Inspiring others and becoming inspired ourselves involves being more like our Creator, since true teaching is about leading others back to the Spirit that’s within everyone.
CHAPTER 12
TRANSCENDING COMMONPLACE, UNINSPIRING ENERGY
“For all our insight, obstinate habits do not disappear until replaced by other habits . . . No amount of confession and no amount of explaining can make the crooked plant grow straight; it must be trained upon the trellis by the gardener’s art . . .”
— CARL JUNG
“Habit rules the unreflecting herd.”
— WILLIAM WORDSWORTH
THANKS TO THE WORLD WE LIVE IN, we’ve developed many habits that are the direct result of living almost exclusively “in-ego” rather than in-Spirit. This chapter will stress how to gain awareness of these ego habits, how to immediately protect ourselves from these onslaughts, and how to develop alternate strategies to ensure that we remain connected to Spirit—even in the face of a blitzkrieg that’s designed to take us away from living an inspired life.
I’m not suggesting that there’s a conspiracy to keep us from living in-Spirit. My contention is simply that when a majority of society members are raised and persuaded to believe in the illusion of ego, then that society will develop and evolve firmly committed to that false self. It would then be natural for such a society to put forth messages designed to promote the idea of the importance of ego and all of its inherent ideas—and we’re fully immersed in just such a society.
I once heard Swami Satchidananda lecture about this subject of the collective ego and its unceasing impact on all of us. He looked at the two words heart and head, the symbols for Spirit and ego, respectively, and confirmed that we’re in-Spirit when we act from our heart. Swami also observed that the word heart contains two words, he and art, and that leads to the thought that he and his art make up the heart.
The word head, on the other hand, also contains two words—he and ad—which leads to the thought that he and his ad make up the head. Swami reminded us that the head is an advertisement—that is, it’s the ego looking for recognition. He then asked a question I’ve never forgotten: “Why is it that lovers call each other sweetheart and not sweethead?” And he reminded us not to despise the head or symbolically cut it off, but rather to let our heart (that is, our feelings) lead, and the head will then follow, rather than the other way around. To that end, this chapter provides three steps to help us transcend the ego’s uninspiring energy. They are: becoming aware, cultivating a defense, and developing our own alternatives.
Ego’s Warriors
Let’s first take a look at some of the “habits that rule the herd,” in the words of William Wordsworth. Following are several omnipresent, lacking-in-inspiration entities that join up with ego to bombard us daily, and that we need to become aware of.
The Media
A century or so ago, long before the media became such an active force in our lives, the news was almost exclusively received from one’s village. Bad news was rare, and tended to only involve accidents or natural disasters, such as fire, flood, drought, or the occasional crime perpetrated by someone in the community. For the most part, one’s daily life was consumed by work and family interaction—any kind of news was essentially information about the village and was primarily communicated by word of mouth.
Today, however, it’s a very different picture. We’ve created a society that sends out specially trained people to scour the globe for depressing bulletins that are delivered to us wherever we are. The news is now available at home, at work, in our car, at the gym, on airplanes, standing in line at the bank, in the hospital, and on portable devices wherever we go. We’re now able to directly tune in to the reports of those organizations who search for information designed to make us feel bad—that is, removed from Spirit, which is all about feeling good (God).
An explosion on the other side of the planet? We get a continual video loop. A suicide bomber in the Middle East kills 75 people? We get to see it all in grisly detail. A man stabs his wife and children anywhere in the country, and we get to hear about it on our local 11 o’clock news—thanks to an eyewitness reporter who’s interviewing every neighbor willing to go on camera. . . .
We’re constantly subjected to this army of bad-news collectors who gather and disseminate low-vibrational energy for our consumption. Keeping in mind that being inspired is about feeling good and returning to our Source of love, it’s imperative to become aware of what we’re allowing into our consciousness. These bad-news assemblers are on a mission to convince us of the inherent evil in the world—they can’t possibly believe that we live in a friendly Universe, and they seem determined to convince us that their illusion is truth.
As we become aware that we’re paying attention to uninspiring reports that are directed at us in the guise of keeping us informed, we can begin to take the necessary steps to return to Spirit. First, we must be aware that this “news” is more accurately a steady dose of low energy that’s addictive. When we watch or listen to such messages, we can simply check in with our heart self and ask, “Is this a match to how I want to feel? If I continue to stay connected to these energies, will I feel good (God) or bad?”
Note that there are hundreds of cable news channels that need to fill 24 hours a day of broadcasting. Consequently, the analysts of these shows must dissect every crime, horrible accident, and bit of conflict they can find, and they must also maintain a confrontational attitude with whomever they’re talking—or more likely, arguing—with. Being a match to the originating Spirit of Well-Being and Peace is close to impossible in such situations.
I’m not suggesting that we stay uninformed or in a state of blissful ignorance; rather, I’m saying that awareness is the key to staying in-Spirit when we’re force-fed a steady diet of low-energy news. We simply need to become aware of what we’ve decided to allow into our space when we’re online, watching television, or reading a newspaper. By catching ourselves when we’re getting worked up, we can then begin to defend against these assaults on our spirituality. And we can start by asking ourselves this question: “Do I feel good right now?”
The defense against a media blitz of uninspiring energies is to remind ourselves that we want to feel good, in the sense that good and God are synonymous. We can’t feel bad enough to change any of the bad news we’re exposed to, nor can we eliminate hatred in the world by feeling hateful—we can’t do anything positive or loving by joining those who’ve elected to live in these energies, or even those who broadcast it to us nonstop. However, by feeling good (God), we have an opportunity to be a small force that can transcend and convert lower energies into spiritual ones.
Our alternative to feeling down when we’re exposed to a media offense of bad news is to instantly remind ourselves that we refuse to be a vibrational match to anything uninspiring. So, armed with this defense, we can become informed as well as inspired—and we’ll ultimately reach a point where we remember that we’re not accepting uninspiring energy any longer. Lo and behold, by being more like God (rather than more like ego), we actually will make a dent in all of the negativity that’s delivered to us via the various faces of the media. By successfully opting for alternatives to the bad news and the political quarreling, we’ll choose to remain in-Spirit and feel good (God), regardless of how many others wish to live as if they’re in a pitched battle where conflict and agitation rule.
The World of Advertising
Everywhere we turn, we’re a target of someone wanting to sell us something. There are advertisements on buses, in the backseat of cabs, at the movies, on telephone poles, on our cell phones, after every click of our computers, on the radio and television for more than a third of the airtime, in more than 50 percent of magazine pages (in most cases, anyway), while we’re on hold on the telephone, and even in restrooms! It’s difficult to escape this assault on our senses and our spirit as well. Behind this huge blitz that’s aimed at us during every waking moment of
our lives is the idea that we need to purchase something in order to be “fixed” or “complete.” Madison Avenue just keeps telling us that we’ll overcome our deficiencies and be happier and more fulfilled if we simply buy whatever it is they’re selling! The essential message behind this juggernaut is that we need more in order to be happy. Coincidentally, the mantra of the ego is just that: more, more, more.
Ego insists on believing that we don’t have enough, others have more, there’s newer and better stuff, we won’t be liked unless we purchase that thing, we lack status, and some designer label will make life better. This is the exact opposite of what Spirit gently whispers, which is: “You are complete already, a product of universal abundance, so relax and enjoy life . . . what you desire will show up with less effort and no anxiety.”
The first step in transcending the uninspiring messages that besiege us to buy more is to become aware of what’s going on and realize that we don’t really need anything else in order to be happy. After all, there’s no way to happiness—happiness is the way. We may need to say this to ourselves over and over until it sinks in: “Nothing can make me happy. Happiness and inspiration are what I bring to life, not what I purchase.” This awareness diminishes the annoyance of all those commercial messages, and at the same time allows us to enjoy the creativity of the advertising industry, because we’ve detached from the ego messages and connected to Spirit. Knowing that we don’t need any more things in order to have a more complete life means that we can either ignore the pressure to buy or enjoy it. With awareness and a reconnection to Spirit comes the realization that ads aren’t directed at our authentic self—and when we choose to stay in-Spirit, this awareness becomes its own defense.
What I’m suggesting is that we can be free from the push to convince us that we need more, while still being able to enjoy the material aspects of the world. In other words, we know that we don’t need more, and at the same time, we’re free to live happily and enjoy our world the way it is. I want this distinction to be clear because it’s fun enjoying a new automobile, well-made clothes, dinner in a nice restaurant, an expensive piece of jewelry, or anything else that might be advertised (including this book). What we want to avoid is the inner belief that somehow our true essence is lacking if we don’t get the things we’re being encouraged to buy. We must also guard against allowing this “stuff” to define our worthiness, which is what advertisers are frequently attempting to convey.
When I allowed my awareness to purchase only what I desired, thus maintaining my sense of true inspiration, I found myself less and less attached to stuff. You see, the more I have, the more it becomes almost burdensome to store it, insure it, dust it, decide if it’s tax deductible, and ultimately dispose of it. These days I’m almost amused by the advertising I’m subjected to, and when it appears, I press my “spiritual mute button” and feel even happier that I’m immune to the invitations of advertisers to add their brand of status to my life.
Another thing I’ve noticed that’s a considerable impediment to living a life in-Spirit is the content of ads. They’re designed to convince us that we’re inherently powerless in the face of illness and stress when it shows up in our body. To begin with, our body is the most amazing pharmacy ever created, and it’s perfectly capable of manufacturing and distributing whatever healing materials we need. Our body originated from a stream of pure well-being, so when we feel depressed, anxious, fearful, or whatever, our brain can create whatever prescription it needs.
I’m not disparaging the magnificent strides that modern medicine has made in helping us all to live healthier, more fulfilling lives. However, I am alarmed by the recent phenomenon of large pharmaceutical companies in bed with the medical profession, inundating our airwaves with messages designed to get us to ask our doctor to prescribe a pill for every real or imagined malady. Almost 50 percent of prime-time television shows are sponsored by drug companies, promoting items that can only be prescribed by a licensed physician. We’re being sold the idea that we need a variety of pills to feel better, walk better, breathe better, sleep better, play better, and even make love better! Also appearing as three- and four-page announcements in national magazines, these ads are contrived to put our health and happiness in the profit-motivated hands of drug companies and physicians—at the expense of our living an inspired life. It’s a veritable invasion of our spirit.
We’re in a body that has a natural tendency toward health and can overcome almost anything if we allow it to perform its own magic, so we must be cautious about the motivations of companies that want us to become hooked on medicine that can conveniently be prescribed for a lifetime. We probably don’t need to rely on something manufactured in a laboratory and sold by a huge pharmaceutical conglomerate whose primary objective is skyrocketing profits through advertising; rather, by practicing awareness, we can be in-Spirit and rely on our body’s own pharmacy and doctor in one miraculous spiritual package.
Entertainment
As we progress toward a more inspired life, we’ll begin to notice that the activities we’ve called “entertainment” have actually been leading us away from being in-Spirit. Since everything that we allow into our life represents an energy that impacts us both physically and spiritually, it’s imperative to raise our awareness level and defend against the habits that deter us from being in-Spirit.
Reflect on Wordsworth’s observation at the opening of this chapter: “Habit rules the unreflecting herd.” We certainly don’t want to be either unreflecting or part of a herd because as we know, when we follow the herd, we end up stepping in herd poop! Thus, we need to sharpen our awareness of the habits we’ve developed that camouflage uninspiring activities—it’s all too common in our society to believe that nonspiritual energies are an important part of our entertainment package.
It’s vital that we’re conscious of the following “big four,” which are really low-level energies masquerading as entertainment and are obstacles to anyone’s ultimate calling to inspiration.
1. Violence. On average, children in America see 12,000 simulated murders in their own home on commercial and cable television before their 14th birthday; and virtually all movies made to appeal to a younger audience have grim killings, explosions, and chase scenes built into the story line, which seems to consist of “guns, guns, guns, and kill, kill, kill—the more gruesomely, the better.”
These decidedly uninspiring messages continually bombard all of us when we’re supposedly experiencing uplifting entertainment, but we can do something about it. If enough of us decide that this is not going to be on our daily menu, then the manufacturers of this kind of recreational material would bring it to a halt. For example, if more of us were aware of the content of the video games that our kids play—many of which simulate rape, torture, and even murder—we wouldn’t permit them in our homes.
In addition, sporting events that are supposed to be entertaining to spectators are increasingly being tainted by escalating levels of violence. It’s become commonplace for athletes to take steroids to make them bigger and more ferocious, and fans applauding hotheaded cheap shots and encouraging melees to break out is considered entertaining. Even the music being written and performed today often contains messages of violence and profanity. And I could go on and on with an inventory of the violence and bloodthirstiness that’s prevalent in the entertainment industry (as you practice being more aware, I’m sure you’ll add examples to this list, too).
Yet there are alternatives available to us. First on this list is screening our entertainment options for violence and making a commitment to choose only those pastimes that are free of any energy that doesn’t match our desire to be in-Spirit. Our Creator creates out of love, kindness, and peace, so if we clear opposite energies out of our life, we’ll almost immediately feel inspiration returning to our life.
What follows is one of the most poignantly inspiring letters I’ve ever read, written by my dear friend Ram Dass to the parents of a young girl who’d been
brutally murdered. Even in such horrific circumstances, Ram Dass was able to provide inspiration. I reproduce this moving letter with Ram Dass’s permission in order to help you see how it is possible to transcend violence with inspiring spiritual energy.
Dear Steve and Anita,
Rachel finished her work on Earth and left the stage in a manner that leaves those of us left behind with a cry of agony in our hearts, as the fragile thread of our faith is dealt with so violently. Is anyone strong enough to stay conscious through such teaching as you are receiving? Probably very few. And even they would only have a whisper of equanimity and peace amidst the screaming trumpets of their rage, grief, horror, and desolation.
I can’t assuage your pain with any words, nor should I, for your pain is Rachel’s legacy to you. Not that she or I would inflict such pain by choice, but there it is. And it must burn its purifying way to completion. For something in you dies when you bear the unbearable, and it is only in that dark night of the soul that you are prepared to see as God sees, and to love as God loves.
Now is the time to let your grief find expression—no false strength. Now is the time to sit quietly and speak to Rachel, thank her for being with you these few years, and encourage her to go on with whatever her work is, knowing that you will grow in compassion and wisdom from this experience. In my heart, I know that you and she will meet again and again, and recognize the many ways in which you have known each other. And when you meet you will know, in a flash, what now it is not given to you to know: why this had to be the way it was.
Our rational minds can never understand what has happened, but our hearts—if we keep them open to God—will find their own intuitive way. Rachel came through you to do her work on Earth, which includes her manner of death. Now her soul is free, and the love that you can share with her is invulnerable to the winds of changing time and space. In that deep love, include me.
Living an Inspired Life Page 16
