Why am I thinking?

Why am I thinking?  

by John English — 

If we are not careful, we can waste a great deal of time on mental commotion that has absolutely nothing to do with our current activity.

Have you ever asked yourself this simple question: Why am I thinking? If we are not careful, we can waste a great deal of time on mental commotion that has absolutely nothing to do with our current activity. In the world of the spiritual seeker, this is called not being present. Our modern lives are so busy with computers, PDAs, Day-Timers and multi-tasking that often we forget to reign in our mental activity.

What are the consequences of all this excessive mentation? Most of us would agree the result is stress, anxiety or, at the very least, a lot of wasted energy. When we forget to remove ourselves from the raging rapids of our minds, we are not present and we become locked in linear time. When we are not present, we are out of touch with the observer, or our higher self, the part of our being that has never entered the stream of time.

But we can reconnect. We can rein in our mental activity and stay present during this busy time on the planet. The incredible popularity of Eckhart Tolle’s book, The Power of Now, stresses two important points. First, we have a huge need to embark on the journey of becoming present and, secondly, there are some amazing benefits in doing so.

The recent popularity of the movie, What the “Bleep” Do We Know?, has brought quantum physics and quantum thought more into the mainstream. Quantum physics and quantum thought have taught us many different principles, not the least of which is that our thoughts are made of creative energy. Through the power of our thoughts, we create in this world. When we get caught up in remorse, guilt, pain over past events or worrying about something that hasn’t yet happened, we create more of the same.

Many of us have experienced the results of consciously focusing our mental faculties to create something in this world. What an empowering process! The problem is that we sometimes forget about our power and allow ourselves to slip back into useless thinking.

The next time you find yourself caught in the whirl of thought that has nothing to do with the present, ask yourself, “Why am I thinking?” This will instantly return you to the present moment and put you in touch with the part of you that creates everything.

John English is a shamanic healer and author of The Shift: An Awakening. He conducts private sessions and workshops about destiny and the dreamtime, shamanic healing, and journeying and the medicine wheel. dreamtimeonline.com or 480-473-8957.

Reprinted from AzNetNews, Volume 24, Number 3, June/July 2005.