Meditation

Make 2019 a Life Changing Year

/ Tim Custis / Leave a comment

What I am about to share with you may feel contrary to all that you know. All that society has taught you. However, what follows can bring you more peace than all your seeking put together. We are conditioned to think that we are not enough, that we have to change in some way to become something better; to do more and if we do, our reward of a better life, peace, and happiness will come.

Have you ever wondered what makes us think this way?

When in fact, what we seek we already have, but we cannot see it because of all our conditioning, busyness, and misguided thinking.

All the searching you have done, even all the letting go, and healing has not led you to the place you seek. Has it? There always seems to be more letting go, healing and seeking to do on your spiritual path and in this life.

So what is the answer? First, begin the New Year by setting aside some time to be quiet. I know that many of you find this hard to do because you think that you must stop all thought to meditate, to be quiet. However, this is not true. You do not have to quit thinking, just let your thoughts be. Do not follow your thoughts; let them float by without attachment. Can you become the watcher of your thoughts, rather than the thinker? This may seem like an unusual request but try it.

Remember that when you were born, you had to learn to walk. You did not come out of the womb wearing track shoes and running. Therefore, be patient with yourself because you will attach to the thoughts that say you are not doing it right, you do not know how or that you do not understand.

These are the thoughts you want to watch float by, by becoming the watcher. From this place and with practice you will begin to reconnect with the real you — the one that lies beneath all the conditioning, beliefs, and ideas that you have accumulated over the years. This is who you have become, and it is not who you are; it is not the real you.

In addition, throughout your day be with what is. Do not wish things to be different. Do not try to make them different, become the watcher. This may not be easy at first for some of you, but I can assure you, this intention to breathe the life of each moment just as it is has what you seek already in it.

If you find yourself getting frustrated, notice that you are no longer watching and that you have started running with your thoughts again. Take a breath, reset your intention and become the watcher. Every time you notice that your thoughts have carried you away, bring yourself back. It is natural at the beginning for your thoughts and habits to take you elsewhere. So be gentle with yourself when this happens to you, take a deep breath and become the watcher.

Remember, you are not your thoughts or habits, and they are not in charge of you. Bring yourself back to the calm and peaceful being that you are deep within and feel the presence of the real you once again. This ongoing, even intermittent practice and experience with presence is all that is needed to feel and experience this higher truth for yourself.

I want you to experience this for yourself because this is the only way it becomes real for you. Books and teachers can only point the way you must allow peace back into your life, and no one can do that for you. You must have a desire to experience it for yourself and be willing to practice. You cannot fail when you remain steadfast to your unbending intention to experience more peace in your life and to live in the now, to live life with presence.

If you have questions, please contact me, you are not alone, and I am here to help in any way I can.

Short and Sweet #180 – In the Stillness of Life

/ Tim Custis / Leave a comment

Stillness can arrive through all things, even in the midst of activity or turmoil. You may wonder how this is possible. It is possible because true stillness comes when we stop attaching to our thoughts. Notice I did not say our thoughts stop or that we need to stop our thoughts to find stillness.

Many people when they begin to meditate do not become still because there are too many thoughts running through their mind and they do not detach from them. They become fidgety and uncomfortable thinking they cannot DO it. However, meditation is not about doing, it is about letting go. Even a person walking, playing the piano, snow boarding, knitting or doing any activity can become still once they have detached from their thoughts. Athletes call this, being in the zone.

The world has conditioned you to THINK that we have to be doing something, getting something or have something to be happy. When this pursuit has not met our needs we become unhappy, all because we THINK we are not doing enough, have enough or getting enough. Happiness does not live in these things or in doing. We only experience a fleeting false sense of happiness in doing, not true lasting happiness. Moreover, you will certainly never become still if the pursuit of these things becomes your life.

First, learn to connect with your innate and natural state of stillness. Then bring that stillness into every area of your life. When you become the deep waters under the surface, below the storm, nothing can shake your peace and you will live in your stillness. You only have to let go of your conditioning. Find a small piece of stillness and watch it grow as you spend time with it. The more time you spend with stillness, the more your conditioning will fall away to reveal your True-Self.

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Short and Sweet #105 – Stop Believing Every Thought

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Your thoughts, which continue throughout the day, are often below your level of awareness. Even the ones we do hear are not always supportive and too many of us believe every thought we have, even when it is not for our highest good. Now this is not to say that some thoughts are not positive or useful, of course they are, however when we do not questions them or pay attention to them we are no longer in charge; the thoughts are.

“And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”Romans 12:2

For instance, when you were a small child an authority figure told you that you were stupid. At the time being a child you believed what you were told and from that point forward it changed your life. Why, because for the next 20 years or perhaps the rest of your life anytime you made a mistake you had a thought that said you were stupid.

Most of us have had an experience in our life that changed us because we believed what someone else said about us. Once we believe the thought then it becomes part of us and it is reinforced by our ongoing thoughts changing the course of our life and our experiences. Just because you believe a thought, does not make it true.

Perhaps you think something about yourself now but your friends do not see you that way. Who is correct? As long as you believe it to be true, it is for you, however in any given moment you can re-frame your thought to what you want it to say. Continuing with the above example every time you hear the thought that you are stupid you can say cancel three times and then replace it with something positive, like I AM SMART. In addition, you can use the Ho’oponopono phrases I explained in Short and Sweet #24. Meditation is another and there are many more. Find what works for you, perhaps using more than one practice is needed. Remember letting go of thoughts that we have repeated to ourselves for decades may take some time to release. However, with a clear intention, greater awareness and continued effort on your part it will shift. For your effort, there is always added benefit from doing this kind of deep transformational work, but it requires your willingness to explore your inner world.

 

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What’s on your mind? I am always open to questions and comments or for a healthy and supportive discussion about these topics.

Say NEVER MORE to NEVERLAND

/ Tim Custis / 2 Comments

We have all been to NEVERLAND at one time or another. This is not the Neverland in the fairytale. It is a place of broken dreams and forgotten possibilities. We have different size properties, some lease others buy. Some stay for a short while and others spend a lifetime. How do I know this is true? Because I have been there, just as birth and death are part of the human experience so is visiting Neverland, at least for now. This is why no one escapes experiencing it; in fact, part of you may be there right now.

What is Neverland you ask? When someone says something to you that is not for your highest good, something that you come to believe is true, your life trajectory changes and your experience of the world becomes clouded. Each time you are told something that diminishes your soul’s fullest expression you acquire more space in Neverland.

For example, have you ever been told that you were not good enough, pretty enough, smart enough or perhaps you were told, like me, that you would live in pain the rest of your life. When a person of authority like a doctor, parent, teacher or even a friend tells you something that is not for your highest good and which you believe to be true, then part of your energy ends up in Neverland. Just keep in mind that no human being knows with one-hundred percent certainty the direction or outcome of your life, not even you. Only focusing on the highest outcome and keeping a positive attitude throughout will guarantee you the best possible results with the least amount of suffering.

Once the hurtful words are said and we believe them to be true, we begin to create a story based on these words. The story reinforces the “truth” of what we were told and then we begin to tell ourselves this story repeatedly until it becomes our new reality. This re-shapes our experience of the world and we begin to make different choices. This leads our life in a different direction, we feel less empowered, less capable, and we feel stuck. We may even feel like the world is conspiring against us.

We can cause this same shift in trajectory by having our own destructive thoughts, for instance, I am not worthy, I am fat, lazy or any other limiting belief. Do not be fooled, this is just as destructive as hearing it from someone else and will keep some part of you captive in Neverland. You will have difficulty manifesting anything else because you believe the story you have created and nothing exists outside of this story.

In order to avoid this outcome you must not take the damaging information as absolute truth and remain open to manifesting something different. If you follow your own inner guidance, intuition, and stay awake and aware, you will be presented other options on your journey.

You may be wondering how do I become more aware, reconnect with my intuition and become more awake. These questions can be answered in many ways. There are no great secrets here; it requires an unbending intention and commitment to change. Once you step on this path and never give up, the universe will support you all the way, I guarantee it and you will never regret it for one second.

OK you have created the intention and are on the path, now what? Let’s talk about a few things you can do to develop these qualities. Just remember to pay attention as much as you can because whatever is for your highest good will show up to help you because the universe is always communicating to you in some form or another. Do not take these suggestions as the only way because there are many ways. However, if you resonate with something then go for it. Find what works for you and let the rest go, keep moving.

First begin to ask your higher self, God, your angels to help you. Pray, talk to them aloud or to yourself, whatever feels right and comfortable.

I believe meditation to be one of the most important and effective ways to develop your awareness, intuition and to begin awakening. There are many misconceptions about meditation these days and most people get frustrated when they first try it. If you have experienced that you cannot meditate because you cannot quiet your thoughts, know this is a normal part of the process and that thoughts flow continuously. The idea is to not attach to them. This takes practice; it could take weeks, months or even years. A consistent and regular practice will eventually bring you the peace you seek.  Just notice your thoughts, note that you cannot quiet them, without any judgment.

There are different ways to meditate.  Finding a form that works for you is very important. You do not have to sit is a seated pose, like lotus position with your legs crossed to meditate. Find a qualified teacher or read a book about it. Explore the various types and ways to meditate thoroughly before discarding it just because you think you cannot do it or you do not like to do it. Your perception of what it is and how to do it may be wrong. If you have investigated thoroughly and still do not find it helpful then do not worry, as I said there are many ways on the path and something will show up.

In addition, I believe the body plays a major role in our spiritual growth and it is rarely talked about. I will go into more depth about this another time. For now just know that deep transformational bodywork can help. I am not talking about a regular gentle massage, this type of message offers its own benefits. What I speak of requires a practitioner who is very intuitive and can do deeper work physically and energetically.

I would like to share what I call body scanning. This is a simple exercise which, when used regularly, will begin to bring awareness back into your body. Remember no matter how relaxed you think you are you can always go to a deeper, more relaxed state.

Find a quiet place to sit or lie down. If you lie down do not fall asleep. This exercise requires you to aware and awake. Turn the phone off and make sure you will not be disturbed. Close your eyes and begin to scan your body. Find the one place that speaks the loudest to you, maybe it is your low back. It may feel painful, tight or uncomfortable. Most people will not be able to relax this place. In fact, the more attention you place on this spot the more it will tighten up or hurt in most cases. Begin to scan away from this point looking for other places in your body that are tight that you can relax. For example, maybe you can relax your arms, feet or jaw. Continue to look for new places that you can relax moving through the body continuing to look for the next place. Circling back through the body, you re-check the places you found before to see if they have tightened back up. If you find they have and you probably will, relax them again and then resume looking for new places.

After several minutes of this, check in with your original spot to see if it feels more relaxed. Often it will because everything in your body is connected so whenever you release tension in one area it will affect the entire body not just where you feel it. You will receive benefit even if you are not able to discern the change by doing this exercise.

If you continue to practice on a regular basis, you will become proficient enough to do it at any time and in any situation. You can even diffuse an uncomfortable situation like an argument by relaxing your body in the moment. Of course, you will need to practice for some time to be able to have this kind of awareness in an argument, most people are completely out of their bodies and unaware of how their energy is effecting it until after the argument is over.

This exercise, which is also a form of meditation, will bring more peace and ease into your body and life. Over time, it will retrain your muscles and body to be more relaxed and you will find other benefits as well with continued practice. Connecting deeper like this with your body and developing your awareness will once again open the door to infinite possibilities.

Finally, if you have already created a story that does not feel like it is for your highest good then it is within your power to create a new story, one that is for your highest good. At all times we are aware of our soul’s truth, but we must be willing to face our fears and begin reconnecting with our soul’s guidance. You are ALWAYS being supported and guided, you just have to quiet the mind, fall into the heart and listen. Always know that you will never be given more than you can handle. You have already experienced the truth of this statement in your life. Therefore, the choice is yours at any given moment to take up space in Neverland or to say NEVER MORE to Neverland.