Number 23 in a Series
What happens when beliefs are rigidly held?
When heart-connected the magic of life is released. Without fear encasing my heart I’m captivated in the wonder of a fascinating adventure. Rather than attempting to protect myself from potential difficulties, I freely enjoy life’s surprises and challenges. I feel alive instead of bored, passionate instead of dead, serene instead of anxious. I am animated instead of blasé and active instead of passive.
Outstretched hands with palms turned toward the heavens symbolize the receptivity of an open heart. The innocence and openness of living in the mystery are accompanied by softness, acceptance, and curiosity. It is a safe space for all thoughts, feelings, and actions. Differences are welcomed and honored. Questions and problems are important, but rather than being treated as burdens they are embraced as opportunities.
Expanding my time in the mystery brings me face to face with my most formidable obstacle – my mind. The human brain, which has the incredible ability to think abstractly and create wondrous ideas, also had the ability to create beliefs and fears that are disconnected from my heart and take me out of the mystery.
The myriad of things beyond my capacity to know with absolute certainty comprises the mystery of life. Part of a commitment to living in the mystery more of the time means learning what it means to become more comfortable swimming in a sea of questions rather than standing rigidly on islands of concrete beliefs, especially about things that are beyond my capacity to know with absolute certainty.
When living in the mystery, I gratefully and humbly accept any information I am given without the necessity of naming it and creating a story about where it came from. Dreams, voices, and visions are gifts and wonders to be used in whatever way serves me in becoming more loving.
I can play with the myriad possibilities of where the information may have come from. But, as soon as I become attached to a particular interpretation I leave the mystery and become subject to the arguments, distance, and the lack of emotional intimacy that results from rigidly held beliefs.
Holding beliefs as choices, not facts, acknowledges that they are a subjective reality, which I have chosen. “I choose to believe there are spirit guides” is very different than “There are spirit guides.” When lightly held, beliefs are not attached to sanctity, but acknowledged as my truth not the truth.
The Indian spiritual guru Jiddu Krishnamurti said, “The highest form of human intelligence is the ability to observe without evaluating.” When living in the mystery, although solutions are not the focus, meaningful answers come naturally and effortlessly. These answers are not taken as “gospel” but are seen as transitory. They are merely door openers for other questions.
Inhabiting the unknown and constructing ideas to explain the unknowable is understandable. In the face of fears that lie in the unknown, using my intellect in an attempt to feel safe makes perfect sense. But there is a price to pay – my attempts to have control over life block the flow that connects me heart-to-heart with others and to my authentic self.
For Your Journey
- Think of a belief that you hold as “the truth” and what effect that has on your relationship with people who don’t think the same way?
- What would living with your beliefs as your truth rather than the truth have on you personally?
- What effect does rigidly held beliefs have on the world around us?
- Share-it-forward. Discuss the effect that holding beliefs as “the truth” has on the world and what it would mean to not hold them as “the truth.”
First in the Series: From Head to Heart
Next Week: # 24 – Heart-Connected Touch, A Healing Power
BECOMING YOUR OWN HERO illuminates a path available to us all to attain the kind of personal power demonstrated by our most revered and inspirational heroes. Marianne Williamson, #1 New York Times best-selling author said, “I highly recommend this illuminating and touching look into the possibilities of staying connected to our hearts, even when facing difficult situations.”
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Photo: Flickr / TimOve
What happens when beliefs are rigidly held?
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You end up with a website like this one. Rigidly held beliefs manifest as an inability to connect with really valuable input from thought leaders who challenge the status quo here – and an IndieGoGo campaign that is turning into a total bust.
It’s not like the editors here haven’t gotten enough feedback. I have given a lot, myself – and so have countless people who no longer post here, and may not even be looking at the content anymore.