Raising Consciousness
Truly we have become disconnected from Nature and many have stopped appreciating Her mighty works. Time is turning and showing us that we need to become more thoughtful. I want to talk about being mindful and raising our awareness, joining the dots so to speak. Every time we buy or use something let us think before we choose to buy, use, abuse or waste. It is mindless or thoughtless acts that have created the world we live in today.
Conscious living is about thinking before I think; taking a moment before acting on that thought. Ask yourselves such questions: Do I need this? How much do I just want this? Is this product really necessary? What next? What is the karmic rebound? What happens to the planet after this? Who or what has to give so that I may have ‘what I want’? What is the ‘cost’ of this product on all levels?
Do we think about what is the consequence of our every action? Many speak of this as a lack of consideration, but what if whoever this article reached practiced being a bit more mindful and considerate as a daily choice. Would that change something significant in the world? Yes, it would change things in your personal world.
Of course this does not just apply to things, but to people and our relationships. Sadly, we have started to use, that is to have a “consumer” attitude towards each other too. No-one wants to be used or abused – people are not products, despite the image presented by the media. Why are people suffering from a sense of isolation and loneliness? Is it because we have better relationships with things, than we do with people? For things do not answer back – maybe that’s part of their appeal. And as for mobile phones – it certainly takes priority over the person in front of us.
Here are some conscious thinking questions to help you along:
How often do we recycle plastic containers?
How many tissues, toilet paper or paper towels do we use in a day?
Do we refuse plastic or paper bags at the checkout counter and bring our own? Do we stop to think whether they are necessary or not?
Do we throw away clothing easily just because it may have a small hole? Or a slight stain? Or like Grandma, do we sew and darn that holey sock?
Do we simply click away at an Amazon purchase just because it’s cheap? We think it won’t cost us much if we don’t like it, and will simply return it. But what is it costing the planet? Did you know that the returned merchandise is a business in itself and is costing millions of pounds. What happens to it? Does it go for waste or is it re-sold? Some items actually get put in landfills.
What about a spoilt lemon or apple? Do we throw them away as soon as we see fungi on a part of it? Do we stop to consider other uses of the lemon or apple? Such as using the lemon for washing pots or the sink. Or extracting some of its juice for cleaning the skin, or leaving it in the fridge or microwave. And that apple would surely be appreciated by the birds if we do not want to eat it.
These are just some of the ideas and if you have more please do share in the comment section.
Apart from being conscious we need to be aware that there are various subtle energies at work ‘out there’ that want to deplete us of our power. They prefer we remained mindless followers, rather than lead from within. They want us to be the sheep and not the lions. At a spiritual level we are all divine sovereign beings, and nothing can take that away from us … but we can forget our own inner power and strength.
These subtle energies are pushing and pulling on our soul energy. They obviously want to profit from our sadness and depression. We need to be conscious enough to know what’s going on. Is it really a need that we have or are we being ‘influenced’ by those energies; in this case media and fashion? The masses are always struggling to ‘keep up’. Are we caught up in the race of having just to boost our status symbols? If so, then we are also caught in the illusion trap. It’s like that trap door on the stage of life. One minute we are standing and next moment the trap door opens and we are hurled into this abyss of ignorance. Only later, (after the purchase or consent) do we wake up which may be a little late by then. We get a buzz from the purchase of the moment, but it’s a drain on our finances. All this is just a distraction, which ultimately leads to a dilution of our power.
Last week as I was being driven to the airport, the driver was someone new to me. He confessed that in the past he used to get envious upon seeing others’ success. He had believed money was God. Until he realized that it is just an illusion. A trap. This was something he learnt at the Raja Yoga Meditation Centre. Many who have embarked on meditation and a spiritual journey realize this.
If we have to struggle to keep up with our ‘happiness’ – with the external show – then there is something seriously wrong. Something needs to change. And that something is within us, it is our thinking!
Conscious living frees us up from wanting anything unnecessarily because we care too much. It is not just a question of the planet, but our own physical, mental and emotional resources are being wasted on so much that is not important in the long run. Once we become awake we pay more attention to what is going on ‘inside’, rather than what is happening on the ‘outside’.
Let us be honest with ourselves at least. As Abraham Lincoln famously said:
“You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you cannot fool all the people all of the time.”
It is time that we stopped fooling ourselves. This will make us real – we no longer need to pretend to be something we are not. Chill. And when we do we will find that we are happier as our conscience is cleaner and clearer. By doing so we will create better karma with the planet and therefore everything.
It’s Time… to realize that the key thing is to stay awake!
© ‘It’s Time…’ by Aruna Ladva, BK Publications London, UK