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The Election and Spiritual Awakening

11/9/2016

10 Comments

 
Picture
While acknowledging that these Torah of Awakening posts are intended for everyone, regardless of where you fall on the political spectrum, I also acknowledge that many folks who read these posts are feeling devastated and even terrified in the wake of the election results. If you are one of those folks, this post is for you.
 
At the same time, this post is also for everyone, as devastation and fear do not belong solely to any particular situation, but are inherent features of the human experience.
 
And so, I write today not to offer any political or historical perspectives (there are plenty of those coming out by the second), but to respond to the question that may arise as you seek to reconcile our current situation with your spiritual path:
 
“How do I deal with this situation from a “spiritual awakening” perspective, from a path of Presence? Should I simply trust the how the universe/God is unfolding? Should I replace the negative story I have about it with a positive one?
 
To respond, I want to first bring to mind the nature of what we’re dealing with.
 
Our political reality is not like a snow storm or a sunrise. It doesn’t simply happen in the world as a natural unfolding of the universe. It is purely, one hundred percent a projection of the human mind- of your mind, of my mind, of all humans who create it by participating in it.
 
“President” is a creation of the mind. “Elections” are creations of the mind. All political views are creations of the mind. They are stories, narratives, fictions.
 
That’s not to say that they don’t have very real and objective consequences, but only to point out that they are completely, one hundred percent externalizations of thought, projections of our “inner worlds.”
 
Which just goes to show you how incredibly powerful our inner worlds are- that so much of our human reality is made up of the externalization of our mental stories.  
 
And, while we have no absolute power to control what happens in the external world, there is one power we do have, and that’s the power to choose how we project our inner world- that is, the power to choose the quality of our words and actions.
 
While that might seem like a relatively tiny power, it’s the only power we truly have. And since our whole civilization ultimately rests on the projections of everyone’s inner worlds, your power is real. Every action, every word, every gesture is an act of power- of projecting your inner world onto the outer world.
 
Michelle Obama said, “When they go low, we go high…”
 
And so, the next question then arises- How can you “go high” when you’re filled with so much negative emotion? In other words, how can you choose to project something positive, when your inner world is totally negative?
 
To answer, it’s good to first understand where these emotions come from, and why this situation is so difficult in particular. It’s not like natural disasters such as like earthquakes or floods. That’s because it’s not just the external world that’s being threatened; it’s also your inner world that is threatened.
 
And why is that so devastating?
 
Because our inner worlds of thought and feeling tend to make up our identity; it’s who we feel that we are.
 
When we lose what we value and believe in, our very sense of self is threatened. And the natural reaction to the “self” being threatened is intense grief, fear, anger, nastiness, and for some, even violence. Which brings us to the other name for the self-sense that’s derived from thoughts and feelings: Ego.
 
When you come right down to it, ego is the reason why we have such polarization in our species in the first place. It’s the reason that extremely intelligent people can have such opposing points of view, with almost no willingness to see the view of the other. That’s because the ego-self is derived from your thoughts and feelings; from your point of view. When your point of view is threatened, your ego is threatened. And the ego is like any natural creature- it wants to live, and it will fight for its life.
 
So beyond all politics, beyond all external worldly events that come and go in history, whether positive or negative, whether loving or hateful, is this crucial truth: Humanity cannot be fixed until the problem of ego is fixed.
 
And, the only ego problem you can fix, ultimately, is your own.
 
How do you fix it?
 
First of all, know that there is a vast dimension of your own being that is far beyond ego, that you are infinitely more than ego, even though ego can seem so powerful. That inner vastness is the source of your authenticity, of true creativity, of genuine love, joy, connection and true power. Connect with that, and you take the first step (again and again) to bringing true healing, wisdom and love into the world.
 
Second, know that your inner vastness is not something you have to search or reach for; it’s already present as your own awareness, as the consciousness that is reading these words, in this moment.
 
Which brings us to the third and most important part:
 
You can awaken the vast dimension of your own awareness right now, simply by opening to and embracing everything that arises within your field of experience.
 
You feel fear, anger, or devastation? Those feelings themselves are the doorway beyond ego, if you open to them.
 
By “open to them” I mean: intentionally let them be there. They are painful- let them burn. They are burning away ego, if you don't get taken over by them and instead simply allow them to be.

Wholeheartedly abandon the idea that you can control anything, except for your relationship to this moment. You actually can control your relationship to this moment, simply by opening to what is. And, paradoxically, “opening to what is” means giving up all control.
 
As it says in the Talmud (Berachot 33b), “Everything is in the hands of heaven except the awe of heaven…”
 
Meaning: “Heaven” is the open space of this moment, and we cannot control what arises. Rather, everything is “in the hands of heaven”- things happen as they happen, arising out of the emptiness of this moment.
 
And yet, “awe of heaven” is in your hands.
 
Meaning: Respect Reality as it is. Open to it, allow this moment to be as it is. When you do, there’s an amazing discovery to be made: You are not your ego. In fact, you are not something other than the “heaven.” You are the space of this moment. You are the awareness within which everything arises.
 
And from that realization, from that Makom of openness, you don’t have to try to invent some positive story to dump on top of your negative story. When you see story for what it is, you become free from it. You are the Space from which all stories arise, and so you are no longer caught by any stories.
 
And from that Space that is far beyond your ego, do the only thing you can do, the thing that only you can do- let your actions and words to “go high.” Let them arise spontaneously from that Space of freedom, in this moment.
 
May your next act be one of love, peace and blessing- amein v’amein.

10 Comments
Lori
11/9/2016 02:39:04 pm

Thank you so much for this, Reb Brian - it's just what I needed and it was extremely helpful. Love, Lori

Reply
Renee link
11/10/2016 12:00:44 am

Hey B,

I get this:

"When we lose what we value and believe in, our very sense of self is threatened. "

But what about when we lose rights that are avenues to a more happy and fulfilling life, or access to services that are tangible, like healthcare, and the opportunity to leave a lighter footprint?

To me, these are not about "ego" (a concept I really don't get or work with because I find it unintentionally and historically shame based in many spiritual perspectives), but about true needs such as needs for peace, ease, safety, health, and equality.

What says you?

;-)

Reply
brian yosef
11/10/2016 07:01:44 am

Hi Renee! Absolutely agree- there's no contradiction at all- extremely important vital issues. This post is just about the spiritual practice aspect, about how to use negative emotions to transcend ego, which means getting free from all those negative emotions (not getting rid of them but free from them- not controlled by them or acting from them) so that you have great access to creativity and love... which are vital qualities to then take into your activism, as well as everything else....

brian yosef
11/10/2016 07:26:10 am

Hi Renee! just to finish response- yes the word ego is tricky I admit, for a number of reasons, but I use it because it's a good shorthand for identification of consciousness with thought and feeling. I don't means to imply any judgement or shame (which would just be more "ego") but to point out an inner process, so as to help the possibility of witnessing the process. When you witness it- not judge it or try to escape from it or justify it or whatever- just witness it- you being getting free from it... and that's the whole purpose of all these posts...
love love
b

Shelley
11/9/2016 07:13:38 pm

Thank you, R' Brian. I second what Lori said. Love, Shelley

Reply
barbaranelson
11/9/2016 11:26:20 pm

Thank you. I tried this practice in the middle of the night. It is important and difficult as fear is hard to open to, but I will continue.

Reply
Diana
11/10/2016 01:06:34 am

Thank you Reb Brian. My soul has struggled to free itself from my ego. I still struggle with this. Like everyone else, I dream of what I want to do in life and how I want to live and love. Learning to seek G d's peace.

Reply
Brian
11/10/2016 10:06:19 am

Amein Diana! I want to give one tip: instead of struggling to free yourself from ego, try being present with it. Relax your thoughts and let its energies and emotions be there, then choose action from that state of Presence. The struggle just ends up being more ego!

Of course other helper practices are good too. Have you tried the IJM instructional recordings? You can download them from this website on the home page.

Love,
b

Reply
Yenta Vegan
12/3/2016 09:14:45 pm

Opening up the mind to receive the well spring of eternal vibrations is blocked by mean spiritedness. The MEME accompanying your post creates such a tumbling block

Reply
Mark link
5/3/2021 06:53:25 pm

Excellent read. If one has faith in a religion, and if one trusts in the resurrection, there isn't any individual who doesn't see the value in consideration and empathy.

Reply



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