Being Ordinary
Being ordinary is not dull or boring – quite the opposite. Being ordinary is to be at ease with no tension or anxiety. All emotional negativity is complication and in conflict with the harmony of life. It’s not necessary to be anything, apart from what I am as an intrinsic part of the whole. Everyone born has a creative flair which, when being ordinary, translates as a natural means of self-expression.
People assume they have to try to be different in order to stand out from the crowd. Although this may seem necessary in some walks of life, it’s not really the case. When relaxed and centred in the palpable sensation of the body, there can be an upsurge of inspirational energy to be expressed in a unique way. The truth is that we are born to create and give back to the earth something beautiful and edifying to the consciousness of the whole.
The most spiritual man or woman is the most ordinary. To be in union with the spiritual consciousness (which everybody is, although at varying degrees of conscious perception) is being ordinary, but in a way that distinguishes such an individual. This is that the normal outer projection of the personal self, which charges the space surrounding the body with the urgency of the progressive drive, is absent. In its place is presence, the purified space which is character: the spiritual identity of the being.
To be ordinary is to abandon the concepts of being spiritual and to just be a body with nothing to defend as any attitude or position of mind. Adopting, for example, an eastern name or wearing flowing robes when raised in the western culture is to make oneself special. It’s the mystical element of eastern teachings (which the western mind interprets through glamour) that impedes the right discrimination needed to offset the forces of the world. Being ordinary involves no psychic embellishment as an aid to self-discovery. This is a most important point to grasp, if you see the truth of it.
Only what is lived is real; otherwise it’s just a concept which becomes a barrier to the truth as direct knowledge. The way of the spirit is practical and follows a logical sequence which introduces a deepening realisation of love and truth. Every experience is a preparation for death; and the pinnacle of life is to face the inevitable demise of the body as an ordinary man or woman. This is to surrender to the moment of truth when all hope is abandoned. Then, in the absence of the world, the reality of existence is perceived in all its impersonal glory.
Thank you. So timely this reminder was and hence sacred due to the sheer synchronicity. Grateful
Thank you as always good words from you Lance.
Would you be so kind to put a few words towards the mundane of daily living or point me to where you may have already? Siggy
The extraordinary is disguised amongst the ordinary living life. The mundane is necessary while the person lives a life of contrasts that for most people translates as good days and bad, feeling up and down, and so forth. The spiritual task is to somehow contain the aridity of existence when nothing much appears to be happening, but also to be conscious when fully engaged in the drama of the world. This way, the contrast between the boredom and excitement is minimised.
The secret is that there’s always something going on within, regardless of what’s happening outside in the sensory realm. It’s the subtle sensation of wellbeing, when someone can be still and receptive, that becomes an ever-present state of fulfillment and peace. Then, regardless of the external circumstances, there’s always something the perception can connect with that restores the sense of love and rightness to the life.
Thank you Kr.
Well said Lance, You seem to touch the essential issues of existence in a simple and clear way, showing how simple it really is. Being who we are and how we are is the universe expressing through us, in our unique and ordinary way and yet we are trained to think we have to be different, special and above others, “holier than thou” what one teacher referred to as “spiritual materialism”. If I wear white robes and can repeat the spiritual text then I will demonstrate my spiritual enlightenment and my superiority to others. Being how we are gets lost in our pretense of superiority.