Day 348/366 days Towards Self-Mastery.
"I think therefore I am", attributed to Descartes. According to Sadhguru, this way of thinking came about at a time when civilisations were given written words of others, books and tomes of great wisdom and expected to follow the letter of the teachings or laws, religious and otherwise. I haven't done the research so can't really confirm this but it does makes sense to me.
I think therefore I am. Can you think if you are not? Is that a possibility?
It's fair to say that we still put a lot of emphasis on thinking, the intelligence of the mind. We need everything to be logical and accountable, cause and effect, measurable and delineated. However there are other ways of intelligence that we pay little heed to. The intelligence of the body is an example.
Your body has a memory of your ancestors. It remembers the features of your lineage, the colour of your skin, the colour of your eyes, how your fingers and hands are shaped just like your grandmother's.
It remembers how to make the various organs, how to shape the digestive system, how to craft the brain. All this from the same stem cells that are able to differentiate as needed during fetal life.
It knows how to repair broken bones and cuts in your skin, recover from surgery and even turn food that you eat into your body.
Your body's intelligence goes much further as well. It can feel into a situation and know if it's right for you or if it's not. It can guide you in the direction that is in your interest and away from trouble, if you feel into it. It can warn you if you are about to be triggered, and can keep you safe if you are in danger.
You can't always put words or thoughts to the feelings of your intelligent body, but that doesn't mean it's messages and guidance doesn't exist.
Today's inspiration from Sarah is a meditation for women who read. Can we read too much? If we are seeking all our answers from other people's thoughts and experiences, then yes I think we can read too much.
We have to exercise discernment when we read. That discernment can tell us whether we resonate with what we have read, or whether we are blindly seeking answers because we don't know how to dig deeply enough into our own intelligence.
Your body will tell you if you are resonating with what you are reading. If it is a definite YES this is for me, then you know you are stumbled across something that's important for you. If you are lukewarm on it, or if you find you are in panic mode, or desperate to find the answers, then you risk taking on something that's not for you and that can lead you astray.
At one time in my life I consumed every self-help book I could get my hands on, in an effort to discover the answers I was looking for. Some where helpful, some were not. Most importantly, when I began to understand and listen to my body's responses I realised that I had all the guidance that I needed. From that time on I have very little interest in other people's experiences.
Take the time to feel your body's responses to your life situations. Too often we push down our responses because they feel uncomfortable, or worse.
Once we begin to trust our body and listen well to it, then we can begin to unravel our life's challenges and even begin to heal physically.
Our thinking mind is a tool to support the information coming from your body. When you use it to explore our world, whether in science or an enquiry of interest, make sure you are using your whole body at the same time.
As you enter the Christmas season use your whole body to help you know if you are in the right place with the right people, or if you need to exercise some self-care. Feel into your body's reaction and get curious about its signals.
366 days Towards Self-Mastery
When I considered my New Year's intentions for 2020 I had just one: To allow my heart to love what it loved...and let it lead me. (If not now, then when?)
I've spent months working on integrating my life. To live life more fully with my home life, my interests, my work, my responsibilities, all coming together, all connected. I want to give each the attention that they desire and need, and still have time and energy for the others. That means living and working from the heart.
As I was clearing out my bookshelf over the Christmas break I discovered Simple Abundance. I set it aside to explore it on New Year's Day as I lazed through another delicious day of nothingness. Sarah, the author, says this book is about living in grace. Living in grace I realised, is about Self-Mastery.
My thirst for understanding the human condition has driven me all my life, and hand-in-hand with self-mastery it has been a life-long goal. And seeing as I love to write, that living in grace is about self-mastery, and I love a bit of a challenge, then if I am truly going to let my heart lead, I really don't have any other choice. So scary as it feels, I'm starting out on a daily mission of leaning into the suggestions of this daybook and making a daily post to keep me accountable. If not now, then when?
I'm Josie. You can find out a little more about me here.
Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy: by Sarah Ban Breathnach.
This book is written for the Australian and NZ market because it refers to seasonal changes. It's available on Amazon here if you'd like to follow along.