The season of renunciation...

"To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven." - Ecclesiastes 3 v1

In the last few days I've taken to quiet reflection, a sort of sweet renunciation.  It came about in a funny way.  Facing indirect accusations about my character, I grew frustrated in trying to 'prove' myself.  
Of course, this was getting me nowhere.  One can not prove themselves virtuous.  You either live it or you don't.  And even if you choose to live it, it doesn't mean you're without blemish - it can only mean that you are dedicated to constant refinement.      
It's a funny old world, and there are days when no matter how much you try to do right, someone will still blame.  The ego doesn't like this blame.  The ego wants to appear blameless.  And any suggestion otherwise the ego will fight.  So when I find myself wanting to fight, to defend 'my honour' (aka my EGO), I know this is the season for renunciation. 
Renunciation is not easy.  If it was easy, everyone would be doing it.  :)   But when you realize that 'proving and defending' is pointless, then it's time to turn to the power of silence.  
The interesting thing is, when taking the path of silence and allowing others their opinion, when the choice is taken to not fight and defend there is a deep peace and a deep love that follows.  Ego wants to deny other's their own opinion, but the benevolent soul wants only peace and is willing to 'pocket the insult', in Gandhi's words. 
I want to give power to that benevolent soul.  And so, what am I really renouncing?  I'm merely renouncing the misguided desires of ego.
Om shanti.

Thank you for reading. For more information on Raja Yoga philosophy see www.brahmakumaris.org.

A lesson in independence...

Hello everyone! I'm back blogging and it feels great. Have I missed it? Yes. I've had several blogs running through my mind over the past few weeks and had I had time to pen them, I would have. But those tidbits will have to wait until another time.

Recently, a friend of mine asked me, 'How can you remain light when you have to depend on other people?' The answer? Don't be dependent! It was a glib answer and is not so helpful when you consider that the body needs to eat and needs clothing (at least during UK winters), etc. Yes, the body is quite dependent on a lot. But the soul is not dependent on anything. The soul needs nothing. It has no need for food or clothing or cars. It has no use for them even. When I remember that I am a soul and that I am only visiting this body, then I am no longer dependent on anything. Not even the body.

Ok, the soul requires the body for action, etc. But the soul is eternal. Bodies come and go, but the soul lives on regardless. The soul does not NEED action. The soul does not NEED the body. When I have this realization, then I am completely free. I am no longer slave to those things which I felt dependency. I am no longer needing Tom and MySpace. In fact, I no longer NEED to blog!

This is not an easy realization to digest. What does it mean to be soul conscious vs. body conscious? This is where our effort lies. However, when we have that feeling of soul consciousness, there is nothing like it. I wish this feeling for everyone. And then I wish everyone to feel it constantly.

Thanks for your kind emails. All is well and I should be permently moved back into the house by the end of this week.

Apply effort in the RIGHT place and you cannot fail...

This past week was a challenge for me. I was asked to put up four Finnish guests in my unfinished house. The builders said it would be ok, they could easily get the inside walls painted and the the floors varnished by the time the guests arrived. But as the date drew closer, it became clear that the builders were overly optimistic. The inside of the house was still a building site! How could I re-house 4 people at short notice?

I was feeling stressed and a bit overwhelmed with my task. The weekend before they were to arrive it dawned on me - just clear out the back extension (which was currently full of my loft contents) and bed them on two sofa's and two futons. I don't know how I cleared the space - but somehow I managed to create a sleeping area, a dining space and some kitchen area so they could have hot drinks and light foods. The only other remaining matter was the bathroom which I cleaned after the builders left. AND, the builders chose to work outside the following day so that I wouldn't have to re-clean it when they went home.

I observed a few things about myself and others in this scene. Firstly, I was stressing a lot. But when I found a workable solution, the stress melted away and everything became easy. Secondly, when you're thoughtful and respectful of others, you get loads of cooperation. Never did I try to force the builders to stick to their estimates (I'd rather they did the job properly than rush anyway!). Instead I kept them informed, thanked them for their help, and checked with them about any changes. As a result, they worked late to make up for missed hours, worked outside while the guests were in residence and co-operated in so many other ways. Thirdly, instead of trying to make an unworkable solution work, I applied my efforts to finding a workable solution.

This is very different to how I would have operated in the past. I would have been demanding and stressed and made life miserable for as many people as possible. But this new method made everything seem easy and the guests had a nice visit.

Sometimes we get so caught up in making unworkable things work that we don't consider the alternatives. This is when we need to apply effort to come out of the situation, observe it, and make informed choices instead of emotional ones.