Eye in Your Mind

The more we delve into a deeper understanding of ourselves, the better we will be for it

Sitting by the riverLet’s leaf through some of our daily questions: “Who am I?” “What do I want?” “How do I help myself in the manifestation process?”

When we take the time to ask ourselves these questions on a regular basis they can assist us in detaching from our every day drama and aid us in reaching a deeper understanding of who we are, and how we could envision our life better.

“Who am I?”

A common response I hear is: “I’m not sure who I am.” Although we can all define ourselves in a descriptive manner by name, where we live, where we come from, or what our job is, this can feel like a limited perspective. The description of who we are in this way is our ego profile, and it does not manage to encompass the full reality of who we are. Most of us realise that we are so much more than our ego description.

Exercise

As you read my column I want you to take a moment and just think about who is reading it? Observe yourself as you read. Now, slow down your reading and listen to the words as you read. Can you feel an awareness that, perhaps, you weren’t noticing before I mentioned anything. Who or what is this presence, or awareness? Now, look at your hands as they hold the magazine. Close your eyes for a second and see if you can feel awareness in your hands? Do you, perhaps, feel some tingling as the energy there comes to life? Now, as you notice this presence can you get a sense for how long it has been with you? Has it always been there?

What is the point of these questions? Well, firstly, it is to establish and experience the possibility that there is, in fact, a part of you which is beyond the mind that is reading this page. A witnessing awareness, a presence – a beautiful part of you that is able to witness your thoughts, feelings and actions.

One of the reasons we sit in meditation is to be with that presence. It has certain qualities that you may have noticed — silence, all-encompassing, stillness, non-judgmental, creative, and infinite.

As we become more aware of this witnessing presence we are able to start to realise that we are more than our thoughts, feelings and actions. This allows us to detach from the drama of our life. When we come only from the ego perspective, it places a restriction on our experience of who we are and how we operate in the world. As we expand our awareness of who we are, our reality shifts and we can become more creative in the choices we make and the roles we play.

If we can go beyond our ego and our drama to get in touch with that part of ourselves that is Spirit and which is connected to everything we can access the infinite creative power of the Universe. In doing this, we are able to manifest a life that is much more fulfilling.

So, now that we have explored the fact we may be more than our ego, let’s delve into the more subtle, deeper levels of ourselves and, once again, pose the question: “Who am I?”

Remove the armour

Sit quietly and start by focusing on your breathing, in and out through the nose; feel your body relaxing. Inhale, exhale, and let go of any tension. Close your eyes. Imagine that your body is covered in a suit of armour. As you become more relaxed, feel the armoured suit falling to the ground. First, the front, the back, and then the sides. Hear the clanking noise it makes as it falls on the ground. Finally, remove the protective armour from your head.

Take sometime to breathe and feel the sweetness of the silence within you. Now, silently ask yourself the question, “Who am I?” Keep repeating the question. You’re going to do this for five minutes leaving a gap between each question to allow an answer to come. If you have a friend or partner available you can ask them to whisper the question in your ear. Take your time and see what comes. It could be something like this. Who am I, “Peace,” Who am I “Light,” Who am I “the Ocean”, Who am I “Anger.” Don’t judge your answers; just observe them.

I like to practice this exercise as it helps us to access that part of ourselves that is so much more than the ego self image. When we are able to access this deeper part of ourselves, we can start to bring more of the creativity and magic of the Universe back into our lives.

“What do I want?”

So, you’ve read all about manifesting your dreams and desires, and you think you know what you want but it’s not happening. Because, nothing ever happens that you want? Or, although it works for other people it doesn’t work for someone like you. Or, may be things are happening but now you’re becoming unsure of what it is that you really desire.

What we think we create. So, even if we work at manifesting our true desires, if we keep falling back into the rut of believing that we’re not capable of receiving what we truly want, this will become our reality. We can believe that we desire something new, healthier, in our lives but sometimes we have become conditioned to be more comfortable with what we lack. We can have negative thought forms and beliefs that are so deeply ingrained within ourselves that it prevents us from creating the life we truly want.

Imagine that you are like a computer that has been programmed in a certain way. The problem is that once we become programmed we do not know how to find the erase button to get rid of the ideas, thought forms or ways of being, that are not supportive. This can hinder us on our path to manifesting our dreams. The first step in changing any of these is simply by becoming aware of them. Awareness, on its own, is enough to transform any situation. It holds the key to life itself.

Write Shift

Take a piece of paper and divide it into two columns. On the left-hand side, write what it is you want to manifest. Make sure you use your name and say it’s okay. On the right-hand side, we’re going to be looking to see what your subconscious feels about it – to see how it is blocking you. The exercise is simple; just by recognising your negative thought forms and by bringing them to light, you are allowing them to change.

  • It’s okay for me [Joanna] to be abundant No one will like me if I’m abundant
  • It’s okay for me [Joanna] to be abundant I’m not sure I want to be abundant
  • It’s okay for me [Joanna] to be abundant! It’s okay for me [Joanna] to be abundant!

This exercise could take you a while, obviously; I’ve used a very short demonstration. You have only finished when you have the same written in both columns. You may be surprised at what comes up!

If you discover you have a few underlying issues that are blocking you from manifesting your dreams, and you want to do a little more work there is a wonderful technique that in my experience is a very powerful tool in helping to reprogramme yourself. This is called EFT. “Emotional Freedom Technique.”

The beauty of this system is that it is very easy to learn, and you can use it on yourself. However, there are practitioners all over the world who can help you if you would prefer someone else to guide you. You don’t even need to see them in person; they will help you over the phone. Sometimes, we need the energy and intent of someone removed from ourselves to shift something that is deeply ingrained. I have had amazing successes with EFT and have much respect for it. There are a couple of great websites which offer case studies and free manuals you can download.

Most important: remember that the only constant in life is change. You have the power to change your life – only for the better.

Joanna Dove
Joanna Dove is a Reiki master, meditation instructor, and Seven Spiritual Laws of Yoga instructor, at the Deepak Chopra's Center for Well-Being, New York,USA.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here