I just finished a three-week retreat. One week of that was completely silent. As in, no talking at all. We were doing eight to nine hours of meditation a day. It was tough but it was a very welcome respite after working so intensely in Manila. The other two weeks were also largely silent but we had lectures and interactive sessions as well.
I would like to share with you reflections that perhaps can help you in life as they have helped mine.
Life is not easy. I even believe it’s designed to be that way. We have two choices, though: we can become dismayed over the difficulty, and sink into despair or cynicism; or we can rise to the challenge and meet it head-on. We can beat ourselves on the head over our perceived mistakes, or we can view the situation objectively and decide to move on — not with indifference to the areas that need improvement, but with a determination and commitment to make things better.
It’s all about choices. One choice is that of a victim; to believe that bad things just “happen” to you, and you have no control over them. The other choice is that of taking the bull by the horns. In terms of progress, clearly the second approach is preferable.
In this regard, I would like to share with you my experience of the human mind. It’s totally crazy! Depending on what’s in our subconscious, it concocts situations, creates stress, and just moves from place to place to place in a frenzy — and this is the prime reason we get so tired by the end of the day. It also has the ability to rock the boat, big-time.
Solution? Regular sessions of quiet. A rhythm of personal reflection. Not intellectual analysis, but creating a space of quietude — just looking at oneself, one’s thoughts, and making the effort to move on to a better space. Hmm, I am sure some of you are wondering, but how do we do that?
Yes, that’s a tough one. Sometimes the mind has us so entwined in its mechanisms, we are not even aware that we are not seeing things clearly. What might help is making a supreme effort to not think about whatever is bothering you — for a while, anyway. Just leaving it, and trying to focus on something quieter and more peaceful: like one’s breath; or a candle flame; or some hymns; or some gentle sounds; or swimming and just feeling the water; walking barefoot and just feeling the grass; running and just feeling one’s body… all the while, pushing anything negative aside from your thoughts.
Learning to extricate oneself from the madness of one’s mind leads to inner peace, and you will be surprised how utterly different the situation looks after awhile.
It’s all about the “buttons.” We all have certain buttons, personal issues that, when touched, elicit reactions — some quite violent, almost always emotional. These are the buttons that unduly influence our lives, and they must be “decharged.”
There are many ways to do this. One way that has worked for me is ISIS — which means Inner Space Interactive Sourcing. This is where one has a “connector” or an accredited ISIS practitioner who can guide you through the “space” of your consciousness to see things in a clearer, more enlightened way.
In Manila, I am one of those practitioners. But since I am so busy with work, I can refer you instead to Michele Goeldi, who has been doing this type of work for 15 years now. Her cell number is 0927-6658071. Her e-mail address is michelegoeldi@yahoo.com. She has keen intuitive skills and has the ability to see the “bigger you” beyond the “mess” that usually occupies our surface thoughts.
Yes, life is not easy. But we can get out of the maze. The most important thing is not to lose hope. Not to ever, ever give up; to always be open. Because my deep and repeated experience is that there are divine forces there that are keenly interested in helping the evolution of human beings.
We just have to aspire, to want something more, and then to be open to receiving what is there for us.
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I can be reached at regina_lopez@abs-cbn.com.