Dear Spiritual Companions,

Our thoughts are always with us.  No matter where we go, do or don’t do, they are ever with us.  One spiritual perspective tells us to be mindful.  Another says empty your mind.  Is this the same thing or something completely different?  Can one be mindful of an empty mind?  Does any of that even matter?  Does one lead to heaven or nirvana, depending on your perspective, while the other leads to hell or suffering, which is probbably one in the same?  I tend to become confused, how about you?  Throw in doing it right, whatever that means, and suddenly there is chaos found in our thoughts.

I don’t really care!  I have thoughts and they are what they are.  Hard as I may try to empty my mind it only happens when I sleep and that is because I am not conscious of the thoughts.  Dreams come even when I am not awake reminding me of the spiritual thought processing going on when my internal defenses are down.  When I learn the dream langauage and how to wake myself up, then I have some very interesting thoughts to explore, now found in images.  But I digress, which is what thoughts do to you.  I like to digress sometimes because then I find myself becoming aware.

I want to become more awake to life, or as the Psychology World defines it – become conscious.  This, to me, means paying attention to my thoughts.   What thoughts keep popping up in my mind?  This can tell me what my inner being may be centered on today.  Which thoughts lead me into feeling fear, anger or some other emotion?  Are those thoughts related to individuals, activities, the past or future? Maybe by becoming mindful of my thoughts I can empty my mind?  Now that is an interesting thought!

I don’t know about you, but I am tired of fighting what is.  I want to let life BE.  Instead of reacting or trying to change what is, I simply want to respond.  Someone does something I don’t agree with or like.  Instead of fighting it I can either respond in some way or let it go.  Why do I have to right every wrong or have others think the way I do?  What kind of thinking leads to those thoughts?  Again by becoming mindful I can say no I don’t want to respond to them or yes I do.  Some people live in the inner peace of letting life BE.  I would like to follow their model.  Could their secret be found in their inner thoughts?  Maybe the answer for me is found in when I’m feeling peaceful even when my world is chaotic?

Those are my thoughts today.  What do you think?

Peace,

Gary