Diving for light & the Art of commitment

photo by Nadine Blochberger

There are different ways of looking at the beginning of a new year, the most obvious – the 1st of January. But what if this is an obsolete model for a new year’s cycle? Have you ever wondered why most new years resolutions got discarded by the 3rd week of January? And why it felt for many people rather like a “closing” month, instead of an “opening” month? Because it was. We had to go inwards, finish off or release things & topics, we had to be reminded which are our dreams and why they matter so much to us, we had to close the door.

Certainly, there are many different concepts of looking at when a new year starts, the oldest measurement being the Mayan, the Gregorian calendar starting at the 1st of Jan or the Chinese at the 5th of Feb.

This year I chose the 22nd of January as the New Year’s Day. Why? Because that’s the day when the earth starts her true trip around the sun. So, I wish a happy new year to all of you!

And now, as February has started, most of us slowly awake out of hibernation mode and get ready to slay some golden dragons. At this time of new beginnings, it’s easy for the mind to step in and create all kinds of expectations & projections. Setting goals, do things differently, shake things up about what could be, what we should chase after, what we hope and dream will happen, what we think we want, all based on upon the minds interpretations of life. The dilemma is that those interpretations never seem to deliver something of genuine value.

What if the new beginning of the year can bring something quite different: the experiment of being here. What is our life when we let go of projections of the future, and learn to be present? What is our life like when we wait and discover what life brings, moment by moment?

People want to flow through life, but they force the flow in the direction they want to instead of how life wants it. Which is force in disguise, and as force isn’t aware of itself it ends in destruction.

For many of us, we cannot begin to fathom the fullness of waiting. It seems to the mind that waiting is boring, that it is empty. This is because the mind thinks that is waiting for something specific, something that should be chased after, something that we want to have happen. That’s not waiting, that’s expectation. And eventually we discover that expectation is pretty empty and boring.

There is luxury in waiting. It’s an active state of awareness. It’s a moment by moment relaxation into the fullness that life is – not what it could be or could bring, but what it is, in all of its infinite variety. Is this easy? Not really in this current society, but we are already on the way to change.

What holds us back at times is fear, fear of the future: what if this happens? What if this doesn’t happen? The mind can create quite a story of justify projections & expectations tangled with a false-sense of urgency that can create anxiety. The mind can get busy trying to figure out how to avoid the fear and anxiety, and suddenly, we are off and running with plans about the future, rather than being present, now. What most don’t realize it is the body that must feel safe, not the mind. Is the body ok? Is he relaxed and at ease? If not, is there a physical adjustment to be made or is he ok with not being at ease? Not what the mind thinks the body should or could be, but rather: what is the body’s experience right now? Each of us are trained to pay attention to our thinking and ignore the body. The dilemma is that awareness is not found in our thinking, but it’s found when we connect with our body’s consciousness. And that is a moment by moment experience. Each of us has a unique way to be present, a unique way to commit ourselves.

We are so used to think that commitment is forever and we are in restraint to a job, promise, house or people. Our relationships in life is the issue of commitment. Relationships of any kind have a duration time and not always are forever. Commitment doesn’t necessarily mean we have to consistently push, pursue and do every day. Consistency is not commitment. Not everyone has consistent willpower and energy. We can be consistent in our inconsistency, and still being committed. It is the perseverance to know when to take action and when to hold back.

Maybe, we need to redefine commitment. It is easy to understand the true meaning of commitment, our deepest commitment must always be to our own truth, that we need to be utterly honest with ourselves, mind and body & take responsibility for our own shadow patterns without getting caught up in it. To loving more deeply in everything we do, now. Our commitment to our highest potential will be questioned and tested over and over again by our relationships & life. How deep does your commitment really go?

How our body feels in adulthood is being programmed in our first seven years in childhood. When our parents didn’t love themselves, it is likely that they transmitted this to us and we became too serious with life. Seriousness is a global shadow and means we are out of synchronisation with the whole, because we create obstacles when we are too focused on the past or future. It is about expecting, worrying and wishing things other­­ than what it is now, it takes us away from love & life.

Even those taking the spiritual path too seriously and no matter how impressive their achievements we can see in their faces that they lack true radiance which comes from living a lighter more carefree life. Seriousness is a wide spread epidemic – we have forgotten how to play. The formula for a wonderful life is so simple – treat things lightly, don’t worry too much & be comfortable in your body, life will take us where it wants us to go, but we tend to live in our minds. Maybe we are genetically coded to be overly serious or it is our ignorance towards it.

My stop word for 2019 is playfulness, which is not frivolity, that would be masqueraded anger, as these people want to be seen as light-hearted & joyful. When this façade is broken usually when someone is honest to them, they reveal how deadly serious they take life. Frivolousness runs from the truth.

Playfulness is different, it manages to balance seriousness & frivolousness, it is delight, because it contains a single quality: acceptance. Acceptance equals ownership which equals delight. Its about the richness of feeling alive within the realm of matter without chasing worldly desires. It either matters or it doesn’t matter.

Will you ride the wave of playfulness with me?