Everyday life is the entrance to eternity. It must be that way; we must see our lack of choice in this. I went to the grocery this morning. Did I see the entrance as I grabbed hold of a cart in the lobby? No. It doesn’t work that way, although knowing yourself in the moment is to know eternity.
I did my shopping and returned home and ate lunch. Some sour dough bread spread with pimento cheese and a few chips. I didn’t see the entrance there either, because we are wired to be asleep when we are out and about in the world. Or for returning home, for that matter. And yet the entrance was there all the time.
As I type these words the peace is palpable. It wasn’t there until I realized I was at the keyboard typing this note. Consciousness is as slippery as an eel. No, that’s not right. Consciousness is ever present. It’s our thoughts and feelings that are slippery.
A long weekend looms. I don’t handle those well. I feel the vast wasteland of our holidays geared to point up our lack of happiness. The sales fliers will be everywhere, urging us to fill our carts with things we neither need or can’t afford. Eternity is surely not something to be purchased.
I was listening to a spiritual teacher online speaking of how we must learn to allow our thoughts and feelings to exist instead of banishing them to the basement. That feels true and yet we are not wired to do that, either. We are wired for sleep, to be “food for the moon” as Gurdjieff said. To awaken, a price must be paid. I know you want to know what it is.
If I knew in words, I would hasten to tell you. And if I said it in words, it would do no good. It is not a matter of listening to words but of ascending to a higher level that that. If you want that, the entrance to eternity appears right in front of you. But it is never that simple. The next time you look, it will be gone again. Just like the guru, just like your aim to awaken, just like Jesus said. To paraphrase, the kingdom of heaven is spread out upon the earth and you do not see it.”
Vicki Woodyard
Amen to that. And you can fall deeper and deeper into that sleep. There are levels to everything. Then, one day you remember….How long will that remembrance last? No one knows.
On a family picture of all the kids, Joey had enlarged as a Christmas gift for his brother, he had the words written on it “A second, a year, Near or far, family is forever”. Not only was it an interesting omen of what was to come but it speaks to all of us in a way. We are one family, only One. Eternity is there waiting for each of us, every second, every minute, every hour. We will only discover it in God’s timing, not ours. So, I say…Put your feet up and take a chill pill. Or, forget about it. 🙂
It is a learning to see that I have yet to master. All I can do is to keep remembering to come back to it. And then actually come back to it instead of just saying, “Oh yeah, I can do this” before my brain wiggles away again. 🙂
Nicely written. I agree we shouldn’t try to banish our thoughts, just not harbor them. I can tell you that my mind is pretty much silent until something practical comes up that needs attention. There has been a big change due to the work I’ve done. Years ago my head was so full of thoughts I was in psychological pain all the time. Now I’m a space cadet. Don’t plan anything, don’t need to do anything, and have no motivation for new experiences. This was not a planned thing, it just happened as I went deeper, and got cleaner. To make a point, yes the mind can become more silent and it does with diligent effort. But it is not a prescription for enlightenment.
Thank you for recommending “In Days of Great Peace.” A copy just arrived & I can feel something amazing as I read the introduction & forward. Your words are pure grace. Wishing for you the entrance this weekend… Blessings!