There is a tide in the affairs of men,
Which, taken at the flood, leads onto fortune;
Omitted, all the voyages of their life,
is bound in shallows and in miseries.
On such a full sea are we now afloat,
and we must take the current when it serves.
Shakespeare, Julius Caesar, Act IV , Scene III
Hmm! Do you believe that we are given only one chance, one opportunity for happiness, fortune, success and if we don't jump on that opportunity when it is presented to us we will suffer for the rest of our lives? Of course Brutus is discussing a battle strategy with Cassius when he uses these infamous words...not the secrets to eternal happiness... but Shakespeare had the knack of making everything in his writings apply to man's eternal search for meaning, didn't he?
Missing the Boat (or the tide) or Jumping On It?
I was reminded of these words upon listenng to Eckhart Tolle this morning. I reclaimed my spot at the dining room table where I could also look out at the colorful and bright world around me and found myself questioning, as I often do, "What the heck is my purpose here now that my external world has turned upside down and I seem to be waking up to what is really important as a result? What am I supposed to do with the rest of my life? Do I make any plans or do I just 'go with the flow', if it isn't too late?"
And that led me to ask the other usual question that keeps coming up, "Why am I , almost spontaneously, writing about my 'waking up' experiences and exposing my vulnerability so openly on a blog, in articles and books for the world to see? What is up with that...that's not 'me'? I am usually so quiet and reserved. Am I to just keep doing that?"
Then , I came across this video...it didn't just pop up. I did have to scroll down a list of provided videos for it but there it was: Life After Awareness/Do you Let the Universe Take Control? In this video, Eckhart Tolle, talks about the difference between a plan for Life devised by ego and one devised by spirit. ( Again 'spirit' is just a term, a pointer to something that really cannot be described, right? You may prefer 'soul', 'Self', 'higher consciousness', 'the deeper I', 'the being', 'essence', 'presence', the 'wise Self', 'the formless Self' etc etc )
Ego or Spirit's Plan
We know we are following ego's plan when our mission is flawed and limited by the need to enhance 'self' '. What we tend to "do" from this egoic place seems ineffective, met with struggle, hardship and heartache. There is always an underlying and problematic "self seeking" that gets in the way of our plan, rather than taking us to its successful fruition. We are seeking gratification in the form of external praise, reward , money or success. We become "stressed".
In spirit's plan there is no self seeking. We somehow know that whatever is done through us has nothing to do with "little me". We recognize the higher consciousness' need and enjoyment when it come to creating form. We are used as a tool for it to to do that through. Whatever we create, when spirit is leading, comes through us. It isn't "ours". There is nothing personal in it. When there is no ego in our planning, therefore in our doing, the mission flows and is easily accomplished. We also may feel great passion and an intense desire to follow the inspiration.
Tolle says the accomplishment of spirit's plan can come spontaneously in the evolution of creative impulses. Or it can come in an inspired feeling like "this is supposed to come through me." That is the way it is with poetry for me. I have this feeling that whatever is coming through is "supposed" to come through and I am not supposed to judge it as good or bad because it really has little to do with me??
So how do I know that what I am doing here is a part of my spirit's plan for me? That whetever you are doing is a part of the plan for you? Maybe we can ask ourselves these questions.
- Is there a lot of stress? Do you feel pressured? Do you feel worried and anxious to complete it or to follow the plan? Tolle warns us that stress is usually a sure sign that ego, not spirit, is involved. We are not to confuse the intensity that comes with a true creative impulse with the stress that comes with ego's.
- Is the plan flowing smoothly? If the plan is spirit's it will usually flow smoothly. Even if obstacles arise, they are easily transformed, swept away or averted. If it is ego's plan...there will be hardship after hardship.
- Is ego trying to strengthen the idea of 'little me'? How personal is this mission you are undertaking? Do you use a lot of "I,me. mine"? Do you puff up proudly when the little me is stroked for the efforts and curl up in a ball when it is critcized or rejected for it? If so...it isn't Spirit's plan you are following.
- Do you see the action as something you do or something that is done through you? If you do not see yourself as simply a tool used by consciousness so it can play with form through you, then again, ego is making plans for your life.
- Is there joy? If it is spirit's plan you are following there will be peace and joy in the doing.
- Are you being supported by the Universe? Is there grace? When we follow God's plan for us/ spirit's plan...we will be supported. Things will be added on to us. The right opportunities, the right people, the right coincidences and successes will just show up to ease us along our path. It is not this we seek...it is simply to be of service to the higher call...but Life will support us. If we are met with hardship, struggle, heartache and stress...that is ego's doing not spirit's.
I love this quote from Patanjali
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