It could be said that the purpose of life is to evolve to a point where we no longer need to be here. That we are on this planet to master our lessons, and these lessons come in the form of experiences and interactions with others and with the environment around us. Perhaps the ultimate lesson is simply to know that we are light with all of our being and that the greatest power in all of creation is love; If we can truly love ourselves as much as we are loved already by ‘the Divine’ we are no longer bound to the denser planes of planet Earth. Because then we can only make choices and co-create reality from that place of unconditional love.
This learning may take endless epochs of existence within denser planes in order to truly master. In Buddhism there is the notion of Karma. Karma is not 'supernatural' or a form of ‘punishment' but merely the most natural law of cause and effect or action and reaction. Whatever we put out will ultimately come back to us. It is also a law that puts responsibility on our own shoulders, which is actually empowering. This means that in every moment we have a choice, and with each choice we can change our whole world, and manifest a much brighter future.
This learning may take endless epochs of existence within denser planes in order to truly master. In Buddhism there is the notion of Karma. Karma is not 'supernatural' or a form of ‘punishment' but merely the most natural law of cause and effect or action and reaction. Whatever we put out will ultimately come back to us. It is also a law that puts responsibility on our own shoulders, which is actually empowering. This means that in every moment we have a choice, and with each choice we can change our whole world, and manifest a much brighter future.
With every action we set a karmic ball in motion. We create karma, which can be both good and bad. With every choice, in every step, in every moment, each single one of us is planting a seed for a future that we will experience at some point. It is up to us whether we plant seeds of joy, or of pain. All that we experience in the now is the fruit of the seeds we have sown sometime in our past, either in this life or previous ones. These fruits may taste bitter or sweet.
'To act' also has another meaning, that of taking on a role or pretending to be something we are not. On planet Earth we are all ‘in character’, we have a ‘personality’ that is not the real 'us'. Our bodies and egos are like a car our higher self is driving and navigating within this denser realm. In reality we are ‘spirit’ or ‘light’, and merely using our 'physical vehicle' to learn down here what we already know in theory, just not in practice. It may not seem too difficult to drive a car if you read a manual about it, but try driving through a busy city on a six-lane motorway at rush hour with other drivers cutting in in front of you, honking their horns. Similarly, Its easy to know you are 'light' and 'joy' if that is all you are surrounded by. It's another matter to know you are 'light' and 'joy' if you also have to live in a world where you can experience the opposite; after someone has just fired you from your job, hurled abuse at you, or invaded your country.
It helps down here to remember we are just in a role, and learning through everything we experience, so that we can take the ups and downs of life with a bit more humour and lightness. It’s also good to know that during rough times, we can also ask for help (which is always there but we have to ask first) and to be shown why something is happening ‘to us’ and how we can heal it. Many years ago I had a run of bad luck, and it was only when I meditated on it that I realised I had sown the seeds of what I was experiencing through a course of action I had taken in my past. This really helped me. Rather than getting angry at who I thought was the cause of my suffering, I was able to take on the responsibility myself, and see that in many ways my 'enemies' were my greatest friends, in allowing me to experience the results of my own karma, and giving me the opportunity to now make a different choice, to create a better future by taking a different avenue to the one I had originally taken.
It could be said that illness is just the physical manifestation of having taken too many different ‘wrong’ (ultimately perhaps there is no wrong or right only learning and experience) choices in the past. Our physical body becomes out of harmony as a denser manifestation of the lack of harmony at a higher spiritual level.
Life throws at us many 'curve balls'. We may decide to be ‘in the moment’, to make all our thoughts, words and deeds 'higher' ones and then seconds later our ex rings up asking for their shampoo back, or we just decide to check our Facebook page and before we know it we're lost on a wave of excitement discovering the latest info on a favourite movie star. We’re back again in a sea of acting and ‘re-acting’, our precious navigational compass thrown overboard by our own hands. This is what re-action truly means, being lost in the moment so rather than acting for the best we repeat an old pattern of acting, that merely keeps us in a karmic loop.
Yet, If we could make the 'right' choice in every experience we speed up our evolution dramatically. For this is all life is; a series of choices. Life is like trying to drive your way back home but in a strange land with no map, and only the vaguest awareness of where you are. Some roads lead to roundabouts and more choices, some lead to dead-ends, some send you back the way you came, some lead to sheer drops, and some take you into landscapes filled with wonder and beauty and a reassuring feeling you are going in the right direction so you can truly enjoy the journey.
And actually, there is a map for your journey to help you take a few less detours. This is called your birth chart. And you can always stop for guidance to ask for the best way to go. This is accessed via being still, and going within. There are also tools in the boot to help you hear this inner guidance and make better choices. These are called crystals, flower remedies, and other subtle energy medicines. Yet it’s still so difficult and dense down here, and we can easily forget we’re merely driving a physical vehicle in the first place. To help me remember I’ve pinned some meaningful words and phrases on my office wall where I see them every day; to remind me that in the next hour, minute, or second, I choose my future path.
'To act' also has another meaning, that of taking on a role or pretending to be something we are not. On planet Earth we are all ‘in character’, we have a ‘personality’ that is not the real 'us'. Our bodies and egos are like a car our higher self is driving and navigating within this denser realm. In reality we are ‘spirit’ or ‘light’, and merely using our 'physical vehicle' to learn down here what we already know in theory, just not in practice. It may not seem too difficult to drive a car if you read a manual about it, but try driving through a busy city on a six-lane motorway at rush hour with other drivers cutting in in front of you, honking their horns. Similarly, Its easy to know you are 'light' and 'joy' if that is all you are surrounded by. It's another matter to know you are 'light' and 'joy' if you also have to live in a world where you can experience the opposite; after someone has just fired you from your job, hurled abuse at you, or invaded your country.
It helps down here to remember we are just in a role, and learning through everything we experience, so that we can take the ups and downs of life with a bit more humour and lightness. It’s also good to know that during rough times, we can also ask for help (which is always there but we have to ask first) and to be shown why something is happening ‘to us’ and how we can heal it. Many years ago I had a run of bad luck, and it was only when I meditated on it that I realised I had sown the seeds of what I was experiencing through a course of action I had taken in my past. This really helped me. Rather than getting angry at who I thought was the cause of my suffering, I was able to take on the responsibility myself, and see that in many ways my 'enemies' were my greatest friends, in allowing me to experience the results of my own karma, and giving me the opportunity to now make a different choice, to create a better future by taking a different avenue to the one I had originally taken.
It could be said that illness is just the physical manifestation of having taken too many different ‘wrong’ (ultimately perhaps there is no wrong or right only learning and experience) choices in the past. Our physical body becomes out of harmony as a denser manifestation of the lack of harmony at a higher spiritual level.
Life throws at us many 'curve balls'. We may decide to be ‘in the moment’, to make all our thoughts, words and deeds 'higher' ones and then seconds later our ex rings up asking for their shampoo back, or we just decide to check our Facebook page and before we know it we're lost on a wave of excitement discovering the latest info on a favourite movie star. We’re back again in a sea of acting and ‘re-acting’, our precious navigational compass thrown overboard by our own hands. This is what re-action truly means, being lost in the moment so rather than acting for the best we repeat an old pattern of acting, that merely keeps us in a karmic loop.
Yet, If we could make the 'right' choice in every experience we speed up our evolution dramatically. For this is all life is; a series of choices. Life is like trying to drive your way back home but in a strange land with no map, and only the vaguest awareness of where you are. Some roads lead to roundabouts and more choices, some lead to dead-ends, some send you back the way you came, some lead to sheer drops, and some take you into landscapes filled with wonder and beauty and a reassuring feeling you are going in the right direction so you can truly enjoy the journey.
And actually, there is a map for your journey to help you take a few less detours. This is called your birth chart. And you can always stop for guidance to ask for the best way to go. This is accessed via being still, and going within. There are also tools in the boot to help you hear this inner guidance and make better choices. These are called crystals, flower remedies, and other subtle energy medicines. Yet it’s still so difficult and dense down here, and we can easily forget we’re merely driving a physical vehicle in the first place. To help me remember I’ve pinned some meaningful words and phrases on my office wall where I see them every day; to remind me that in the next hour, minute, or second, I choose my future path.
Photos by kind permission of Milan Lysak
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