June 5, 2009
Here is June’s ezine article – if you are struggling with a thousand roles in your life (and who in this day and age isn’t?) this article may give you a fresh perspective and a useful way to step out of them. Once you are out of them you can see more clearly, make better decisions in your work and in your life and gain some peace and clarity….
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Roles – Are yours holding you back?
By Gay Landeta
We all have many facets to our life, and these facets, the roles we take in day to day life, often create conflict and frustration. We start to feel trapped and exhausted rushing around as parent, corporate lawyer, yoga student, cook, money manager, child …. plus a thousand more in a day.
It is easy to get lost in these roles, to believe we are them, and that we must do them and excel in them to be worthwhile. Our self esteem often hangs off them.
We believe so strongly in the importance of roles that we do our best to ensure our children have all they need to create their roles in the belief that will ensure their happiness. And if they don’t we worry about them. And they worry about themselves.
In fact we can get so caught in the importance of our roles that we worry that if we stop playing a role the world will fall apart. That these roles are, in fact, essential to life and to our very being.
But, what if that’s not true? What if our true nature does not consider our roles as important as we do. Ouch, most ego’s will react to that one!
Think about it though, how many people we hear of who have their whole life explode around them and have their roles taken away by some random action in the world? Some people stay stuck in their ex-role and stuck in their ex-life. Others deal with it, painful as it may be, and then grow stronger and more inspirational to others.
Often it is their ability to detach from that role, to realise they are more than that role, that their core self, their true being has remained unaltered by any of the external events, that determines the level of joy in their post apocalyptic life.
And, while most of us are fortunate not to have to experience something as dramatic as that we all experience the kids leaving home, loosing a job, the death of a loved one. And at these times, part of what we need to deal with is a change in identity, in a role we are playing in our life.
The Buddhists have a core teaching about the concept of impermanence, that everything is temporary, including our human incarnation, and that our attachments, including the faulty belief of permanence, is the source of all suffering.
In theory that’s all well and good, but to bring these concepts into our day to day life can often feel very scary.
Our roles have taken on such importance in our life that it actually can feel like we could die or worse if we stop doing what we are doing.
But guess what, we don’t have to stop doing stuff or even let go of our roles, our goals or our life to let go of the suffering and enjoy life more – we just need to remember that there is something else at our core and that is who we truly are.
Our roles, our life, even our physical incarnation are just tools for our true self to use in the world, to help us to learn our lessons and enjoy our planet! We need to anchor to our center and allow our roles to just be something we choose to do. Not have to do. We can experience and stay connected to our life, our loves and joys, even our disappointments without feeling they are us.
As we learn to detach but stay connected we learn to live life more joyfully with less suffering. Our many roles clash less and clarity about our future emerges at the right time. Life becomes more graceful, even in the rush!
This month, sit with the concept of impermanence and remember that we are all more than we appear to be. And see if it opens doors for you.
Enjoy the Process!
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This Month’s Resolve : To remember that our roles are just roles, not who we truly are.
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Booster of the Month :
MEDITATION ON THE TRUE SELF
This meditation forms part of the teachings of Roberto Assigioli and is used, in part, in Transformational Kinesiology to help clear unhealthy identifications with our roles. While it is particularly effective within a balance where the blocks are cleared prior to the meditation the usefulness of regular quiet contemplation cannot be underestimated.
Find a quiet place where you will be undisturbed for a period of time. Five minutes is a good start although you may choose to meditate longer.
Sit or lie comfortably, And become aware of your body, just notice it in a neutral way, without trying to change, all the physical sensations you have, any aches or pains or discomfort. Be aware of the clothes on your skin, the air on your face, your feet on the ground. Once you have done this for long enough move to the next step.
Now become aware of your feelings, notice what you are feeling right now. Which feelings are predominate in your life right now, both the positive and the negative. Don’t judge, just view them and notice them.
Next become aware of your desires, impartially, as before, notice the desires that take turns motivating your life.
That you have desires but that these, too, are changeable and often contradictory.
Then observe the world of your thoughts, watch as one thought emerges and takes over from the previous one. If you think you are not having any thoughts this too is a thought. Watch your stream of consciousness; memories, opinions, nonsense, arguments, images flow by.
Finally dismiss this realm also from your observation and become the observer, the one who has been watching your thoughts, feelings, desires and sensations. Who is it that has been observing these realms? It is not the same object as the realm experiencing the sensations, the thoughts, the feelings or desires. It is not an image or a thought, it is your SELF, your essence, that has been observing but is distinct from all of them. “I am the SELF, a centre of pure self-consciousness”. Sit with this realisation for about 2 minutes.
Roberto Assigioli’s original version adds the words :
“I have a body but I am not my body.
I have feelings but I am not my feelings,
I have desires but I am not my desires,
I have a mind but I am not my mind.
I am a centre of pure self consciousness, capable of mastering, directing and using all my psychological processes and my physical body.”
I find these words a solid verbal reminder that I can choose to be the observer and not my thoughts, feelings or the emotions that are attached to any of my roles.
Enjoy the release!
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Cheers, Gay