Spiritual Guidance Blog
An Endless Cacophony of Worthless Activity
by Robert Meagher on 08/02/20
Photo Credit: pexels.com - Aleksejs Bergmanis
This past month has felt busy. There has been an endless
list of things to do. My days felt more full than usual. Most days I would look
back over the list of things I wanted to do, to realize they did not get
completed. The uncompleted items would be added to the ‘to do’ list for the
next day. And so, it went for much of the month.
During one of my welcomed day-long bike trips one weekend, I
reflected on my busyness. I actually enjoy having a lot of things to do. And I
enjoy even more the sense of accomplishment associated with getting a long list
of items scratched off my ‘to do’ list. But sometimes that ‘to do’ list becomes
a source of discord.
As I peddled my way along the beautiful roads and pathways
on a brilliantly-beautiful summer’s day, I was struck by the meaninglessness
and worthlessness of my busyness and, in particular, my ‘to do’ list. Oh yes,
there’s a certain practicality to life. There are some things that must be
done—brushing one’s teeth, going to the grocery store…to name but two simple
necessities. But when I look at my ‘to do’ list with a decerning eye, most of
the things on the ‘to do’ list could go without ‘doing’ and the world would not
come to an end.
Most of the items on the ‘to do’ list is a cacophony—a harsh
discordant mixture of tasks—of worthless activity. I can create a very
convincing argument for wanting, needing even, to complete the tasks. But when
it comes down to it, not completing the task won’t have a significant affect on
my life. In truth, none of the items on the ‘to do’ need doing at all!
There is a beautiful lesson from a spiritual teaching that
speaks of the healed mind not planning.[1]
The teaching does not condone not planning. On the contrary, planning can have
very practical and useful applications in our lives. For example, making a
grocery list can be a helpful task when it comes time to go to the grocery
store—when we arrive at the grocery store, we have a pretty good chance of
getting what we need.
However, what the healed mind realizes is the reason we plan
and make the ‘to do’ list. We plan and make the ‘to do’ list because we are
afraid of what would happen if we didn’t plan. The healed mind understands the
underlying impetus for needing or wanting to plan.
Is having an endless cacophony of worthless activity bad? Is
having a ‘to do’ list bad? Is planning bad? Certainly not! So long as one is
open to what life actually gives us, in amongst our planning, then plan away.
The healed mind understands that when we plan, God laughs!
Robert Meagher has
been ordained as an Interfaith Minister and certified as a Sacred Attention Therapy (SAT) Therapist. Robert is the Founder and Spiritual
Director for Spiritual Guidance and Co-Founder of the Center for Human Awakening.
Choose Once Again
by Robert Meagher on 07/02/20
Last month I dealt with a situation simply by choosing once
again. In this situation that was causing me some dis-ease, I chose to shine
some light on it and see it differently. Sound mysterious? It wasn’t. It was
rather easy, and natural. Let me explain further.
Have any of you heard of PayPal? If so, perhaps you have had
experience using and working with this online payment service. I have been
using PayPal for my ministry work for almost a decade.
After almost a decade of using PayPal, last month I started
to get requests for documentation from PayPal. I found these requests a bit
odd, given that I had been using this account for almost a decade and had never
had any such requests from PayPal. I began to provide the requested
documentation. As each request was filled, another request for other
documentation would come forth. Sometimes PayPal would ask for more detailed
documentation and something PayPal would ask for other information. At some
point PayPal indicated they may place restrictions on my account until they
received the documentation they requested.
This situation went on for several weeks. It started to
become frustrating when I would be asked to resubmit the same information I had
already submitted. I became aware that different PayPal representatives were
asking for information from me each time. It appeared that whatever issue
PayPal was trying to address, different people were communicating with me that
clearly had not been privy to the communication I already had with other PayPal
representatives. The result of this multi-faceted approach to problem solving by
PayPal was that I sometimes had to repeat the communication I already had with a
representative.
The longer this situation went on, the more frustrated I
became. Until one morning…
When I awoke, my first thoughts were about the unfolding
situation with PayPal. All my frustrations came bubbling to the surface. But
another thought also came bubbling to the surface. I asked myself… “What if I’m
not seeing this situation correctly? What if PayPal is actually trying to help
me? It seems like an odd way to help someone, but what if???”
As I sat with these questions for only a minute, my thoughts
about the situation started to change. I began to see that all the requests by
PayPal were not negative, or bad, or even frustrating. I began to see how the
experience was actually helping me to better understand how PayPal worked and
how I could make PayPal work better for me. By the time I left my room, only a
few minutes later, I was excited about these new insights and somehow felt like
the problem had been solved for me.
About an hour later I turned on my computer to start my
workday. Greeting me in my email inbox was a message from PayPal stating that
the issue with my PayPal account (for which there never was a clear description
of what the issue was!) was resolved and my account status had been returned to
normal.
It felt clear to me that the resolution to whatever the
problem was, had nothing to do with the documentation I had provided (or not). The
resolution to the problem was my choice to see the situation differently. In
this case, once I began to see the situation as something other than
threatening, a new possibility emerged. I began to see the situation as
something that could help me. Ultimately, my vision changed from one of fear to
one of love.
Robert Meagher has been ordained as an Interfaith Minister and certified as a Sacred Attention Therapy (SAT) Therapist. Robert is the Founder and Spiritual Director for Spiritual Guidance and Co-Founder of the Center for Human Awakening.
Are You Experiencing Suffering? Or Are You Suffering Your Experience?
by Robert Meagher on 06/03/20
So…here we are! Smack dab in the middle (a
metaphorical expression) of what has been labelled a global pandemic. This
surely must be fertile soil for suffering! Or is it? The currently evolving
situation reminds me of the somewhat-whimsical Buddhist parable about
suffering:
The student runs to the spiritual
teacher. “Teacher, teacher,” says the student. “I am experiencing suffering.”
After listening to the student’s tales of woe, the teacher responds, “You are
not experiencing suffering. You are suffering your experience.”
The first change I experienced in my life
was that my local recreation center closed. I would faithfully go to the center
on Monday, Wednesday and Friday for a noon-hour swim. I had been swimming laps
for more than 40 years. Now, all of a sudden, I couldn’t. What was I to do?!
After a couple of days I adjusted to this new state of being with an acceptance
that, for some reason that has not been revealed to me yet, life (my name for
God) does not want me swimming at this time. I dusted off my yoga mat,
resurrected some of my Yin, Hatha, and Ashtanga flows, and designed some brand
new cross-training workouts I could easily enjoy from the comfort of my home
and that would keep my healthy and fit.
The next change to my lifestyle was I could
no longer go to the grocery store and simply walk in to the grocery store. I
now had to wait in line to get in. Public health authorities were limiting the
number of people allowed in the grocery store at any one time, and this meant I
would sometimes be faced with having to wait to get into the grocery store, if
the store capacity had already been reached. After a couple of occurrences of
waiting in line, I accepted this new experience as an opportunity to welcome a
new meditation session in my day. I would often wait for 15-30 minutes to get
in the store. What better way to pass the illusion of time than to ground
myself, get peaceful, and meditate—yes, while standing, waiting in line to get
in the grocery store.
The next change to my lifestyle was caused when
our neighboring province closed its borders to our city. I live in a city that
is situated on the shores of a river. On the other side of the river is another
province. The river is only a few hundred meters across and is spanned by
several bridges. Police had set up posts on each bridge and were stopping all
pedestrians, cyclists and motorists from crossing the bridges and entering the
other province. This situation was initially quite a jolt for me. I am an avid
cyclist and the terrain on the other side of the river is outstanding for
cycling. I quickly accepted that given the predicted trajectory of the evolving
pandemic, I would not likely be cycling on the other side of the river for the
upcoming season. I turned my attention to other options to enjoy cycling for
the season. I realized that I had never explored the towns and villages south
of the city. When I researched cycling options south of the city, I was very
pleasantly surprised to discover that there were many hundreds of kilometers of
dedicated cycling paths that offered the cyclist many options for short-,
medium-, and long-distance cycling rides. I am looking forward to discovering
all the new pathways this upcoming season.
The preceding anecdotes are only three
examples of how I was able to look at a situation differently and transcend
suffering. In each situation, I did initially feel sadness, frustration, and
even anger. I felt like something was being taken away from me. In each
situation I asked myself “How is my sadness, frustration and/or anger helping
me?” In each situation the answer was “It’s not!” And I proceeded to look for
others ways to get physical exercise or adjust to a new way of living.
Adjustment was key for me. I needed to
change. In the case of my recreation center being closed and not being able to
go swimming, I needed to change the form of exercise I did in order to stay
physically healthy. My ability to adjust to the change was only possible
through an acceptance of life on its terms. If I resisted the change, then I
suffered. But if I accepted the change, I opened the door to opportunities for
peace.
As the Buddhist teacher imparted to the
student in the parable that started this article, it wasn’t about experiencing
suffering. It was about choosing, or not, to suffer my experience. I chose not
to. And that choice allowed me to accept what life was offering me. And the
acceptance of what life was offering me, removed suffering and offered peace.
Robert
Meagher has been ordained as an Interfaith Minister and certified as a Sacred Attention Therapy (SAT) Therapist. Robert is the Founder and Spiritual
Director for Spiritual Guidance and Co-Founder of the Center for Human Awakening.
Home
by Robert Meagher on 05/04/20
I have been asked to comment on the current global events
regarding the Coronavirus and COVID-19. I have only a few things to say about
the unfolding situation.
First, let us not try to make sense of this. ‘Sense’ cannot
be made of that which is not reality. Reality is changeless. This pandemic, as
it’s been labeled, is ever-changing. Therefore, it is not reality. We cannot
know what this means now. We are far less likely to know what this will mean
for the future. Take this as an opportunity to practice being in the ‘now’ and
accepting the ‘is-ness’ of the now.
Second, this feels like a transformational portal we are
going through; like the wormhole scene in the movie, ‘Contact,’ with Jodie
Foster. In the wormhole scene, Jodie Foster’s character is being hurled through
what scientists refer to as a wormhole. A wormhole is reported to be a
speculative structure linking disparate points in spacetime. The experience is
uncomfortable because it is new and different. As we relax into the
transformation, we will experience calm and peace. For those interested, here
is a link to that wormhole scene from the movie ‘Contact:’ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8axMaBL4uo
Third, there are many messages coming at us, very quickly, during this time. These messages are being offered to us from many different sources. Some of these messages are fear-based. Some are calling out for love. Others are calling us to return to love. One message that I have noticed predominates throughout all the messaging is… ‘home.’ How many times have you heard someone say, amidst the unfolding situation, “Stay home!”? Or how about… “Go home.” Or… “If you are away, return home.” This messaging of ‘home’ is increasingly interesting to me. What interesting parallels may exist in this messaging of ‘home’ with the spiritual home. Are we being called ‘home’ in the spiritual sense? In Regiena Heringa’s ‘Notes from the Light” below, we are “being asked to return to this birthplace which does not dwell outside of the self.”
Lastly, many people around the world have been crying out
for change on a global scale. Our requests have been answered. We are in the
process of the very change we have asked for. Surrender to this change. Resistance
will only lead to suffering. Please don’t confuse suffering with something that
is happening to you. Suffering is a choice. Suffering is something we create.
It is best portrayed in this beautiful, ancient parable.
The student runs to the spiritual teacher. “Teacher,
teacher,” says the student. “I am experiencing suffering.” After listening to
the student’s tales of woe, the teacher responds, “You are not experiencing
suffering. You are suffering your experience.”
Robert Meagher has been ordained as an Interfaith Minister and certified as a Sacred Attention Therapy (SAT) Therapist. Robert is the Founder and Spiritual Director for Spiritual Guidance and Co-Founder of the Center for Human Awakening.
From Outward Therapist to Inner Guide
by Robert Meagher on 04/02/20
There may be no greater gift than the transformation
possible through the healing or therapeutic relationship. My one and only
embodied therapist saved my life. Not in the sense that I was wanting to take
my life or end my life. The healing relationship saved me from a life of
egoic-based separation.
Working with my therapist served as the mirror on my
perceptions. Another trusted soul was able to poke at my perception of reality
and gently guide me to question that existence.
The journey with my therapist began tentatively. I was
afraid. But I had grown less resistant to my fear of change than my fear of
staying the same. The way I was living my life was no longer serving me. I was
not at peace, yet I didn’t quite realize this was the core issue at the time.
As the relationship with my therapist grew and matured over
time, I was granted the blessing of knowing my authentic self was being
witnessed. I could show up and try and put on a façade and act like someone I
was not. But I quickly grew to know my therapist could see right through me. At
first this was unsettling. But it quickly became an immense relief. I could,
perhaps for the first time in my life, be exactly who I was, without judgement.
After my therapeutic relationship came to a formal end,
something quite poignant started to unfold. An inner guide started to emerge,
and this inner guide was a graceful extension of the embodied therapist I had
been working with. Through my working relationship with my embodied therapist,
I was able to develop a stronger connection with my authentic being, what might
be called ‘Higher Self’ in some milieu.
What was evident to me at the time was that this new,
authentic teacher and inner guide was not a replacement for my embodied
therapist but an extension of the therapeutic relationship—a sort of Therapist
2.0! This new therapeutic relationship was one based on opening myself to the
wisdom of the heart. This new therapeutic relationship was training me to move
away from my fears into the presence of God—to be ‘in’ love as a state of
being.
The transformation from the outward therapist to inner guide
was, in retrospect, a natural progression for me. Not a progression in terms of
advancement or raising my level of consciousness. The progression was more
about an expanding awareness of returning to my original state of being. I
needed to grow in relationship with my inner guide to return to my original
state of being. My outward therapist played a critical and fundamental role in
ushering me toward this primordial awareness. My outward therapist was a
stepping stone along the road of the healing relationship.
Some of you might be asking, “But what did the first
therapist actually do to facilitate this transformation?” The therapist didn’t
‘do’ so much as ‘be.’ The therapist was a grounding presence that modelled the
possibilities inherent in being in the present moment. The therapist did not
offer any advice. The therapist merely witnessed me; and through a process of
gentle inquiry, the therapist guided me to an awareness of my true, authentic
and divine self.
As for the inner guide, the ‘how’ of the healing
relationship is reminiscent of trust. For many people, opening yourself to an
inner guide may be analogous to building your intuition. The relationship with
this inner guide goes beyond intuition, however. The inner guide nurtures an
enduring trust in life. When you develop a trust in the unfolding, problems
melt away and all that remains is peace.
