioners, and none could offer answers or relief.
A psychiatrist labelled it ‘obsessive-compulsive behavior disorder’ and prescribed Prozac. A hypnotist guided me into a session in which he made up a story of a previous lifetime which left me with revulsion towards sounds in this one. As a teenager, while I was corresponding with T. Lobsang Rampa (author of ‘The Third Eye’), he did a psychic reading of my hair sample and wrote back suggesting I use ear plugs.
Now in my sixties, by the grace of the journey, I have found a way to lower this type of resistance (detailed in the post Mantra) and therefore the impact in most situations. It came over a long unfolding and development process, to reduce the complicated to its essence. That simplified version applies not only to those with misophonia, but to all who are willing to undertake their own personal transformation.
A turning point came when I realized my power to lower emotional resistance towards the local moment. It is under my command to diminish its effects, when I take command.
Considering all the variations of resistance, from boredom to exclusiveness to aversion, the power to dissolve it instantly and defuse its effects is a key to personal transformation.
The essence of the means to take command is simple, yet has immense depth. Combined with the Mastery of the Moment diagram and eight labyrinth-like designs, it is contained in a greeting card. Some have called it a self-guided, self-empowering workshop of personal transformation. Although the message of the card continues to evolve, it has been printed in earlier forms and in this:
Embrace the moment.
Express the Moment.
Engage with Life.
Hug • Sing • Dance
The moment =
all that is seen, heard, smelled, tasted, touched, thought, emoted and perceived.
Embrace =
accept without resistance all that is in the psyche and surroundings.
The Moment =
the Void, Universal Presence.
Express =
give expression to the lofty qualities inherent in Universe Presence.
Engage with Life =
bring the gift of your presence to each moment.
Know yourSelf • Trust yourSelf • Be yourSelf
Hug, Sing and Dance serve as prompts or reminders to use through the day when resistance is felt to rise. They correspond with Embrace the moment, Express the Moment, and Engage with Life.
MASTERY OF THE MOMENT COLLECTION on ZAZZLE
ORIGINAL POST ON THE WHOLE HUMAN SITE
The cover of a ‘Mastery of the Moment’ greeting card.
