The Separation from our True Self and the way to re-discovery - Meditation

We are so blessed yet so blind. 

For eons now we have been searching for ways back, a means to revive our true selves, to rediscover who we were meant to be. 

Who are we? Why are we? What were we once? 

These seemingly unanswerable questions strike a chord within every one of us on varying levels. 

Some of us seem happy to be complacent, whether through apathy or pessimism we simply accept that this is all there is, and this is all there will ever be.

Others find meaning and purpose in sifting through philosophical answers, through religious parables and scientific reasoning, searching for answers. 

At the deepest level however I believe whether you are complacent or a searcher, whether you have forgotten to wonder or are on a journey to decipher these questions, we all share an inescapable longing for what it is that we have lost. 

Just as a seed fallen from a tree holds the genetic memory of its past, of its family and their pasts, I believe we to have somewhere within the ability to return to that place we long for, within ourselves we hold the keys that can bring us back into balance and revive the long lost power we each and together belong to.  

Over the millennia, from all different places and times, we have invented words that vainly try to categorise our deepest longing: nirvana, shagri la, heaven, happiness, peace, oneness, bliss and love. 

We believe we know the answer, but the questions we ask are wrong, we understand the need, yet lack the means... Or rather we have forgotten the way. 

Our true selves, constantly and violently, are drowned by a world view of egotism, greed and unbalance. 

Where compassion and co-operation are seen as weaknesses, and the self centred distraction of consumerism and consumption are viewed as strengths. 

Where searching for truth is seen as a ludicrously misguided psychological condition yet complacency and ignorance are valid norms. 

Sometimes this dream state seems so real, so inescapable, that we simply accept this as all there is. 

We attempt to distract our true selves from the wrongness of this unreality by consumption, with drugs, sex, money, subjective and non-lasting worldly pleasures that for a short while seem to numb the hurt and negative attributes of the world we are apart of. 

Think for a moment; when was the last time you simply sat and enjoyed a moment of reality in a clear and meditative state free from thought, worry and unease? 

Even now as I sit in this beautiful garden surrounded by natural beauty and life, what started as personal morning meditation has devolved into me writing, thinking, and sharing (all of which are positive, yet each of these actions are distractions from meditation). 

What causes us to be so addicted to unreality, to be so hopelessly dependant on creating or indulging in constant external stimulus? 

Is it learned behaviour? 

 Is it social conditioning? 

 Is it now who we are? 

More importantly, where do we start on our journey of re-discovery, should we look to the past to see where we have gone wrong? 

Should we imagine our future to prevent further the distancing ourselves from who we truly are? 

The first, most vital step, and one that is rapidly happening all over this wonderful planet, is the realisation of our own unconsciousness. The conscious decision to accept that we are not who we truly know ourselves to be. It is the letting go of that lifelong struggle against what seems wrong with the world and ourselves, it is the understanding that suffering does exist and the acceptance of this fact is the only path to ridding ourselves of suffering which in turn can lead us to discovering who we are and the powers we each have to resonate positive change throughout this universe. 

There is no predetermined path to this self re-discovery, there is no right or wrong way. 

There simply is a way. 

Many great spiritualist throughout our history have left clues and spoke of this. 

Jesus spoke of compassion and "being as children" free from worry, with imaginative minds and eager eyes, yearning to understand but from a place of love and wonder not from fear and doubt. He spoke of showing love and kindness to all creatures. 

The Buddha spoke of oneness and dependant origination, he taught mindfulness and that the path to "happiness" begins with the acceptance of suffering. He too taught compassion and humility. 

Ancient cultures and Aboriginal people the world over seem to have a similar underlying philosophy. That we are all interconnected, bound to every living (and non living) being that roams the earth, bound to the elements that we each are made of and rely on for our physical survival. And more importantly that there is knowledge to be learned from the energies that surround us. 

I'm sure none of us could argue that there are lessons to be learned from each of these teachers and the countless others that have come and gone. 

They each taught morals and shared insights that do indeed hold value and merit. (Regardless of our own religious, spiritual or philosophical beliefs). 

Do we look to them for answers? Personally I believe we desperately need view these teachings and their words as much needed seeds of insight and knowledge. 

Seeds that plant within our own individual consciousness truths that later we will ourselves discover through direct experience. 

Peace, love, compassion and happiness can not be taught or learned (The concepts can be, but true understanding of these powers must be realised by the individual). 

Our journey is one of self re-discovery, of self realised enlightenment, and while the answers cannot be taught to us by others there are many vital tools we can harness to help aid us on this journey. 

Tools such as meditation can open us to insights and knowledge that we have forgotten, or perhaps always known however not understood. The meditative state is a powerful medium. 

Yet the word "meditation", the image that the word conjures in our minds, is often a dramatised and exaggerated image of the actual act. 

Just as "prayer" is a medium, and act of connecting with a higher being through thought and words, "meditation" is a medium of connecting with your own higher self. 

You do not need to sit cross legged, nor chant "omm", you don't need incense, in fact you need nothing but your mind. 

Try not to fall victim to the wanting of knowledge or the wanting for insight or peace. 

You are not seeking answers, you are seeking stillness of the mind. Do not think, simply let yourself and you mind be still. 

If you notice your mind has wandered (and indeed it will) simply acknowledge the fact and try again. 

After some time an practice the art will come easily. 

 Words and their lack of descriptive capability cannot express the feeling you will experience when those small insights come to you during meditation, like memories forgotten. 

For a moment the world makes divine sense, questions are answered and your centred self will be void of unease. 

I truly believe that meditation is a key element to change, re-discovery and the alleviation of personal and global suffering. 

Look within to see outwardly, within ourselves lay the answers that we have for thousands of years sought. 

You are the answer to your questions. 

 I truly love you all. 

Namaste "I honour the place in you where Spirit lives, I honour the place in you which is of Love, of Truth, of Light, of Peace, when you are in that place in you, and I am in that place in me, then we are One." 

 - Ryan "MorningOwl"