The balance between where we want to be and where we are can be a tenuous one. On the path of self-discovery and personal evolution it seems the one constant that always comes up again and again is to be present, to be in the moment, to just ‘be’. But what about the future?… What about our expectations?… Do not expecations just lead to disappointments when not fulfilled? Should we even have them?

At least I know now for sure not to dwell in the past, but only to look back to learn and grow from it. As for going forward, the balancing act seems to be more complex. The human mind will naturally dwell, ponder and eventually over-analyze if left unchecked it seems.. a bumper to bumper traffic of thoughts. But is this really our natural state? Why do we have to train or ‘re-train’ our minds to get back to our natural state?

Many questions come to mind, when it comes to the mind. But these examinations are crucial if we are to evolve as quickly as possible. The human mind is a large piece of the puzzle. Many traditional and esoteric schools of wisdom start and end here… but the end is really nothing tangible that can be explained in words really. Hence we need to trust ourselves and our intuition, and not necessarily what is the popularly held consensus or belief or what someone else has told us. 

So one thing we can keep doing is always question, question our place in the world, question our belief system, question so called ‘authority’… questions are healthy. We may not always get an answer, or the answer(s) we think we seek, but questioning reality can lead us to new perspectives and places we might have not otherwise reached. The more open minded you can be, the more open you can be to new ideas, thoughts and perspectives, the more you can empower yourself and free yourself to be more fluid.

A good way to look at things as well, is like being a ship at sea, of course you should know where you are going but at the same time be fluid enough to change course on a moments notice if need be; Back to the Mind. New perspectives or flashes of insight and wisdom rarely come when actively seeking them or when the mind is ‘full’, especially with pre-existing notions and endless thoughts.

Meditation of course naturally slows down the mind and thought, thus opening up space to allow new insight and perspective in. It is a tool most seekers of knowledge engage in, in one way or another. Looking for the space in between your thoughts, is a process you can engage in almost anywhere, whether you are sitting alone in quietude or in the midst of your day as you go about doing your business. This is one of the best ways to gradually become more mindful and control your thoughts.

This ‘space’ gradually opens up, and becomes wider and wider, seperating the traffic of thoughts. This leads to pure objective observation, or being the ‘watcher’ as it is sometimes called. In this state, we can much more easily be un-attached… unattached to people and things around us and of course unattached to ourselves, which can lead to a different quality of consciousness.

Freedom at the end of the day is state of mind (or no-mind : ).  So as we constantly probe and elevate our consciousness, the gap between where we are and where we would like to be can very quickly become as thin as a razor’s edge.