Greetings All ~
For some time I've toyed with presenting a series of topics that I've found intertwined:
~ Apathy vs. Detachment
~ Judgement vs. Discernment
~ Love vs. Compassion
~ Expectation vs. Hope
~ Guilt vs. Self-examination
And the list can go on... Reconsidering these, it occurred to me they were really a case of
~ Ego vs. Soul.
I remember the night I received the phone call that my first husband and father of my children was fatally hit by a car on the side of a road while walking home drunk. We were separated at the time and he was living with a girlfriend. Her call came late in the night. I woke my father, who was far away, and told him I was going to get someone to watch the kids while I went to the scene of the accident. He said, in no uncertain terms, "Don't go. Wait for things to unfold." Against my will and judgment, I followed his advice.
He was right. What would have happened if I went? Could I have resurrected my husband? Would my presence improve the situation?
But the big question is: Why did I even want to go?
I see now the answer was Ego.
I thought at that moment I could control an uncontrollable situation; that I would make a difference in an outcome that was already open-and-shut.
The "versus," the fight, comes from Ego. "I can fix that....I can make it better....I should be there....What will people think if I DO nothing?" Even— "I want a piece of that drama." Allowing the Soul to listen to Ego with Detachment, Discernment, Compassion, Hope or Self-Examination mollifies and extinguishes heat-of-the moment decisions that lead to Apathy, Judgment, (misinterpreted) Love, Expectation or Guilt.
That advice, that phrase, "Wait for things to unfold" has stood by me over the years. The Universe, The Divine, God, the Way of Things, whatever one chooses to name it, was working in its neutral way. The inconvenience of a flat tire or the death of a loved one truly has the same karmic weight to the Universe. It's just another incident. It may not feel that way to us. We are human, after all. Part of being a conscious human is to not wrestle with or deny Ego-driven reactions. Instead, let Spirit hear and absorb those emotions and then guide us to the next best action. The Powers-that-Be will cycle on regardless.
As Yogis and Yoginis that's the heavy lifting we strive to do this lifetime. Simple, but not always easy. Chanting is my go-to. It directs and focuses the mind. One can sit still during a quiet time, or take a few deep breaths where meditating or chanting isn't appropriate to the company. You can stop. It's okay. Deciding not to decide is also a decision.
To quote the white rabbit from Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland:
"Don't just do something, stand there."
Give your energy to trusting the Universe.
All Good Things,
Vicky Jap Dharam Rose