The Pause that Refreshes . . .
“Might ye be ready for a TEA break?” This was the invitation of my sainted Scottish aunt whenever she caught me worrying about something.
She wasn’t offering me a cup of tea, although this was usually involved. She was suggesting that I take the opportunity to rise above my challenges, whatever they were.
In her parlance TEA represented;
The ‘ascending’ was usually the stumbling block. Aunt Eva always helped to release me from fixating on the evidence of my physical senses and to consider the open pathways to my more spiritual perspectives.
It always seemed to work. Instead of being locked in a deadly downward spiral of gloomy, pessimistic thoughts, I was able to find fresh new perspectives and often the solution to whatever was bugging me.
Let me share her wisdom; you have only to ask.
How would you respond to someone who builds a jail cell and then chooses to live within it? It surely makes no sense, but this is what we have all done, perhaps without realizing it. The jail cell is Time.
Many, if not most, allow time to dictate the quality, not to mention the quantity, of our life. We are governed rather than guided by the past and we apply a reality to conditions that have not yet occurred, the future. In reality, there is only Now, the present moment of which we are aware and wherein we can do anything.
We cannot revisit the past however we might recall it, for it is but our private memories. We cannot change it even though we invest considerable time and effort in attempting to do so, often to no benefit, since others will insist on the reality of their memories, often at variance with our own. Likewise, the future, our speculations being the product of our own mind and rarely fully shared with those of others.
The eight-ninths of us that lives beneath the surface of our sensory awareness is unaffected by time, or even space constraints. In our dreams and imaginations, when physical senses are suspended, we can do anything we choose without such restraints. There is no time, there are no limitations of space, and this is the part of us that will likely endure.
Eternity is not extended, unlimited or even endless time, or any other similar manifestation. It is No time, it is timelessness, the total absence of time, and we live within it, perhaps without appreciating its benefits. Reflect that our experiences of Love in its many forms, is not influenced by time. We can neither initiate it nor terminate it at will; our only recourse is to acknowledge, accept or reject its impact. It’s the same for Truth.
We can acknowledge this in our perspectives yet perhaps not in our behaviors. We admit to falling in love, or out-of-love, recognizing that it is independent of us and free from our control; we seek it, we do not create it. It operates fully independently of our consciousness. It is timeless – always has been and always will be!
It’s time to release our self from the self-imposed shackles of time, for it is an overly demanding dictator and master. We are not obliged to accept its demands although we may elect to recognize its value as a servant since it governs so many of the actions of others and explains the ever-present phenomenon of change in our life. However, what is real and enduring for everyone of us is not subject to its domineering aspects so let us not assume this.
The freedom that follows this appreciation is of great value, the quiet peace-of-mind that results from reduced stress, strain, anxiety, and cravings that can sap our vitality. Surely such a reward is well-worth the effort to achieve it?
Let’s change our perspective.
