MINDFULNESS


using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them”. We must be able to sense into the depths of our being, know ourselves fully, and hold all of this in a loving, healing space. Only then will we be able to relate to each other as unique, whole beings, and overcome the conflict that results from rejecting parts of ourselves and those around us. When the internal conflict subsides, conflict in the world will subside accordingly. Deep inside each of us is a yearning for this wholeness and loving relationship. All we need to do is listen deeply enough to hear its call, and then follow that.


EXERCISE: WHAT DOES YOUR DEEPEST BEING WANT TO EXPRESS IN THE WORLD? 1. Take a moment to pause and sense inside. Notice and let go of any tension. Use the breath as an anchor so you can become calm and centred.


2. Once you start to quieten down, ask yourself, ‘What do I want to contribute to this world?’ or, ‘What is the next step for me?’


3. Resist the temptation to try to ‘work out’ an answer. Instead, allow the question to rest in the stillness as an inquiry. Allow the answer to arise


in its own time. Breathe deeply into your belly and let the breath flow throughout your whole body. Cultivate a place of inner stillness and wait. See what arises.


4. Perhaps for a time nothing will come. Don’t judge it if this is the case. Just notice what sensations you are experiencing. Let this question form the basis of an ongoing inquiry.


5. When answers do arise, simply notice them and check whether they feel true to you. Keep returning to the inquiry.


You may also wish to revisit this


enquiry in any daily meditation you may have. When you seek earnestly to know what your place is in this process of building a more mindful society, your heartfelt question will connect you with what is most real in you. You will start to be led by intuition and impulses, big and small. Allow these to guide you, always checking back in with yourself as to whether what is arising – and the ways you are bringing it into action – are an expression of mindfulness and loving presence.


STARTING WHERE WE ARE Mindfulness is inseparable from heartfulness. We need to start where we are and be curious about


what our commitment to relating respectfully and lovingly to all parts of ourself and our world brings. It may calm and focus us. Or it may shake us out of our lethargy and inaction. Little by little, mindfulness takes us on a journey of discovery that expands possibilities beyond what we might previously have considered. Mindfulness is not a quick fix but it necessitates whole-hearted engagement. To quote Eisenstein again, “Addiction, self-sabotage,


procrastination, laziness, rage, chronic fatigue, and depression are all ways that we withhold our full participation in the program of life we are offered. When the conscious mind cannot find a reason to say no, the unconscious says no in its own way.” 1 Mindfulness offers us the capacity to


wake up. We begin to see the patterns that may have held us back and the ways in which we have been stuck or saying no to life. Mindfulness allows us to have fresh eyes and to be engaged with life in a fuller way. This requires connecting deeply with an experience of being, and then finding ways to bring that into our doing. Mindfulness eventually involves


changing behaviours, structures, and systems where injustice flourishes.


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36 SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2017


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