A discussion of the opportunities of experience.
“Why me? Why now, and what for?” The questions of meaning and purpose of existence. What if experience and in the experience, is the release? And what if the release of the experience (past) is the opening of a fresh experience?
If experience is or equal to knowledge, i.e., knowledge beyond the mere mental constructs of concepts, theories and data. And is beyond the volatile and fleeting feelings of being. What is there? The existence of an ever emergent now. Is experiencing the opportunity (space) of destruction and creation? The opportunity of experience to move into, be more and be beyond the previously known?
Even though experience exists, it is not without polarity. Polarity is the backdrop or the context that enables experience. If there were no polarity, there would be no experience: no thought, no feeling, no interaction (connection or relationship), and no being. Various meditative and religious traditions note this paradox in their “creation stories.” Or the “all and nothing, the alpha and omega.” If it can be seen, heard, described, felt, thought… i.e., experienced, then it is not. What is it then?… It is not.
Polarity
Polarity is the infinite dichotomies, spectrums, and dimensions of existence. So “why now?” The awareness of alpha-omega, self-other, singularity-unity, etc. Whether it is fear-love, light-dark, yin-yang, male-female, sin-redemption, carrot-stick, etc.; it is creation. First is the creation of awareness and/or consciousness, i.e., the tree of knowledge (experience). Awareness/consciousness begs the question of “why me?” Elsewhere in other posts, notes the progression of experience from “why me” (victim and karmic) to “for me” (opportunity and lesson), and then “through me (an experience of divine revelation)” which has been previously unknown or not experienced.
What is Resisted, Persists.
When we run away or avoid experience, we become stuck in the past. Or our past becomes or forms a solidity of the past. We become stuck or frozen to the past. From a therapeutic notion, it is “what we resist, persists.” Which brings up the question of who or what is doing this resisting? It is the self that is resisting… whether if the elemental or undeveloped, childlike awareness, the individuated ego or a form of “unity consciousness.”
Just a step into the weeds. Childlike awareness requires “structure” to develop and eventually will individuate into a functioning ego. The functioning ego is merely a tool to navigate “reality.” In a sense, the ego is an anchor or reference point in which to navigate and explore beyond its self. Problems arise when the ego mistakenly believes or has the illusion and delusion that it (the self-centered ego) is all there is.
This subsequently presents the concepts of ego syntonic versus dystonic (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egosyntonic_and_egodystonic). Eventually the ego recognizes (learns and knows) it is part of, but not the entire existence. The ego is subsumed in the larger or the “expanse” of consciousness. I.e., the experience beyond the individual ego or ego-centric experience. That there is an experience beyond ego’s capacity of individual thoughts, feelings, being, etc.
Next Level
Experience, whatever it is, however it is felt, despite the mental conceptions, the next level is that of “non-resistance, acceptance and surrender.” The popular notion is called “ego death.” But the ego does not die, it is usurped from its self-proclaimed throne, to just being a tool of navigation in the lessor egoic realm/sphere of being a king of control. The ego eventually realizes the futility of control and surrenders its throne. And allows and surrenders into the “flow of experience or of consciousness.” If the ego cannot release into the flow, the flow of experience stops, and the “experience” becomes locked in. Here is the thing, we often “fear” that if we lose or become unattached to the past, we will no longer exist. When in fact, we realize that our existence will become more than the ego could ever imagine. But this only happens or is realized after we let go of our identity with the limited capacity of the ego.
For example, in the cases of severe Alzheimer’s, dementia, delirium, intoxication or severe brain trauma a person can lose their sense of self, their world and the future… or only able to reference vaguely remembered experiences. Unable to form a new sense or awareness of themselves and the ability to experience and know (memory) of new experiences. The individual, family, and society all agree this is a terrifying and hellish existence. All is lost and yet cannot be found nor can something new be experienced beyond the passing now which has no memory.
Now the Flow of Now
In normal life, experience adds and expands. Whether it’s pain, suffering, love, joy, etc. There are four phases to an experience. First is the excitement. It is anticipation, whether it is anxiety and dread or excitement and anticipation. Which is simply a matter of bias, history, or programing of experiences. Second is the act of stepping into the unknown. Despite one’s history, experiences or programming. Each experience is unknown or novel. And involves surrendering to and accepting an experience is an expansion of awareness and… anything could happen. The issue is not what happens, but what is your response to what happens. I.e., you could be surprised, thrilled, puking sick, fight, flight or freeze; or be over-joyed and in love… or enraptured, enthralled or surrendering the self, where everything disappears but the experience. But what is largely noticed or remembered, is your response. Which reflects you, i.e., your past. (in reality, there is much more to an experience, yet our perceptions, interpretations and understanding of an experience is only referenced relative to you and your ego. Yet if you can get out of your own way, then there is only the presence of the experience. The third phase is if you can get out of your own way, this is where the magic or flow happens. The magical flow is where the divine flows through you. All there is, is the flow. It is where the music plays you; the art is formed and flows to the canvas, releasing itself from a block of stone, etc. Fourth is the interpretation, meaning and purpose of the experience. Experience reveals itself as meaningful, symbolic, a challenge, lesson, opportunity, etc. The experiences become the steppingstone or another step on the path or across the bridge. Perhaps likened to the metaphor of “walking on water.”
Consciousness
Each unique moment in the flow of endless moments is experience. However, most experiences do not become conscious, unless we attend to them. It is our attention or focus that selects what we experience. Whether it is feeling, thinking or one of the many other sensory experiences/events of our existence, e.g., intuition, psychic abilities, etc.
Expanding our consciousness allows us to feel more, learn more and have more to consider. Yet paradoxically, the more we know, the more we don’t know. Experiential events are fleeting in an infinity of experience. What is this? Is this divinity revealed? An ever-expanding and emerging realization. Thus feelings, thoughts and creations are pathways, portals, and opportunities of the divine that flow through us. Brief moments of pain, grief, sorrow, fear; are and become barely noticeable blips in the divine expansion. Yet what is the purpose of these brief moments of pain, grief, sorrow, fear, love, joy, etc.? Some are fleeting opportunities to release the “back flows and blockages” of experience.
Release
The presumption is that all things flow, change, and that knots are merely stuck, back flows or energy that are to be released into the flow. Practically anything and all has the potential to get stuck. And stuck feels like pain, suffering, fear, darkness; and fascination, attraction, being enthralled, etc. Again, what we resist, persists. Thus, if we can experience and go into the experience. That is accepting it, feeling it, wrestling with it… it becomes an opportunity to releasing our notion of being a victim or it being a lesson/opportunity. Realizing that it is an opportunity to recognize what it is, that it is a lesson, and learning something. Once taking this opportunity, we can release the painful and joyful energy to flow with the divine. Recognize we are the opportunity to release and flow the divine through us because we are part and parcel of the divine experience.
Dragons
We go beyond, because we release or surrender into a new unknown experience, space, time and energy. The more we experience, the more we go beyond and the more we appreciate all experience. The paradox is the surrender or release going beyond the experience and we experience more of our self, i.e., divinity. In a sense we continuously conquer our divine existence. Eating the dead that we have created while flying beyond ourselves. No longer are we a snake crawling on the ground and occasionally shedding old skins. But now become the mythical dragons. Dragons exist in all realms of heavens, hells, body, mind, and spirit. To create, destroy and be beyond the known and unknown. In myth there are dragons and those who know and ride the dragons. Dragons represent sovereignty of being. The sovereignty of being is life. Life is a dragon. Few recognize the dragon, fewer love the dragon, and even fewer understand the dragon. And rare are those few able to ride the dragon throughout infinite realms… but it’s just a matter of experience.
Drop Pain, Suffering, and the Past
Dropping experience is dropping the past. All experience is past. All pain and suffering are but ghosts and illusions of memory, residuals of our programing, biases and concepts. If we do not drop our experience, it will continue to haunt us in the next world, i.e., the next moment of now. The trick is to conquer our emotions, thoughts and experience as “It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue (Bob Dylan, 1965).” We have experience the new and if we have experienced, then we can conquer our experience. We go beyond via dropping the past.
We can drop what we’ve experienced. We can drop the fear and pain in suffering. Know that these are illusions because we still exist despite those feelings of experience. For example, physical pain is only experienced in the now. Sure, there are the memories of the situation surrounding the pain. Or the anxieties (emotional feelings) of the situations in which pain might exist in the future. But the actual physical pain only occurs in the present moment. And there are effective treatments, e.g., medications, hypnosis, and nerve ablation. Procedures that disconnects the pathways of feeling the pain, i.e., reduce or stop pain signals.
We can move beyond creating new experiences. No longer bound by those experiences. Experiences are not your being. They are not you. They were merely reflections and illusions. Merely experiences, reflected in you witnessed or saw as reflections of experiences. The infinity, alpha and omega of infinite spectrums of fear and love in all the heavens and hells are merely dimensions of experience. And yet, you still exist (witness) beyond all experiences.
You are sovereign, free to create more you recognize. That you’re being a transpersonal witness of experiences. So you exist beyond the experience. You are a creator who uses the dragon of consciousness to energize, to flow, manifest, create, destroy, transform and transmute experiences of energy, frequency and flow. Life and death are mere illusions that are momentarily caught in a snapshot of experience which is pulsing in and out of existence at 22 trillion times per second. The high frequency pulsing animates the experience. But the animated experience are merely scenes projected on to the screen of consciousness. And on this screen of consciousness there are infinite images that could be focused upon. But the image that is specifically focused upon is what we mistake for “in real life” is in reality a mere illusion.
When you recognize you are a creator, you have the knowledge, experience, ability to be a sovereign creator. And since you’ve experienced the pain and suffering, you have no desire nor want to create horrific experiences for yourself or for others in your creation. Thus, you are compassionate in your being. And being compassionate, you are graceful in the flow of creation. You no longer create or experience the unfoldment of creation for there is no you. There is only the gracefully flowing creation that reveals itself. You are the graceful flow allowing and surrendering to creation so that they too can be on their path of creation… being creators. And know (experience) the unfolding of divinity.
When we recognize, we are all creators. We can choose to allow and surrender to the creation of something new and different. Something that has not been created yet. Knowing that we are an entangled flow with other creators and all creation. We create and exist in, of, and beyond. We love without fear, suffering or pain… and abide in compassion and grace. Sure challenges (i.e., free will) are what the create unanticipated interruptions (or surprises) in the flow. But it will be like playing in the litter box of the divine. Challenges, learning, and doing are beyond effort. Sovereignty, compassion, and grace are effortless.
We are at a unique moment of time where there is an opportunity to experience and realize that our existence is beyond that mere egoic worldly illusions. Have we discovered that we flow with the divinity, knowing this, we drop the old, past, and karma of our former being. All former experiences were preparations and lessons. And now we can become, take part, and be the flow of divine creation. Expanding, discovering and being new beings, new galaxies, new dimensions, i.e., new life. In a sense we are the star seeds of ancient dragons. We come, always been and always will be because we are the divine, blessed, and the blessings. Be the compassionate and graceful blessings.
God in a Dog
Another way to look at this is your dog when it gets stressed; in order to deal with it, the dog does a moment of shaking. It shakes it off so it can re-set and be happy; open to a fresh experience, whatever happens. It may be fear or anxiety and experience, and then takes a moment and shakes it off. Resetting its parasympathetic response. In a sense, we can experience something this and shake it off.
Anxiety, fear, pain, suffering, trauma, etc. can be as brief or as long as you want. A few minutes of deep breathing, or a few minutes of yelling and screaming can dispel or release a lot of energy and is a method of resetting your equanimity. Others choose to hold on to the pain and suffering because it is a part of their identity and gives them meaning and purpose. We have our terrifying and painful things that happen, but they don’t need to touch our being when we recognize a simple technique of shaking it off. As noted above, an experience is merely a reflection but does not touch the “you” who is witnessing the experience. Some dogs will fight, bark and play with the dog they see in the mirror… failing to recognize it is just a reflection of themselves. Unable to recognize the reflection is only what they focus on… the good, the bad and the ugly. Failing to recognize the opportunity of self-reflection.
Dancing Dragon Deities
Back in the day, shaking off was witnessed at Grateful Dead shows. Shiva’s dance of destruction, spontaneous mudras and flowing posturing. To some it was insane, pathological and crazy. For others it was a sacred archetypic cosmic dance of destruction and creation. Wrathful deities shaking off the old to reveal a new being of creation. Shaking off the darkness, fear, and pain; shaking it up in a tantric dance of a new creation of experience.
When being blessed and blessing (sharing) is the opportunity (a relationship) for the process of transformation. Whether, we are aware of the transformation. Being aware of the transformation or not does not matter much. None the less, being consciousness of the transformation is an experience of love and joy, abiding in the flow of sovereignty, compassion, and grace.
It is in the details of learning how to experience that one can experience more. And in the experience of the details is where knowledge blooms. It is the actual smelling the delicate fragrance of a flower is the joyful experience. Are you experienced?
Blessings,
Tim