Wednesday 1 August 2012

The Gift of Consciousness


Consciousness is the foundation for everything we have and do in our lives, but this gift of awareness is so often overlooked or overshadowed by the grumbling of the egoic mind.

You could live a seemingly blessed existence, surrounded by luxury and comfort that few people can even dream of, yet still find a multitude of things to worry and complain about.

In contrast, there are those that seem to have very little in terms of monetary wealth or possessions, but they lead – by and large - happy, fulfilled lives.

Is the awareness of consciousness – the ability to see and feel life for what it really is, not the illusion our minds create - the key to contentment?

No matter what faith or belief you have - maybe you feel certain we’re reincarnated; that we go to some magical, happy, gated-community in the sky, or somewhere a bit hotter; that we’re here as a spark of life, surrounded on both sides by half an eternity of nothingness - one thing is for sure: we will never walk this Earth in the same form again, once we pass the moment of death.

It seems a terrible waste of life to wrap ourselves in a blanket of discontent and fear… to let concerns of how others perceive us be a barrier from taking action and setting out on a journey to achieve our dreams…

Our own minds judge us through speculating on how other people judge us. It’s a bizarre mental interplay that holds so many of us back.

If you had no life or consciousness, then you suddenly flashed into existence, wouldn’t that be a beautiful thing to experience? The colours, sounds, intricate details of the world around you… the heat of the Sun, the scent of the trees… it would be an awesome, magical adventure of discovery.

We all have that ability, to experience the world afresh, every moment, but as we become accustomed to what once filled us with awe and wonder, we fall back to a robotic unconsciousness and lose sight of the greatness of life.

Look around yourself and take in all the things you should be thankful for, whether it’s your children, your pets, your partner, your parents, your siblings, the roof over your head, the food in the fridge, the water that runs from your taps, the amazing communication devices that hook you up with the rest of the world, the light from the Sun or the clouds in the sky…

We should be dizzy and drunk on the joy of life, not – instead – focussing on all of the perceived negatives we can find, which cloak the beauty we’re both surrounded by and also an integral part of.

Whoever or whatever caused us to have it, consciousness is such a precious gift.

Cherish your present.

33 comments:

  1. AWESOME, awe-inspiring post, Les! This is incredible stuff! THANK YOU for it!

    Much love! <3

    In Peace & Light:

    Bryan

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  2. I like everything I've read that you have written - this included.

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  3. Hi Les,

    I like how you refer to "experiencing the world afresh". It seems a funny trick of Reason, how we name and categorize "things" and then henceforth take them for granted. The magic seems to seep away...when in fact it is always there, incipient in everything, it's just that our minds become inured to it. This is a great ode to the freshness and fullness of the moment, if we would only immerse ourselves in it.

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  4. Thank you for the insightful words of wisdom! My mother raised me on those beliefs, she was a brilliant woman!

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  5. Les, this is a beautifully expressed message about the sheer magic of our existence and why most people don't experience life as such. Thank you for a timely reminder. :)

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  6. Love this Les, would like to share with some people who may benefit...

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  7. Thank you. You have expressed it well, without claiming to know about unknowable things.

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  8. Rume was said to have written

    Sell your cleverness and purchase bewilderment.

    Thank you Les for a beautifully written reminder.

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  9. Great Reminder! Thanks for sharing!

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  10. Things happen for a reason...
    I found your site today because my daughter pasted a link to one of your animal pictures on her Facebook page... reading your post today has been very comforting in a way.. a very close friend of mine died yesterday after a short illness... we are all in shock and it is a bit surreal at the moment... but I found your post today...and it is lovely.. Thank You x

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  11. I have this idea about the universe. I believe that all sentence wnt beings have the ability to create their own reality. I've been having a lot of thoughts on this subject lately, and then I read this post.

    I was officially, legally homeless for a year. I have been on my own for 5 years. I'm 24. I've also always been sick. When my health problems started flaring up all at once last year, it bot only almost killed me, but disabled me.

    Being unable to work this past year, especially with the health issues and the disability process, has given me a totally new attitude towards life. I I got to the point in life when you just say to yoyrself, "I'm at the end of my rope, I have nothing left." It sounds negative, but once I got through those points and realized that I could get through the hardest times of my life on my own, I began to see life in a new light.

    I really enjoyed this post. I couldn't agree more. I was wondering if I'd ever come across someone else that could take those hard times and turn them into something beautiful- A challenge of one's self. Or no-self. Either way, after living soley off the kindness and generosity of other people for just under a year, I have learned to look at all the things I thought I couldn't live without and just laugh. Being able to realize that everything one needs to survive and be happy is already possessed within is such a beautiful process!

    Thank you so much for sharing your opinion on this subject. It really couldn't have come at a better time for me. I wish you much love and peace!

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  12. I've been struggling with just the issues you describe, letting my fears and concerns about what others think consume me. This has been going on for almost a moonth, and is not at all like me so I have been meditating and practicing mindfulness in order to overcome it. I had just returned from a meditation walk when I discovered this blog you had tweeted. Wow! I'd contemplated two of the ideas you express : 1) that I'd been blanketing myself in fears and 2) that I should be thankful for all the good that is in my life, friends, pets, home, garden. So it was amazing to come back and read it in your words.
    I do enjoy all your work.

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  13. As with all of your other blogs, this one is no less powerful. Thank you for your inspiration.

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  14. Beautifully written, beautifully said, couldn't agree with you more. My life has been so over whelming and shadowed by hurt and sadness at times it's been hard to hold onto the vision of whats precious and wholesome. Yet I have held onto faith and the bigger picture of things, I believe we are here for a purpose and reason, and a big part of that is to see, appreciate and encompass the simple things in life. Out of the fog there is a beautiful valley, we just need to open our heart's and mind's to share it. Thank you for sharing.

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  15. Nice and to the point.

    Absolutely key. Consciousness is a self-perpetuating and self-unfolding treasure and will blossom and continue blossoming to greater and greater heights... if you but let it.

    It is not unlike growing a tree, which is why meditation and such things are often called mind cultivation. Plant a seed, water it regularly, and get out of its way.

    These ego issues, worries, doubts and fear are like layers of cement poured over the little seed that is sprouting. It wants to come up, and really strong sprouts will even push their way through the cracks... but it is much much better and simpler to just pull up the pavement.

    All the best Les.

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  16. Totally sold, when all else hits the pan you can draw happiness from those that love you, I am indeed a happy man and concious of my blessings :)

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  17. Beautiful!!! Yes, yes, yes!!

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  18. this is so nice.:)

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  19. Very well said. Very enlightening and true...thank you!

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  20. Yet sometimes we need to listen, heed the signals, the sounds of fear or doubt, because there is this thing within us that requires mending, is off kilter. And the nagging voice, that itch exists beneath the,surface in our subconsious, and we have to mine it, bring it to the surface, into our consious state and connect the pieces to work towards some truth. But then, of course, stop.and smell.the roses along the,way. (pardon misspellings...on phone typing tiny letters). Thank you for the inspirational words.

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  21. Excellent as always Les - thanks for sharing :-)

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  22. I read a wonderful quote, that really touched me. "Imagine you wake up and you are only surrounded by the things you were thankful for last evening". Wow! just feel into it. ....

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  23. Wonderfully written!! Agree totally. :)

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  24. Good writing that can trigger unfoldment of good things.

    Kind regards,

    Alok

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  25. Good writing that can trigger good things take shape.

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  26. I meet you here through Twitter, what a great encounter. Thank you for reminding us this simple act of gratitude for the things in life that seem so obvious and yet are so very precious.

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  27. I love you Les ,,,
    ~Debbie:)
    #Friend

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