conditioned behavior

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A Lesson in Conscious Awakening

Conscious awareness anchors you in active presence. And, everything offers you a lesson as you walk the inner path of self-discovery. Thus, the benefits of conscious presence become obvious as you awaken more and more during everyday interactions. Conscious awakening and shifting from thought-based living to conscious living often seems overwhelming, even impossible. However, this only seems difficult until you are able and ready to release yourself from the mind. Please understand, the mind needs you. But, you do not need the mind. That is to say, your conscious beingness is an extension of universal energy without thought or emotion.

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I share two personal examples below as examples of universal energy manifestation resulting from my influence on this flow. You, I and everyone either consciously or unconsciously observe the manifestation of universal energy. Likewise, I assure you that you have constant influence over your life experience. You will know everything differently once you shift to consciously observing your interaction with life. Conscious awakening is a lesson in unconditional living. Therefore, the acknowledgement and active observation of how you live offers you spiritual enlightenment. Continue reading →

The Brain, the Mind and the True You

The brain is physical. It is an organ of the body. People, study and categorize it. It is a treasure chest of unknown possibilities. And, this is where mental processes of input-output occurs. It provides us with the opportunity to acquire knowledge. Additionally, it expresses this information in thoughts and emotions. So, what about the mind? The mind is something different. Let’s consider the brain as a portal to the mind. The mind can consciously observe the energy of the brain. Likewise, it can be aware of what is beyond brain, body and itself.

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Acknowledge that the brain is the gateway to the mind. But, the two are not the same. This recognition is beneficial to our conscious awakening. Thus, our conscious evolution. The mind has no substance. Literally no one can clearly and factually explain its origin. Furthermore, there is no actual prove that the mind even exists. Yes, people try to explain the mind throughout our history. The Buddha, Aristotle and Plato considered this topic. And, most likely, many other individuals since then. Continue reading →

Veil of Fear that Confuses You

It seems forever since I observed a tree leaf sailing so gracefully to a stream below.
The summer had been so warm, the days so long.
How long has it been since that moment in time?
Was it one year, ten years, or was it just yesterday?
The mind casts a veil of fear that is so confusing.
Time can be so misleading, ever so fragile.
Not real, and yet, seems so tangible.
And, yet, life as a boy seemed so simple back then… or was it?

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No, not really.
Life truly understood… is neither nor.
Life just is.
However, I sat next to a stream in the forest each day.
Somehow, lost between here and there.
The water flowing just as life flows.
Life and the stream seem everlasting.
And, so I often sat just watching the water flow by.
Life bubbling from the water.
Curiosity occasionally caused me to toss a stone in the water.
The mind always asking why.
But, more often than not I just sat.
I was oblivious as life flowed by. Continue reading →

Autonomy as a Stepping Stone in Life

Typically, we dissect our experiences in attempts to categorize something as good, bad, right or wrong. However, let’s stretch our horizon to engulf the unconditional totality of living. Yes, a million and more years of evolution overshadow any given experience. And, our species interaction with life is mostly a redundant series of mind-induced behavior repetitions. Nevertheless, we have the potential to experience life in a conscious state of autonomy. This word recently fascinated me. The word itself in reference to psychology is useful as a further stepping stone on our inner journey of self-discovery.

autonomy

Autonomous derives from the Greek word autonomos where auto means self and nomos means to govern (Wikipedia). Therefore, let’s use the word autonomy as a portal to a life of active, conscious presence. How do most people behave in reaction to daily activities, especially in difficult or stressful situations? Everyone wants to go off the grid and live on an island. Likewise, what is the predominant dream of people around the world? Everybody wishes for prosperity and freedom to live according to their desire. But, this desire is usually in accordance with a given societies image of success and happiness. However, there is a deep-rooted flaw within such attempts to find peace and salvation. What is this painted image of illusion that makes us dependent on the mind in the hope of finding happiness? Continue reading →

Head on Straight and True

My uncle often told me to get my head on straight as a young teenager. Sometimes he said this with a strict voice. And, from time to time he told me this to make me laugh. I have grown with a deep appreciation for the wisdom found within this statement. Likewise, I recall pondering on the depth of this insight during my young adulthood. This idiom suggests for us to calmly observe our behavior in any given situation. Furthermore, live and act from a state of clarity.

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Nevertheless, people experience much of life in a dysfunctional state of being. This is to say that a person’s head is not on straight (😊). The majority of people still use this moment as nothing more than a means to and end. The mind usually interlaces now with phantom thoughts and emotions of what will come or what has been. This tendency might very well be the major cause of our unconscious, thus abnormal behavior.

Yes, I use abnormal behavior as a synonym for our unaware (unconscious) state of being. Perhaps, the time has come for us to openly and clearly observe our state of affairs. We claim to be logical, intelligent and compassionate. However, our behavior indicates the exact opposite. Conscious presence is a necessity in our evolution. We have spent thousands of years in a type of darkness that continues due to mind obsessions. Continue reading →

Depression and Mind Repression

The world suffers from a state of global depression. I reflected on depression after a recent email correspondence. There are the medical aspects of depression. A person can experience unhappiness and anxiety due to biological factors that are genetic and chronic. Nevertheless, the majority of people experience self-inflected misery. This behavior irregularity undermines a person’s state of being. The assumption is that situations and people cause us despair and sadness. And, there is a tad of truth to this statement strictly from a practical viewpoint. Thus, most people are likely to believe themselves to be the thoughts in their head. A person will literally lose his or her true identity due to influences of the mind.

depression

Hence, depression results due to unconscious reactions in daily experiences. A disoriented person misinterprets thoughts and emotions as something that defines them. However, another person, a thing, a thought or situation cannot truly express your state of beingness. The expression of life that manifests through you is your responsibility.

Let’s use the following example to illustrate. There is an accident. You experience bodily harm. The ailment or injury is real. There is pain. Are you the pain that is felt in that moment? No, of course not. The pain is strictly of the body. Therefore, whether you have anxiety, frustration or suffer is your choice. Continue reading →

Shut Up and Just Live

Be defiant in your approach to living life in a state of aware presence. Your mind always speaks to you, day and night. However, 99 percent of the mind’s dialog is useless and insignificant to fully living in this moment. Therefore, let your mind know that enough is enough. Tell your mind, straightaway, to shut up so that you can experience living life, firsthand. This exercise might seem silly. Therefore, I suggest that you review everything that you can remember that the mind told you today. Then, ask yourself what is more ridiculous. You telling the mind to shut up and stop interfering with your experience of life. Or, is it sillier to continue listen, believing and reacting to everything the mind tells you?

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Please consider these questions deeply and consciously before you disregarding it for nonsense. The exercise is a practice that allows a clear observation of the mind’s activities. Nevertheless, the mind will first continue to insert dominance over you through a train of never-ending thoughts. Thus, the bottom line is for you to recognize that the majority of thoughts are unnecessary. You don’t need these as much as the mind tells you. Therefore, let thoughts come and go. And, on occasion tell your mind to shut up. Continue reading →

Stop Doing What You Are Doing

Stop during what you are doing. Have you heard this sentence before? Parents often use this statement with their children. Thus, as a conditioned behavior, we learn to always focus on doing instead of consciously being. I recently overheard a conversation that illustrates this behavior.

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Don’t waste time by spending too much time doing non-productive things. The individual I mentioned above made this statement. Stop doing what you are doing. You’re wasting time. Instantly, I saw and felt confusion and frustration in the second person. Why? Because her focus was only on the details of the experience. Let’s be clear about something. Losing focus to your state of being in any moment insures mind dominance through thoughts or emotions. Continue reading →

Synchronicity and Acceptance of Life

Synchronicity. We often use this word in spirituality topics. Therefore, let’s start this conversation with definition examples to consider.

The simultaneous occurrence of events that appear significantly related but have no discernible causal connection.
An apparently meaningful coincidence in time of two or more similar or identical events that are causally unrelated.

synchronicity

Additionally, harmony, peace and accord are several synonyms for synchronicity. Therefore, let’s express the acceptance of any given moment as a manifesting flow of harmony. And, this is a plausible explanation for random experiences that seem to fall into place. Acceptance of what is, offers spaciousness and inner peace. Thus, you are in accord with yourself, the universe and life. However, confusion often arises as a result of mental and emotional interference. The mind insists that you can only experience harmony when everything unfolds in accordance with your wishes or wants. Consequently, imagine what happens when you don’t get what you desire or want. You complain and you blame everyone and everything for causing a lack of harmony in any given situation. Continue reading →

Are You Having a Lousy Day?

How is your day? Are you having a lousy day or a good day? What is the determining factor in how you experience what happens? The answer is looking back at you 😊 in the mirror. You are the one and truly only determining factor in how you experience any given moment.

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We often scurry through our daily activities in a state of limbo unawareness. And, life literally passes by without us knowing why. Thus, situations and people seem to influence how we experience life. However, conditioning taught us to think and believe that things and people are responsible for how we live. But, what we have learned is not actually true. Therefore, you can change how you live. Deconditioning through awareness to how you observe living, offers enlightenment. Live life fully, don’t just exist. Let’s use the definition for limbo to expand our discussion.

Limbo is an uncertain period of awaiting a decision or resolution; an intermediate state or condition. This is how the majority of people experience life. Why is living this way so typical? Basically, because we are not aware enough to establish a change in our behavioral responses. Hence, the shadows of our behavior characteristics darken out the brilliance of living life. The act of being alive, in itself, is an incredible experience, regardless of temporary day to day downfalls. And, conscious living is quite easy to establish as baseline for living life. Continue reading →