Monday 13 July 2009

Seeking Guidance

At some point when you feel in a relaxed state of mind, ask yourself questions, and go deep inside yourself and listen to the answers. After each answer you get in reply, write down the answer exactly as you hear it, neatly enough so that you can read it later, before returning to the relaxed state to ask another question. Thanks to Cyn for the inspiration to do this.

So here is an imaginary conversation...no visual cues... just questions and answers, just like Yahoo Answers, but with me as both asker and answerer.


What should I ask for?
You should ask for that which will guide you to greater wisdom of the self, for wisdom of the self is everything.

Where does will come from?
It comes from inside, from Source.

Where do I find morality?
Morality is like diving into a pool. If you do not come up for oxygen, you will drown. Morality is that which sustains us, gives us direction. You will know when you are ready. Temptation is distraction.

How to tell if something is a distraction?
Feel it! Say, is this oxygen that will sustain me and take me forward, or is it something that distracts and holds me back. Do I need it?

So when we reach a state of needing nothing, do we run out of morals and is everything distraction?
We no longer need morals to sustain us. We are at peace.

Long pause in a still meditative state before I ask again...

This state of not needing anything, is it an amoral state?
The waters are cool and light. You do not need oxygen. You do not need warmth. You have it inside you and you can go where you will.

If two paths are presented to you, how to choose?
You have free will. You have choice. But a bad path in a pool filled with light will be very clear to you.

Is there anything else I should ask, and may I share this?
Yes, you should write it down and contemplate it. Ask "Why?"

Why? ... what?
Why I am here?

Why are you here?
Because you sent for me.

Thank you for coming.
All is in the asking.

32 comments:

  1. Very interesting.
    Thank you for sharing.

    I certainly agree with the fact that when we "quiet our minds" and authentically "listen" to that which inspires life ... (within us as well as that we perceive as "outside of us". ) ... the "answers" simply are.

    The "din of the world" ... like wind rushing passed our ears ... sometimes makes it difficult to "hear" that which is always there.

    It's just a matter of allowing ourselves that "quiet moment" so we can "hear".

    And this certainly seems like an excellent way to practice doing just that.

    Thank you both, Cyndi and Okei, for offering this example.

    :)

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  2. Okei,

    You have improved upon my method! You are so creative!


    i think you will enjoy this exercise. Not that you are in touch with your self that is not marred by waking chatter, I wonder if you will be able to play in your dreams?

    thank you Tam. ;-)

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  3. Ah, temptation is the opportunity to choose again.
    So then, what exactly is the famous temptation as in Jesus was tempted for 40 days & nights?
    It is very well done Okei.
    These are profound questions That allow each to answer in their own understanding!

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  4. Tam, thanks for dropping by and that description. Of tapping into our subconscious and our source of inspiration without the "din of the world" that prevents us from hearing. It's great if we can have such "quiet moments", and if we could bring them about.

    ~~~
    Cyn, it would be interesting if we could have this sort of experience in dreams also. In fact that would be awesome... exactly the kind of thing I was wishing I could do if I could go lucid in dreams, but it's best to just plant the idea, and let it happen or not as it will, not bringing in expectations and desires from the waking world which I think is counter-productive, just watch and play as you say.

    Instead of a conversation between self and subconscious, a dream version would be a conversation between subconscious and subconscious. This would also be an interesting alternative which might be worth trying when awake. Or just let the subconscious speak on its own, like automatic writing... I've had that happen once or twice, but it really is so rare, so hard to bring about that state. The connection to the source of inspiration is often faulty and the conscious jumps on it immediately and intrudes with its judgments of "stop talking nonsense", and "that isn't very interesting", and hey! this kind of chatter is usually true because it's so hard to get a "good connection". It's so windy up there (points inside my head, lol)

    ~~~
    Lilith, but how to distinguish temptation from opportunity? Opportunity is good, temptation is bad, but where do good/bad come from? When given the choice of turning stones into bread to sustain himself physically, or not doing so to sustain himself spiritually and maintain the fast, how is this choice taken?

    Would breaking the fast have distracted Jesus from his spiritual journey?

    It's so hard to know... I mean to know when presented with such a choice...but maybe it's because to seek bread was a distraction from his quest, and that he did not need it... but if bread had fallen from the sky that would have been different, like a gift from heaven, and that he would have eaten I think.

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  5. Hmmm,

    Okei,

    I think that alpha thinking is a state just below beta which is our conscious state. I do not think we stay in alpha long while sleeping... and i know we are not in it while in REM (which is when we dream)

    What you are looking for, I have never done nor have I tried to do it. Not sure why...

    If i want answers to questions that i do not want my waking my ti interfere with, I do something else that takes its full attention... Like drawing.. or writng or even housework... i trick it. LOL

    But that is just me.

    If you do achive thhis in dreams, i would love to know. ;-)

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  6. It is all in your pov.
    Change how you see what you call temptation & it changes.
    Temptation wouldn't happen if we didn't still feel drawn to what ever it is we have decided we do not wish to do any longer, in other words we are divided on the issue at a deeper level. Dealing with these divisions within are as much a part of the Path as anything & actually you can't just use denial to make them go away. They are a reflection of a division within you!
    By seeing it as a opportunity to in that moment the temptation arises to choose again to stay with your original decision & not let ego stael it from you is not only an opportunity to assert that you made a final decision, it reminds the ego just who runs the show!
    ((((((((Hugs))))))

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  7. It took a while for it to sink in what you meant... if you want inspiration on some question, you just plant the question, but don't think about it, instead occupy the "busy mind" with something that takes its full attention and then at some point the subconscious just bubbles up its ideas. So you think without the chatter of thinking... is that right?

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  8. Oh, I agree with this!

    And I now understand what you mean by temptation being "an opportunity to choose again", and what you say about asserting yourself over the ego is fantastic. That also helps explain that "Serve the Ego" song.

    Discipline & Resolve, to stay on your chosen path, not be diverted or distracted, and show the ego who runs the show...

    But sometimes there might not be a decision that's been taken, but still temptation. I don't know if Jesus chose to fast for 40 days and nights, but even if he hadn't, he was still being tempted and had to see it as temptation (as opposed to something that would help him on his path) in order to reject it... am I missing something?

    So the path to peace involves overcoming the temptations and the divisions within, so making those "powerful decisions" from a position of freshness and clarity. Is everything "decided"? It's very hard for me to imagine that state of "decidedness"... of certainty without dogmatism. Is that kind-of the idea?

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  9. Yes. The ego(for lack of a better word) will prevent you seeing it if it senses it loses its control/power....

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  10. This is what I mean when I say I will ponder something or send it back. It is also what someone means when they say they will sleep on it.
    We ask the Q. We ponder a minute then send it back & let it go the answer comes from that place where all the answers are. With practice the time lag gets smaller!
    (((((((Hugs))))))))

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  11. I see! (((((((hugs))))))))

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  12. I think any answers we get will be limited by our knowledge and understanding, unless somehow one can mystically go deeper. But even to get a good connection to our own subconscious understanding is hard enough. I think I was extraordinarily lucky that the above worked as well as it did.

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  13. The art of tricking the reptile mind to work for you not against you. ;^) I need to think more on that, lol.

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  14. i have been doing it for years... on accident... did not even know I was doing it... lol

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  15. To get to a place where all the answers is a truly mystical concept, even answers to maths problems? Lol. But then there was once a mathematician called Ramanujan, and he alone among mathematicians seemed to be able to do such a thing.

    Cyn, kudos to you!!! I think when we're "in form" we do this kind of trickery without realizing it, and because we never realized it, it's harder to remember exactly what it is we do. But I think I have a feel for what you mean.

    ((((((Hugs)))))) to all.

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  16. I plan to read up about "alpha thinking" some time and post some links or summaries of what I find here. That's something else which I know I do without realizing it at times.

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  17. i read a book called "the power of alpha thinking" in my early adulthood.. well sort of ... I skipped to the back to the exercise and tweaked it to my way...

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  18. What a creative idea! :) I am going to try this sometime soon.

    I know this is a little off topic, but sometimes when I have a question about something and I can't seem to find an answer I 'let go' of the question and it is answered in my dreams. Or sometimes it will be answered through another one of my friends' questions. I suppose this is because if I do 'table it' my inner self will have an opportunity to let the answer work its way into my consciousness--somehow bypassing that trickster of an ego, lol :)

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  19. That's very much like what Lilith was saying.

    I don't know if the ego is a trickster, or a noisy and persistent "want"-er, never satisfied, like Mr. Vain "I know what I want and I want it now", whereas the higher self knows he's a wrong-un.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvgUdrzGNys

    With all that jumping up and down, you just can't think properly, lol.

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  20. recently, I have tricked my ego so well.. i can not find it again...

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  21. Cyn, is that a good thing?

    Kasey, meet Cyn, the inspiration behind this... I really need to try to repeat the experiment sometime.

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  22. I don't know if it is a good thing..... But I think I will have a better idea in a few days ;-)


    Hi Kasey, glad to meet you. ;-)

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  23. Hello Cyn :) Glad to meet you too!

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  24. Hi Okei, just came over from Cyn's page. Hope it's OK if I comment here.
    I used to do what you describe above quite a lot and get some really helpful answers to my questions (I have blogged some of it also).
    Then, somehow, there seemed to be no more questions to ask. Could be ego just stopping it, not sure. Reading this though, I feel prompted to revisit this. Thank you!

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  25. I was never able to repeat this... it requires putting your mind and attention to it, so it was easier the first time as a new, fresh, exciting idea so approaching it with beginner's mind. I even dreamt about it for two or three nights before I got it to work properly. I think I could do it again... just I haven't been able to put my mind to it... as you say, the first problem is what to ask, which was why this was also my first question, lol.

    You're always welcome here, Mia! I'll check by your site some time... I'd be very interested in how it worked for you.

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  26. I think it would be fantastic to be able to do this kind of thing regularly... it's maybe like a form of meditation, and yet somehow slightly different?

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  27. Thanks Okei, I did this fairly regurlarly for some time, as part of my meditation practice. It's like a small, quiet voice that I hear in my right ear.
    I would call it my Higher Self, not the subconscious, but that's just semantics. I guess I access it still when I write Haiku, just thought of that lol!!!!

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  28. I thought that I should reply to your questions myself (unasked) - after all I have different perspectives which may be practically useful for you too - so read on ...
    Deepak
    What should I ask for?
    You should ask for lots of Chocolate and an Ice Cream bar every day - without that cake thing in it.

    Where does will come from?
    It comes from desire inside you to go and buy that chocolate if no one is listening.

    Where do I find morality?
    In observing little children's behaviour you shall find morality. You will also know that giving in to temptation and eating a chocolate is not "Temptation" in the immoral sense.

    How to tell if something is a distraction?
    You will know the meaning of distraction as soon as you experience leaving that Chocolate to have and ice cream instead when you see another person relishing it nearby.

    So when we reach a state of needing nothing, do we run out of morals and is everything distraction?
    To reach a stage of "needing nothing" is an abstraction and a fairy tale which you will only understand after becoming addicted to Cigarettes and Chocolates! As stated earlier - temptation here is completely moralistic!

    Long pause in a still meditative state before I ask again...
    During pauses - puff away to increase your concentration.

    This state of not needing anything, is it an amoral state?
    Of course it is amoral to not need anything, except when your stomach is full of Chocolate and you have just stubbed your cigarette which you smoked to the last puff.

    If two paths are presented to you, how to choose?
    Choose the path to the confectioners when confronted with a choice.

    Is there anything else I should ask, and may I share this?
    Ask away merrily - maybe you can ask for the best brand of Chocolates

    Why? ... what? Why I am here?
    You are here to eat the good things in life since the bird of time is already on the wing

    Why are you here?
    I dunno!

    Thank you for coming.All is in the asking.
    Thank you Jaminto!

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  29. little children hate cigarettes and love chocolates... to be addicted is not to be free to avoid what we hate and follow what we love... and we are all, all so very addicted... and it's interesting to see how these addictions change over time. Most people don't even like the things they're addicted to. They just like the buzz, the energy high, the comfort... If you really love chocs and cigs fully, then you wouldn't see it as temptation. You can only be tempted if you think you shouldn't have them. No moral restraint you're fighting against and temptation isn't possible! But we do have a deeper wisdom and it's no good fighting it...

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  30. You did kind-of miss the point of this though which is to go away yourself and find your own... hmm:) confused... I guess, oracle of your own deeper wisdom. It's not easy! I never managed to repeat this...

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