Good news to share with you!
The autumn issue of “Light of Consciousness” magazine has my article in it! I’m so excited because this is my favorite magazine. In this issue there are articles by the Dalai Lama, Eckhart Tolle, Krishna Das, Dean Radin and many others. How blessed I am!
In case you’re interested, the article is reprinted below. The magazine is published by www.truthconsciousness.org
A Different Kind of Mindfulness
by Ellen Wood
Being aware of what’s going on in your mind is vital for a joyful life. You have, no doubt, learned to quiet your mind to enter a meditative state. You may even have developed the awareness practice of simply observing your thoughts while doing routine things that don’t require your conscious mind, like brushing your teeth. However, I propose an additional form of mindfulness for you to try as you go through your day. It’s a way to bring yourself into the present moment – where you actually have power.
A little background first: Eckhart Tolle’s book, A New Earth, had a profound effect on me. In this book Tolle makes the case that when we practice being present and mindful in a wholly embodied way, the life force can literally express itself through us. One section I found to be so profound that I distilled Tolle’s ideas into one sentence that captures the essence of his teaching on this subject for me. I wrote it on an index card and placed it on my desk where I would see it often. That sentence is: “Be absolutely present and sense Alert Awareness in the background.”
After being reminded by that card a few times, I began inviting this extraordinary power, the power of God, to live through me. Each day as I walked up the hill on the dirt road near my house, I communed with my Beloved – no computer, no phone, no books or magazines, just my Beloved and me. Then one day last winter my conversation with my Beloved took on a different dimension.
Suddenly I was inspired to say, See through my eyes and I began looking. Just looking – allowing my eyes to fall on whatever was before me. The feeling inside my head was somewhat strange yet interesting and there was no mental chatter – just a shift in my consciousness that I could actually feel – a distinct sensation inside me akin to deeply meditating. This lasted a brief second or so, then my mind said something like, Look at this beautiful snow and as soon as I allowed my mind to label what my eyes were seeing, ordinary awareness returned.
So I began again. I asked my Beloved to see through my eyes and I just looked as though I were seeing for the very first time. What a powerful experience! This time it seemed to last for a few seconds before my mental chatter chimed in. I was in the present moment for those few seconds – there was no analyzing, no comparing – just simple seeing.
I was fascinated by the altered state of my mind, so I asked my Beloved to hear through my ears and I just listened without labeling. For a moment, it was just fresh listening. A second later my mind couldn’t help telling me what it was I had heard: the crunching of snow under my boots, the swish of my sleeves rubbing against the sides of my jacket, the ringing in my ears, a distant coyote howling, the running water in the the irrigation canal up ahead, my breathing.
Next I asked my Beloved to feel through my skin – allowing the pure sensation of touch before my mind labeled it as the insides of my gloves, my legs against my pants, the wind against my right cheek, my breath entering my nostrils. I continued going through my senses for several more rounds, inviting the Divine to experience life as this human being while my ego stepped aside. I got to experience brief but meaningful moments of truly walking with the Divine.
Now I enjoy presenting my senses to the Divine when I’m putting on makeup and combing my hair. I offer the sense of touch and instead of the usual muscle memory handling the job while my mind goes lickety-split into mental re-plays of the past or concerns for the future, I feel the sensation on my skin or scalp.
Try it. There’s an awesome sensation of joy that accompanies the awareness of touch. First, you need to override the screen-out-sensations process by consciously choosing to focus your attention on how things feel. Not just how things feel when you touch them with your fingers, but also how things feel to the soles of your feet; how things feel to the skin all over your body, and even beyond your skin to the insides of your body.
One Sunday last February my friend Tracy Rae was at my house and we watched the Super Bowl together. Just for the fun of it, I asked my Beloved to watch a few seconds of the game with me and sure enough, just “looking” at the TV created a shift in my awareness. Okay, now taste this, I said as I put a treat into my mouth and began to chew. It was popcorn, my mind was quick to point out a split second later.
You may like to try the exercise I’ve included here and see what you experience. When I read these steps to my friend Pintki to see if it was easy enough to follow, she said she kept seeing in her mind’s eye an infant lying on her back in a bassinet, waving her arms and legs in the air. Suddenly, the baby catches a glimpse of her hand and really looks at it, fascinated. Many of us have seen that happen and we know the baby isn’t saying to herself, Oh look. It’s a hand! I wonder what I can do with that. Maybe I can use it to hold my bottle or pull my Binkie out of my mouth or… No, she’s just looking. Just looking, when the mind is quiet. That’s what this exercise is all about.
SIDEBAR
Right now focus on the present moment with your senses
Invite the Divine to use your senses to experience life in this dimension. Just allow yourself to see, hear, touch, smell and taste without mental chatter, and experience what happens in the altered state.
Look without labeling. Just let your eyes fall on whatever is in front of you and see.
Hear without labeling. Just experience raw listening.
Taste without labeling. Pretend it’s the first spoonful of something and you have never tasted anything before.
Smell without labeling. Focus on the act of smelling, allowing the fragrances to permeate your system.
Touch and feel without labeling. Concentrate on the pure sensation.
Say “Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.”
First, congratulations on having your article published. Second, thank you for sharing the article. As always your writing is crisp, concise and so clear. Thank you for a wonderful new practice.
Thank you, Lisa. I had submitted other articles to this (my favorite) magazine. This is the first one they accepted and I’m thrilled.
Thank Ellen! I just terminated this exercise. It lated for about 10 minutes. I first of all took deep breaths and immediately focused on a little light from a spent computer in front of me, it spread out in a starlike point. Then I started to hear music from afar with mixed rhythm such as new age, nature, tribal and metallic strings. The feeling is good and relaxing. I have that salivation in my mouth eventhough eating nothing, just with the thought of tasting something with a spoon and I still have it while I’m writing. The sense of smelling is only freshness and bits of light breeze releasing rose scents ( my secret object of well being ). Now my body is filled with goose bombs . Thank you Ellen for this . Permit me to share the article on LinkedIn.
Yes, of course, share it. I love the descriptions of your senses’ journey.
4 Responses to “Good news to share with you!”