Tag: chopra

• Dark Space of Unknowing.

  Deepak Chopra writes in The Book of Secrets about the caterpillar changing into a butterfly.

  “Outside my window in winter I can usually spy at least one chrysalis dangling from a branch.  Inside it a caterpillar has turned into a pupa that will emerge in the spring as a butterfly. We are all familiar with this metamorphosis, having witnessed it as children (or by reading Eric Carle’s The Very Hungry Caterpillar).  But what goes on invisibly inside the chrysalis remains deeply mysterious. The caterpillar’s organs and tissues dissolve into an amorphous, soup like state, only to reconstitute in to a structure of a butterfly’s body that bears no resemblance to a caterpillar at all.”

  “Science has no idea why metamorphosis evolved.  It is almost impossible to imagine that insects hit on it by chance – the chemical complexity of turning into a butterfly is incredible; thousands of steps are minutely interconnected.  (It’s as if you dropped off a bicycle at the shop to be repaired, and when you came back the parts had become a Gulfstream Jet.)”

  “But we do have some idea about how this delicate chain of events is linked. Two hormones, one called juvenile hormone, and the other ecdysone, regulate the process, which looks to the naked eye like the caterpillar is dissolving into soup.  These two hormones make sure the cells moving from the larva to the butterfly know where they are going and how they are to change. Some cells are told to die; others digest themselves, while others turn into eyes, antennae, and wings. This implies a fragile (and miraculous) rhythm that must remain in precise balance between creation and destruction. That rhythm, it turns out, depends on day length, which in turn depends on the earth’s rotation around the sun. Therefore, a cosmic rhythm has been intimately connected to the birth of butterflies for millions of years.”  Deepak

   

  It came to me today, that blogging the way I do with total transparency is not going to need the same things as those who blog from the cocoon.

  Writing from a cocoon hides what is going on and this is not something I am familiar with.  So I can’t be the one to say what is best for anonymous bloggers.

  But I can speak from transparency. 

  When I began writing I did so with full disclosure, it wasn’t to hide stuff, it was to shed light and to enlighten me, to find answers to who I was, as well as to leave a path for anyone who wanted to know about me.

  I wrote about the dark corners within me that I didn’t know. 

  I asked questions of the white paper and it seemed answers came if I wrote long enough.

  I never felt I had the right to have a voice and writing opened up a space for me to let it out.

  Once I got the knack of it, it seemed that the only way for me to know me was to write it out. 

  The more I wrote the more I knew and the more I knew the more I wanted to know. And slowly I began to really really know me and what I began to learn about me, I didn’t want to cover up nor did I feel the need. 

  Whether it be my mixed up mind, my flipped around thoughts and beliefs or the multiple things I did incorrectly with my backwards mind, all of it became extremely exhilarating for it all was growing a new me.  I wasn’t ashamed of who I was nor who I was becoming to be.

  It was like I was the caterpillar and I was changing and I would grieve the caterpillar parts that were dying and had to grow comfortable with the new butterfly pieces that came in their place. 

  I left my old caterpillar ways…and had to learn how to maneuver life as a butterfly. 

  What I know for sure, for me, is that I need to see me in my past, see me in my present, see what inside of me needs transformation and what needs to totally die. 

  I couldn't hide and build a butterfly me.  I had to see. 

  I would have liked there to be an etiquette book on how to navigate the rough waters of exiting a dysfunctional family and knowing how it feels and what would happen as you go from the inside of a family to the outskirts.

  How to leave abuse, is how to leave a family…

  It isn’t comfortable and there is no cocoon.  You are in the open and vulnerable for pot shots that many aim at you trying to shut you up and protect the family’s dark legacy. 

  And even more importantly, I wanted proof or evidence of my sanity.  I wanted there to be a blueprint of undoing the affects of being abused.  With so many turning away or not agreeing with me, it was a place for me to have my say.  I didn’t keep parts hidden away; I shared all of me, for there wasn’t a part of me that was too dirty or shameful for me not to see.

  It is my humble belief, if you can’t bear to see your self, you will want to remain hidden from others. But, if you have the courage to really really look at yourself and all the cracks and crevices you will find a very interesting and intriguing life. 

  You will see how you took that path or formed that opinion or learned to believe this or that.  You will discover a life that you will never ever want to cover up again and go back to live in a small dark space of unknowing. 

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

  September 6, 2011

  book, butterfly, caterpillar, chopra, deepak, FALC, life, of, secrets, The, truth, unknowing

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• Ultimately you are the one in control.

  In “Reinventing The Body and Resurrecting The Soul, Deepak has a chapter called, In Your Life: Creating Your Own Epiphany.  Here is part of it. It is long but very interesting to read.

   

  “ It’s unfortunate that the word epiphany is limited to a religious context.  People assume that epiphanies are about God and occur only to saints.  An epiphany is really a mini-breakthrough.  One piece of conditioning is shattered.  Instead of being a victim of a rigid belief, you feel released.  What causes such a mini-breakthrough?  You have to shift your attention to the soul, because that is the aspect of yourself that is not conditioned.  The soul represents higher awareness in that sense- it is free from all conditioning.  Or, to put it the most simply, the soul never says no.  Anything is possible.  Whatever can be imagined comes true.  If you can keep your attention on your soul, you will experience an epiphany every day.  Instead of no you will experience unlimited yes.

   

  To get beyond the power of no is crucially important.  No is very convincing.  People reject all kinds of experiences because they believe it’s right to reject.  They oppose because they can’t bring themselves not to.  The spell of no holds them so strongly that little else matters.  Some concrete example will help here, then we will see how each one can be reversed.

   

  Getting past no.

   

  ·     You must break the spell when your mind:

  ·     Tells you that people can’t change

  ·     Keeps you trapped in rigid habits

  ·     Traps the mind in obsessive thoughts

  ·     Creates craving that cannot be appeased

  ·     Puts up fear as a threat if you try to break free

  ·     Forbids you to have certain thoughts

  ·     Makes natural urges seem illicit or dangerous

   

  It takes mini-breakthroughs to get past the power of no because there is so much negativity to overcome in so many areas. But in each area the same principal holds:  to make life easier, you need to stop doing whatever it is your doing. I know this sounds terribly general, but in reality if you were doing the right thing, you would be in contact with your soul already, and your life would be unfolding day by day, on the principal of yes.  So you have to stop what your doing and shake things up. 

  Now let’s look at the specific areas where the power of no needs to be dislodged.

   

  Negative belief #3:  Obsessive thoughts are in control.  Most people don’t think they are obsessive. They identify obsessions with mental disorders, when in fact an obsessive-compulsive disorder is just an extreme variation on a universal condition.  Obsessions are yet another way that the power of no removes your ability to choose.  At any given moment you might obsess about keeping safe, avoiding germs, getting angry in traffic, spending money, disciplining your children, defeating terrorism- the possibilities are endless and ever-changing.  You can’t assume that a thought becomes an obsession only if it’s immoral, wrong or irrational.  One can obsess about things that society approves of and rewards.  We all know people who obsess about winning, or getting back at those who wrong them, or money, or ambition. By definition, an obsessive thought is one that’s stronger than you are.  That’s where the power of no does its damage.

   

  From the soul’s perspective, thinking is an expression of freedom.  The mind isn’t compelled to prefer one thought over another.  Much less is the mind a machine programmed to repeat the same message over and over.  What keeps us trapped in repetition is the belief that “I must think this way.”  Other alternatives are closed off by fear, prejudice, self-interest, and guilt.  To break out of obsessive thinking, you must examine this deeper level where “I must” holds sway.

   

  ·     Don’t struggle against thoughts that keep repeating themselves.

  ·     When people tell you that you keep doing the same thing, believe them.

  ·     Don’t accept that always winning, always being number one, or always doing anything is productive.

  ·     Don’t pride yourself on consistency for consistency sake.

  ·     If you feel trapped by an obsession, ask yourself what  your afraid of.  Repetition is a mask for anxiety.

  ·     Stop rationalizing.  Put your attention on how your thoughts feel, not what they say.

  ·     Be honest about the frustration you feel with have the same idea over and over.

  ·     Don’t defend your prejudices

  ·     Take active steps to reduce stress, which is the major cause of obsessions.  Under stress, the mind keeps repeating the same thing because it isn’t relaxed or open enough to find an alternative.

  ·     Through meditation, seek the level of your mind that isn’t obsessed, that has no fixed ideas.

   

  Negative belief #4 Cravings can never be appeased. 

  When cravings keep returning, they force you either to give in or resist (the futility of this struggle was touch on earlier) The power of no insists that you have no alternative.  Once again, a repetitive pattern imprinted on the brain overrides free choice.  Your craving takes on a life of its own, and if taken to extremes, it becomes an addiction.  The difference has to do with just how limited you become.  Someone who craves chocolate can’t resist eating some, but if addicted, they would eat nothing else.  Even in its milder forms, however, craving can make you feel that you have no other choice.

  From the soul’s perspective, a craving is another example of a shortcut imprinted on the brain.  The person who always eats chocolate has made an implicit choice that chocolate is the best kind of sweet, and therefore, instead of his bothering every time to consider a variety of sweets, he chooses chocolate automatically. But setting your mind on autopilot doesn’t mean that you can’t change it.  The option to reset your reactions always exists.  Under the spell of no, you willingly gave up that option, but anything you give up you can also reclaim.

   

  ·     When a craving arises, don’t make it an either/or choice.

  ·     Instead of either giving in or resisting, do one of the following:  walk away, postpone your choice, find a distraction, pause and watch yourself, or substitute another pleasure.

  ·     Don’t’ think of defeating your craving. Think instead that you are gradually erasing an imprint.

  ·     When you feel discouraged for giving in, be with your feelings instead of pushing them away.

  ·     Realize why appeasing a craving never works: you can never get enough of what you didn’t want in the first place.

  ·     Find out what you really want, whether it’s love, comfort, approval, or security. These are the basic needs that cravings try to substitute for.

  ·     Pursue your real need. If you do, the craving will automatically lose its grip and in time will vanish.

  ·     If for any reason you can turn away from your old craving, seize the moment, even if your craving soon returns.  Every small victory imprints your brain in a new pattern.  Don’t see this as a temporary victory – see it as a sign that you can find the switch that turns your craving off.

   

  Negative Belief #5: Fear keeps you from being free.

  The power of no uses fear as its enforcer.  Like a hired gun, it holds a threat that is merciless and indifferent.  Under the spell of no, the mind finds any and every reason to be afraid.  The simplest things become objects of anxiety.  The most unlikely risks loom as dangers that can befall you at any moment.  When you find yourself in a defensive posture, you have denied yourself the most basic freedom, which is to be safe in the world.  It’s not the external threat that creates this situation.  We project our fixed beliefs onto every situation, so feeling safe or unsafe becomes a personal decision.

   

  From the soul’s perspective, you are always safe.  The universe cherishes your existence.  Nature is designed to uphold your well-being.  If you find yourself under threat, it can be quite realistic to assess the danger and escape it.  But if you are paralyzed by anxiety, the threat becomes inescapable.  Some one with fear of heights, for example, finds it impossible to climb a stepladder.  The danger of falling doesn’t prevent other people from climbing the ladder, because they are free to access that the risks are small.  But a phobia takes away the freedom to access danger realistically; fear acquires absolute power, the power of no.  To get beyond a phobia, you must call its bluff and reassert that you are safe.

  ·     Don’t fight your fears when you are actually afraid.

  ·     When you feel calm and safe, call your fear to mind so that it can be examined.

  ·     Fear is convincing, but that doesn’t make it right.  Make sure you can see this distinction.

  ·     Anxiety tends to obsess about reasons to be afraid, stoking its own fire. Don’t be fooled by repetition.  A situation doesn’t become dangerous just because you keep thinking it is.

  ·     Separate the energy of fear from the content of your experience.  Instead of worrying about the thing that makes you anxious, go directly to the feeling of anxiety and move the energy as you would any other, through physical release, toning, meditation, and other techniques.

  ·     Realize that you are not basically afraid.  Fear is a passing emotion that can be released.

  ·     Know that you have a choice to either hold on to fear or let it go.  If you feel anxious, take immediate steps to let go. Don’t dwell on fear or try to reason with it.

  ·     Avoid blaming yourself.  Fear is universal.  It is felt by the bravest strongest people.  To be afraid doesn’t mean you are weak.  It means you haven’t yet let go.

  ·     Be patient with yourself. Fear and anxiety are the biggest obstacles for everyone. Be thankful and congratulate yourself every time you overcome fear.

  ·     Don’t consider it a defeat if fear returns. The time will soon come when you can sit calmly and move the energy of fear.  Ultimately you are the one in control.

  Deepak Chopra

   

   

  February 1, 2010

  addictions, body, chopra, control, deepak, habits, Reinventing, resurrecting, soul

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