Those of you who've read CP will recognize this issue in the 4th insight--the one about our "control dramas." But I want to take a big step away from that. In other words, don't forget everything you've read, but consider that it might not be THE game changer. It's not really about HOW you want to control things, rather THAT you want to control them. It's hard, and it's scary, to give up control sometimes, especially when it comes to walking away from an argument, or a dream....
It's because we think we're right. Of course we do. NO one really walks around saying "I'm going to win this argument, because I'm wrong." (Okay, maybe some people do, but we're talking about in semi-enlightened moments, here.) We think we're right, and we think our vision is right, and so we want people to see things our way. Doesn't matter, really, if it's an argument with our lover or an argument with an opposing political or cultural view. (You think you tolerate everyone and everything? Give it a try. $10 says less than 10 minutes gets you to something that punches a control button.) I don't know that this necessarily is a bad thing. I think that often, people who claim that truth is relative and everyone's point of view should carry equal weight are kidding themselves about how they really see the world. (The Dalai Lama and a few others may be an exception to this rule.) However, this isn't really the point. As I said above, it's not about how we want to be in control, but about THAT we do...and how do we walk away from that with our sense of self intact?
This is one reason we practice awareness, and we practice being connected to Source.
Being in control keeps us from being present. When we're worried about being in control, we're staying a step ahead of the game, watching our flank, whatever (sorry, ran out of sports and war metaphors there). What we're less likely to be doing is being in the now, with whatever/whoever is there. We're less likely to be processing, more likely to be reacting, relying on what used to be, rather than what is. We practice awareness on the cushion, but also in ordinary times, so that when the stressful moments hit, we have better success at stepping back and out of the drama.
Realizing that you are always connected, practicing that connection so that you are more aware and attuned, is key to releasing control. When we are aware that we are connected to Source, we can draw on the energy of that connection and we do not need to maintain our sense of self by being in control. We can allow things to be perfect just as they are, rather than as we'd like them to be, because WE DON'T LOSE.
Being able to let go of being in control also opens us to the awareness of other options. When we don't have to hang on to our marriage at all costs, when we don't have to be right all the time, we have room to let someone else—such as Source—be right, and point us in a direction we hadn't considered (remember, obstacles may be—pardon the cheesy comparison—turn signals. Sometimes "no" is a great thing.). Make sense? If there is divine purpose to our lives, and if we have purpose and plans (for lack of a better word) beyond the physical, and we realize we have chosen a physical existence for a reason, then how can we say that the physical reality we face—including our knowledge of what's best for us—is all there is?
Note: this is NOT blaming the victim, nor do I believe "it was God's will" is an answer. All I'm saying is that when we cling to control, we miss the opportunities in front of us, whether they're for growth, for energy shifting, or for options in our physical reality we might not be paying attention to. Just a thought.
Lorena, I agree fully that when we control excessively, we miss the opportunities and fail to recognize choices that can significantly improve our lives emotionally, spiritually, creatively, and financially. In short, we fail to see and enjoy the wonders all around us. I write about that extensively at www.losingcontrolfindingserenity.com
ReplyDeleteKeep up the great writing!
Danny
On the one hand, I agree completely with what you wrote. Why, on the other, am I near tears every time some expression of this triggers thoughts that the current "no" to Tennessee is a turn signal? The possibility of it saddens me deeply and I try to reach for a happier thought and try to be at the same time present in joy and see a move as an expansion of what I/we have here. I have, after all, manifested a part of my dream, just not the location.
ReplyDeleteDanny--thanks. Of course the challenge is in recognizing that we cannot be hurt in this process--which is something that we build by strengthening our connection to the divine, through meditation, through continually coming back to the present. Off to take a look at your website now :)
ReplyDeleteLynnette: you know, part of this could be grief at the thought of a permanent loss of your dream. And that's hard to work through. But perhaps another thing to consider could be this: could you approach it from the perspecitve that perhaps some fear of the challenge of realizing your dream (aka 'fear of success') is in itself a block. Can you sit with the thought that it might not happen, just breathing through that and constantly bringing yourself present when the feelings arise casually? Treat it like it's a monkey-mind reaction, rather than real? Just enough to treat the feelings with curiosity rather than certainty (hey, what's really going on here? what story am I telling myself?)
This is a groovy post!
ReplyDelete^_^
Reminds me of Abraham Hicks and Wayne Dyer.
I can dig it.