We all look for knowledge to “keep us safe.” We want rules and guidelines to follow, hoping that if we do, no harm will befall us. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work that way. As we collect beliefs and judgments of how the world should be and how we should be, we really only set ourselves up for disappointment. Expectations breed desires and desires are at the heart of all suffering. Worst yet, living blindly by society, peer or parental rules and ideas, passed to us almost by osmosis, is anything but freedom. When we follow inherited beliefs blindly, we live a dead life – trading supposed security for real living. We do it out of fear and fear is never authentic. Life is random. There are no rules, religions or philosophies that can keep you safe on this material plane of consciousness. The good will always be here as well as the bad. The contrast allows us to experience.

When I was in high school, I dated one of the sweetest males that ever lived. Everyone loved him. He was very popular because he was kind, authentic – never spoke a bad word about anyone. I really think he didn’t even have bad thoughts. In reality, we know that can’t be true. But, given that our actions and words align with our thoughts, I can be pretty sure that he worked hard to keep his mind pure and in line with his virtues and religious faith. He was an angel on this earth, and he died in a head-on collision his second year of college.

Of course, our human minds want to rush to explain it away – “Well, the good die young.” Again, we look to cause-and-effect to try to logic-out some rules to make us feel safe again. In actuality, we all know young people who have passed who were good and some that were not-so-saintly. Whether you live a good life, by your rules or someone else’s, when your number is called, it’s called. We are only meant to be here a short time. Bad things can happen to good people and vice versa. My point is beliefs can’t keep us safe. Therefore, given the randomness and uncertainty of life, let’s endeavor to not project judgments and beliefs on what is around us. It contains things, puts them in a box – halts true and brilliant experience.

Say, you are on a hike and you come across a waterfall. You can label it “Oh, it’s a waterfall.” And then you can let your mind run with “Oh, it’s smaller than the one I saw in Maui” or “It’d be so much better if the sun would just come out” or “Well, we can rest here a little bit. I bet we have two more miles before we’re finished with this hike” and then let your thoughts run to what you’ll do when you get back and what’s for dinner. So, yes, you can stand there in the majesty of the waterfall and live in the future or the past. You can just label the thing and go on down the road. Or, you can turn away from thoughts as they start to arise and just experience the waterfall. Stand with it. Sway with its energy. Feel it’s power and magnificence. Become one with it. Now you are living  in the mysterious present! And, what a ride it can be when you lose your mind and become one with ‘what is’. The Infinite Source is always now – repeat… now — displaying itself in manifold brilliant forms for your communion. Are you present for it? Or, are you missing it?

Letting the mysterious world unfold is perhaps the best thing about living an authentic life. The mysterious is where life is, where God lives — not in our rules or our beliefs (self-made or inherited). Turn the mind off, the judgements, the labels, the rules, the thoughts of future and past, and just be. Being is our natural state. Aligning with pure awareness is the best way to align with authentic self and a truly beautiful authentic life. I so want to see you soar – fly – dance – really live! Whether the moment is poignantly sad or ridiculously weird, be in that moment. Don’t let your heart or mind shut down the experience. Fully feel, be part of the mystery.

As always, I would love to hear your thoughts. Blessings!