Living Consciously

 

Living consciously is to be a hunter seeking the truth, not as a predator in search of its prey but to discern the significance of life when confronted with the challenges of existence. Every moment there’s an opportunity to discover something of value, relative to being more conscious in the body.

It’s important in the daily life to be connected to something real to offset the unreality of the deadening weight of the world. Everything out here in the sensory realm eventually fades and dies, whereas what is real endures. What is real is the wellbeing in the body which is always underneath the surface tensions and anxiety. This is an inner reality which, when acknowledged regularly, becomes more accessible as a conscious pool of vital energy to offset the stresses and strains of the living process.

Many people use various, sometimes complicated, techniques to attain some sort of peace or equilibrium. If these work to bring about an uninterrupted state of harmony, then that is good. However they are often only partially effective and can become a crutch which no longer serves any purpose. But there are many simple actions available to all that can be taken to assist the process in becoming more conscious. Some of these are listed below:

 

1. Observing the breathing provides a wonderful insight into the wonder of life. At a point between each breath there’s a space in which the inhaling and exhaling is neutralised and all is at rest. This still point is real and, when made conscious, can be effective in calming the mind and allowing things to be seen in a different light.

 

2. Having sufficient pause in the day to acknowledge people, or indeed anything such as the kettle, tree or home. This is an action of consciousness as the recognition of another’s uniqueness and function in existence.

 

3. To be gracious in all things is a way of noble intent to serve the needs of a situation regardless of what’s in it for the personal self. To discern the needs of a situation requires a clear perception. The difficulty is the band of negativity which orbits close to the surface mind. The first psychological level of mind is the pain of the past which people keep alive by resurrecting in the memory the traumas of past living experience.

 

4. Without the presence of love, the daily routine of living becomes monotonous and the person discontented. This is the purity of space within the body which enables the reflection of love to be acknowledged without. Love in all its forms needs continual acknowledgement, so as to awaken the man or woman like the opening of a flower.

 

5. To be grateful for everything that life has provided, however small and seemingly insignificant. This needs to be done throughout the day and not just occasionally when something ‘good’ happens. It’s good to be alive; otherwise we’d be unable to do anything, even to get out of bed in the morning.

 

The possibilities are endless, and can be made an adventure when life is able to manifest in a creative and spiritually productive way. The momentum of the mind, however, is the obstacle as it disturbs the emotional body of self. This clouds the perception and slows down the intelligence considerably to a degraded emotional frequency. Vigilance is the way to master the mind’s incessant need to be continually active. Great effort is necessary to be reminded to be alert and present in the body – until the practice becomes effortless as an autonomous, but deeply conscious, state of being. Being present in the senses creates a natural perimeter of space, not unlike a moat that surrounds a castle to keep any hostile forces at bay.

To be present is to have the attention focused inwardly on the solar plexus, or anywhere in the body where a tingling sensation can be registered. This will stop any movement of the mind as aimless thought. Then it’s to be present in the awareness of the senses with the eyes open while still registering the inner sensation, and to simply perceive the outer world without any emotional interpretation. This simultaneous action is being now as both inner and outer realms, which combine to produce our total experience of life. To be unconscious is to be exclusively focused on one and not the other.

The idea is to unite the psychic aspect of the being with the sensory awareness as a fusion of mind, body and spirit. Living consciously is to be this timeless point of creative genius while encompassing the whole spectrum of the living process. In this way, the moment which is now can work for good and provide whatever is necessary for life to be fulfilling in our time on planet earth.