The Witness:Your Wisdom at Work
Posted: Friday, December 26, 2008
by KATE CUNNINGHAM
Imagine having a powerful ally who always accepts you exactly as you are, an ever-present wise one who can show you the truth when the answers elude you. If you're wondering where this faithful friend is, you need look no further than where you stand. It is the Witness and the Witness is you. It is your own innate wisdom that will guide you wherever you go.
Admittedly or not, we are all deeply invested in our attachments to our desires and emotions, our needs and wants and our belief systems. Some of these beliefs are universally accepted facts, such as the tides always change, day follows night, everyone dies, there are four seasons. Some of these, however, are deeply ingrained negative, programmed concepts of the thinking mind that act as filters through which we see ourselves and our world but are not necessarily based in fact or truth and are certainly not the whole picture. For example: there's danger everywhere; I'll never have enough money; bad luck's my middle name; my mother had heart disease and so will I; I'll always be a failure. Over time, these emotionally-charged, limiting beliefs become self-fulfilling prophecies. What we perceive life to be, either consciously or unconsciously is just exactly what it becomes. So, when we are perceiving through a pinhole and viewing only a small part of the entire vista, we remain locked in a life that doesn't work very well or doesn't work at all. It's like focusing in on one shriveled grape and concluding that the entire vineyard is a loss. We lose sight of the big picture.
Mastering the Witness requires only intention, time and practice. It is an awareness that we can use to regain perspective and balance when sucked into any negative, emotional vortex. When we can't believe we just reacted that way again, we need to be compassionate and forgiving with ourselves by remembering that those knee-jerk responses are literally burned into the neural pathways of our brains. It is encouraging to note the latest scientific research, which indicates that with conscious awareness and practice, over time, we can literally re-program our brains to change our negative responses and behaviors. This concept of the brain as "plastic", a re-programmable entity, is cutting-edge information that our ancestors, even one or two generations back, did not posses. This puts us in a superior position to take responsibility for our evolution as a species. We can change. Through conscious Witnessing, we can begin to break the programmed thought and behavior patterns that don't serve us and start manifesting more positive results in our lives. The Witness consciousness is a powerful choice and a potent posture to assume on the path to self-actualization. Through the Witness, we are able to put our attachments aside, trust, step back and just watch as the truth surfaces and the best possible solutions reveal themselves in unexpected ways. Synchronicity and serendipity are the norm rather than the exception as events unfold in a natural flow.
Though elevated, Witnessing is by no means some unreachable, enlightened state. It is merely an awareness that each and every one of us can master with practice. Witnessing is an effective and practical tool that we can use throughout the entire day to improve the quality of our lives. Initially, the most direct way to create a feel for the Witness is through meditation, yoga, Tai chi or other Eastern physical disciplines. The expanded levels of consciousness which these practices engender, create a natural connection to the Witness as a by-product of the practice, where the thinking mind subsides and pure awareness opens up. As with anything, repetition strengthens and regular practice will yield great benefits and exponentially so, over time.
As the Witness makes its home within every one of us, there are several techniques you can use to create the connection at any given moment. So, right now, place your total awareness a little above and behind your brow in the very "center of your head". Take a moment to feel your total consciousness sitting in that place. This is an area associated with an energy center known as the "third eye" where we can access our ability to "see" energy clairvoyantly through images, pictures, colors and symbols that guide us to the truth in any situation. By placing your awareness there, you are accessing your ability to connect more deeply with your own innate intuition and wisdom, the ultimate guiding system. Another awareness that might work for you is to imagine your Witness Self, which is, in essence, your Spirit, standing a little behind you, larger than you are. Imagine yourself viewing any given person or situation from this superior, unattached perspective. Connected in either one of these ways, you can view with neutrality to see things for what they really are, not what you might otherwise want them to be to suit some personal need, want or desire. Notice if you don't feel more relaxed and organically connected to everything from this stance as you practice the awareness.
In working with the Witness awareness, especially if it's a new concept for you, simply think of yourself planting a seed. If you nurture that seed with patience, light, water and love, it will blossom. It is a beautiful process that is, in itself, its own reward. For every time you are successful in your new awareness, there will be times you succumb to the old behaviors. This is a natural element of the human journey toward self-mastery but every day is another opportunity to forgive ourselves, re-group and move forward.
Witnessing is a powerful tool waiting to be discovered within every one of us. In our everyday lives, connecting to the Witness will offer broader perception, greater understanding and an open door to the realm of new possibilities for growth and evolution. Through the Witness, we can reclaim perspective from confusion and peace from chaos, living from our center and awakening to a more conscious and fulfilling way of life as co-creators with Cosmic Intelligence itself.
Kate Cunningham
2007 All Rights Reserved
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