Your life is structured in consciousness. (Mine too.)

The problems that you’re experiencing are patterns of consciousness—mine too.

Problems are solved, resolved, or dissolved when the pattern of consciousness changes. Trying harder, being effort-full doesn’t change the pattern.

Effort strengthens the existing pattern, because the effort is part of the existing pattern of consciousness.

The problems that you struggle most to solve—the ones that drain your energy, sap your resources, and frustrate you repeatedly—can be solved.

But not within your current pattern of consciousness. Why?

The problems you’re struggling with aren’t separate from the patterning of your thoughts, emotions, and beliefs.

The stickiest most intractable problems you deal with are symptoms of habitual patterns of consciousness. These problems are literally created by and inseparable from these patterns. They reflect the patterns of consciousness with which you’ve identified. That’s why efforts that arise from within the pattern perpetuate the problems. It takes something other than effort. It takes awareness.

Awareness isn’t a pattern.

Awareness is:

• Seeing without thought.
• Feeling without emotion.
• Presence without patterning.

Awareness disentangles you from the habitual patterns, the habitual way of experiencing and engaging the world.

At first this can feel a bit disorienting.

As you let go of habitual patterns it can—initially—feel like you’re losing your grip on reality. It’s not reality that you’re releasing. It’s patterns of fixation; conditioned patterns of consciousness.

You’re recognizing that there is more to reality than is contained in the conditioned patterns.

You’re opening up.

This opening is effortless. It is the effortless effect of awareness. Awareness deepens and expands simultaneously as you loosen your commitment to the patterns of conditioning.

As you rest in awareness, automatically—the world opens up before you. You see—without judgment—how believing in the patterns is the primary obstacle that has ever limited you.

The direction of your attention shifts: from saying no to problems to saying yes to awareness. From struggling against problems to resting in awareness.

Awareness does all the healing, solving, transforming.

Want to see how this works?

Experiment with this two step process.

Step 1) Whenever you’re facing an obstacle or problem, stop and become aware of the thoughts, emotions, sensations connected with this problem.

Step 2) Notice that you can witness these patterns. Allow all the nuances of the pattern—the thoughts, emotions, sensations—to be. Don’t solve them. Don’t fix them. Let go of seeking solutions. Experience the patterns arising and dissolving in the field of awareness.

What are you aware of now?

Share in the comments below.

Love & Shanti
E & D

Relephant read:

The 4 Psychological Traps that Keep us Stressed, Anxious & Depressed: Rumination.

Author: Eric Klein

Editor: Catherine Monkman

Photo: Author’s Own