THE WAY OF CHANGE – A Progressively Unfolding Life Approach

“If you change your mind, you can change your life.” William James

In our modern world how we live often becomes fragmented, over specialized and/or over stimulated in some areas, and neglected and skill-less in others. All life is dynamic so even if we attempt to remain static, thinking this will be easiest or safest, we are surrounded by motion and change to which we must react and respond.

A unified approach to learning and progression can be applied to how we live, resulting in positive transformation.  It is simple, it is straightforward, and it creates a unity and harmony which we can apply to all areas of our lives.  What it offers is a way of being that focuses on the positive, allows us to benefit from it, and reflect it to others in our relationships and our work.  It offers no magic solutions, and it doesn’t offer instant success.  Rather it calls us to be actively and creatively engaged in our own progression, unfolding over 3 weeks, to become part of how we live each and every day.

Week 1 – Lessons

Each morning and each evening read a piece of sacred scripture, or inspirational writing.  It is better to read a few lines with consciousness than a page or more in a tired manner.  With scripture those of the great religions of the world are most powerful, from Krishna, Buddha, Abraham, Moses, Zoroaster, Christ, Muhammed, The Bab, Baha’u’llah.  The writings of lesser Prophets and Teachers are also inspiring and uplifting.

Give yourself time to do this each morning and evening, be it 5 minutes or 20 minutes.  But dedicate the set time totally to this sacred task.  Read the piece, then allow at least an equal amount of time to meditate.

It isn’t necessary to have a formal or specific meditation technique.  Sit in a comfortable position, giving yourself the maximum level of peace possible.  Breathe evenly and centre your concentration on each breath.  As you breathe allow yourself to relax.

Now gently bring to mind the essence of the sacred quotation that you read.  As you do this if other, more worldly thoughts come to mind don’t try to block them. Rather let them flow in and out of your consciousness, bringing the essence of the sacred quote back to centre.  Then bring your awareness to your breathing again, sit quietly for a moment – and you are done.

This is a process and will improve with practice.

In the middle of each day set aside 5 or 10 minutes to say a quiet prayer, or recite an inspirational quote. This recalls the spiritual to your consciousness.

When we pray we speak to The Divine, we ask or implore of The Divine.

When we meditate we give space to The Divine to speak to us, to answer our prayer.  This may not be when The Divine answers, but it acknowledges and gives respect to the source and centre of existence.

Imagination is a gift all humans possess, it is an internal, private action.  Practically applied imagination is creativity, an outward manifestation of the internal process.

Do at least one creative action during the week, maybe something artistic, but equally it could be a creative act in any area of your life.

 

Week 2 – Go Into The Positive

Continue the daily exercise learned and practised last week.

Add the following to your daily practice:  With people and with situations look for the positive, learn to see the positive.  Accept that at times this can be difficult, but again it is a process and once you begin to see in this way it becomes easier.  It becomes more ‘your way of seeing’.  Realizing that the negative does not exist, it is simply a lack of the positive is a good place to begin.  This may sound like an empty cliché , but consider the following simple experiment.

Imagine two adjoining rooms with a closed door between them.  One room has a bright light while the other room is in total darkness.  Open the door and the dark room is illuminated.  Close the door again and there is a bright room and a dark room.  No matter how many times you open the door, 10, 100, 1000, the light always illuminates the dark room, the dark never encroaches on the light.  Darkness has no substance, it is merely an absence of light.  In like manner negative has no substance, it is the absence of the positive, the tangible.

If a person, or a situation, has nine positive points and one negative point we should concentrate on the good and ignore the bad.  But also if a person, or a situation, has one positive point and nine negative points we should also concentrate on the good and ignore the bad.  By ignoring the bad, the negative, we deny it any importance.  By concentrating on the good, the positive, we become more aware of it, realize it is everywhere to be found, and empower it.

Do at least one creative action during the week, maybe something artistic, but equally it could be a creative act in any area of your life.

Week 3 – Acting and Achieving

Continue the daily exercise learned in week 1.

Consciously seek the positive each day.

Most of us have busy lives, but in your busy life make time for people.  Be kind, generous, welcoming, open and honest.  Making time for people is a practical expression of love.

In any area of life in order to achieve something we must first set a goal.  To make progress on a journey we need to know what our destination is.  Setting a goal is the equivalent of having a destination – the question then is how to get there?

This is a 4 stage process, the stages being Knowledge, Volition, Action, and Reflection.

Knowledge – Know what you want to achieve, where do you want to get to, and what tools and actions are required to achieve it.

Volition – The inspiration and will to take on the challenge and see it through.

Action – The steps outlined in weeks 1 and 2, applied to our own life situation.

Reflection – Reflect on your goal and progress, and make any adjustments necessary to move towards success.

All of us have three realities that occupy our thinking – Our Past; Our Present; Our Future.

Our Past – We cannot change this, but we can gently and thoughtfully change our relationship to it.  Our goal is to be content with our past.

Our Present – We can gently and thoughtfully change how we experience the present, we can live mindfully.  Our goal is to be happy in the present.

Our Future – We can gently and thoughtfully choose to look at the positive in our future.  Our goal is to be hopeful about our future.

Do at least one creative action every week, maybe something artistic, but equally it could be a creative act in any area of your life.

This process, this way of being, is creative, active, dynamic and positive; it is not passive and reactive to the negative. It is a wisdom progressively unfolded since ancient times, reimagined for a modern complex world, that allows us to combine insights and inspiration drawn from the spiritual, intellectual and practical branches of learning and can increase inner peace.

                                                                                                  

            Patrick Carri – Creative Therapist and Teacher (M.A. Art Therapy; B.A. Hons.   Psychology and Literature; Traditionally Trained Cabinetmaker; Lifelong Comparative Religions Student).