Human beings are trapped in an emotional matrix of being ‘too human’, a sea of varied emotions; self-doubt, worry, jealousy, disheartenment, excitement, anxiety and fear to name but a few. Even when we know we should deal with situations without anger or attachment, even if we attend courses telling us how to do that, all it does is just deal with the symptoms. Confusion reigns and love is mixed.
The root of all that negativity is held by the consciousness of the body. To return to balance and well-being, there is no need to try to manage the polarity of symptoms, we simply need to change the context. Along with the human part of us, we need a deep realisation of the ‘being’ part of us – the soul, that is eternal. The moment we realise this spiritual identity, we come home – uncertainty fades, emotion evaporates and stability rules.
This is the first and basic lesson in our spiritual journey – who am I? When that awareness of who I really am is compromised, everything else is compromised. In the awareness of being the soul, body consciousness dissolves, because I am no longer defined by outwards appearances or roles. Stepping into soul consciousness is quite literally a switch, into another dimension of being, a space of being light, soft, true, clear, and powerful. A deep joy prevails, one that is beyond sensory stimulation.
It is a portal to new possibilities; a true way of being, to recreate a new way of living. It is like flicking on the light switch. Being light illuminates everything, then I do not have to put up a front or prove anything. I can express who I am as I am, peacefully and honestly. It is a return to ‘dharma’ – that which is unchanging inside me – as I move through life’s ups and downs. In a human being, that ‘dharma’ is the deep inner peace that always remains. It may be suppressed, depending on the consciousness I am in, but the eternal qualities of the soul – peace, love, wisdom, joy and purity – are always there.
Becoming soul conscious is an awareness. I must look within and feel that I am inside the body, something other than all that I appear to be on the outside. A thinking, living being, a subtle point of light, the soul, that is making this body move. Then we can use spiritual intelligence in our lives. How does this affect the way I relate to people? My interactions will be peaceful, I have no need to be right, to prove someone else wrong. Peace is their dharma too, even if they are not in that awareness in that moment. It brings patience into relationships.
It is only the connection with the Divine, the Supreme, and our own individual practice in relation to that, that can free us from the sea of emotional upheaval. It is only the Supreme Soul, the One who is eternally liberated, who can ever liberate another soul. This is why we underline the crucial importance of remembering the Supreme Soul. The more I choose to engage my mind, heart and intellect with the Supreme, the more I can experience being liberated in life.
This awareness of who I am and the connection with the Supreme, softens me and enables a release from past conditionings, so that my suppressed eternal qualities and virtues can start working for me. Being soul conscious and remembering God in this way are very deeply connected, because if we could have liberated ourselves from the web we have created by being body conscious, we would have done that by now – but we have not. We all have strings of attachment to one thing or another, pulling us, tying us, influencing us. The moment we remember God, we experience a liberation from the pull of those strings.
It is God’s power that awakens and sustains the soul’s power. But this has to be done over and over again. It is not a case of one powerful meditation and connection, and it is all done. Daily practice of meditation is essential, because we have to build a reservoir of honesty, clarity and cleanliness inside. We have to keep our feelings clean for a long period of time. Then, drop by drop, day by day, we become so full of power that the mindset shifts completely.
Gopi Patel is a Rajyoga teacher based at the National Co-ordinating Office, London.