Accessing The Eternal You

Since our birth, there has been a "watcher" sharing our journey. Like a movie screen, it's the pure canvas upon which the "movie" of our lives is projected.  Like a movie screen, it is not the "movie". It is clean, pure, and free, of the movie. Any number of movies can be projected onto it, yet it has no sense of loss or attachment to any person, belief, dogma. tradition, or family. It is the only part of our existence that is constant. We're referring to this "watcher", when we say "I am". From the moment we're born, there is an "us" that we know. This "us" is still awareness, witnessing the drama of our lives, it witnesses even our mind. It is the only part of our existence that has not changed. Everything added to the statement "I am" has (and does) change. Everything.

Whatever we add to that statement changes and is therefore, not us. For example,  "I am Sahar". I've changed my name many times, although no one name is more "me" than another. Or "I am a man". How real is gender? Or our bodies, for that matter? Biology is sooo changeable.There is a species of frog (the "common reed frog") that has been observed to change their sex organs from female to male.This occurs when the population does not have enough males to allow procreation and is accomplished when a chemical trigger activates the sex gene to disintegrate the female organs and develop the male ones. Now that's a handy little trick!

To live fully in the Truth of our Being lies in recognizing these temporary phenomena and detaching from our identification with them. Do any of these lines from Talking Heads "Once In A Lifetime" ring a bell?

 "You may find yourself living in a shotgun shack

You may find yourself in another part of the world
You may find yourself behind the wheel of a large automobile
You may find yourself in a beautiful house with a beautiful wife
You may ask yourself, well, how did I get here?
You may ask yourself, how do I work this?
You may ask yourself, where is that large automobile?
You may tell yourself, this is not my beautiful house
You may tell yourself, this is not my beautiful wife

Same as it ever was, same as it ever was, same as it ever was

You may ask yourself, what is that beautiful house?
You may ask yourself, where does that highway lead to?
You may ask yourself, am I right, am I wrong?
You may say to yourself, my god, what have I done? 

Into the blue again, into silent water
Under the rocks and stones, there is water underground
Letting the days go by, into silent water
Once in a lifetime, water flowing underground

Same as it ever was, same as it ever was, same as it ever was.

Transcend The Temporary

This song elucidates our external search: longing for the right house or car or wife. In time, we may recognize that those ideas we had of happiness, being sourced by a thing or person, were misguided. When we recognize how we have placed our focus in absolutely the wrong direction, we start to listen within. We find that there is a "silent water", that this water is the "same as it ever was". It is experienced as a blissfully still awareness. This "Water" is the Force Of Life within, and to the extent that we let go of the reins of our lives and allow ourselves to be inspired by It, does our journey down this "river of life" become more beautiful.

There is a river flowing now very fast. It is so great and swift that there are those who will be afraid. They will try to hold on to the shore. They will feel they are being torn apart, and they will suffer greatly.

Know the river has its destination. The elders say we must let go of the shore, push off into the middle of the river, keep our eyes open, and our heads above the water. See who is in there with you and celebrate.

At this time in history, we are to take nothing personally. Least of all, ourselves. For the moment that we do, our spiritual growth and journey comes to a halt.

The time of the lone wolf is over. Gather yourselves!

Banish the word struggle from your attitude and your vocabulary.

All that we do now must be done in a sacred manner and in celebration.

We are the ones we've been waiting for.

—The Elders Oraibi
Arizona Hopi Nation

Join us in the ecstasy of song, today: January 29th, at The Center For 

Spiritual Living, Santa Rosa. This free evening of chanting will be from 7-8:30