'Separation' May Be Helpful

Eventually everyone begins to recognize, however dimly, that there must be a better way.
-ACIM-T-Chapter 2:III:3:6

There were 22 days to that meditation series.  I was surprised to see that extra opportunity to meditate on Gratitude and Grace  this morning but very grateful. (Grateful for Deepak Chopra and Oprah Winfrey providing this free meditation series to the world) Today's meditation  once again exemplified what we spoke about yesterday...the idea of seeing Self in the other...of seeing Self as whole and not separated by body lines. 

As a student of A Course,  it became quickly obvious that one of its main teachings was echoed by Deepak Chopra & Oprah Winfrey today: Separation is an illusion.  I am whole and complete. 

 It has taken me a long time to fully realize that truth and I cannot say that I have completely mastered the 'lotus flower' lesson but it is sinking in more and more.  I am getting there.

Sometimes  'Separation' may be helpful on our paths to awakening.

There is an instance, perhaps, where playing with the idea of 'separation' may be somewhat helpful in our understanding of who we really are.  When we can loosely separate the little 'me' with its egoic  personality, its body  and its  mind from the true Self, the soul,  the Seer that  is hidden beneath the layers of obvious, we may begin to understand more clearly who we truly are. 

Most of us operate unconsciously lost in the drama of 'little me' and are anything but present or aware. When we can make the distinction between the two, however,  and then witness who is apparently in charge of our moment we can escape  from a state of unconsciousness back into conscious awareness.  We can  become aware once again of this separation between Self that is the background and the 'person' we have wrongly identified  as for most of our lives that is the foreground. This is the basis of presence according to teachers like Eckhart Tolle.

Say what crazy lady?

Separate the True Self from the "little me"


We need to separate the "little me" that makes up most of our Life foreground from the true Self that is always present in the background. We do that when we allow that true Self to witness and observe what that little crazy monkey minded person is thinking, feeling and  doing in the foreground.

The Reaction


I will give an example.  Today I found myself becoming suspicious of the intentions of certain companies and individuals who were providing a paid service for me.  I actually thought that they may rip me off.  I found myself physically contracted in my vigilance, my stomach and face burning, muscles tense and the words coming out of my mouth were anything but kind.  I was retracting, closing off, clinging to the 'little I had' and ready to defend and attack.  Not pleasant. 

 This reaction this 'person' was having was based on a thought.  The thought was based on a belief that was triggered by a certain amount of stress and fatigue as well a mistrust and fear of less than that this 'little me' has been operating under. The belief was, "Bad things will continue to happen to 'me'.  I do not have enough but I am always expected to pay more. Financial destitution is 'my' destiny. People have been unjust and unfair to 'me' before...they will continue to be so."   For a moment I was absorbed and lost in that reaction that involved a separate 'little me" against a dangerous "them". Yuck!  What a belief to cling to. What a behavioral response to fill my moment with. I was lost in the 'little me'...I was unconscious.

Separating Foreground from Background and Waking Up

In the midst of it, I suddenly witnessed myself behaving this way and very quickly I observed the situation and reaction from a higher place. I could 'see' what I was doing. In order to do that I had to have separated the drama of my person from the calm presence of my Self.  It was Self that was seeing. Self was witnessing what the ego was doing from the background. 

As soon as I realized that something higher, more conscious and more present was witnessing my experience from the background, I woke up and the reaction fell away...In fact "little me" fell away. Everything suddenly felt okay as it was. I was back in the moment aware of what was going on in me and around me right then and right there. There was no need to be suspicious, to defend and or attack in that moment.  There was nothing of value to cling to in that moment. There was no lack or no less than in that moment.  Past experiences were just memories and stories, in that moment.
There was no "them" in that moment...

There was just thoughts, feelings, circumstances coming and going.  The other people who I had perceived as separate and enemies  were just other representations of Self that may or may not have been lost in their own egoic minds.  Everything felt complete and whole from the perspective of this Self. I heard myself reciting, "It is what it is and it will be what it will be." And I felt peace.

In this case then, separating the person we have come to believe we are from the Self we truly are is beneficial. We need to see the two beings operating within us if we truly want to wake up.  Once we wake up fully there will be no need for "little me" and separation.  We will truly operate from one  state of complete wholeness then.

But for now a little separating is okay.

All is well in my world.

References

ACIM Text

Deepak Chopra & Oprah Winfrey (n.d.) Manifesting Grace through Gratitude. Chopra Center

Eckhart Tolle (2019) Do we bring about our own suffering? Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yEH_3GyfIag