A Wednesday

A random Wednesday that ended at noon - no meetings or calls. Running off 1.5hrs away to Cataract Falls trail has been one of the major highlights in April. San Anselmo, Mt Tam, Mission San Rafael and Point Richmond were gorgeous! 

Pain

1. Trust the process

2. It is by design - imagine a conveyer belt

3. Sit through the process and pain - moving will disrupt the process and pain will shift elsewhere. It may look that the pain has been relived but it will settle elsewhere and the whole process will start again. It’s painful every way.

4. The pain will becoming soothing after a bit - it’s a sinusoidal wave - it does become better if we have the patience to follow the process by all design principles.

5. Pain is a teacher. 

6. Pain helps to focus and get attention.

7. Pain is more helpful overall.

8. It diminishes ego. 

9. In the absence of ego the true process can start. 

10. The process is designed to move from gross to subtle sensations.

11. We want the subtle sensations since they are at higher frequencies.

12. Higher frequencies tend to zero. 

13. At some point the bliss starts taking over such that the sensations don’t matter as much and hence right action can be performed. 

14. The bliss keeps you preoccupied and is a happy state of its own - only because it’s like a high and the mind can come up with out of the box ideas. 

15. Shifting the focus changes the state of being. 

16. We become all powerful and come closer to the essence 

I had noticed this one person on reels on Instagram - past 2 weeks. On Thursday evening 7th Sep, I got curious to know who this person was.. the name was not mentioned anywhere. On 8th morning, got to know his name for the first time - took me some time to find it. His looks, his face, his pronunciation etc. was not that attractive, as his tone was - the concern was visible and that kind of attracted me to even find out who he was. Well, I watched his daily videos starting 7th Sep 2023 and it has been fun so far. 

He makes me want to make few changes. 

Demons

Your demons are your old friends. You should welcome them and treat them with kindness. Make them pals with your treatment. They are not scary at all - they have stayed in the shadow too long and they need some sun. Treat them as small, spoilt kid who cannot articulate and hence creates drama. Talk to them and make them feel better. They complete you - they are parts that you hide and hence they are upset with you for abandoning them. Their wounds are festering and all of that needs your love to heal. They need your attention. 

My Sweet Haven

 One item off the bucket list! Set up my sweet haven the way I wanted. Good vibes and grateful always for everything...

Cycling

When we learn to cycle, the first thing we realize that how hard it is to balance. So we wobble, a little to the left and a little to the right.

In order to practice detached-attachment, we have to let go and let in, over and over again so that we can understand what is the right distance that should be maintained. It is difficult to be in it and observe it but if we can observe it, we can work on it. Every sign of anguish is a sign of frustration actually - just like a child who is learning to walk. You know it, yet you cannot do it. 

People and Relationships

People, just like things, can be a distraction. Or they can be used as tools to know and grow. Their presence and absence both can teach us something about ourselves. Do we crave someone's company because we like them? Or perhaps they give us a purpose? Do we have a common agenda? Does their presence create a structure that we think defines our being or life? Keeping a person in mind, if we can define why we need that person, we will know something about ourselves, not them - but about ourselves. 

Why should we need people really?

If we can become peers as souls on this journey of life, sharing, relating and caring a little, that would be the best reason to want people around. Detached, and yet attached. Not too much, not too little. Precious connection in those moments. THAT is why we need people. 

How can we detach and yet be attached?

We should remember that "people is a 3D concept". We should understand that each individual has their own journey which will ALWAYS differ from ours. But if their journey does align to ours, we have met someone who can be a true friend on this journey of life. We should stick to OUR own goals so that people can align, not the other way around. 

How can we transform our relationships?

We can transform our relationships by sharing our personal truth. The highest tribute one can pay to a genuine relationship is one's own personal truth knowing that it can completely break the relationship. If a person can understand or deal with this truth, they will connect at a different level, paving way for higher intimacy. If the person is baffled by it, they will move out of the circle, paving way for others who can deal with it. In both cases we have achieved the transparency that is elevating for both parties. We know where we stand with respect to each other, hence we give space to each other to grow. We don't block each other or pressurize each other to do something that adds resentment in the long run. Resentment defeats the entire purpose of a relationship. Why be with someone if their presence keeps us away from ourselves?

Faith

I am happy! The various ways in which universe reiterates and confirms is absolutely fantastic. I mean all we ever have to do is take that leap of faith. 

50%

They've warned me. It will be not easy. 

But if I keep my intention clean and I do not forget what made me decide my path, it will be easy for all. 

Simple. 

I need to always check my intention and remember why I chose this more difficult path. 

Joy

I stayed up last night because I just wanted to rush and do all the things in the world! Why have I been so cooped up in my life..I need to get out and be. 

Oh the joy! There are no coincidences and the fact that you attract what you need is so true. I am happy to be in this space. I don't want to stop now. 

Choices

One key piece of information that I had probably not understood very well to articulate some time back came to me today, as usual, when I was not looking for it. I have often thought about macro level and micro level choices. See Bandersnatch.

In my quest to understand "prarabdh" and "a man is owner of his destiny" I would fail to grasp what choices could change the destiny and what choices cannot change anything. I think the answer lies in two layers. The choice is made by a man in the moment who is the sum total of everything before him. At any given time he is hurtling towards his destiny as if gravitated by fate. Yet if in a moment, he can detach himself from the whole history and geography of things and decide to do something that is on its own merit the right thing to do, he can alter the outcome. In that moment, he may still be pulled by his destiny but he'd have altered his karma. Every time he does this little tweak in his pathway, he can make his own path a little easier and the outcome at the end of the journey is pleasantly pleasant. 

He may still be sitting in a crowded subway but he can be at peace and eating an ice cream. 

This was the New Year realization. May 2021 be filled with multiple tweaks in the right direction.

Aristotle and Kinds

Happiness does not consist in pastimes and amusements but in virtuous activities - Aristotle

The amount of eye roll this statement would've gotten from me is not even worth mentioning. I just realized, I did grow up eventually and can at least fathom what Aristotle meant. Not that I am doing any of it, just barely understood what the man said. It also made me realize that reading, understanding and truly understanding something are 3 different things. And understanding something does not imply one is capable of doing it. 

Lol! the joke is on all of us. The masters have laid it thick in simple statements - the layers of which cannot be even scratched by mere mortals like us. 

Let there be Light...

When the soul is positive and vibrating at a higher frequency, it is like a room that has enough natural light and ventilation. It feels inviting, clean and calm. Similarly a close, cluttered, dirty room reflects a suppressed, dissatisfied soul.

Let there be light within and around you. Let there be freshness around you. Sweet smell, calming sounds and simple tasteful food.

Let your soul breath and revive after a long day. 

Short and Gray

I embraced my grays. Last week to be precise. I was pondering over it since May. And then I missed my appointment for 2 weeks in a row (it had to do with my emotional state) and then I just had to. It is so empowering to just be. It was I who colored back in 2008 and it was I who won't in 2018. I had proclaimed backed in 2012-2013 that I was to go natural in my 40s. But I had not given it a thought till this year May. Denver made me realize how good it feels to be just me. And I still have 3 years to be 40.

I decided to change my parlors and I did. I will miss Le but I will visit her more as a friend now. Every now and then with small requests, appointments and such. But we are done as client and hairdresser.

#embracewhoyouare