NOTES FROM SHEILA AND THE CREON

After the recent death of my husband John I was hit by many insights, some of which I am sure many of you have similarly experienced. If you are fortunate to have warning of your loved one’s departure and they are still conscious, you have time to say everything you need to say to them before they go and likewise they can do the same. In the end the only thing to be said that really counts is I Love You.

The only thing in life or death that really matters is love. There are many ways to express love but whatever it is you do or however you live your life, the only thing that creates happiness is that which is given or received in love. No one looks forward to a day’s work unless they have a fundamental love for the kind of work they do or some major aspect of it. Love doesn’t always mean passion or romance, but very often expresses itself from a basis of simple “rightness”, or doing something because it feels right to do so. Because it feels right it feels good. It doesn’t necessarily mean you always enjoy it or want to do it.

When we do something that is right, no matter how inconvenient or difficult it may be there is always a flow of energy. This is because the thinking mind is in abeyance and brings no conflict to the situation. A sense of Presence prevails and whenever we are fully present the heart opens. It is through the heart that we receive our intuition and our strength, and it is the building block of faith.

Whenever a crisis or some adversity occurs the fight/flight instinct will usually come into play in response to the threat to survival. This is a deeply embedded response and lies mostly beneath the level of waking consciousness in most people, so we could say it is normal. It is at this moment that we need to take a deep breath, focus on breathing and automatically we become Present. In Presence the chaos of the mind abates and it is possible to completely suspend thinking and rest, even for just a few moments, in a state of Beingness. Here we have choices: inwardly ask for guidance, take sensible action against an actual threat to survival, or simply suspend all judgments and be still until an authentic response presents itself, depending on the situation.

In all cases, in one nano-second, bringing compassion to bear will greatly alleviate the pain that the difficult situation brings as compassion is a high octave of love and generates a sense of stillness in what otherwise is a highly charged moment.

Major crises tend to have knock-on effects which come and go but each time will take us back to the starting point and trigger memories. At any time the mind can learn anew and not react the way it did at first, by allowing Presence to prevail and staying in the flow of the moment. How we think about a situation will largely dictate what happens and entrenched, habitual thinking will inevitably yield the same results. In a state of Presence we are able to observe our thinking more clearly and, having noticed that we entertain a particular thought pattern or reaction in the same way, it is possible to ask ourselves if that thought is really useful or helpful. On discovering it is not the opportunity is presented right there and then to discard that thinking pattern which gives a sense of relief and lightness, and allows space for more creative thoughts or, better still, a gentle space for pure awareness.

It is oft said that the mind abhors a vacuum but it is in the vaccuum that we can connect with ourselves, our bodies, our love, and from there begin to feel the connection we have with life beyond the perceptions of the thinking mind.

You cannot change your mind by battling with it because thought is inevitably accompanied by emotion. The best way is to have awareness that a particular thought/ feeling dynamic appears at certain times which triggers further thoughts and feelings, and see it literally for what it is. A thought. It is not a reality although uninvestigated it may create one.

As has been said many times, things heal in the light of awareness. It is the awareness of how we think that creates the opportunity for us to know ourselves better and become free of some of the ties that bind us. How we judge the external world is representative of how we judge inwardly, and how we do that usually has its roots in very early life, for good or bad. Usually it’s a mixture of both as we all have good thoughts that lead to happy anticipations and events as well.

But it is beyond all thought and feeling that our eternal self dwells, and in this dwelling place we find our Infinite love, Infinite wisdom and intelligence and where we feel deep connection to all there is. We incarnate in human form to experience separation through which we learn and grow in faith and understanding and we are also meant to know joy and happy creativity and express our uniqueness.

In true beingness, Life is eternal.