Hands up – Who else is a judgmental cow?

 ‘All human beings are interconnected, one with all other elements in creation’.

– Henry Reed

I have strong faith in the theory that we are ALL connected. The spiritual and quantum physics books (I attempt and struggle to read) that speak of this connection resonate with me. When I think of this connection to ALL it makes me feel good and my insides relax. So the other day when I came across the following quote from Buddhist Master Thich Nhat Hanh I sat up and paid attention. It was just at the right time (of course), for I needed reminding of our interconnectedness in order to stop being such a judgemental bovine. Moooo.

 

‘If you are a poet, you will see clearly that there is a cloud floating in this sheet of paper. Without a cloud there will be no water; without water, the trees cannot grow; and without trees you cannot make paper. So the cloud is in here. The existence of this page is dependent on the existence of a cloud. Paper and cloud are so close. Let us think of other things, like sunshine. Sunshine is very important because the forest cannot grow without sunshine, and we humans cannot grow without sunshine. So the logger needs sunshine in order to cut the tree, and the tree needs sunshine in order to be a tree. Therefore you can see sunshine in this sheet of paper. And if you look more deeply … you see not only the cloud and the sunshine in it, but that everything is here: the wheat that became the bread for the logger to eat, the logger’s father … the paper is full of everything, the entire cosmos. The presence of this tiny sheet of paper proves the presence of the whole cosmos’.

This could not have come at a better time as I’ve been sitting with judgement and disconnection all week. I’ve been judging myself for being so judgemental of others. It’s rearing it’s head in order for it to be acknowledged, processed and cleared (as best as humanly possible). It is yet another layer to be pulled back to expose a part of self that needs to genuinely be worked on.

When I work with clients I make a point of leaving my judgemental self outside the door. I say this with 100 % honesty. The session is not about me, which is why it’s usually easy enough to separate myself from judegment. One of the things I value so deeply in my own sessions is that while I am on the table declaring all of my insecurities and behaviours, I know I am talking to a neutral non judgemental person. I wouldn’t be able to expose myself like I do if I felt I was being judged and I know my clients feel the same. But I am only human and when I caught myself judging another I wasn’t happy about it. I realised I needed to sit with it. So what should the Universe present me with, a Saturday evening full of opportunities to judge. AND judge I did!

I’ve recently started meditating. Something needed to fill the space from not drinking! And it’s been amazing. It really is everything it’s cracked up to be. You’ve just got to be disciplined with it, for as they say, getting in the chair is half the battle. So I’ve hopped in the chair each day, willingly. It’s been wonderfully grounding and intoxicatingly relaxing. This isn’t the blog for it, but for years I’ve said, I ‘should’ meditate. As always, it finds you when you’re ready for it. So if you’re reading this thinking ‘I should meditate’, give yourself a break (and cut out the should), cause you’ll do it, when you’re meant to.

So the meditation course (http://www.timbrownmeditation.com) I did advises us to not judge ourselves for the thoughts that bubble and fizz while the mind attempts to settle. It is just what it needs to do. We are guided to allow the thoughts to rise and when we notice we have become fixated on the thought or the thought that has led on from the first thought, to gently steer our attention back to our mantra. It’s not a forceful style of mediaton and it suits me. I like that I have permission to let the thoughts surface, because they need to surface, the body wants to let them go.

The 20 mins I spend in the morning and then again in the afternoon is a period of stillness for my body, mind and soul, to regroup and to allow what needs to flow through me to do so. It makes sense that the body knows what it needs to let go off in order to recalibrate. It’s Kinesiology in the form of meditation. It resonates deeply.

So of course, I started to join the dots. Here I am giving myself and my body permission to do what it needs, to get back to a place of equilibrium, without judgement, when what should be reflected in my world? The need to let things surface without judging them, even when it’s judgement itself. But it’s hard. Which is reassuring in a way, it means I’m on to something.

Noticing myself being judgemental has been interesting because I do genuinley believe that we are all connected. But I have to remind myself that I am connected to everyone, not just the ones I want to identify with. In creating separation from others I know that I am unintentionally (intentionally) separating myself from source and really I’m the only one who loses here.

‘When people go within and connect with themselves, they realise they are connected to the universe and they are connected to all living things’.

– Armand Dimele

As we reinforce in Kinesiology, it is through awareness that we are able to change our behaviours to be more in alignment with who we choose to be.

Interestingly in most of the sessions of late two of the oils I use keep reappearing. Integrity and Oneness.

Integrity oil presents the idea that ‘Integrity is knowing what is true for you, and having the courage to live from this space. It is an invitation to examine whether you are congruent.’

Oneness oil asks us to acknowledge ‘the unity of all beings. Sometimes we feel isolated and as though we are separate from others. This is a reminder of the unity that exists down to the smallest particle of matter. Celebrate how much we have in common’.

My goal moving into 2013 is to intentionally create an existence where I am able to be the best version of myself. Integrity is paramount here and it is from this place of congruency that I choose to accept that I am part of a much bigger picture, connected to ALL, NOT to just what and whom I prefer to be connected to.

As Thich Nhat Hanh so poetically suggests, everything is connected and as we exchange life with one an another, recognising this connection deepens our everyday experiences.

If you’re feeling isolated at the moment maybe check in and see where you are actually isolating yourself through judgement. Judgement of self and judgement of others. It can be such an ingrained habit which we see as harmless, but really it’s only YOU that you’re separating yourself from.

‘The spiritual path is not a solo endeavor. In fact, the very notion of a self who is trying to free her/himself is a delusion. We are in it together and the company of spiritual friends helps us realise our interconnectedness’.

– Tara Brach

Photos thanks to Pinterest http://pinterest.com/clarey22/blog-quotes-inspiration/

The oils I use in my sessions are from Sacred Self http://www.sacredself.com.au. They are truly divine.