“Don’t be so predictable.”
Pema Chodron – Compassion Cards; teachings for awakening the heart in everyday life
When I pulled this card out of the pack – to see what the Universe wanted me to meditate about; my first reaction was to put it back and pick another card. Surely I checked the “don’t be predictable” box!
No. Stop. Think. I’m asking the Universe to provide insight. Theoretically using these cards opens my mind; pokes at my perceptions – encourages mindfulness.
Hmmmm…. do I know more than the Universe? Right. Pretty predicable.
In his book Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself, Dr. Joe Dispenza connects quantum science, habitual thinking and behavior, brain physiology and meditation – to unleash our power to substantially change. If I want my life to be different I must change my “beliefs about the nature of reality.”
“Until you break from the way you see your present reality, any change in your life will always be haphazard and transitory.”
Don’t be so predictable.
I could say – hey, I’m good with who I am and what I believe. But then if I complain about being left behind, or hate that the world’s changing around me in ways I don’t like – then maybe the “I’m good” is a lie.
“How we think and how we feel produces a state of being, which generates an electromagnetic signature that influences every atom in our world.
“So if we want to change some aspect of our reality, we have to think, feel, and act in new ways; we have to “be” different in terms of our responses to experiences. We have to “become” someone else. We have to create a new state of mind . . . we need to observe a new outcome with that new mind.”
This new way of being creates an altered electromagnetic field to power my world – all the molecules, particles and bits. This field will pull me toward a new reality; or help that reality find me.
According to Dr. Joe, when we “mentally rehearse a desired experience via thought alone, you will experience the emotions of that event before it has physically manifested.” Meditating can help change how we think, feel and act.
“When you begin to feel like some potential future reality is happening to you in the moment that you are focusing on it, you are rewriting your automatic habits, attitudes and other unwanted subconscious programs.”
Maybe a new electromagnetic field of reality can jolt me out of my furious, annoyed and thoroughly appalled frame of mind about the political landscape. I certainly could use some re-jiggering in my brain on this topic.
It will certainly take more than the power of positive thinking. More than just wishful musing. It will require a real shift in my emotional center – insist my psyche be stunned, flabbergasted – dumbfounded even.
Okay – so I meditate. For weeks. Patiently, eagerly; watchfully.
It fascinates me how my revelations come; the mechanisms for my astonishment and wonder. This time it was delivered through “the long read” on April 5th in The Guardian: the demise of the nation state.
“After decades of globalisation, our political system has become obsolete – and spasms of resurgent nationalism are a sign of its irreversible decline. By Rana Dasgupta”
This article brought similar emotions as when I read Yuval Noah Harari’s Sapiens, and how I feel now reading his book Homo Deus. Understanding and appreciating history – connecting the dots to arrive at today’s state of affairs; can be disturbing, enlightening, exhausting and wholly liberating.
Today’s political paradigm is maybe 100 to 300 years old. In the grand scheme of infinity and eternity – we’re a speck, a dot . . . a dab. What I think, what our world leaders think, is all made up. Made up in our minds, our habits; our beliefs and opinions. Things WILL change. Probably dramatically – and in spectacularly unfathomable ways.
In my own, singular way I can change – so I connect with those around me; move the dialog positively – contribute with actions that elevate. Quit being so pissed off. Stop. Think. Don’t be so predictable.
♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥
“Memory is useful because it gives us a sense of continuity. But memory is also imprisoning because it conditions us in predictable ways.” – Deepak Chopra
Last December it caught my attention that Saturn was moving out of Sagittarius into Capricorn. Saturn was in Sagittarius when I was born and again during a massive life changing period (for me) 28 years ago. It takes 28-29 years for Saturn to come full circle – spending ~2-1/2 years in each sign. Saturn is an important planet. It represents the lessons we have to learn – cycles of achievement and maturity; personally and collectively. According to Wikipedia, Saturn 
Astrology once had my full attention – prompting me to have my natal chart professionally cast 28 years ago. Everything was mapped . . . the position of planets by sign and house at the time of my birth; planetary aspects; Ascendant, Descendent, Midheaven and Nadir of my chart – the whole shebang. Back then knowing my potentialities comforted me as I tackled those internal and external obstacles.
Hell No – no soothsayer was gonna to tell me I was doomed to flounder! Recalling the lines from a poem I learned as a kid (
Those thoughts – they keep me chained to my ego. They harden me. The need to be right – to believe that the miniscule sliver of knowledge I possess is better, more important; superior to anything anyone else may know or believe. It’s easy to harden; to think I’m all that. A rigid stance must break if real change is desired.
It struck me this morning how brutally judgmental I can be toward my younger self. Told some friends at lunch the other day that reading through my 30-year old journals was exhausting … as the old me was a sad and pathetic character. They laughed at my melodrama – but HELL, I was being serious. It would be better if I wrapped a mental arm around that hot young mess and told her everything was going to be okay. Instead I’m shaking my head and rolling my eyes. Harsh.
My journal review project is showing me that I fell down over and over AND OVER again. Newsflash! I will fall down again. In those days my youthful optimism – or artless gullibility, propelled me forward. Every face plant gave way to a new scheme from new age mysticism, religious devotion to psychological theories.
I was that child’s clown bop bag – always popping back up. A rebound for every fall. Luck, grace or providence spared me, as the extent of my recklessness; willful or unwitting, was epic.
All the stories we tell about ourselves are what Pema Chodron calls a “fixed identity” in her book Living Beautifully with Uncertainty and Change. We hold onto this identity as a safety net. It allows us to accept how uncomfortable it is not knowing what’s around the corner in our lives. We cling to what we know “for sure” – even when we don’t know jack. Pema says this identity is:
We label ourselves – meeting the world armed with stories and identities. Pema says:
Being in crisis is unsettling. No wonder we cling to who we think we are – repeating those stories, cementing old habits. Pema said that according to the brain scientist Jill Bolte Taylor: “the physiological mechanism behind emotion … lasts about ninety seconds from the moment it’s triggered until it runs its course.” If we let it run longer it’s because we choose to keep up the dialog. To stop that chatter Pema suggests we: