Lately I've been trying to let go of my thinking mind. In The Book of Truth there is a clear distinction between knowing, which is where the divine self operates from, and thinking, which is where the small self, or ego, operates from.
Prior to reading the book I was struggling to implement those spiritual teachings that say to let go of the thinking mind. I'd struggle to figure out how, which just perpetuated thinking because I was thinking of how. There were definitely times when I could let go of it: walking in nature, meditating, yoga, but each one seemed temporary. So I started to try to understand the difference between thinking and knowing.
The thing about thinking, is that it's always a step away from reality. It's almost like second hand information because we are forced to reference the past. Knowing on the other hand is always happening now.
So when thoughts come up trying to take me away from the present moment, I try to see what I know about them. This usually goes something like: "OK, I'm thinking and it's distracting, where are the thoughts coming from and what do they feel like?"
Doing this usually ends up bringing me back into the moment. I notice thoughts in my headspace, and they have a certain feeling to them. So I address the feeling rather than the thought and they seem to fizzle out.
Just last night I was running in the rain. It's dark in my neighborhood, no streetlights and it was overcast. I was feeling slightly paranoid for some reason and started having irrational fears. My mind was racing and it started to affect my performance, my heart started racing and my breathing got sporadic (running hills probably didn't help). I'm 6'6" and live in a safe neighborhood, so I was like "what is going on?"
When I was younger my imagination would always frighten me. I was afraid of the dark for a long time, terrible nightmares, imagining aliens beaming down in friends basements when I slept over, running up the stairs so I wouldn't get attacked by an imaginary bad guy once I turned off the lights. Our minds create our fear.
I took a moment and looked at my thoughts, not at the details, just where they were coming from within me. I felt what they felt like and it brought me back into my body, into the sensation of my head and face where the thoughts seemed to be located. So instead of fearful thoughts I had some tensions and unruly vibrations in the body that dissipated as I watched them and relaxed.
My heartbeat steadied and I ran full speed down the hill, and back up. It renewed my presence, I was there to run, not to be afraid for no reason. Dealing with thoughts in this way always brings me into my body, which is where I'm expressing, so I feel more present. I feel and know the feelings instead of thinking and thinking about how I feel.
On the way down I was running hard again and saw a dark figure walking up the hill. At first I thought "Oh great, manifested my fear," then I thought "What are they going to do? I'm 6'6" and hauling down this hill, they are probably scared to death of me!"
All fears are liars...
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At the bottom of the hill I kept running, feeling stronger and better than I have in probably a year or more. My perception was cleared up so the environment was poppin'. My heart started to take over as my fear dissipated, everything took on a new look, a subtle change in the way I saw things. Sometimes I remember that a good workout can open our hearts to the world just as much as some good sitting meditation...
Noticing and addressing my feelings directly, whether they are thoughts, physical tensions, emotions, judgements, whatever, just noticing them has proved to be a hugely beneficial part of my spiritual practice. Digging into how I experience the world has brought more progress than reading all the books I've read. Though I don't know if I would be practicing properly without those writings to guide me.
To me spirituality is always going to be practical. It is finding the Truth in our own experience, not reading about it or watching a video of someone explaining it. Those are just reminders and pointers to help us do it ourselves. They're teachers, not pinch hitters.
If you ever are being bombarded by your thoughts, ever having fears, I implore you to try to look at them for what they are. To see how they are represented in your experience without indulging in thinking. Once we start thinking about them we give them permission to be there, and they start to drag us along. It's like feeding our fears and other unnecessary thoughts. Instead just feel them and address the feelings, embrace the discomfort it brings in order to understand and calm yourself.
Let me know what you think, and as always thanks for reading! If you enjoyed the article don't forget to upvote, resteem, and follow me, 