There are many, many ways that may serve and nourish us while traveling, like mindfulness with roots in Buddhism, remembrance like in Sufism, reunion with God like the Christian mystics or no method at all except sitting and doing whatever you do with your whole heart (Zen). Etc.
Whatever longing brought us to walk the path of the spiritual seeker, down through the ages and with all masters and teachers, the focus of all methods was and is from going on the automatic pilot to conscious presence in the eternal moment of now. Sometimes also described as the path from ego to soul.
Spiritual practices can be compared with attending the school of life, learning when being with the Masters, combined with doing our homework to get better understanding and integration.
One of the main hindrances that not seldom supports postphoning of what we are longing for, is the overall identification with our body-mind system.
Intellectual understanding of this statement in just a beginning and therefore mostly not possible for children and youngsters because we need to have access to skills like reflecting and recognizing our unconscious patterns.
How To …
go from the automatic pilot to conscious presence?
Entering unknown territory is something the unconscious mind wants to avoid, and it really needs a firm, conscious intention to investigate our own limiting patterns.
They often surface as repetitive patterns, directed by the automatic pilot or memories of the past.
For most people, it works best to restrict the field we are working with, such as thoughts, emotions, or behavior.
Therefore, here are some general suggestions to help you discover what you are looking for, experienced firsthand, with the tip to choose the one that seems the best doable to you.
Orienting with help of an intention
write down a daily intention for a while that feels inviting and true for you.
Something like: Today, I choose to be the observer over the pattern.
Note before sleep how the intention worked for you?
What did you discover?
Journaling
General method: write or record daily 3 to 5 sentences about one of suggestions,
reflect after a week, and share with yourself in your notebook hat you discovered and what kind of identification-pattern you found.
1. How do you experience yourself to find … Automatic limiting Identifications, considering your activities, desires, emotions, etc.
2 What was the tone of your inner dialogue today? Supportive or criticizing?
3 Which tasks or topics make you feel resistance or the urge to procrastinate? What fears or ideas are behind? With what kind of beliefs are they connected, which you were identified with?
4 Do you often experience the same types of conflicts or mistakes? What are your thought patterns, desires or expectations that act as a hindrance?
5 How about statements like: That’s just how I am. I’ve always done it that way. It’s my character. To what do you identify yourself with, what kind of characteristics, activities, reactions, etc.?
Momentary meditation:
Ask yourself several times a day: Human, where are you?
Answer honestly about being present or not.
Something like: I was dreaming of my Love (my Heart, Lord, Master or…?)
Reflect with the question: Who was dreaming? Was it me or my body-mind system?
(maybe with a reminder on your phone or something like that).
Sparring with a buddy
or with a group of colleagues, students, or friends
ask for feedback on your behavior, inquire with them, or share what you want within this discovery.
Use existing methods from or with help of others
like those of Byron Katie, Anand Santosh’s Trapdoor, Intuitive Dialoging, Authentic Alignment: from Patterns to Presence, Mindfulness, different forms of therapy, etc.
Discovering limiting identifications via
* Thinking, about Thoughts, Thought Patterns, Knowing and Know-How
* Feeling and Emotions
* Behavior
* Triggers, related to be with others
* In- and external Communication Patterns
* Levels of Life, incl. the Bypass Syndrome