In battle expand space and time; slow down, go inside and watch or feel the movement as merely a witness. You have an option to engage by disengaging. A position to withdraw inside and observe. In the space of expansion, movement (time) slows and you can observe the energy and dynamic of what is happening. Realize the battle of what is going on around you cannot touch you in that inner space. Abide and be the witness of your experience. It is a strategy of knowing that you don’t have to participate in the chaos and crisis. Being able to observe how things flow, its patterns, and what happens is a strategy. Seeing where the energy flows from and where it is going is just a deeper level of understanding. At some point, it becomes clear what is happening. Knowing the what, when, where, why, how allows you the opportunity to engage beyond merely responding. You find the fulcrum point to leverage. The point of the greatest effect with the minimal amount of energy and risk, It’s beyond efficiency, it’s elegance.
Side Note: Clinical psychology might classify the above as a dissociative or fugue state where trauma, crisis, or events are overwhelming the person’s ability to cope or process. Thus, the dissociative state as a defensive or protective response. However, in this discussion a person’s response becomes strategic with more awareness or acuity to the dynamics of the situation that enables a person to respond proactively and strategically.
The suggestion is a strategy to over-ride the survival/fear response by an investigative or curious position of “let’s see what is happening?” Understanding what is happening, how it emerges, presents and where it goes is an intervention of bending time via expanding awareness. By going to the future and making changes there may result in improved outcomes. The perception and interpretation that the glass is half empty or half full leads to differing responses. This is nothing new. All that is done is expanding the notion of time. We are expanding “now” to include a progression from beginning to present (now) and end.
Anxiety vs Excited
Some folks are anxious and fearful and others excited and curious. Not to get into the weeds of why some folks are anxious and others are excited. The suggestion is you might use this as an opportunity for you to investigate your response patterns. Instead of having an automatic anxiety or fear response. Another strategy is to mine the gap, i.e., to observe. Expand the moment and abide in the gap. Expanding your presence, to see and understand the flow of what, when, where, how, and why, i.e., strategic investigation.
Bending Time
Let’s go out to the event horizon. Where did it begin, the event that is now happening or presenting? From the event horizon to the presentation of the event. The event horizon is a fulcrum point of beginning. By making a few subtle adjustments or tweaks at the event horizon will cause significant changes as how the event presents. With a bit of experience and expanded awareness, one gains the ability to see progression unfold or emerge. And then step into the now and watch as the event happens. You have already been to the event horizon and now you are getting to see the result of what you did there. The battle has already been won. The race has already finished. It was done at the event horizon. And now you are collecting the prize; the experience. So what is done at the event horizon? In essence, an intention becomes a decision that is made at the event horizon.
In the late winter, this is the finding and illuminating the seed. Initially, you are dreaming a seed birthed by inspiration. It’s already taking form growing, becoming, being. All it takes is a bit of participation in the seasons. A wee bit of prep in the spring, some doing in summer, and harvesting in the fall. You know what’s going to happen. You can relax and enjoy the flow. Enjoy the battle; for all it is just an opportunity (or you can claim it is a battle). It’s just an experience you’ve already written the story. You are ready to play the part. Just enjoy the flow. Enjoy the beauty of your garden that is to be, and that is becoming. Just step in and enjoy. You can go to the event horizon and with very little effort of intention, the seed has been planted. And the fruit will be harvested. Now you are watching the fruit unfold; knowing that it is to be. The experience that you have been waiting for.
Going beyond the event horizon, it is an opportunity to observe and understand the dynamics, potentials, development, progression or pathway of the event. One can see an infinite flow of experience in space and time. A position where you can see and feel the symphony of the expanse.
The battle, work, or opportunity is at event horizon. And the what is happening “now” is the completion. You already know or have a good idea of what is happening. Your position is as an experience of the flow. Whatever is happening is the flow… importantly, there is no “I” or witness during the flow. The experience of the flow… just is. It is a just being or bliss. The experiencing actually lags or there is a slight latency that results as a perception of an experience, i.e., a memory. It is a slightly latent memory or shadow of the flow. This is where experience; a memory due to a slight latency and it is where the “I” or witness appears.
Another way to view this is that the event horizon is when you decide or make a choice to do something. As you choose to do something, it acts like a marker or a package that you send to yourself. The package or experience arrives to you later. When you open the package, is the experience that was sent from the event horizon (future). However, as you experience (now) your package, your experience is of the past. This is because of the “lag or latency” of experience. Experience is a memory of something that has already occurred. I sent the experience from the future/event horizon; but your experience of the package is of the past. The important point is, you are in a very good position to execute or flow because there is no “I”. There is no “you.” The only thing is flow. In the flow there are no worries, fear, or anxieties… because it has already happened at the event horizon. You have already run the race. And you are just experiencing or collecting the prize… which is the experience.
A Mind Twister
No mind, no matter. Don’t worry about it, forget it. Just try to expand and push the leading edge of the envelop the best you can. Just do it with your heart… let love lead and what happens is often beyond your wildest imaginations. And when things don’t happen or flow, it is because you are; The I/ego is impeding the flow.
You don’t need to think about it. In fact, thinking about it disrupts the flow. This is the same experience in anything you do. Perhaps you are throwing a pot on a pottery wheel. You understand the basics of preparation of the clay, spinning the wheel, centering the clay, and using your hands. But the actual forming the pot is the flow. You have a general idea of the pot, but your focus is the process and movement. Especially you enjoy the single endless moment of spinning the shape of the clay… the flow. The same thing happens whether we are playing music, a sport, meditating, making love, etc.
These seemingly simple examples, there is the goal or idea, but your focus is on the process. You understand the process, how things fit together and the progression. All you do is to sit down at your pottery wheel. Be attentive to the process and let the flow happen. At times you start over because you find that you are interrupting the flow. A restart is just a lesson that guides you. It is another opportunity to flow. Learn to appreciate and be grateful for the lessons and do overs. The flow comes… the flow goes… and in between, where are you? The trick is to release or surrender into the flow. And when the flow does not flow, not to worry, perhaps it’s time to rest and regroup from the battle. Do not kill yourself but live to battle another day.
You know the process of what is going to happen. The anxiety or excitement is anticipation of the revealing. It’s the same thing, the same process of snowboarding or of raising a child or going about your day. Understand that if you can go out to the event horizon and plant the seed. Knowing and developing your strategy and leave it at that. The prize or reward is the joy of emerging what is happening. You have already done the major effort of planting the seed. The race has already been run and now you are enjoying the giant prize of flowing.
Wu Wei
The whole point of this post is things are happening. The battle seems to occur now, but here is the point. You have already gone out to the event horizon. You already have planted the seed, and now is the time to experience and enjoy the emerging battle. You don’t have to battle. It’s not that you sit on the sidelines, you go in the game you take part and in the end, it really doesn’t matter who wins the game. What matters is the enjoyment the game. If you have learned something; it is understanding the deeper way. The wu wei… what emerges is what is. There is no right or wrong… only is.
All of this is very simple. It is simply expanding your perspective. Expansion of your perspective is nothing new. What is new is expanding your perspective. It’s simply giving appreciation of the wave. Being able to see the wave, noticing when it first appears and how it is going to break and when to paddle to catch the wave. You paddle before the wave breaks… pretty darn simple.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wu_wei
https://stephanjoppich.com/wu-wei/
https://www.bps.org.uk/psychologist/wu-wei-doing-less-and-wanting-more/
Blessings,
Tim