A Dose of Humility

I’m a life student observing and living how life works metaphysically. I make mistakes in my life along the way as a student in the Earth School, and I do my best to learn from my lessons. I have gratitude for each of my unique experiences, and all the various lessons I go through. I do my best not to be “spiritually arrogant”. Sometimes I am, though. That’s the humanness of who I am. Sometimes a dose of humility is just the grounding I need to bring myself back to consciousness.

Sometimes I run into someone who proclaims of a deepened, high consciousness. I happened on a person like that a few weeks ago, while attending my weekly Saturday NIA class. I walked into the dance space after my short drive, my MP3 earphones in place, from listening to a podcast with an interview of Neale Donald Walsch downloaded from Beyond Reason. (You can go the Beyond Reason website, or subscribe to this free podcast through itunes; connect to itunes from the button on the right side of this page.)

Neale is the best-selling author of the Conversations with God series. He mentioned some beautiful and profound ideas in the podcast about happiness, and I actually look forward to listening again. His new book is called Happier Than God.

I noticed two women I had never met before in the dance space as we waited for the facilitator to arrive, so I turned off my audio player and introduced myself, and mentioned the podcast I was so engrossed in listening to.

One of the women introduced herself, then proceeded to inform me how long she’s been “on the path” (34 years or so). She then went on to diminish Neale and his “simplistic writings”. This woman then proclaimed to be a “wordsmith”, and do her best to express to me she is a “master” in the teachings of conscious living. I just listened to her. I breathed. Her proclamation disturbed me at first, and I could sense that disturbance rising in my body. I wasn't angry with her opinions; I was a bit turned off by her arrogance.

Now this all has me laughing internally. I chuckle partly at myself; the universal reminder that provides me with someone to mirror back to me that I can be just as arrogant, when I operate out of the ego self, and not the soul level. When the class facilitator arrived, I challenged myself to resource my body and move with those feelings (judgment, mirroring, questioning myself, righteous positions), notice those bodily sensations, and dance the way my body needed to get clear, be in the present moment, release resistance, and honor any emotion that came up. Dancing works for me to be a clear instrument for acceptance of myself and others. I was in the perfect place at the perfect time to move emotions through. I released and let go.

Emotion (energy in motion)...

Some words I’ve heard before seeped into my consciousness; if you meet the Buddha on the road, kill him! Those words to me symbolize when I look outwardly to pursue any ideal or truth and forget my own inner wisdom, I’m only seeing half the picture. Striking another cord in my consciousness, another thought leaked through; when someone proclaims they ARE someone or something, they are leaving out the shadow aspects of their persona. This woman claimed to be on an enlightened path, but she chose words to defend her path with a boat-load of vehemence, and her words belittled others on a spiritual path. I sense there’s a strong “shadow” side that’s hiding in that proclamation. I’m not making this person wrong; I understand there is more to a person than the ego self insisting that statement of “I Am” this, and “I Am” that. I believe there is a spiritual woman that stood before me; perhaps her words might have reflected more affection for all who walk the path. We are all that is, was, or ever will be. There is nothing that we are not; as is the Source energy with the thousand names. Whatever you choose to name that which can't be named, I am that, and you are that.

There’s more, though. As I clench tightly to my own thoughts or beliefs, hoping to retain my own position, it’s time for me to look closer, and even scrutinize my beliefs, checking the false self and its operation. Clutching onto anything, such as a concept of who I am, as well as applying a defense of my persona, even to myself, sets me up for attracting what I least want to happen in my life. There is the smack of righteousness in grasping fiercely at aspects I believe to be me, as well as not owning the aspects of me I would rather not “be”.

Loving all of my aspects, dark and light, integrates total acceptance at the most profound level. Like a pebble in a pond, the ripple moves from the inner world to the outer world. Letting go of the pattern and filter opens me up to so much more love, possibilities, and expansiveness.