Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Awakening and the Addictive voice...

I was watching Eckhart Tolle and Oprah discussing his book, The New Earth via Oprah's book club and the online program she is running. For me, much of what Eckhart is talking about in this book is a parallel to what I'm sharing through the Life Puzzle model. We use slightly different words, but the results that we both are encouraging our listeners/clients to achieve is high level consciousness.

This particular day I only had time to catch about 10 minutes before running off to another meeting, but it was the perfect 10 minutes! Eckhart was talking to one of the woman who had called in on Skype and her question was something about "how reactive I am to events and how that just takes over my life."

Eckhart nodded in his quiet way and then went on to explain--that yes, "life happens--events do come into our lives--and so that is step 1--the event. Step 2 is the "response or reaction" we give to the event--and for many people, this is where they start to go off track. They get caught up in the reactive/ego of the event and once pulled into the "drama", it spins out of control. Sometimes its short-lived--but for many others, its an on-going process that takes up their entire lives. (Think about people who get mad at someone and are still angry days later to the point that when they next see this person--they attack them phyiscally or verbally!)

But then Eckhart paused and said "but what most people don't realize is that there's a 3rd step in all this--and this is the step that those who have awakened recognize. When this process of event/response is happening--when you've awakened to your high consciousness/essence, you're then able to 'stand outside' step 1 and 2 and consciously 'see' what is going on and not get caught up in the event. In this way, they realize that the event/response isn't who they are or what they must do etc. It is separate from their "being"--and once they see it as such, then they can consciously manage or choose to not get completely caught up in the event/response drama at all.

As I listened to this, I was nodding my head. This is what I'm trying to teach my clients who are caught up in the repetitive dramas that keep them locked in the old 0-5 reactive patterns. Only, I use different words. I help clients identify the "addictive voice" --this is the voice that is triggered by the event (usually connected to fear, anger, pain). Once activated--the "addictive voice"--convinces you to 'respond' to the event through this fog of pain/fear/anger patterns that you've been doing for so long. The response is generally a drama or the "illogical logic" choices that show up as behaviors that seem like the only option in the midst of the drama--but often times later, must be apologized for.

In the "Addictive Voice" exercise that I use with clients--I am showing them Step 3--the ability to recognize the "addictive voice" as separate--the ability to standout side and 'see' the Addictive voice that is running the show--see it as "separate" from the true SELF...and once you can do that, then you/SELF have the ability to not only 'manage' the addictive voice--but with practice--eliminate it altogether. As you eliminate it--then the true SELF/Essence (Tolle's word) can be present at all times.

So its clear that this isn't an easy process--millions of people are watching Oprah and Eckhart--and each week the questions are pretty much the same--how do I get out of ego, how do I stop being so reactive and how do I live in the Now/presence. To my clients reading this blog--hang in there--we're all trying to build our edges/create SELF/essence--and its worth the effort.

I honor what Eckhart and Oprah are doing--and hope that the Life Puzzle can be one more way that people can 'awaken' to their SELF/essence and create a world where we understand--everyone on this planet is a Life Puzzle under construction--we all have the same 16 core areas, 5 edges that create the SELF (essence) yet no two of us will put those pieces together in the same way. Thus, we all have a common bond--while maintaining our unique soul essence. In this knowing--we can stop 'reacting to others as if they're different from us' but understand that we're all on a path to consciousness! Tolle's New Earth is one way to learn on this path--and Life Puzzle is another way--all heading to the same place--a world of consciousness!

No comments: