How much more radical a statement can any of us make than “I’m happy”?
I’m not “ignorant”, I’m happy.
I’m not “reckless”, I’m happy.
I’m not “compliant”, I’m happy.
I’m not “in denial”, I’m happy.
I’m not “fearful”, I’m happy.
How can I be happy in “times like these”?
How could I not?
Here’s three tricks to happiness:
- See through the illusion of separation.
- Establish yourself as Awareness.
- Live in alignment with who you know yourself to be.
— that is ALL OF who you know yourself to be. Awareness, personality, body & mind.
Here’s some clues you’re in the rough:
- You are looking to the world, politics, money, possessions, circumstances or another person to make you feel whole, complete, loved, happy, abundant or free.
Hint: It’s not going to happen. Even when it looks like it has. What really happened is you stopped seeking something you were chasing, and in that pause, you knew yourself as love, freedom and happiness. - Now you “get” Awareness, you’re expecting that your body, mind, personality, other people, or the whole wide world will match what you know Awareness to be. And these things are failing you, and you need them to change.
Hint: You forgot, it’s all Awareness. That person that frustrates you so much? Awareness. This body that refuses to disappear? Awareness. The “times like these”? Awareness.
Yeah But: That sounds a lot like denial. Yes, it would be, if it weren’t for point #3, above. - Awareness has become a perfect retreat for you. Demanding partner? You go commune with Awareness. Bills to pay? You concentrate on Awareness. Illness or physical pain? You remind yourself it’s all an illusion in Awareness. But when you return from your retreat, the partner, the bills and the illness are all still there. So you flip-flop back to Awareness.
Hint: You’ve not integrated your knowing yourself as Awareness with life as it appears. Because life as it appears is also Awareness. If you feel let down, embittered, enraged or frustrated, you are out of alignment with yourself. And you can’t be a bit out of alignment. It’s binary. If you are at war with any appearance of yourself, you are at war with your Self.
This is why awakening to the nature of Awareness is just the beginning. You’ve probably not dedicated your life so far to the progressive cleansing of mind and body, until your unconditioned personality shines with the light of pure Awareness. The direct path doesn’t demand or allow for that lifetime of practice.
Knowing yourself as Awareness, you begin. You begin to reclaim every ounce of experience for Awareness. You begin to know yourself in the world. And you begin to celebrate the perfection, the beauty and the truth of one Being appearing as the though many. Of one Being, holding infinite potentiality. Of all possible moments held in a single, singular, eternal Now. You begin to live knowingly as the happiness you are.
I’m happy. Are you?
With Love,
Sara
