[The
phenomenon of 'Life
Response' is the way life suddenly and abundantly responds to
our change of consciously within. It is based on the principle that the
life outside ourselves is a reflection of our consciousness within; and
thus if we change the inner, the outer will instantaneously respond in
kind. In
this article Roy Posner explains that if we make the transition from
excessive thought and speech to silence, and from agitation to inner
calm and equality, life can INSTANTANEOUSLY bring us good
fortune.]
Expressions of Spirit in Life
Though science may not prove its existence, and skeptics will deny it is
real, individuals throughout time have had experiences that can only be
classified as a higher order of consciousness. The common term for such
experiences is that they are “spiritual” in nature.
One individual feels a sudden light and presence; another, an
overwhelming sense of peace; while a third feels an oneness with all and
everything that surrounds him. Such epiphanies come in many forms,
depending on the individual’s nature, the culture one is raised in, and
other factors.
Take the spiritual notion of “Oneness”. Throughout time,
individuals have shared with the world their experiences of a profound
connection with life. In some instances, it was a feeling of oneness
with nature, in others a deep association with the entire universe, and
in others still, a transcendent connection to a Divine reality. In each
instance, the individual experienced a sense of harmony, oneness, and
unity with something far greater than his own limited self. These
experiences reflect the actual Oneness that exists throughout creation,
which is itself an expression of the spiritual Reality underlying all
existence.
Another way we experience Oneness is through the deep
bonds and connections we have with others. When we
focus on the interests
and concerns of another person, when we take to their point of view, and
when we express our heartfelt thanks, appreciation, and gratitude, we
are in essence moving away from our limited sense of self, and opening
to a wider sphere of harmony, unity, and oneness.
Though such experiences of Oneness with the objects, elements, and
individuals around us are truly profound, they are but one type of
spiritual expression. For example, if I move from selfishness to
self-givingness in my relationship with another, I not only experience a
degree of Oneness with that person, but I also experience a degree of
spiritual Love.
Then what is spiritual Love? It is certainly more than the physical
attraction or attachment we have for another person. It is also more
than the vital feelings and emotions we have towards others. It is
instead something truer, deeper, and longer lasting. Spiritual Love
occurs when the lover, partner, parent, friend, associate, etc. seeks to
give of himself without expectation or reward, seeking only the
fulfillment of the other person. Ultimately, the highest
expression of spiritual Love occurs when we surrender to, and offer our
deepest devotion to the Divine, thereby fulfilling Its intention in
life.
In addition to spiritual Oneness and Love, we also experience the spirit
as pure joy and Delight of being. One way we can feel this Delight is by
being self-giving to another person, and well as feeling the joy of
another person’s progress happiness. We can also feel such Delight
whenever we experience something new in the world, such as when
we discover a new possibility, or come upon a new idea, or when we have
achieved a new level of growth in our lives.
The Witness
Consciousness
There is yet one other way we can experience the Spirit in our lives.
Behind the layers of our human makeup - i.e. our physical, vital, and
mental parts - there is a level of pure beingness, reflecting the
true essence of who we really are. Behind the substance, movements, and
sensations of our physical bodies; behind the desires, wants, emotions,
and feelings of our vital being; and behind the thoughts, ideas, and
beliefs of our minds, there is an essential silent and unmoving Self and
Being.
From this profound inner poise of consciousness, we experience the world
as pure “is-ness.” From this status, we make no value judgments;
offer no opinions; express no wants and desires; experience no feelings,
emotions, or sensations; and do not move, or take to action. In this
state of Beingness, we just are - silently observing the
unfolding of truths of life around us, without reaction or intention.
Interestingly, through this inner poise of stillness, we can harness a
formidable energy and power. By silently observing the world from
this poise, we become sensitive to the true truths unfolding around us,
which gives us deeper insight into life’s conditions, which can in turn
help us make the right decisions and take to the right actions. By
looking out onto the world through this “witness consciousness,” we are
not only detached from the intensities and sensations of life, but we
gain a vast power to affect it.
In fact, when we shift away from our normal “aggressive consciousness”
to this detached, calm, and equal witness consciousness, life has a
tendency to respond with sudden and abundant good fortune. I.e., when we
withdraw from the tumult and activity of the mind - and instead move to
mental silence; when we withdraw from the reactions, likes, dislikes,
wants, needs, and attitudes of the vital - and instead rest in a
dispassionate neutrality and equality; and when we abandon our attempts
to aggressively seek out life and take action - letting the world come
to us on its own, it is likely that sudden good fortune will follow.
Although any of these inner movements can elicit the instantaneous
miraculousness of life response, I would like to share several that
stand out:
Silent Will
Experience tells us that when you refrain from expressing
an idea or your intentions through speech, the other person will express
what you held back shortly thereafter. When we restrain ourselves this
way, the
atmosphere around us gets charged with concentrations of mental and
vital energy, which then penetrate another person’s consciousness,
causing them to identify with the idea, which then compels them to speak
it out as if it were their own.
-A writer wanted to interview several executives at a major US company
for a book he was writing. His contact there at first refused his
request. The writer was about to describe several reasons why he should
be able to meet with the staff, but instead restrained himself and held
his tongue. A moment later, the contact suddenly began to describe
several reasons why it would be useful for the writer to meet with the
executives, and then actually gave him permission to do so!
-A thinker was having a discussion with another thinker. Ideas moved
back and forth very swiftly. At one point, the first person decided not
to express an interesting idea of his as an experiment in Silent Will.
Several moments later, the second person expressed the very idea that
the first person had earlier held back.
-A consultant, attending a meeting, restrained himself from joining a
small discussion group where he had hoped to engage one of the
individuals on an important topic. After the meeting ended, and the
consultant headed to the subway station to go home, the very person he
wanted to speak with suddenly appeared along side him. Over the next
hour, they engaged in the very conversation that the consultant longed
to have.
Reduced and Soft Speech
In addition to withholding the expression of our thoughts and intentions
to others, simply reducing the quantity of the words we speak
also tends to attract positive responses from life. This is the case
because there is a power in the speech we express through our voice. Our
vocalizations originate in our vital/life center, and thus carries a
life-power and energy. If we speak too much, these energies are
squandered, which tends attract corresponding negative results from the
field of life. However, if we conserve our energies through
reduced speech - or, better yet, by completely remaining silent - the
energies are fortified and strengthened, which tends to attract sudden
and abundant good fortune from the world around us.
-An individual was engaged in a lively conversation with another. At one
point in the discussion, he overcame his urge to discuss a new idea that
had entered his mind, and instead insisted that his friend speak what
was on her mind. She then articulated several concepts that he had never
heard before, which energized and thrilled him to no end. By moving to
silence, life reversed itself and turned a mundane conversation into an
ecstatic moment of freshness and wonder.
-A famous, baseball player hit a home run in pursuit of breaking the
all-time record. His teammate then hit another home run thereafter. In
the dugout, the two proceeded to engage in a friendly, though somewhat
heated discussion about whose ball was hit harder and further. This
childish bantering continued for nearly ten minutes. At the time they
began the dialogue, their team was ahead in the game. However, shortly
thereafter, the other team tied the score. In fact, that rival club
eventually went on to win in extra innings, which turned into a heart
breaking loss for the home team with the two incessantly chatting
players.
-An instructor noticed that every time he engaged in lengthy discussions
about politics or other social issues with an individual before a class,
he would invariably run into some difficulty with that student during
the course of the day.
One of the ways we can avoid such pitfalls, and, instead, attract good
fortune, is to identify our “speech threshold,” and then make an effort
to draw back from it. For example, the trainer just mentioned could
learn to refrain from speaking with students on controversial news
topics before class, while a customer rep could cease from engaging in
needlessly long conversations with her clients. In such instances,
drawing back from one’s speech threshold fortifies the positive energies
in the atmosphere, which tends to elicit sudden good fortune from life.
Why then do we speak so much? One reason is that we love the sound of
our own voice! Another reason is that we also enjoy the stimulation of
interacting with others. It has been suggested that 80% of our
conversations take place in a social context, and it is in these
stimulating interactions that we feel compelled to vocalize our thoughts
and feelings. If, on the other hand, we were to recognize this fact, and
control ourselves in such social situations, we would not only reduce
the quantity of speech, but we would in return elicit powerful positive
responses from life.
In should be pointed out that in addition to reducing the quantity of
the words we speak, we can also reduce the volume and
frequency of our speech. When we speak loudly and boisterously, life
tends to get disturbed and attract negative outcomes. However, if we
practice “soft speech,” by speaking in a low, soft voice, then good
fortune is likely to come our way. In particular, we have noticed that
when an individual takes to soft speech, more money and other forms of
financial benefit tend to move in one’s direction. For example, one
39-year-old wealthy American businessperson lost all 60 of his
employees, and was prepared to file for bankruptcy. However, at a
relative’s suggestion, he and his wife practiced psychological and
spiritual disciplines - including giving greater attention to things,
taking to higher levels of cleanliness, bringing about a greater sense
of harmony amongst the principles, and speaking in a low, soft
voice. As a result of taking to these disciplines, two years later he
was in a position to retire for life!
Equality
In addition to mental silence, we can also move to vital
silence. If we keep our emotions and feelings in tow when difficulties
and problems arise, an enormous power is released that can suddenly
change the conditions of life around us. This capacity to remain
undisturbed in the face of intense circumstances - whether they are
extremely negative and displeasing, or extremely positive
and enjoyable - is the inner power of “equality.” Any serious movement
away from either of these disturbed states to one of equality is sure to
attract the sudden onset of good fortune.
-A training company secured work from a well-known global technology
company. The class went very well, and the training company sent out an
invoice to the client. Normally payment on the bill occurs within two
weeks. However, the client informed the training company that they
ordinarily pay in 60 days. On hearing this, the individual managing the
account at the training company nearly became unhinged. Fortunately, at
the time, he was able to hold back his feelings, and eventually reverse
himself to the point where he actually attained a state of calm and
equality. The following day the representative of the training
company was shocked to discover that the client had paid for the work in
full via the Internet that very morning! In essence, through an inner
movement to vital stillness, an excessively long 60-day receivable had
turned into a 2-day payment - establishing it as the quickest receipt of
a receivable in the training company’s decade-long history.
-A woman who had never driven a car long-distance was being hounded by a
big-rig truck bearing down on her at high speed on a steep incline of an
interstate highway. She was very concerned and bothered by the vehicle’s
imminent approach. Several minutes later, the truck suddenly swerved off
the road, taking an unmarked exit into what appeared to be desert
wasteland. When asked what she had been thinking about before the truck
made its unexpected exit, the woman said that she had simply decided to
stop worrying about the threat. Life had clearly responded to her
reversal from worrying to calm.
-In a famous story set in the 19the century, a man made a wager that he
could travel around the world in eighty days. He personality was such
that he never worried about anything, no matter how dire the
circumstances. As a result, he was constantly able to overcome immanent
disasters on the trip. At one point, as he was about to complete the
journey, he was arrested, which, in effect, caused him to miss the
80-day deadline, and, therefore, lose the bet. Undaunted by the false
accusation, and remaining utterly calm, he escaped from his
captives. Arriving at the final destination point of the race, he
learned that he actually had returned one day early, and
thus had now, in fact, won the wager! It turned out that he arrived on
the 79th day because he saved one full day by traveling east
to west around the world.
-A company rented workspace from an owner who offered this service. When
the principle of the company went on a trip, his own manager and several
staff members got into an argument with this owner. When the owner
threatened to oust the company from the space, they threatened legal
action against him. However, when the principle of the company returned
and learned of this contentious situation, he decided to remain
absolutely calm and composed. He also told his workers to do the
same. Several days later, the owner of the rental space came up to the
principle, and, shaken, told him that his own son had a heart problem.
The owner asked the principle if knew of a hospital where the child
could be treated. The boy was then shuttled to a hospital that the
principle recommended. There the doctors indicated the need for
immediate surgery. However, the owner did not have the money to pay for
such an expensive operation. Once again, the principle came through, and
was able to arrange financing for the owner though a bank he had worked
with. The operation on the child then took place, and fortunately turned
out to be a success. As a result of these extraordinary events, the
owner felt eternally grateful to the very man whose company he had once
tried to evict. An individual’s absolute calm and composure in the face
of adversity had indeed attracted the most extraordinary circumstances
from life.
Like taking to mental
silence, moving from agitation, fear, and worry to a state of calm and
equality - i.e. mental silence - releases a great power to change the
course of life around us. It is an indicator that we have attained a
certain level of stillness within - i.e. Beingness -, which is but one
of several ways we can come to know the Spirit in life.
-For
additional thoughts on the power of silence, silent will,
soft speech, taking another's point of view, et al click
here.
-For additional thoughts on patience, calm, and equality, click
here.
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