In today’s world, instruction for learning’s sake is not enough. Being-centred instruction is the only thing that will make a difference. If we are learning to act, and our actions come from a place of “saving the world”, then we will not be able to see when we most critically need to see that our egos have inflated, or that our actions are guided purely by a reactionary state of mind. I have recently been contemplating which direction I have to go in. And what has become most starkly clear to me this morning when waking up is that Being-centred Actions are the instructive force that I need to take on in my life. That the place we are relating from and the place we are relating to is pure. Ways of thinking, ways of Being, ways of doing; they are all caught in a cyclical vortex around each other.
There is no clear map for what we are to do. Our guidance system is off, as we are guided by our own impulses which often download from the last successful action taken. Will this make a difference in the world? Maybe for a short while. But a paradigm shift in thought, action and Being are needed, where Being is at the deepest causal level affected. Only then can we begin to effect change in the world. But our true North must be clear in the sky before we act. And if this means waiting for the clouds to clear, then that we must do. I recently joined the Presencing Network online, and am curious whether this “interest” in these matters truly stretches down to the very level of Being that we are trying to create. Of course, everyone starts off at square one and our own investigations should not be hindered by this question but guided by it. But my thought is that we must bounce off many walls until we realise we never had any obstacles to overcome, nor any need to “reframe”.
What is the difference between reframing and presencing? Reframing simply shifts the perspective from one side of the box we are in to the other. Our centre of gravity may have shifted, but our thoughts have simply moved. Not being critical of this ‘reframing’, it can be hugely useful in deciding which way we want to orient ourselves from the level of development we find ourselves. It is the horizontal shift in the vertical movement of our development. But to presence and come into contact with the Ground of Being to shift our thinking from one box to the next, via our Being: this is what we need to develop to move away from the suffering we are embedded in. This is the instruction we need to teach. And I fear that many of the options I have been considering have not the capacity nor the curriculum to do this.
And yet, this is but one skill in many. Am I being too fussy? Perhaps. And this blog serves more as a “reflection” than a “decision” as to what to drop and what to take on. I am painfully aware of the distance between my thoughts and my actions. I have often felt crippled by this chasm. In many ways I am crippled by it. And yet I feel as though my actions need to come from this Being space. AND, my Being has the opportunity to be cultivated in the midst of such instruction. Where I should ultimately lay my money on the line, and where my path should go next, I have no clue right now. But being so crystal clear on this, and its importance in the education I am seeking, is the best way I can guide my next step. It is crucial.
