What's Trying to Happen Here
Dear friends,
I find this to be a most interesting phrase, as it has served me for most of my life, especially spiritually.
We tend to take everything personally. Sometimes even comically so, as in, "How could it have rained today? It's my day off!" I think there is a reasonable chance that the clouds did not gather together and think "Let's get him!"
Asking the question, "What's trying to happen here" depersonalizes whatever the circumstance in question is. Our own desires and fears block intuition and correct perception of reality. We tend to see the world the way we want it to be and not the way it is. To see things clearly our own desires and biases need to be put aside.
I teach a workshop on how to do this (it will be at East West again sometime this fall—we will let you know when it is scheduled). I did one such class, and at the end a woman came up to me and said, "I really like that question." I asked what she was referring to and she said, "You know... 'What do I want to make happen here!" NO! That misses the whole point! I know what I want. What I'd like to be as open as possible to is what is best and what Spirit wants.
An open mind and heart can receive true answers. A deep commitment before asking prevents new information from being absorbed and even seen. It is not easy to set aside our own view and desires. But it is simply a form of arrogance to place them above all else. As shocking as it is, God is actually smarter than we are! But although on some level we of course know this, our prayers are often tinged with, “Dear Heavenly Spirit, I will do whatever you want,… but not that, of course. And you know how busy I am Tuesdays, and…” You get the idea.
Setting aside our own desires and fears is the heart of what the path of yoga is about. In fact the ancient and original definition of yoga is “the undoing of the whirlpools of energy lodged in the spine (the chakras) caused by our desires.” Each spiritual path, whether consciously or not, seeks to undo those whirlpools. Prayer, service, love, and impersonal joy each has the ability to help. For myself, I have found yoga to be the most complete and direct route, but there are of course others.
May we each find our own way to true freedom, knowing that in that freedom may we will hear Spirit’s gentle whispers of both encouragement and guidance.
Blessings,
David G., manager
For the staff at East West