“The ancient Masters were profound and subtle. Their wisdom was unfathomable. There is no way to describe it; all we can do is describe their appearance. They were careful as someone crossing an iced-over stream. Alert as a warrior in enemy territory. Courteous as a guest. Fluid as melting ice. Shapeable as a block of wood. Receptive as a valley. Clear as a glass of water.
Do you have the patience to wait till your mud settles and the water is clear? Can you remain unmoving till the right action arises by itself? The Master doesn’t seek fulfilment. Not seeking, not expecting, she is present, and can welcome all things.”
— Lao Tzu
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There’s a world of difference between getting what you want and what you actually need.
And that’s ultimately what I found tricky about manifesting –
I really had little idea what I truly needed.
Sure, stuff like a parking space here and there was fine, but in terms of the big things, the things that really mattered?
I had – and I still have – no idea.
I’ve found it’s far better to ask for the thing that is most needed, with a completely open mind.
But that takes a little faith, doesn’t it?
That you can let go. That you can get what’s best for you without over-controlling, forcing and pushing.
I used to be like that.
I put far too much effort in bringing what I wanted and what I thought I needed to me.
I was completely attached to making life happen the way I thought was best. And in that mode there was zero peace, zero flow, zero grace, and zero room for magic.
It’s the same in Ascension meditation.
People’s biggest problem is the extreme amount of effort they attempt to put into it in order to try and get what they think is the ideal experience.
The beauty of a true meditation teaching is that the hardest thing will be making the time to close your eyes.
Beyond that, you are given exactly what you need,
And boy – that is the most difficult thing for people to get their heads around. I know it took me years (though I’m a little denser than most).
Take note.
A true meditation teaching will give you exactly what you need, and rarely what you expect.
Your job in meditation – and in life –
Is to be wide open to what wants to happen, and to not resist.
Give up your expectations. Ask for what you need, and give up what you want. For when you do this, you’ll find that they’re ultimately the same thing.
Do this and you will find you can loosen your grip and get what you need, but with so much more peace and grace.
Like I said, this will take a little trust. A little loosening the death grip you have on life. An innocence to drop your expectations in the face of reality.
But this is repaid quickly.
In fact, give it some practice and you’ll come to rejoice in letting go. There’s freedom in dancing with life rather than battling against it.
You realise you created your own suffering because of your own immovable expectations; nothing else –
And so in letting go you find total freedom.
And all have you to do is be more open to being given what you need over what you want.
Ultimately there’ll be no difference.
What do you reckon?
Let me know. I’m teaching on retreat so will be a little slower getting back to you, but I’d love to hear.
Go well,
Arjuna
PS.
I’m part of a collation of writings that is coming out 1 December.
If you’re interested in a more spiritual aspect to the inner journey, this book is a collection of emails from the Ishaya monks to our teacher, detailing the exploration of the present moment, extra-ordinary states of awareness, and a life lived from here.
It’s called: “Dear Teacher... Letters From Modern-Day Monks”,
And here’s the link so you can check it out and even pre-order, if the mood takes you so:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dear-Teacher-Letters-Modern-Day-Monks-ebook/dp/B0CM2FPNP4