Linda George, Contributor
Waking Times

Every so often, the Universe, Great Spirit, the Divine… reminds us that we are spiritual beings having a human experience. “I am not my body, I am not my mind, I am not my thoughts – nor am I the emotions generated by my thoughts…”

I think we all need this reminder – on a regular basis. We forget so easily, the truth of who we really are. We become enmeshed, moment to moment, in the experience of being human – in the endless dramas, the constant stream of thoughts and their accompanying emotions. We feel our emotions (energy in motion) pricking through collections of molecules and muscles in our bodies: the nervous flutterings of the solar plexus, the contraction of the heart, the quietly furrowed brow and tight lips, the shallow breath, the held breath, the hunched shoulders. Our thoughts and emotions consume us, draining our life force, our vitality, carrying us away and cutting us off from the people we are with, and the beauty or ordinariness of the places we are in. Lost in the jungle of our minds, we forget that we are pure consciousness, infinite and eternal, temporarily occupying this physical body. We forget that our heritage is timelessness; that this moment is where we live, and all we will take from this world is the wisdom imprinted on our souls and the love we have shared. That is all.

It is true this physical life is time consuming. That is its nature, after all. To BE in time. Most of us are occupied in every waking moment, with the business of time. It takes time to work, to make a living, to maintain a home, to maintain relationships, to maintain the body. That is as it is. But we should also make time to be timeless. To stop for a while. To sit in silence and turn inwards. To bring the full focus of our awareness onto and into our heart centre. To meditate on Who we are. In the heart, the seat of the soul, is a voice that will tell us the truth. To hear it we need to step out of the busy-ness of life and make time to be still. Naturally enough, time-entrenched habits will prevail. Thoughts will continue their chattering and the body will seek our attention, reminding us through an assortment of discomforts, of its existence. It isn’t easy to get past it all and be still – in mind and body. Yet this stillness is what we must seek and practice, until old habits are broken and new ones created – if we want to know the truth of who we are. Not only that. There is a great bonus to this commitment to stillness, this withdrawing of attention inwards. Dr. Paul Brunton expressed it more eloquently than I could, in this way:

“The man who follows this quest is like the ray which is returning to its source. When he follows the ‘I AM’ in him to its hidden root, when the intellectual process of his enquiry gradually develops into a subtler inner movement, he will sooner or later enter – intermittently at first – a condition of impersonal freedom and utter peace……….When the mind’s depth is plumbed he will arrive at a point where both the thinking intellect and personal self seem almost to become re-absorbed by the hidden element which created them. That element is none other than the Absolute Being, the One Overself, the Supreme Reality and Underlying Spirit which subsists eternally amid the births and deaths of mortal men and material worlds. This august revelation awaits him even at the beginning of his first fumbling steps on the quest.”  (Dr Paul Brunton: ‘Quest of the Overself’, p. 215) 

Let us then begin the quest; take those first fumbling steps. Why not make this commitment to sit, each day, for a certain period of time. We could see it as an experiment at first, approaching it in a spirit of curiosity. What will happen? How will this feel?  What, after all, is there to lose? The busy-ness of the life will be there when we return. Nothing of any importance will be lost.  We know studies have shown the benefits of meditation – so we have only to gain, surely, through making this commitment to ourselves.  A true knowing may fully reveal itself:  I am not my body, I am not my mind, I am not my emotions… What better use can we make of time – other than to sit in timelessness.

And look what beckons!  Freedom, peace and the ultimate revelation of the truth of who we really are.   One and the same. The same and One.

About the Author

Linda is an astrologer, author and yoga teacher, living in New Zealand. Lover of cats, travel and all paths leading to broader horizons, she has been a student and practitioner of holistic healing, metaphysics and spirituality for many decades. She feels privileged to be the mother of four ‘20-something’ children who continue to be her greatest teachers and friends. Please write to her at Lindastrologer@gmail.com  or www.acosmicride.wordpress.com for any information regarding astrology, or any insights you would like to share – they will be most gratefully received. Thank you.

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