Every once in a while I surface from the land of Odd and get a good look around at how the 'normal' folk are doing. I'm not even certain what the heck normal is, but bear with me anyway. I came to notice this morning how that the folk seem to be stuck. Stuck in the muck and mire. It's the first thing to get mentioned and noticed by most people these days. Negative, negative, negative. . . it's all over the place en masse. . . the news echoes this on a daily and sometimes hourly basis. . . some of those networks stream the stuff non stop. Some would say that it is the cause of the stuckness, but instead, I actually think that it is a reflection of our own stuckness.
In Kundalini Yoga, they speak of each person having three minds: positive, neutral and negative. In a balanced state, all three minds are communicating together and working in harmony to paint an entire picture of what you are viewing. Guess what mind I think we are stuck in? I think we rush through life in a frenzy to get to that meeting, to get to work on time, get all the daily chores done and keep up with the family if there's extra time. I think we are cheating ourselves and everything around us by living this way. I more than think we are cheating ourselves. I think we are creating a feeding frenzy of negativity that ultimately does great harm. I think we may end up devouring ourselves if we can't figure out how to flip the switch. So here are some thoughts to ponder upon:
When was the last time you stopped and listened to the birds in your neighborhood? What sounds are these birds making? What kind of bird is making these sounds? How many individual birds are calling? Can you hear the difference between the individuals? What kind of trees are in your immediate area? What kind of condition are they in? Are they wind blown, are they neatly pruned or are they wild? Is the bark smooth or dry and rough? How does it feel to step into the shade of one of these trees? How does your skin feel when it is shielded from the sun by the leaves? Can you feel the tree breathe? What about the ground you are standing on? Is it hard cement or is it moist earth, or maybe even grass? Are there ants, butterflies, or cicadas living with the tree? How does the tree affect your breathing?
The pace of nature is slow and patient. It is also the pace of nature that allows the chains of the mind to loosen and fall back into balance. That switch that oscillates between the minds unlocks and discovers beauty, intelligence and opens the mind to the wonder around you. I know we all have a gazillion things that have to get done yesterday, but in the spectrum of things what is ten minutes a day to go outside and visit with your tree and allow the mind to readjust? We move too fast to see the fine details of things. Take a slow walk around your neighborhood and use all of your senses to observe. Allow your switch to fall back into balance and you may notice that things are much better than you thought they were.
