Day Momo (Des Moments) August 1st-15th
Patagonia, Chile. Torres Del Paine. The bottom of the World, the edge of the Earth.
Where you get a little closer to the Universe, a little deeper inside yourself. Where darkness and light merge, where life meets death, and the beauty reigns in both. You realize something bigger beyond your life, and your death; an eternity, a peace, a power, that you are and you can never lose.
I started to think about and feel this as I was hiking.
Day 4 of Hike in Patagonia. The Message:
I decided to listen to Eckhart Tolle’s audio book, A New Earth, Awaken To Your Life’s Purpose. Eckhart is a spiritual teacher, and has changed my life in an enlightening way since I started reading his works.
He was talking about the illusion of the ego self. This entity inside all of us, which makes us think we are separate; from other humans, other animals, the environment, the planet, etc.
He states how the ego creates an illusion of human beings thinking they “have” a separate life, and will do anything to keep it that way.
To the ego, everything is either a threat, something to be used or exploited for its own benefit, or something to compare to and feel either superior or inferior towards the subject, which it is comparing.
After explaining the ego’s mentality, Eckhart continued, by stating, “You don’t have a life. You are life. You are one with life.”
I was perplexed at first.
He then continued, “How can you lose something you do not have? How can you lose something that you already are? It’s not possible.”
I was still perplexed.
I stopped the audiobook, put the headphones in my pocket, and kept walking. I listened to my footsteps. I felt my arms sway. I looked at the magic and miracle of Mother Nature surrounding me.
I kept saying to myself, whispering to myself: “I don’t have a life. I am life. I am one with life. How can I lose my life if I don’t have a life to lose? How can I lose something that I already am?”
I kept whispering, “I am life, I am one with life.”
It clicked.
No, I didn’t get some epiphany, where a white dove dropped a message in my hand. No, a lotus flower didn’t open up for me, showing it’s crystal as a voice under a tree gave me the meaning of life. And no, I didn’t eat weird mushrooms in the forrest and experience a psychedelic trip where I felt and saw the atoms in my body merge via a tunnel of ether with the atoms around me. (That would have been cool, but I’m utterly afraid of trying psychedelic drugs).
What I did get was this sense of calm and peace that felt good.
That’s it.
I felt less pressure from the idea (or illusion) of “having a life.”
I starting thinking some more.
“Having” anything can become a burden. It’s something to be carried. It’s weight that can bring you down. It’s expectations, it’s fitting in, it’s obtaining something, it’s continuously reaching, it’s work, it’s taxes, it’s everything, and it’s heavy sometimes.
It’s life, and it’s hard; when you have to carry it.
But “not having,” or “just being,” feels lighter, it feels easier. I’m not carrying a burden when I “don’t have a life.” I am life and that’s it.
I no longer “have to have” anything in my life. I don’t have to acquire anything, become anything, or define my life in any particular way.
I can just chill.
The famous, clichéd saying goes, “Grab life by the horns.” Have fun with that. Life has been in evolving naturally on this planet the last 5 billion years. It sounds stressful to jump on a bull of life, and grab it by the horns and try to control it. You will get thrown off and get hurt.
So let’s flip that saying. Let’s flip our perspective.
I’ll “let the horns of life grab me,” and I’ll happily go along for the ride.
It’s a state of consciousness, which Eckhart is conveying, and I’m emphasizing.
It’s a way to look at the world through a different scope, to think a little differently.
I challenge you, and I challenge myself for the next 2 weeks. Remind yourself of this state of consciousness – that you don’t have a life, you ARE life.
Remind yourself you cannot lose your life, because you cannot lose something that you ALREADY ARE.
Let this essence help you feel more connected; with your family, your friends, the environment, and everyone you come in contact with.
Fully accept and surrender to life. Whatever the present moment puts in front of you, tell yourself you are one with it, be friendly with it, and watch what happens.
Even more, embrace the statement, “I don’t have a life.” Laugh, and have some fun with it.
Let the horns of life grab you, and go along for the ride.
Joseph Metcalfe
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This one is very entertaining but also raises a level of consciousness. I love this one Joe!!! Happy to relate to you that I am catching up on each and every article. You are an amazing author and I enjoy reading your work as I draw my own inspiration from them. Great stuff!