The duality of awareness

We have been conditioned since childhood to think our way through life instead of feel our way through it.

by John English — 

One of the most fascinating elements of the self to contemplate and work with is that of awareness. Like everything else in the One Spirit’s creation, our awareness is dualistic. Each of us has the use of mind and heart. Heart is the feeling principle. So our awareness consists of mind and feeling. This duality goes all the way back to the beginning of creation.

The mystics and masters remind us that our state of mind is the problem if we are not experiencing the beauty of being. This happens because many of us do not know how to use the power of the mind in the way it was intended.

We have been conditioned since childhood to think our way through life instead of feel our way through it. The master knows that life itself is a feeling and that if we want to harness life’s power, it is easier if we use feeling to navigate. It is less work, too.

The mind has a duality to it, as well. The active, masculine side of the mind probes and thinks, and the feminine side receives. Feeling is more about movement and navigating the unknown, because feeling is the expression of intuition. The movement of feeling is the movement of power — your own power and the One power.

When we use our feelings to navigate life, we are moving with power, and it is much harder for our conditioned minds to get in the way. When we use our minds to navigate, an endless amount of self-talk goes on that is commonly referred to as internal dialogue. This often shows up as a judge in our heads who never lets us have any lasting peace.

So how do we use the duality of our awareness in ways that honor both mind and feeling? The solution is very simple. We have to empty our minds and trust what we are feeling. We need to follow our hearts. Most people who have succeeded in turning off the internal dialogue have said that following the heart is the easiest way to achieve the emptying of the mind.

The key to using the power of the mind is still embodied in a phrase we commonly use. We say, “It comes to mind.” In this scenario the mind is feminine, and feeling can inform it. This is simple yet powerful beyond measure. When our minds are empty, feeling, which is intuition and power, will inform us. This works every time.

The problem is that when something is going on with us, we often use the masculine side of the mind to probe and try to reason things out. If we just remember to plug into the heart and quiet the mind, feelings will guide us. The advanced spiritual aspirant uses this type of guidance, and the action that results from it happens without thinking. The right action springs forth of its own accord. Is that not amazing?

The next time you are not centered in the power of your being, stop and go into your heart center. Allow yourself to feel what is going on. Expand your awareness by feeling the entire scenario, whatever it is. Be patient, and let your feelings inform your mind. See what comes to mind, and resist the temptation to probe the feeling with the active mind.

Your intuition will inform your mind, the direction forward will be clear and it will feel good. If you continue to practice this in all that you do, you will have the peaceful, empty mind of the master.

John English is the creator of the Spiritual Ascension Network: the social network for the conscious person, and the founder of Dreamtime, LLC and the Freedom for Life School. He resides in Scottsdale, Ariz. www.dreamtimeonline.com or 480-473-8957.

Reprinted from AzNetNews, Volume 30, Number 4, Aug/Sept 2011.