You may
have a brilliant idea. You see the idea crystal clear, you know where you want
to get, what you want to make real. You know, you feel what you have to do, how
you need to do it in order to realize and manifest your plan. “Oh, this is a
really great idea. If I implement this plan, then I will surely help others,
and secure my living at the same time.”, the excitement bursts out from you.
The only
extremely unpleasant thing is, that these peaks of feverish creativeness occur
rather rarely. As your enthusiasm decreases, moderates, countless concerns fill
you: “Oh, I am sure I am not able to do this. I am not good enough or skillful
enough for this. I am afraid that I will fail.” – this is what you think and your
dreams, which seemed to be so refreshing, exciting and radiant, begin to fade.
What you thought was great, very important, now it just does not seem like that
anymore. In fact, doubt gradually conquers you: “I am sure I cannot accomplish
this!”.
In other
cases, our plans may not necessarily be “world-changing”, just some
smaller-scale idea, but this would be far enough for you to find happiness.
Perhaps the planning of a flower bed, or organizing a trip would be just enough
to get you all fired up and excited and make you want to completely engage in
realizing it. But somehow, your excitement drops underway. You give up.
Or maybe
your boss forwards an email to you, which begins like this: “This is a creative
task, suitable for you!”. You run your eyes through it and note it with
disappointment: “This is a routine task, even a machine could do it.”.
The
disappointment following the unrealized dreams remains in you every time: “I am
doing my job, running around, I can barely breath anymore. I wanted to make
real so many things, but I had no time for them. I am getting old, all the
gates close in front of me.”.
Too many
conflicting thoughts attack us and they viciously demand attention: “Can I do
this?”, “What am I going to do with the emerging obstacles?”, “Others failed in
this, why would I succeed?”
There are
those little selves in us, the egos, and they make us do strange things. They
want to reach something very important, they project themselves into the
future, celebrating the success of their not yet realized plans, they would
like to be there in that moment as soon as they can, when everything functions
perfectly – and while they daydream about the future or wallow in their doubts,
they completely forget about the present moment.
But the
only thing they should do, if they want to live, is to take the chances the
present moment gives.
You can
take those initial steps, which will slowly but surely take you to the
realization of your dream, only here and now, never at any other time. Taking
you closer and closer to the realized dream each day. The dreams and doubts
take over the role of the leader, they fly you far into the future or the past,
making you miss those opportunities that open up for you only right here, right
now, in this moment.
And this
is really unpleasant.
You lose
the grip on reality and drown in your dreams or nightmares.
Creativity, as a creating power, works like a
rollercoaster: sometimes it acts in the heat of the feverish creative work,
sometimes it turns silently inwards, drawing inspiration from the state of pure
consciousness.
Like
Brahman of the Eastern legends, the only embodied spirit inside us: it dreams a
world for itself sometimes, takes up the shapes of millions of forms, the shape
of a rock, a grass blade, a tree, a kitten and your shape, it plays the roles
of its life, then sheds this human skin and retires from the stage of life.
When this happens, the world is destroyed and the sole consciousness turns back
into its own emptiness, only to create other dreamworlds for the sake of its
own amusement.
Create, then rest. Rest, then create. Be awakened,
conscious. Live in the now, in the present moment.
Live and
enjoy existence, throw yourself into every experience. Be open and enter the
game of life.
Do!
When you
feel like you need to do something, just do
it.
Do it
consciously, with your full attention focused on how you are doing what you do.
Do not seek
the future, do not harvest the fruits of the work done, but be there, where you
are physically and mentally, and most importantly consciously, and watch how
you do what you have to do.
If the idea
that you want to realize is present in the space of your consciousness as a
crystal clear picture, gently, vaguely affecting every thought and emotion,
then you are able to see the dance of the forms clearly in the existence in the
present moment, and also when they arrange into opportunities which are
necessary to make your plans come to life.
“Coincidences”
happen, synchronicities. Something happens and you notice it with enthusiasm
that this was just what you needed to proceed and go further, climbing more and
more steps right until achieving your goal. Like the whole universe is helping
you: the events occur when they should, new guides appear, the realization of
your plan rapidly unfolds.
You
consciously do what you have to do.
If you do
not have to do anything or just feel like it, then retire for a while. Put down
your to-do list and let yourself get into the quiet, peaceful, calm, relaxing
contemplation, the sheer existence without deeds.
Be!
When the
creative force lessens, its fire no longer burns with that lively flames, then
it is advisable to switch into the “existence” mode.
Completely
pause all your activities. Let go the compulsive feeling to do something: “I
have been so good at this, I must be good at it now!”.
Give in to resting
in your body.
Stay in the
inner silence and peace, contemplate calmly, let your eyes wander and discover
things that are important for them.
If you want
to, then take a walk in a peaceful, quiet environment of nature. Walk slowly,
gracefully, consciously.
Feel how
relaxed and easy your steps are, and notice the beauty of nature.
Relax in
the space of consciousness. This is how you can recharge your creative energy. And
as the desire to do something comes alive again and you feel its irresistible,
blazing fire, do not hesitate, throw yourself back into action. Consciously and
with joy again.
Be, do, be, do!
Life
suddenly makes you face a complex exercise, a challenge awaits you, to which
you do not know the solution. You
speculate, think, your head buzzes, you go through the script of every possible
scenario, but none of them satisfies you. You think “These solutions are not
good and I do not see if there is a solution at all.”.
Your mind
examined every previously satisfying template in its arsenal: “Last time I did
this and it helped me”, but it did not find a solution pattern in your memories
that would come useful in this new situation. And after trying all the old
“solution templates”, it has no aces left, it has a tendency to turn anxious or
downbeat. It finds no escape from the trap of the problem. It gives up.
When this
happens, the time has come: it is time to retreat into the realm of the quiet
inner peace.
We see the
things and events in the state of pure consciousness as they really are, the
cover of imaginations, glued to them by the mind, falls down.
You are
an alert observer.
You sent
your mind on a day-off, it does not have to mull on the problems it created.
Things
become clear in the state of pure consciousness. Nothing is dramatic anymore,
things are just the way they really are. You
discover the forms, events in the completeness of the moment, which could
become tools that help you reach your goal. You notice how you have to alter
the processes gently and smoothly, so that they help for you, but also for you
fellows.
Realizations
are born in you.
You
wisely understand the completeness of the moment.
You gain
inspiration.
And when
you feel you need to do something, you do it. And as the present moment no
longer needs your intervention, you return to the silent contemplation again.
Do! Be! Do, then be again! Enter the
creative-inspiring pulsing of life!
(Excerpt from the book "Mindfulness Meditation - Journey into Consciousness" by Ervin K. Kery)
