Question Everything
Dear Blessed One,
Most of us have not been raised with the idea, nor reminded along our life journey that we are holy beyond all measure. Yet, we are. There is so much here to discover…here, meaning right where you are.
When we can move through the clutter of our life situations – or perhaps better worded – the perception of the clutter of our life situations, we begin to see how magnificent and unlimited we truly are.
One of the exercises I began doing many years ago (as suggested by a woman I was working with) was a practice I call Question Everything. This was a huge step in beginning the unraveling of concepts, beliefs, conditioning, and unconscious actions that were blocking me from knowing the truth of Who I am.
I began to question everything as it came into my awareness, which is another practice that can be coupled with questioning everything. It’s quite difficult to question everything if one is not aware of what is actually running through the mind.
Practice awareness so that you are conscious of what is running in you (rather than on autopilot with white-noise humming in the background). Once you’re able to notice all the chatter, stories, and run-away thoughts, you can begin to question everything that comes in. As thoughts, beliefs, etc arise, ask yourself if you believe it, if it serves you in some way, if it’s feeding love or fear, and if you still want this in your life. If the answer is no to any of these questions or if you discover the thought is feeding fear, you can now choose to throw it out, or at least consciously recognize it and choose not to buy into the story anymore. This will free up so much energy, big energy that’s being leaked to non-important activity. That energy then becomes available to you. No longer trapped behind a bolted door, more of You is now available.
When I got sober in 1997, I began questioning the many things that were constantly flooding my mind. Each time I had a negative judgment or harsh words about myself, I would pause and ask things like, ‘whose voice is that anyway’, and ‘what would happen if I didn’t follow this thought to completion’. Another question that came later, ‘who would I be without this story’.
It didn’t take long for me to discover that clearly I was addicted to thinking. The constant mind activity was the very thing keeping me from dropping into the body and finding the great wellspring of peace that’s always been there, holding me and patiently waiting to be noticed. The mind-machinations felt so normal to me, at first I had an extremely difficult time in the unraveling process. It did become easier with constant vigilance. I realized that the difficulty and discomfort I was feeling was not because I was attempting to contract or flex into a new mode but rather because I’d been contracted for so long that relaxing felt uncomfortable.
An example that comes to mind…
I was talking on the phone with my sister and we were covering some big stuff so we’d been at it for almost an hour. All of a sudden I heard her making noises, “Ow, oooh, ouch, arrrrg…” and I asked her what was going on. She said she switched hands on the phone and was just straightening her arm. She had it flexed, or contracted for so long that it felt normal, until she began relaxing it. After moving through some pain, it didn’t take long for her arm to feel normal again. Most of us have been flexed for so long that we don’t know what normal feels like. Bringing awareness to the conditioned mind and questioning all of it begins the process of relaxation, the normal or more natural state for our bodies and minds.
This may seem so simple (it is) that you might question its effectiveness. Good! Question Everything. If you practice these two things (questioning everything and awareness) every day for the next thirty days, I sense you will be amazed at how much transformation takes place within you. It may look like the world around you is changing. What’s more true is the way you are now relating to life and its many wonderful expressions is changing.
Much Love and Blessings to you,
shellee
Hr
Just as a plant turns to the sun, your thoughts turn to the Power and draw It down through your being, causing It to manifest through your word. …we are using It whether or not we are conscious of the fact.
~ Ernest Holmes