Habit, Fixed Habits, Creatures of Habit, Routine, Same Routine, Habituality, Fixidity, Rigidity, Unchanging

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Growth Online Habituality, Fixidity, Rigidity
Knowledge Base

by Roy Posner and MSS

Our Habitual Nature
Our habitual nature weighs on us; prevents us from moving forward.

Instincts of Material Existence
-The predominant instincts of material existence are self-preservation, self-repetition, and self-multiplication.
-The bodily life wants to persist, not progress, repeat not enlarge. (Paraphrase of Sri Aurobindo)

Our Habitual Nature
Our habitual nature causes us to be fixed, rigid, unwilling to change. It is marked by its desire to continue as is, to repeat, and not want to move in another direction. It shuns possibilities and opportunities. It is an aspect of our physical consciousness, inherited from the inertia and inconscient of matter via our physical bodies.

The Physical Consciousness that is a Thing of Habit
The physical [consciousness, plane, aspect represented in us as our physical bodies] is normally obscure, inert, impervious to the Light. It is a thing of habits, very largely a slave of the subconscient and its mechanical reactions. (Sri Aurobindo)

Breaking the Habit
It is said that we are creatures of habit -- i.e. we like to persist in doing that which is routine and familiar, rather than what is different, fresh, and new. Sri Aurobindo tells us that this is due to our material, body consciousness, which tends to remain the same, rather than progress: to repeat the same things, rather than take fresh, new initiative.

And yet we can learn to be more open to change in our moment-to-moment lives. In any given circumstance, we can become aware of our fixidity, our reluctance, our unchanging habit, and instead take a fresh, new tact. And when we break that routine and pattern, not only do we experience the joy of a fresh moment, but we open the portals of possibility, enabling sudden good fortune to come our way. Let me illustrate with a recent experience.

For several years, I have been self-publishing my books through Lulu Press, a wonderful online system that is an alternative to traditional book production. An author goes to their website, supplies the manuscript file, selects a look for the covers, and Lulu produces a book template available to the public. The consumer can then purchase a volume to order, 1 or 100, and have it shipped within a few days. It is a major revolution in the book-publishing field.

For several years, I have had little problems using the service. I would simply follow the steps and voila! new iterations of my books would be made available to the public. Recently, however, I have been trying to publish a new book, 'Higher Consciousness, Infinite Success', a compendium of the dozen or so major articles I have written at the Growth Online site, and have run into several problems. The main one is that when I send my Microsoft Word file to the site, the Lulu wizard would not accept it. I figured that it might be an error in their system, or that there is too much traffic at their site, or some other factor. For a month, I struggled to get a version of the file uploaded to Lulu so I could complete the book publishing cycle. Recently I simply resigned myself to the plight, hoping it would self-correct down the line.

Then I recalled that several associates of mine were using the Mozilla Firefox web browser instead of Microsoft's Internet Explorer. It was something I had never tried before, nor did I see a reason to. I sometimes even wondered why my friends were using it. I heard it was a little faster, but that did not seem enough to take me away from Internet Explorer. In any case, one morning, frustrated with my lack of success in uploading my latest book, and not having gotten a credible response from Lulu, I decided to download the Firefox browser.

When I loaded it up, it did indeed seem to be somewhat faster, though that still seemed only a relatively minor benefit for continuing with its use. Then I went to the Lulu site and tried uploading my manuscript through Firefox instead of the normal Internet Explorer. A moment later, I was shocked to see that not only did my manuscript file take the first time around, but I was able to get through all the publishing steps in record time! Later in the week, I made further changes to the manuscript, and was very quickly able to create a revision at Lulu. For me, it was a marvel to behold, as weeks if not months of frustration had now suddenly ended.

Even as I was having the experience, I saw the great life response benefit of embracing change in the details of life: of taking a different path, rather than following old habits and routines. When we perform an act in a fresh, new way, rather than in the tired old way, life immediately opens before us. When we get off the dime, and move away from our physical consciousness that is fixed and wants to repeat, we open the portals of possibility. It was another wonderful reminder that every moment we are offered the opportunity to break old habits and quickly attract the infinite to our doorstep.

Creatures of Habit
A creature is normally associated with a living thing, usually a life form below ours. That creature wakes, hunts for food, procreates, tends to its young, builds shelter, and sleeps. It is a creature of habit. It lives in predictable rounds of duty and task, while allowing variation within its patterns. We inherit that same capacity. It is what enables us to live secure lives. It is also that which makes us rigid, fixed, unable to easily adapt to change. What is the source of this reality?

We each have three or perhaps four essential parts of our being. We have a physical body, we have an emotional center, a mentality, and a spiritual capacity. Physical, vital, mental, spiritual. There are of course shades in between. E.g. between the emotional and the mental is the psychological. Let us for the moment focus on the physical.

Outwardly, the universe essentially consists of material forms. Planets, rocks, oceans, plants, animal, and we are physical forms. We are also more than physical forms. However, our body is physical, a formation of matter that houses our outer being. Matter in its most material form is mostly inert on the surface. Though it vibrates within, on the surface it is fixed, settled, inert, tends not to move. When the vital being emerged from the physical body in the lower life forms, the fixed, inert influence of matter carried over. When mentality emerged from the animus of life in the higher creatures, it too inherited the fixed, unmoving, inert nature of matter. It shows itself in various parts of our psychological makeup, in our character.

When an opportunity comes our way, and we look elsewhere, it is the insert, unresponsive, fixed influence of matter (as represented by our physical bodies) that is "responding." When we are asked to do a task other than we are used to, and we complain, it is the influence of our material being, which only wants to repeat what it has done before. The planets dutifully circle the sun, the herd of cows participate in their daily activities with little variation, the human is comfortable doing what he has always done before. The habitual nature resists doing something that is not routine, that is out of the ordinary. It resists, complains, is reluctant to embrace change. It is, in essence, the material consciousness of our being, born of matter, embedded in our physical bodies that resists the new realities of life. It leads to reluctance, unwillingness to embrace new truths, unwilling to take on new tasks, unwilling to embrace new opportunities; willing to put off, procrastinate, reject, be insensitive to and ignore the progressive unfoldings of life. Which makes us in the truest sense Creatures of Habit.

Is there a way out of this conundrum? If we observe ourselves, we will see when we are expressing our habitual nature. We can then catch ourselves and reverse it. If my boss asks me to work weekends, I inwardly refuse, catch myself before expressing myself, and then tell him that I agree, then I have made a decisive change and negated the habitual nature. Moreover, life is bound to respond soon thereafter with instances of sudden good fortune. One man did this very thing, and when he arrived at work, instantly produced the greatest sale of his life. In this way, we see that our mental capacities and awareness can overcome the rule that the habitual nature has over us.

We can go even further, however. When we live our lives from a poise of deeper consciousness within, away from the surface bubblings and influences of life, we are more capable of observing our negative tendencies, including our habitual nature. We become aware of life around us in its fullness, perceive the variations and possibilities, and from there are far more willing to shift and embrace the exigencies of life. At such points, we outgrow the material consciousness inherited from matter that drags on us, that keeps us in our place, that does not want to move or change. Gradually we break the shackles of the material consciousness, allowing our rational mental and spiritual capacities to become the leaders of our lives. Then we emerge into a new existence, a new way of living, beyond the limits of our habitual nature.

The Wandering People of Habit
A people wondered in the desert, lost, yet content with their habits of life. One day a stranger appeared before them, pointing to a distant hill, suggesting that there was a way out of their conundrum, to a green and happy land beyond. Weary, yet self-satisfied, the people smiled at the stranger, and continued on in their aimless journey across the barren land. You and I are that people.

Cause of Fixed Repeating Habit
The mind enjoys the predictability and cyclical unfoldings of life, even as it enjoys its own fixed, repeating habits. Perhaps we can say that in creation the one has become embedded in the other.

Bringing a Higher Level of Consciousness to an Act

It is said that we are creatures of habit. Yet a habit can be a confining thing, especially if we do it without enthusiasm and intensity or emotion � i.e. just as a routine. However, if we break the habit and perform the act at a higher level, and therefore differently, not only will we energize the activity, but we will energize our own lives.

Any act can be undertaken at a higher level. For example, a typical routine, like brushing our teeth, heating up our food, or shopping in the store is something we do habitually, without much thought or emotion, which means it is occurring at the physical level. Yet we have the capacity to break the habit and do it at a higher level, i.e. more consciously. E.g. when I shop, I can ask myself if I'm neglecting other areas that need attention; such as my garden or my outdoor furniture; or if I am shopping without regard to cost; or whether I am purchasing things that are unnecessary. By doing so, I elevate the act from physical habit to a mentalized undertaking, which energizes both the activity and ourselves. Also, doing so invariably attracts positive developments. E.g., you suddenly learn that outdoor furniture is available at a radically reduced prices, which is just what you needed for your limited budget.

Thus, what we do at the current level, can be done at a higher level, energizing the act and attracting good fortune. What we do physically as routine can be done with greater emotion. What we do at the vital level of emotion and enjoyment can be added mental aspects of understanding and insight. And what we do at the mental level can be done higher still through powers of the Spirit. E.g. in the act, we can call in the spiritual Force, which will divinize and enable us to gain the full cooperation of life in that activity. Or in any situation, we can move to utter peace and calm, i.e. non-reaction, which can also elicit powerful positive results.

At every moment, we are capable of bringing a new freshness to an act by raising our level of consciousness relative to it. That not only energizes the activity and ourselves, but evokes Luck from the environment. This being the case, why not consider one or two acts that you do routinely in the course of your day, and then try to perform them with greater emotion, mentality, or spiritual capacity. If you the garner the magic like response from life, you will see how the smallest little thing can be a lever for changing your entire existence.

Utilizing Spirit to Gain the Power of Will Over Bad Habits
The keys to changing a bad habit are (1) a sincere desire to change the habit, (2) a knowledge of the reasons that the habit is wrong, (3) and a persistent will and drive to actually make the change. Without the desire nothing will occur. Gaining the knowledge is relatively easy, as it becomes obvious to any practical person in life. The will and effort to make the actual change may be the hardest part since many are weak willed.

Perhaps the best way, method to enable the change is the utilization of Spirit. Invocation of the Spirit will be found to reinforce the desire to change. Patience and persistence, regardless of the extent of the result, will result in tangible results over time. Those results will be full and will never be lost. The Spirit can also be invoked to have instantaneous results. Still when it is possible this way, it is desirable to go along the path of slowly and steadily enlisting the consenting will. Will enlightened is will conquered. Invocation of the Spirit will raise the mental will to the Spiritual WILL. (Paraphrase of MSS)

Overcoming Habits, Acting from Knowledge, that Avoids Illness
The body acts from habits, making for rigidity. He who acts from knowledge, finds his body more supple. To raise the level of the act and to act form the rules of the spirit, the body becomes so flexible that diseases find it hard to lodge in the body. (MSS)

Another Road Taken at Fort Mason
Have you ever considered the extraordinary power of changing or discarding a routine or habit of yours? When we perceive something we have been doing repeatedly in the past, envision a new or different way of doing it, and then willfully carry it out, life tends to suddenly cooperate with our efforts, producing results that can border on the miraculous.

One day not too long ago, I decided to break one such routine. On this occasion, I decided not to walk through a large hilly park that overlooks San Francisco bay, which would have deposited me in the touristy Fisherman's Wharf area. Instead of climbing through that elevated park with its lovely view of the Golden Gate, I decided to explore the three long piers known collectively as the Fort Mason Center. These edifices, left over from Civil War days, are now divided into dozens of sections -- including headquarters for renowned dancing and theater troupes, offices for environmental and global movements, various California cuisine restaurants, and other interesting and unusual facilities. It has become a kind of mecca for the cutting edge, and the sometimes far out.

The first place I stopped at Fort Mason Center was a store that was dedicated to presenting the concept of time -- in particular, to showcasing a number of magnificent, unusually large timepieces. For example, prominently displayed was a 10-foot computerized clock that was created to be accurate for up 10,000 years. It, like others on display, consisted of an astonishing array of gears and other moving parts.

At the time, I was the only one in the center, aside from the host. As I walked around the facility, I could hear soft, ethereal-like music playing in the background, which added to the already mystical atmosphere of the museum. Other than presenting these marvelous futuristic devices, the intent of the facility (longnow.org) was to capture the feeling of time itself -- or perhaps the timelessness of time. In fact, throughout the facility were posted a number of elaborate statements describing the nature of time -- including how we interact with it, what it really is, and others. There were also a number of books prominently displayed for sale on the subject. The entire experience was not only fascinating and thought provoking, but haunting and serene.

When I left the center, the guide asked me if I had any questions. However, finding myself in trancelike state, I could barely answer. As I exited the facility, I felt myself moving from the timeless like quality of that place back into time - i.e. into ordinary life. I then looked around to get my bearings, and continued on my walk. Not a minute later, I came upon San Francisco's most famous and venerable New Age restaurant, Greens. Now over 25 years old, it is recognized as the home of the vegetarian movement in America, and one of the pioneer restaurants in the use of locally grown produce in the preparation of its meals. This very large restaurant has a spectacular view of the Golden Gate and environs, and is one of the main gathering places for the intelligentsia of San Francisco and Silicon Valley.

When I walked into the facility to see how things had changed, I saw that it pretty much looked the same; except it was a bit more modern, and the people were younger. As I contemplated entering the enormous main dining area, a man standing a few steps above me suddenly interrupted and called down in my direction. "Excuse me sir," he said to me, "do you have the time?"

Indeed, I was bowled over by the question, when you consider considering where I had just been! I then quickly responded that it was 2pm. Then I looked at my watch once more and called out that it was actually five minutes to 2. (I guess I felt compelled to be accurate since I had just been in a place dedicated to the specificity of time!) Shaking my head and smiling at this extraordinary little response from life, I then headed out of the restaurant. As I looked around, I could still feel that sense of timelessness and peace enveloping me.

Now in the bright light of the day, I noticed that I could walk completely around the 300-meter pier, which would in effect deposit me at the bay's edge. And so I did just that, discovering one of the most spectacular views I had ever seen in this city of many such views. Also, I noticed that the weather was somewhat unusual, as it was overcast directly above me, yet the entire bay - with its shimmering hills and mountains in the distance -- was crystal-like, bathed in brilliant sunshine. The contrast was at once breathtaking and surreal, which was for me yet another response on this startling little "road not taken" adventure. As I stood there all alone at the end of the pier with its magnificent view, I felt the wonder and magic of life compressed into a single moment.

After that stirring, almost cosmic-like experience, I headed back inland to explore the other two piers. In fact, I was really looking for a special place that I believed was located somewhere in the third. A moment later, I then came upon the bookstore that I was looking for: one that I had visited once before nearly a decade earlier.

When I looked around the large facility, it looked at once familiar, yet somehow different. As I am want to do, I then immediately headed over to peruse the books on spirituality and religion. This time however, after rummaging though the shelves, I found nothing that caught my fancy. Slightly disappointed, and without much energy to peruse the plethora of other bookshelves, I decided to leave the facility. However, just before I exited the front door, I noticed a section of books prominently displayed that were marked down to half price. Immediately, I found an interesting book that I thought a friend of mine would enjoy. Then something very special happened. I found a book on the subject of how to write spiritual books, and, in particular, how to submit them to literary agents. In fact, the book contained a listing of a number of agents -- with explicit, detailed information about each. I found this utterly astounding because in the last several weeks I had been constantly thinking about how to find an agent and publishing house for my new book! Now in one fell swoop, all my prayers were answered! In fact, as I walked out of the store, it occurred to me that this book could turn out to be the most important discovery of my life!

Like shifting away from a negative attitude, changing or overcoming a habit tends to attract instances of sudden good fortune. When I decided to get out of my dull walking routine and try something different, I was set on a journey that unfolded like a dream -- with unexpected occurrences, mystical like experiences, and infinite-like results.

Likewise, each of us can identify one or more dead or dull routines in our own lives, and experience that same sort of magic. If we come upon a habit or ritual that has no life behind it, and then try to do it differently, life will suddenly open up before us. What was once limited and finite will suddenly blossom. What was dull and unexciting will instantly energize. In that way, our fixed, dull habits and routines will begin to give way, attracting not only startling positive life response results, but in that process bring us moments of great happiness and joy.

That is precisely what happened to me on that mystical-like, sun-dappled afternoon at the shoreline of Fort Mason!

Thoughts on the Nature of the (Limiting) Physical Consciousness and Habit

MSS Article on Habits

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