Healing the Mind Illusion
Linda George, Contributor
Waking Times
“Life is torn by the tension between what it actually is and what it feels it ought to be. Such a tension is the inescapable consequence of its double nature. For it is personal and finite on the one hand but universal and infinite on the other.” ~Paul Brunton
Many of us, at this point in the time-space construct, are feeling this tension. The New Year has already made its presence felt as floods of emotional intensity have shot through the ethers. Here is a thought: could it be that the tension, the chaos and intensity some of us are feeling and witnessing, in our personal lives and in the state of the world, is a manifestation or consequence, of the veil thinning? The veil being that which separates the two sides of life; the personal and the universal, the finite and the infinite. The higher philosophy, through its eloquent and ardent student and teacher, the late Paul Brunton, states that life has a double nature. In truth, he says, this ancient dualism is an illusion of the mind. For the enlightened man, there is no duality between spirit and matter.
Most of us are not so enlightened. Many eons ago we fell into an abyss. Known by many names across the world’s mythologies the fall signified our separation from the Source and the birth of the individualised ego. Through countless epochs and the rise and fall of many civilizations our souls suffered through this schism that severed us from our true, holistic nature. The fall has caused a collective amnesia. It has created the ‘illusion of the mind’. All our suffering, according to Paul Brunton, is “due in the end to defective remembrance.” What have we failed to remember? Simply this: we have forgotten our other half. We have forgotten that we are double in nature.
“It is as incomplete a vision to see the world as transitory alone without its underlying reality as it is to see the reality alone without its manifestation in the world. The two are inseparably linked and true insight sees them as such, not opposed to each other.” ~Paul Brunton
The two to which he is referring here is the manifest world and the reality behind it, which is the ALL. The All has been called by many names: Brahman, Allah, God, Krishna, the Source, the Absolute, the World-Mind. It is the essence of all of life. It is the seed within all of life; the divine seed. It is the pattern maker behind form, the animator, the giver of the life force. Here, Brunton refers to it simply as the Reality. We are cautioned to see reality and manifestation; manifestation and reality – or form and formless, finite and infinite. Should we neglect one side, we find ourselves in this state, our current state – that of tension and confusion.
So back to our question. Are we living in a time where the veil between reality and manifestation is fracturing? We sense and see definite signs of an awakening occurring – could this be it? Are we in the process of healing the split? So many fascinating paradoxes are afoot – it does make you wonder. Take the proliferation of esoteric truths being disseminated on the net for one. Our material, technological world is sending out ancient spiritual truths. So much information, so many books, podcasts, presentations, so many telling us to turn inwards. The ancient wisdom traditions, the perennial philosophy – they all said exactly the same thing: ‘The Kingdom of heaven is within.’ It is not out in the manufactured world, in the organized religions and the divisiveness they have created; it is not in technology; it is not in consumerism – in material stuff. It is in the realization of our own minds and hearts that God is in us. As it is in all of the natural world. Heaven is in the knowing that we are in truth infinite consciousness – temporarily residing in a finite body.
The massive awakening in the natural health movement is an early chapter in the story of the end times of separation. As we individually wake up to the responsibility we have to nurture our bodies, to take care of them through feeding them real food and avoiding the chemicals and toxins that abound in these times – thus supporting our immune systems; and as we realize the damage we do to our bodies with our stressful lifestyles and our anxious thoughts – we are in effect breaking through to the understanding that our bodies are inseparable from our souls. Our bodies are precious vehicles housing our souls; they are our teachers and our messengers, they are forgiving, they have tremendous self-healing powers – but they need our conscious contribution. They are not just mechanical, material objects that we can take along to the doctor, like a car to the mechanic, when something feels wrong. There is a massive awakening happening to the reality of the interconnectedness of our thoughts and feelings with our physiology. Unconsciousness leads to distress and disease on all levels and as this understanding grows we will heal the split between the body and the rest of our multidimensional reality.
Worshipping at the altar of materialism is a dying religion. The awakening is opening our eyes to our contribution to the health and sickness of our planet. We are realizing the impact our economic system with its massive focus on materialism, is having on the ecosystem of our planet. The esoteric wisdom tells us our planet has a soul; it is evolving as we are – and we are contributing to its evolution. Make no mistake, our planet has thrown off many civilisations in the past that were preoccupied with material manifestation and the misuse of their power. In their neglect of the Reality they sowed the seeds of their own demise. Our planet will do it again with our civilisation – should we fail to wake up in time.
And so, aside from the question of whether we will get it in time or not, we now would do well to reflect on what is happening when we experience tension, anxiety, emotional intensity and all manner of mental and bodily ills. As mentioned, this year is off to a rip-roaring start in that regard – if accounts I have received are anything to go by. What is happening is we are being asked, demanded in some cases, by our own knowing – the voice of our Higher Self – to pause, reflect and reorient ourselves. We simply cannot go forwards carrying the same baggage. The complexity of the universe has reached a critical point, time is speeding up, and we do not have forever. The reason time is appearing to speed up is because there is more in it. More is happening in our day than ever before which means the complexity is growing and gathering incrementally. All of this is happening way faster than our biology can comfortably adjust to. Do you have any idea what the thick soup of electro-magnetic frequencies from cell phone towers for example, is doing to the frequencies of your body and brain? This is only going to intensify.
Thank heavens the awakening is happening. We cannot afford to sit back now. We must take the discomfort, the tension and use them as motivators to slow down this crazy ride. If we can only recover our other half, as the enlightened ones through the ages have done. Science is now proving the physical benefits of meditation. All the information is there, we have modern science demonstrably verifying the truths of the ancient wisdom. It is imperative we turn away from the world and look within.
So practically, how do we do this? Well you know, I think you know the answer already. It could be summed up in a short sentence: Disconnect from the world so you can connect with your Self.
Turn off facebook. Turn off your mobile. Turn off TV. Train yourself to do so more regularly. Frequently turn off from whatever you are doing and close your eyes. Bring your awareness to your heart center. Breathe in and out through this region of your body a few times and imagine, if you like, a bright white light here. Or go for a bush or beach walk. Once a day sit down and do a longer meditation. But even five or ten minutes is good. Read spiritual literature. Read books.
Resist the temptation to talk. Resist listening to the chattering inner voice. Let it go when you notice it. Breathe. Deeply. Watch your breath. Do yoga. Eat as close to natural as possible. Exercise – but not excessively. Breathe slowly and deeply. Observe. Relax. Let go. Surrender. Enjoy. It is safe to be alone. The world will not end. You can return when you are ready – it will still be there. Drop your fear of missing out – there is nothing truly worthwhile out there to miss out on. Above all, know that you are loved and you are, in truth, a divine, immortal, infinite being.
“Only when the consciousness displaces the predominance of the sense of being personally occupied with life does the hidden observer transform external existence from being the prosaic and materialist thing it ordinarily is into something veritably divine.” ~Paul Brunton
About the Author
Linda George lives in New Zealand, where she is actively engaged in finding the balance between effort and ease in a chaotic world. She teaches yoga and shares her insights from four decades of involvement in the worlds of metaphysics, philosophy, astrology, alternative healing, comparative religions and yoga, through writing. Her book, Sun Signs & Soulmates, (Llewellyn USA) is available on Amazon. Her award-winning manuscript, Living in the Big Picture, is awaiting publication.
She may be contacted by email: Lindastrologer@gmail.com
Please visit her website: www.lindageorgeastrology.com and her blog: www.acosmicride@wordpress.com