My will or my heart's will? May 14, 2009
Posted by bodhidude in : Spirituality, articles , trackback
I think it is fair to say that there is a crisis of meaning and purpose in society today. Much of what we see in the world is a reflection of this in my opinion. This leads to the question of where meaning and purpose come from, if many of us are lacking it or think we are, what exactly is it we’re lacking or out of touch with? I see it as something that comes from within rather than any external accomplishment or involvement and in the world today you see people engaging in ever more desperate and destructive behaviors in an attempt to get something out there that they can only find within. Their futile attempts to find it externally only lead to frustration and greater separation but the search for meaning and the dilemma that creates seem to be consuming many people because what happens when you look for something you already have?
Even in spiritual circles you can see this reflected. There is so much discussion of the law of attraction and manifestation and that we have the power to create what we want. While this may be true it is interesting that so much of this talk of manifestation centers on material things – money, houses/cars, relationships and jobs. Are material things any more satisfying ultimately if we create them using the techniques of manifestation? I’m not saying this is wrong, it is an empowering act and generally much more in tune with abundance than the usual ways of acquiring things and there is no denying that we do need material things. However I’m not sure this really addresses the deeper issue of meaning and purpose. When we accept our power to create the life we want a good question is what part of us is creating the vision? Is it the small “me”, the ego or is it the larger self, the heart?
I think this is a profound question because if you believe as I do that real meaning and purpose come from within, deep within then in many ways our surface wants and desires can often cut us off from meaning. Another question is what would our lives look like if we surrendered control and allowed ourselves to fully follow our hearts or higher selves? Where does true creative power and peace come from? If it is from the heart then it would follow that a heart directed life would be a deeply meaningful and fulfilled life even if it didn’t result in many of our surface wants and desires being fulfilled. I imagine many of them would disappear no longer being needed in such a deeply satisfying life. The challenge here is stepping out of the mind/ego and getting in touch with the heart enough to allow its peace, clarity and power to really emerge into your life. That represents a challenge because we are so used to following and identifying with the mind, to figuring out our life rather than feeling it out. At the same time it is the easiest thing in the world because we have full access to our hearts or higher selves, to the divine within. It is right here, right now and its power is ours to tap into but only if we surrender the small “me” and open into the greater mind of the universe. We then become an instrument of divine will and purpose in complete and total harmony with all that is and serving the whole in the most perfect way possible. No more crisis, just challenge, growth and service.
I think this is what was meant in the bible by the saying, “not my will but thine be done” referring to God’s will. Surrendering to and becoming an instrument of God’s will or as I prefer to see it the will of the heart, the whole or the Universe.
Comments»
so, then to give yourself over to the heart, to god’s will, it all comes back to faith again?
on one level i want to be cynical , “oh, now we are back to trusting in god again”? blindly believing in something that cannot be proven or disproven? what if this also is only a fairytale? something to subdue the masses? to give false hope and the illusion of security?
on the other hand i want to believe. contemplating it gives me almost a sense of serenity.
trust the love? be open to it? let it guide you where it will? follow your heart? it sounds so easy, why is it so hard?
I would say both voices that you are picking up in your comment need to be honored. We may need to drop the old ways of looking at God or the heart, blind faith in some greater power out there isn’t the answer in my view. I think that is a fairytale and an illusion so your skepticism is warranted.
However what I’m pointing to here is something that can indeed be proven but only by you to yourself in your own experience. It can be proven by having a direct experience of it. All that is required for that direct experience is surrender and stillness. Temporarily stepping out of the mind and thought in order to allow a deeper presence or awareness to emerge. The question is, what happens when the mind is quiet and you are fully present right here right now, just allowing your experience to be however it is? I think it is really just getting into relationship with our deeper self and allowing that part of us to offer guidance, we don’t even need to give it a label.