STOP!!
January 20, 2010In the first half of the 20th century there was a Russian mystic called Gudjieff. He was the teacher of P.D. Ouspensky who talks about him in his book The Strange Life of Ivan Osokin.
In it, Ouspensky touches upon the topic of reincarnation.
Now let me be clear upfront that the intention of this article is not to discuss the existence or the ‘what’, ‘why’, and ‘how’ of reincarnation…
It’s just that Ouspensky’s take on it makes up a nice intro to the rest that this article is going to be about…
Anyway, in his book, Ouspensky poses that reincarnation is not what we’re often led to think it is…
He says that instead of being born as someone else, we’re rather reborn to relive the exact same life we’ve always lived… over and over and over again… until we make a significant choice at one particular moment to do something differently than we’ve done it life after life.
Kind of like the basic principle of the movie Groundhog Day… (which I think you should watch sometime if you can, in case you haven’t seen it).
Based on this take, Ouspensky says that hell on earth is living life the way you’ve always lived it, and heaven on earth is breaking free of your long-standing patterns.
And as you probably know, it can take an enormous amount of energy, passion, determination, and will to even see patterns… let alone break free from them.
So that’s actually the thing that we’re trying to help you with through our materials:
We want you to be able to see those patterns in your own life… and then provide you with the information and tools (or point you to the ones) that we think can help you break free from those patterns.
And in the context of this topic of breaking free and creating the life you really want, many times we’ve also mentioned the importance of recognizing your ‘passion’, and knowing what you want… or at least, having some kind of vision of what you want in order to have some sense of direction.
Passion is in fact the fuel that drives you forward in life… the passion to experience… the passion to create value… the passion to invent… the passion to build something that has a life of its own… the passion to do something remarkable with your life… whatever it is that feels important to you.
But what has become abundantly clear over time, is that for many people, the process of ‘creating’ or ‘attracting’ what they want comes to a halt at this point already… simply because they say they have no idea about what they want… or can’t decide on anything.
Fact is however, that they do know… at least when they turn deeper within themselves and are prepared to be honest with themselves…
The thing is that it’s usually covered up by a lot of subconscious patterns and mechanisms that are basically pulled over their eyes to blind them from it… although every now and then it makes itself apparent.
Let me tell you a quick story:
Back in high school, I remember some friends of mine came with these books where each page is a picture (usually some abstract collage of colors at first sight) that has another picture underneath it that you can’t readily see…
You’re supposed to hold the book at a certain distance from your face, and then pull it slowly away without focusing on the picture… sort of looking through the picture… and then suddenly the picture slows up.
I could never do it, except for some occasional instances of success… It could drive me crazy! I could try and find it, but it never worked…
And then at one point, for no reason whatsoever that I can remember, I picked up one of those books, opened it to one of the pictures, and without trying it all… there it was! The other picture behind it just appeared!
But even after that, I couldn’t do it on a consistent basis…
At first I thought the trick was sneaking up on the book as if I wasn’t interested. But that didn’t turn out to work consistently… Putting my eyes out of focus didn’t work either. Sometimes it just came to me, but usually it didn’t.
I can’t say I consistently and diligently practiced it though… It was just never that important to me…
And that’s the key point of what I’m trying to get across here! That’s the key to really discovering your passion!
You see, passion is kind of similar to those pictures I mentioned… You can’t always see it. But sometimes it’ll come to you… usually at the most unexpected or inconvenient moment…
It can come to you in the strangest, most unpredictable ways. You can be standing on the corner about to walk across the street… You can be turning in your sleep, dreaming… You can be in the shower, packing a suitcase, engaging in ‘number two’, cleaning out your closet… etc.
And it’ll always be like that, unless you make it truly important!
If you really want to use it to your advantage… if you want to tap into that enormous resource for anything you want to do… if you want fuel to power any intention you have… if that’s what you want…
… then you must make it really important to you!
In fact, you must make it so important that you’ll do anything to see it for what it is. It’s being interested in it… deeply and genuinely interested in it… that’ll give you the power to see.
“So how do you do I do that then?”, you’ll probably ask…
Well, I’ll let you in on a simple little trick to get yourself going in a moment… Just hear me out, because I need to clarify a few details first…
You see, the actual problem of ‘not knowing what it is’ or ‘not seeing it’ is caused by these subconscious patterns that I mentioned. And like I said above, it can take an enormous amount of energy and determination to even see those patterns… let alone break free from them.
It’s kind of a catch-22:
-
You try to see your adverse subconscious patterns, in order to be able to break free from them…
-
Your adverse subconscious patterns make up virtual ‘blinders’ and prevent you from seeing them…
So if you want things to change for you, you definitely need to get out of that rut…
And there’s one basic thing that you absolutely must be able to do to make that happen… It’s a basic trick that’ll put you back in the driver’s seat and take the steering wheel!
Here’s the thing:
The very frustration that most people are feeling about their lives and their inability to change it can only be addressed once they’re able to see how completely identified they are with their ‘pain’ of not being satisfied with the way things are.
As long as you are your pain… and you can’t create enough distance from it to step back and ‘see yourself being in pain’ instead… you can never get free of it.
The ‘pain’, or ‘exhaustion’, or ‘frustration’, or ‘overwhelm’, or whatever negative state you find yourself in, is usually a subconsciously driven defensive reaction to something you feel threatened by… and that thus takes you away from being consciously present in the moment.
It’s a subconscious pattern, and it’ll keep playing out as long as you don’t deal with it. And in order to deal with it and break free from it, you need to find out what you feel threatened by…
But that’s a next step. Let’s stick to the most essential thing first:
First you need to actually put yourself in the position to see those patterns for what they are. This means that you need to take a step back and observe yourself… and then look… see… and listen… to discover what you feel threatened by…
Or rather, to discover what part of you feels threatened.
If you do this, and you do it seriously… let me tell you what you’re likely to discover:
-
You’ll discover that the part of ‘you’ that feels threatened, is the ‘you’ who doesn’t want to be seen because he/she’s feeling so small…
-
It’s the ‘you’ who doesn’t feel he/she’s up to it…
-
It’s the ‘you’ who’s terrified of all the passion that you’ve got inside you that could blow you away in a flash!
And you know what?
Instead of ignoring that part like you’re told to do in many of the ‘positive thinking’ and ‘Law of Attraction’ schools of thought… that’s actually part of you that deserves more attention instead of less!
You can do that once you learn how to step back. I called it the ‘participant/observer’-method in an earlier article.
You need to take a step back into the ‘observer’ role, instead of getting caught up in the experience of the ‘participant’…
Because underneath that superficial take on your experience, you’ll find that there’s something really different going on.
You’ll discover that, no matter how you’re feeling at any particular point in time, whatever you’re doing, or whatever you’re afraid of doing… your passion is alive and well underneath, whatever it is that’s standing in the way…
It’s the connection with this passion that enables you to move through all of the inevitable external obstacles you’ll find in your way, which of course each come with their own set of internal obstacles to be overcome.
So to learn how to observe the form it takes at any particular point in time is one of the most essential things you can do… that you must do actually, if you want to put your creative power back into your own hands…
It’s actually one of the most empowering things you can ever do! If there’s any skill you need to learn to actively make a difference in yourself and in your life… this is it!
And to internalize this skill, here’s something you can practice:
Step 1:
First, whenever you feel overwhelmed, exhausted, frustrated, overwhelmed, resentful, ‘wrung out’, etc… just say to yourself: “See through it!”
That’s the first step…
Just see through it, and see what happens…
Step 2:
And secondly, just for three times a day… STOP. It’s as simple as that… You just STOP, whatever you’re doing.
Any time of the day is fine… any time at all. However, the best times for you to choose to STOP would be the times when for instance:
-
You feel completely consumed by something you’re doing…
-
You feel dreading or dreading the prospect of something you need to do…
-
You feel frustrated…
-
You feel overwhelmed…
-
You feel exhausted…
-
You feel ‘wrung out’…
-
You feel angry…
-
And so on…
Basically, whenever you feel identified with your moods…
And when you feel that, you just STOP!!
And then you look… listen… see…
This will not just enable you to ‘see through it’, as I mentioned above…
But more importantly, with practice, something amazing will happen:
-
You’ll see how absolutely consumed you are with your moods, thoughts, emotions…
-
You’ll see how they eat up your passion by filling the space with something else to do…
-
You’ll find out that there’s more passion than you’ve ever imagined underneath your moods… more than enough to fuel whatever it is that you want to do!
-
You’ll see that you’re not your emotions… not your feelings… not your thoughts… not your moods.
-
You’ll see that you’re the silence in between… something apart from them that is more alive than you can possibly imagine!
It’s taking this observer point of view that’ll enable you to see all this…
When I got more adept at this myself… I literally saw myself. And then I saw myself seeing myself. And then I saw that I was seeing myself seeing myself.
This may sound crazy, but it’s absolutely remarkable. It’s an experience of awesome clarity, where you see yourself as separate from ‘yourself’… or the ‘self’ that you think you are… the identity that you have in this world.
It’s a new dimension to your experience… a fourth dimension if you will… almost like a parallel universe to the one we live in.
This ‘observer’ point of view is the foundation for a completely new relationship to life.
-
You’ll see that any ‘pain’, ‘frustration’, ‘exhaustion’, ‘overwhelm’, whatever negative state that you may find yourself in… is nothing but a strategy… and certainly not a result.
-
You’ll see that it’s a defensive strategy that covers up the fact that you have a big hand in ‘creating’ your life…
-
You’ll see that it’s a subconscious defense mechanism blinding you from the truth that you may find hard to face, because it leaves no alternative but to take full responsibility…
-
In fact, you’ll see that it covers up the fear… and in many cases, the being ‘totally terrified’ of being ‘All You Can Be’.
In the words of Marianne Williamson:
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It’s our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?
Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you.
We’re all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone.
And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”
Now that’s a revolution…
Just what I needed today. I am Passing this on
Thank you, this teaching is exactly what I need today to remind me of who I am. I too often allow my self to be small. I call it humility but I know it is not. It just feels safer that way. If no one sees me, they won’t throw stones or hurl criticism. I need to release myself from people pleasing and begin to enjoy this adventure of mine without fear.
THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST WORKS TO DESCRIBE OUR TRUE SELVES> YOU PUT IT SIMPLY SO ALL CAN UNDERSTAND<THANK YOU BECAUSEYOURS SAMI
I read every book by both, G and O. Do not play with your mind, nor mine. If you knew what you were talking about, then you would not waste your time. Time, the only thing that has any value?If it was as easy as you make it seem, than we would already BE there.You only get what You want for others! Think about it? The truth is FREE! Are you? I AM. Allan
Henk & Nicholas,
What a powerful message! Gurdjieff & Ouspenski were and still are the most important figures in awakening my consciousness and knowing reality. Keep it coming.
Les Schmidt
Thank you Henk and Nicholas.
Yes, a powerful message indeed! I know the experience you describe of feeling the passion intermittently and sometimes finding myself afraid of that power. I will use this practice and I look forward to seeing the impact it will have.
Warmest regards,
Rosemary Heenan
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Timothy Kendrick, TKG. Namboodhiri. TKG. Namboodhiri said: STOP!!: http://bit.ly/6sfMlN via @addthis [...]
That is the message. 6 years ago I was knived thrown from a 5th storey (I survived that)and through following the LAW OF ATTRACTION I am now living a successful and rich life helping others to be the best they can with health tips and it is FUN REWARDING AND AWESOME.
EVERY DAY I REACH INTO MY SUBCONSCIOUS TO GROW THANK YOU
Thank you, I am starting here again.
Wow! All I can say is that this post appeared to me at the right time! I can’t thank you enough for your insight. It made perfect sense to me, which I hadn’t seen before, is that when I am overwhelmed, etc. that there is a message for me locked inside those feelings. Stepping back and becoming the observer is probably the missing key. There are many juicy nuggets in your post.
Thank you again!
Amazing how the information arrives just when I need it. I was just wondering what passion is and how to find my passion this morning. Great!
So, what do we do about this? I am assuming the act of observing is powerful and gives us insight into doing things that are not unconcious defensiveness. So do we become aware, then we forgive ourselves and move on? Is awareness the starting point? Is this necessary for us to do it differently?
Always enjoy your musings!
This is a gem. Like so many others, I am also suffering from information overload in seeking for a better life, but it has been worth spending the time to read through your article right to the end. Thank you for what seems to be a powerful tool to assist me on my journey towards my ultimate destination.
Adele
Hi
As always, an excellent article.
Thank you.
Ian
thankyou for an uplifting article and for reminding me that yes l am a child of god and shine on thanks craig
Thank you! I am very grateful for all the perfectly timed words of wisdom in the universe. Yes let’s keep our lights on. Thank you Allen for being FREE so that I AM.
Clay Said.
If we are not positive we are in the past.
Then we are like Barbara said we hide we are in Apathy so no one will hut us.
We are realy afraid of ourself. For so long we were told to do this and that now we are afraid to se the real Self that we are. . We are like a bird in a cage with the door open and we are afraid to come out.. We need to make a decision and go for it .Our freedoom is there we just have to let go and let God.
Clay
[...] learning what works for me. If you have some tips for me, leave me a comment. I discovered this wonderful article that gave me a few “Ah, hah” moments. If you enjoy their work click over to this page [...]
WOW!! Thank you so much for posting this today!! It seems to be exactly what alot of people needed to hear – but especially myself!!
Barbara – I like what you said about how much easier it is to feel ‘humility’.
I stand with you….”I need to release myself from people pleasing and begin to enjoy this adventure of mine without fear.”
It especially goes for what people say ‘about’ you. Whether good, bad, it is just their ‘lens’ they are looking through…..”To Thine Own Self Be True.” – And the rest will follow.
So needed to hear this today – THANK YOU!!
You bring such clarity – for me an ‘aha’ moment. I remember those pictures in a picture well. You have helped me immensely. Thank-you so much for sharing your wisdom.
Your intention on when to bring the right material to your readers is amazing and correct. I can’t tell you how many times you have brought to me information and hope at just the right time on my journey with you to self impovement and growth. Thank you for being here and sharing your journey with us.Please keep up the good work.
God Bless
Barney
Oh My God! That was amazing and Wow!
I have always found Gurdjieff really really difficult to understand!
Groundhog Day My favourite all-time movie!
Krishnamurti showed me the observer!
I can remember the first time feeling as though I was peeping at the world from behind a curtain!
Nowadays I’ve drawn the curtains wide open, At first that too was tough!
Roll on the fifth dimension.
Hey happy ones
Nice work as usual except for the sponsored BLAH!
Just saying Hi again
will catch up in due course
Chi
Henk & Nicholas,
As always I appreciate your input. Specially coming from the same Dutch background. You really put the dot on the I and crossed the T. Very good, but not easy to do, but I’ll give it my best shot.
Janny
Your thoughts are truly insightful, inspiring, thought-provoking and awesome! Thank you for sharing it with everyone.
Thank you for a great and enlightening article! I’m going to reread it and internalize it. It’s very profound.
Thank you for your timely article. It’s helped me catch myself being wrapped up in my thoughts and feelings about something. I can’t wait to spend some time in the observer space regarding this and see what I see and where it takes me.
Thanks Henk and Nicholas,
Are our moods our conditioning? Just things we tell ourselves? You have given me a way forward. Many thanks.
Leila
HENK & NICHOLAS, THANKS GUYS, THIS IS MORE USEFUL THAN A SWISS ARMY KNIFE. I AM A PROFESSIONAL GUITAR PLAYER. THE PASSION ENCOMPASSES MANY EMOTIONS; PAIN,
PLEASURE, EXCITEMENT, FRUSTRATION, GRATIFICATION, EXHAUSTION (UP TO 6 HOURS A DAY), FEELING GREAT, FEELING SMALL, EMPTINESS & MORE. BUT IT STILL FUNCTIONS AS A METAPHOR FOR LIFE IN A BODY WITH A MIND, THAT IS, I STILL GET STUCK IN RUTS,
STILL DEAL WITH THE OCCASIONAL FEELING OF GOING NOWHERE, BLINDLY OBSESS OVER ELEMENTS OF TECHNIQUE & LOSE THE MUSIC/MAGIC IN THE PROCESS & HAVE TO
STOP, STEP BACK & REBOOT. IT TAKES, AS BACH STATED HUNDREDS OF YEARS AGO, 95% PERSPIRATION & 5% INSPIRATION TO PRODUCE VIABLE PRODUCT; THIS ENTAILS
COMPLETE IMMERSION & ENDLESS REPETITION, BUT THE PAYOFF IS INEFFABLE, THAT IS,
MORE THAN WORDS CAN ENCOMPASS. GETTING LOST IS THE EASIEST THING. STAYING
‘ON BEAM’ IS TOUGH & REQUIRES CONSTANT TRYING. THE MOST DIFFICULT THING TO MEASURE IS PROGRESS. OFTEN IT FEELS LIKE NONE IS BEING MADE BUT THE TRUTH IS
THAT AS WITH ANYTHING & EVERYTHING IN LIFE IF YOU MAKE THE EFFORT YOU GET THE REWARD. YOU ARE MAKING PROGRESS EVEN WHEN IT DOESN’T LOOK, FEEL, OR SOUND
LIKE IT SO AS RAMANA MAHARSHI SAYS, WE MUST CULTIVATE MORE PATIENCE. YOUR
ARTICLE REMINDS ME OF ALL THIS, SO THANK YOU. ONE OF THE DESCRIPTIONS OF
WHAT REINCARNATION IS THAT I HAVE READ IS THAT IT IS THE ENDLESS RE-CREATING OF
YOU & YOUR EXPERIENCE OF THE UNIVERSE & THAT KARMA IS INSTANT AS YOU ARE
LIVING IT FROM BREATH TO BREATH BUT THAT YOU HAVE A CHOICE TO DEVELOP OR
NOT DEVELOP THE WILL TO BECOME MORE CONSCIOUS OF THE FACT THAT WHAT WE HAVE IS WHAT WE HAVE CREATED. THIS IS TO REMIND US THAT WE POSESS THE POWER OF CO-CREATION & REAFFIRMS THE GOSPEL SCRIPTURE ABOUT THE RESPONSIBILITY,
ACCOUNTABILITY & CONSEQUENCES OF OUR EVERY THOUGHT, WORD & DEED, THE APPLICATION OF WHICH IS THAT, YES, BY THIS MECHANISM/DYNAMIC WE MAKE THE WORLD WHAT IT IS & CAN SO CHANGE IT WITH EVERY LITTLE THOUGHT & ACTION. EVERY
COOL THING THAT WE DO HAS ENORMOUS SPIRITUAL LEVERAGE IN THE WORLD & MAKES A DIFFERENCE. YOU ARE IMPORTANT & MAKE A DIFFERENCE. CONSCIOUS EVOLUTION IS ALL WE HAVE ON OUR SIDE. AGAIN, HENK,NICHOLAS, THANX FOR YOUR “SONGS” ON THE ROAD TO FREEDOM. LOVE ALL, TOM.
Have you also read this? I stumbled over it a few years ago.
Not an easy read, but interesting.
http://faculty.virginia.edu/consciousness/
Reincarnation as discussed by Neale Donald Walsch also talks about reliving the same life over again but with different choices. He also mentions that we choose when are also living all times simultaneously , ie; the 1400 life, the 1500 life the the 1600 life and so on. It’s very interesting. http://www.transchi.com speaks about part of Karma being unifinished business from a previous life. Interesting principles. THank you!
Hi, This is perfect for me right now.. thank you, my passion is seeing a lot of adversity in my country and I’m growing increasingly frustrated at the closed-mindedness I am dealing with on a daily basis. thank you for the re-direction, it is very much appreciated!
Just the shot in the arm needed by many of us, to take the time to reflect on that which is driving us, ego and our Core Beliefs or our higher selves. Now is the time for us all to start shoveling out all those beliefs that hold us back from recognizing and being that which we already are! In another course I was trained in we were taught to feel the emotion intensely when we are stressed or our buttons are pushed and then to drop below it like we are now watching a movie and therein lies the truth behind that stress or emotion lurking there as a belief that is driving or hindering us in some way. Can you imagine a world of individuals who have discovered their true value and how absolutely awesome they are and how we are all connected?
SO SO SO important .So much space available Thank you for printing this
Thank you for sharing this wonderful article!!!! What a find! I am sending it on! Everyone should read it, print it and paste it somewhere! Why cant they teach stuff like this to our kids in school?
Keep up with this wonderful work!
Blessings
That message is thought provoking.
Thank You.
No wonder that Gurdjief and Ouspenski are expounding on what Our Lord Jesus Christ has said to Nicodemus ” unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” John 3:3 that is, we have to let go of all our past with its intentions and characteristics to adopt a CHANGE in our attitude by cleansing our subconscious rut through spiritual review and deep examination in the Light of Him Who has come to SAVE.
You have made the process of Change clearer, but certainly we need to accept being the Children of God to get His help and support to reach true fulfillment. Bless you.
I read a few of the comments above mine and noticed how many said that this post came at the right time for them. Of course, things always come at the right time don’t they. It’s part of sincronicity. Just yesterday, as I walked my dog, I was affirming to myself, all the things I love in my life and one of them was sincronicity and another was inner guidance and clarity of thought and the very next day I read this post which is all about clarity. Thank you for putting it all so clearly. I will put a big note on my fridge (to remind me) which says —- ‘Feeling overwhelmed?’….. STOP!!! Look.. Listen.. See.. See through it!’
Thank you, Henk and Nicholas, for these profound thoughts.
Hi H
Hi guys
This is a great article, very profound and true.
Great inspiration to all who read.
Keep up the good work and blessing of abundance to you both
God Bless
Thank you Henk and Nicholas, I enjoy your blogs, the content is spot on the right path. Yes I agree it is my awesomeness that terrifies me. I try so hard to stay small and insignificant and in my darkness. My light shines out though, despite me. So I let my little light shine, but its not so ‘little’ it’s a universal humungessness, overwhelmingly huge. I see my light inspire so many but I am afraid when it shines back at me and the spotlight it shining on me and I fear the attention. Guess that’s part of my journey to embrace those fears and bathe in the light that I am, guess this is where my happy-joy has been hiding from me, or more accurately I have been hiding from it! Gratitude to you and all the light that we are.
Add A Comment