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Browse published articles attributed to Rob Brookler, with full-archive search.
Be you ever so wise, confident, and “enlightened,” you will nonetheless find yourself at times uncertain: uncertain about what actions to take, uncertain about your life, uncertain about your place or purpose in this life. At such times, we tend to think of ourselves as confused or lost. And consequently, we may feel fearful, “unsupported” in the larger sense, or even powerless.
The following are answers to some of the questions most frequently asked of us by those interested in or just beginning the practice of meditation. WHAT IS MEDITATION? Meditation has been practiced for thousands of years, so there are countless variations and definitions of the practice. Most forms of meditation offer relaxation – primarily through a quieting of the mind – and create a “pause” from the rapid pace of our lives to let our mind and body “catch up,” rebalance, and re-center.
We all know it, only too well. It’s that inner voice, that “inner critic,” that seems always present and always keenly prepared to defeat us. When we feel happy, the voice says: “Yeah, this can’t last.” When we’re about to attempt something, it whispers: “Watch out. You’re gonna fail.” And when we do succeed, the voice dismisses: “That was just luck. It won’t happen again.”
We’ve all arrived at those moments when we feel overwhelmed, even under siege, by trying circumstances within our life. We’ve done all we can, bearing up as best we can, but without great success or relief. And in our frustration and fatigue, we’ve probably looked up to heaven and asked: “How can you possibly ask more of me?” If we could hear clearly through our distress, we’d probably hear heaven lovingly reply: “ 'We' are not.”
So you hear a little inner voice, a little "message." Or you feel an inkling, a sense that directs you this way rather than that. Is this a voice or a feeling you should follow? Is this your intuition or just an active imagination?
It’s easy to misinterpret periods of great growth and advancement – in our personal lives and in our world – as dark and difficult times. As times of great fear. And in the face of these fears, we can find ourselves feeling disheartened and “at odds” with our growth. But, in fact, we are never more aligned with our growth – and with our growing strength – than when we come up against our fears. Far from being a discouraging sign, our fears actually show us where we are growing … because as we grow, we will necessarily “push out” against our fears.
It's the puzzle we all face as we go about healing and restoring a wounded self-esteem. We want to value and love ourselves more completely. We certainly know the anguish when those old feelings of worthlessness creep in. We even know the areas where we're most "sensitive" and self-critical. But how on earth do we get from these wincing, self-negating feelings to feelings of self-love? How do we love ourselves when in many ways we so painfully don't?
Life seems almost perfectly arranged to keep us guessing as to why we are here … about our role, our place, in this world. At one moment the problems of the wider world seem to call to us with the greatest urgency. In the next, these vanish as we’re called to our own urgent needs. The sublime achievements of others can inspire us, exciting our deepest aspirations – and at the same time confound us, fearing we can never approach such mastery. And when we see so many struggling to find their way, how can we feel certain of our own?
If you are drawn to spiritual growth, you are no doubt “sensitive.” And as we pursue these paths and practices, our sensitivity will certainly grow: sensitivity to our own feelings and “energy” ... and sensitivity to the world around us. This sensitivity is of course a strength, as we need it for our compassion and for connecting with ourselves and others. It is also a great power, as we cannot hope to properly address a thing (internally or exte ally) until we become aware of it.
The end of the year is a very powerful time. And one that presents some unique opportunities and challenges. Along with “holiday” pressures, we must also contend with the natural shifting of “energy” that comes as we approach the close of the year. As one creative cycle ends and another begins – as it does with the turn of our calendar year – the larger energies that move us forward will need to rearrange themselves. There will be a necessary shifting of momentum.
As we approach the holidays we look forward to a time of joy and happiness, to lightness and warmth. It's a season of fond memories, great anticipation … and much planning. And whereas this yearning and anticipation is quite understandable, it can also be a bit of a trap. Expecting great joy and not finding it, we may become all the more disheartened. Seeing warmth around us yet not experiencing it ourselves, we may find ourselves feeling a bit separated.
If you've made the choice for a richer, more empowered life ... and your life-path seems "bumpier" than ever, please don't be discouraged. If you've been striving for greater wholeness – striving to heal a part of yourself or your life that is causing you pain – only to find yourself in greater turmoil, don't give up quite yet.
Living in a time of light, we will "of necessity" encounter the shadows within us and around us. It's critical we understand that this is not intended as a burden. These shadows are never meant to darken our view of ourselves or our view of the world. It's simply that our wholeness grows as we make more room for light within us. So with these encounters we are merely "extending" light into those places that light has not fully reached ... places that still hold remnants of fear or wounding.
Nothing's more frustrating than feeling like you're "spinning your wheels." There's a restlessness for action or change, but you can't seem to sustain your enthusiasm for any particular direction. Or perhaps you're facing a critical decision, a situation that DEMANDS action. You want to make the right choice, but the more you think about it, the LESS certain you become.
There's an energy dynamic common to personal healing and growth that's easy to misinterpret. It's part of the natural momentum of the healing and pattern-breaking process that can, however, lead us to believe we've relapsed when in fact we're nearer than ever to completion. If you've ever had a personal breakthrough, only to feel it slip away days later, you've experienced this dynamic. If you've ever felt discouraged and dismayed as some old negativity -- some old pattern or pain you'd recently cleared -- comes roaring back out of nowhere, you're actually right on course.