Far, Far Beyond.
Art by: Felipe Posada
My mornings begin with a time I’ve come to call - White Space. I’ve fought for this time over the last three years. At first my mind did cartwheels instead of sitting quietly. I had to tailor my method to truly fit, but now it’s mine and has become precious.
My White Space method is slow and tech free. It begins early with abundant caffeine before I’m distracted with too many conscious thoughts and worries.
I do my best to follow Deepak Chopra’s suggestion of thirty minutes of silent meditation in his book, The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success. I try not to be critical of myself when I can only manage ten or fifteen minutes. Deepak Chopra’s simple three part practice is foundational to know as you begin to find your own.
There is a reason we call meditation a practice. It can be incredibly difficult to find your own version of White Space that works. Don’t give up. You will become successful at your own practice. The part we forget to mention is that it is just that… it’s yours! Your White Space is specific to you and your preferences and tastes. Engage all five senses in your discovery. I’d love to hear what works for you. (YES, I incorporate the taste of coffee and chocolate in my White Space recipe!)
Once I can quiet my mind, learning feels endless. It’s probably not the most practical way, but I get so excited that often I have five or more books open all at once. I scribble notes all over my books. There is so much to discover about the human mind and our potential. I soak in as much as I can. I’ve found writing is a big part of my White Space method. It’s not pretty either. I allow myself to not finish sentences. Often I use a brain dump style of summary notes.
There are so many fascinating thoughts and mysteries that hold us back from being ourselves. (Have a favorite book or method? Let me know in the comments below!)
I found this gem today in Michael Singer’s, The Untethered Soul - Chapter 13; Far, Far Beyond. I hope it brings you as many curious thoughts and application as it did me.
- Laura
“Your cage is just like this. When you approach the edges you feel insecurity, jealousy, fear, or self-consciousness. You pull back, and if you are like most people, you stop trying. Spirituality begins when you decide that you’ll never stop trying. Spirituality is the commitment to go beyond no matter what it takes. It’s an infinite journey based upon going beyond yourself every minute of everyday for the rest of your life. If you’re truly going beyond, you are always at your limits. You’re never back in the comfort zone. A spiritual being feels as though they are always against that edge, and they are constantly being pushed through it.
Eventually you will realize that it cannot actually hurt you to go beyond your psychological limits. If you are willing to just stand at the edge and keep walking, you will go beyond. You use to pull back when it got uncomfortable. Now you relax and go past that point. That is all it takes to go beyond. Go beyond where you were a minute ago by handling whats happening now.
Would you like to go beyond? Would you like to feel no edges? Imagine a comfort zone that is so expanded that it can easily fit the entire day no matter what happens. The day unfolds and the mind doesn’t say anything. You simply interact with the day with a peaceful, fully inspired heart. If your edges happen to get hit, the mind doesn’t complain. It all just passes through. This is how great beings live. When you are trained, like a great athlete, to immediately relax through your edges when they get hit, then its all over. You realize you will always be fine. Nothing can ever bother you except your edges, and now you know what to do with them. You end up loving your edges because they point your way to freedom. All you have to do is constantly relax and lean into them. Then one day, when you least expect it, you fall through into the infinite. That is what it means to go beyond.”
