Retraining the Mind
I repeatedly refer to The Infinite Way by Joel Goldsmith. Whenever I feel that I am not sufficiently progressing towards the spiritual awareness I desire, I find passages that let me know that I am being judgmental and self-condemning. Enlightenment is not a static condition, a place where you arrive and remain in eternity. Life in all its forms ebbs and flows, dies and is resurrected. The nature of existence is change.
Joel Goldsmith states: “Spiritual illumination may be attained by living constantly in the consciousness of the presence of perfection, by the continual translation of the visible picture into the reality. We are being faced with discordant appearances all through our days and nights, and these must immediately be translated through our understanding of the ‘new tongue,’ the language of Spirit.
Translate the pictures and incidents of daily existence into the new tongue, the language of Spirit, and consciousness will expand until translation occurs without even taking thought. It becomes a habitual state of consciousness, a constant awareness of Truth.”
Many mornings, I wake up worried about my finances. How will I pay my bills this month? It is challenging to keep my mind stayed on Reality and not be distracted by the Illusion of my daily visible pictures. Utilizing various tools, I analogize a given situation to the suggestion for monitoring alcohol consumption at a party: one glass of water to one glass of wine. As I worry, I replace anxious thoughts with exercising, reading, listening to inspirational music, writing, meditating, or stating a mantra “This isn’t my Reality” or “As the Principle of Supply in action, it is impossible for me to have any needs or unfulfilled desires.” The latter is taken from The Abundance Book by John Randolph Price.
Worrying can become so constant that it becomes an unconscious normal state of mind. Thus, I have to incorporate new habits of thinking throughout the day with every activity. While driving, when I think my car is overdue for maintenance that I can’t afford, I switch to giving thanks that my car is still running, getting me to and from where I need and desire to go. As I walk, instead of focusing on all of the undone items on my to-do list, I am thankful that I am able to walk unassisted. I revel in the beauty that surrounds me. Thank God for my sight! When I hear a song, I think of happy memories associated with it. I change the station if a song is not pleasing to me.
As I go through my day, I think of how I want my life to be. I imagine that I am like Jesus and can turn the few dollars in my wallet to thousands. I practice knowing that I am Creation individualized and, therefore, have the power to manifest all that is already mine. I claim it! As with meditation, my monkey mind requires constant and consistent attention. I must commit time to train my mind to imagine, to be happy, to believe that all is good right this very moment; not will be whenever some condition is met.
Like the child I used to be, I must remember how much fun, excitement, and anticipation there can be in every step. Children are so full of energy. They are constantly running and jumping. It is not in their nature to be still. What happened to us? That incessant movement was disciplined out of us. We obtained jobs during which we sit all day, staring at a computer. Years of emotional and physical pain handicap us.
I had pain and immobility in my knee for months. Finally, a doctor prescribed medicine that took the pain away while I worked to resolve the root causes of the symptoms. I could freely walk! But I still walked carefully with a limp. I still used assistance getting up and sitting down until I realized what I was doing and began to normally move my body. My brain had gotten so used to accommodating my immobility that it continued to instruct my body to move in this pattern until I became aware and retrained it.
I have had so many years of struggle, disappointment, financial instability, anger and resentment that, now that I’m pulling out of this quicksand, I still exhibit the thought patterns that were, but are no longer prominent. I have to wake up my brain and tell it that things have changed. Be joyful! It’s ok to dream, to love, to have and receive, to laugh, to be healthy. It’s ok.
Because I continue to experience challenges, it’s easy to fall back into old patterns. However, there is always going to be something that I want to be better. That is the human condition. We always want more, something different than what we have – no matter what. We are constantly being propelled to a higher realm and that propulsion involves tension, birthing and death, climbing, sliding, fear, and leaping with abandon.
We have to persistently and relentlessly re-train our minds to re-interpret what we see and feel. Find the joy. Discover the happiness. Smile. Laugh. Again and again.