Friday Inspiration—The Inner Revolution: A Paradigm Shift That Sets You Free

Our next Coming Home Together online gathering will take place on Wednesday, July 16, 9-10:30am Pacific. We’ll explore the essential teaching: Rest in Being; Not in Thinking. Please click here for details and registration. All are warmly welcomed!

“Bliss is Within. That you are. Truth is Within. That you are. Beauty is Within. That you are. Love is Within. That you are.”
~Papaji

All of us want to be happy, right?

Happiness—or call it peace, love, uncaused joy, the knowing that all is well—is our birthright, our true nature that is always available to be known and lived.

Yet sometimes this truth seems hidden behind uncomfortable feelings and sticky stories that feel real. So how do we find it?

A paradigm is a way of thinking, and a paradigm shift is a revolution, a complete, radical change in how we view reality. In the times when we're stuck, maybe that’s exactly what we need…

With a paradigm shift, old assumptions no longer apply, and a completely new, fresh way of being takes their place. We come out of the fog of same old-same old and into the garden of possibility.

Do you want to know the peace and happiness that you are? Consider shining the light of conscious awareness more fully on your inner experience. Then prepare for the revolution…

Several years ago, my interest in freedom ignited, and I realized that, as part of the path, I needed to understand my personal suffering. This was a huge paradigm shift for me—from living blindly hoping things would improve to attuning closely to my emotions and body sensations in the moment.

And what a discovery I made! I saw the useless mental chatter that accompanied me as I washed the dishes. I felt physical tension that never seemed to dissolve. And one morning upon waking, I noticed a subtle heavy feeling that said, “Oh, another day to deal with.” I realized that this feeling had been present most mornings for a long time.

It was a lightbulb moment for me to see that I carried around this resistance most of the day. And, strange as it sounds, I was excited to notice it. Finally, I understood how suffering happens and saw a way forward to the freedom so many were telling me about.

Much of our behavior in life happens automatically. We feel, think, and act in our human lives—without much awareness of what we’re doing and what’s behind it.

I was waking up every morning unconsciously dreading the day and assuming it was going to be difficult. Couples often repeat the same argument over and over, even though they vow not to. You want to improve your diet, but you keep falling off the wagon. You might find yourself regularly feeling angry or afraid without knowing why. These conditioned tendencies run deep.

What are the patterns you blindly play out?

There is nothing inherently wrong with not being aware. But if we want to wake up and actually be alive in our lives, conscious awareness is the doorway. We need to know precisely what is happening when we’re triggered so we can notice the judgments, assumptions, and stories we believe, and lovingly meet the emotions that appear.

And this is what changes everything. We turn toward and befriend our inner experience so our patterns don't unconsciously undermine us. Being lovingly aware of all that is heals separation from ourselves and from life.

Awareness brings us out of the repetitive conditioned loop so we can respond with intelligence, freedom, and heart. It’s a fundamental paradigm shift—and a sacred revolution that sets you free.

Being aware of my morning resistance to the day sparked a momentous change. I saw that it was based on pessimistic assumptions that weren’t true. I started waking up looking for this feeling, smiling at it, then going about my business.

It became small and powerless, and several months later, I realized that the feeling had not even appeared in a while.

When you start to become conscious of what has lived in you unexamined, you may not like what you see. But you’ll quickly recognize the opportunity to no longer be ruled by unconscious motives and emotions that seem out of our control.

Once you become totally alive to your experience as it’s actually happening, the patterns soften, and happiness has a welcoming space to bloom. That’s a revolution I can get behind.

With much love, 🩵
Gail

All are most welcome to join our next Coming Home Together online gathering on Wednesday, July 16 from 9-10:30am Pacific. We’ll open this the essential knowing: Rest in Being; Not in Thinking. Please click here for details and registration.

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