Shifting perspectives

According to A course in Miracles, A miracle is just a shift in perspective. Sometimes we get stuck in seeing things one way. Our perceptions may be taught or from our experiences in our life to form opinions. When we are troubled or can’t figure a way around our obstacles, we have an opportunity to see it from another perspective. This is how we can have peace amongst our circumstances. In life we can experience shifts, storms, and waves that pass. But how do we maintain our joy during these times.
One of the most powerful tools I have found helpful in my times of contrast is meditation. I like to refer to it as quiet time, centering, or maybe just a time out. So many people get confused on the purpose and “how to” meditate. When it’s misunderstood and intimidating, many times individuals do not give it much a chance. Again, I like to simplify matters to make it feel possible or helpful.
The first step is take some quiet time for yourself. We often look outside ourselves for answers and perspectives when the guidance we need is already on the inside. And to hear that requires tuning in and listening. It may take a few days or even weeks before we hear or “realize” what we are searching for. Especially if we’ve been listening to more of the noise of our outside world of people, television, internet, etc…rather than our own soul.
When we take this time whether it be a few minutes or an hour, it can be a little overwhelming at first. Because we are so use to being distracted by our stream of thoughts. We practice them for a long time and it can take a little patience with ourselves to be aware of those distractions. There is a difference between the ego/mind and the observer (our soul). The voices in our head often come from our upbringing, family, education, culture, religion, and opinions. For that reason it is ok not to be so hard on ourselves for the thoughts that walk through our mind. It is things we have picked up along our way. That is not our soul and intuition speaking to us.
The quiet time provides you an opportunity to observe the head and ego and let the thoughts pass through. It’s like driving down the road and you pass trees, cars, many things along the way. You can let them pass through rather than trying to force no thought. This is where I think many people get confused on meditation and give up. They think they can not do it because of the stream of thinking. With practice you can slow it down, but you do not have to get bent out of shape because our ego’s like to talk. There are many different ways people use in their meditation practice to slow this “Jabbering” down. That is why there are so many methods and suggestions you can read up on. Some people just count their breaths. Some chant. Some just focus on a prayer, word, or color. You may have to play a little to see what comes easy to you. There is no right or wrong way. The purpose is to focus on one of these things to help clear your mind or slow it down. I’ve heard many call it their “monkey mind”. When you concentrate on a word, or counting breaths, this makes it difficult to listen to thoughts at the same time. So you can slow it down to tune into your inner voice by using any of these methods rather than being frustrated on trying to sit in total silence.
We always have access to our inner self, but we may need to learn ways to tune in it to or listen to it. For some it may be a feeling or a realization. It will be different for everyone. Once we create some time and space for ourself, we can strengthen our awareness and guidance from our authentic self. This is where we get the shift in perspective or the guidance we are seeking. Sometimes we have to sit in our quiet time until we can see things differently. This is how we change our life. We can find peace and joy by changing the way we see things and our perception of what is going on without trying to control conditions. Because most conditions are out of our control. It is the way we see them that can upset or frustrate us. Since we can’t always change what is going on, we have the power of changing our perception and receiving relief now even if the condition never changes. And our purpose that most of us search for is being happy. And how can you be happy when things aren’t always going the way you may want them to? It is through our perception. Be easy on yourself. Start with giving yourself some quiet time. Even if it’s only a few minutes. Start there. See if it brings you some calmness. The more you practice and give that to yourself, the more clarity, peace, and joy you can feel for yourself. Once you feel that for yourself, You can extend it out to others. Your family, friends, loved ones, job, and whomever you come across in your daily life. Meditation or “quiet time” is just one of many tools/processes we can use to shift into joy and calmness in our every day life.