We are living in a very changeable, fast and busy world. On the outside, we are in the process of adjusting to new weather conditions, increases in individual outbursts, rallies of frustrated protesters, economic shifts, political rumblings, and faster communication technology. On the inside, we are in the process of doing exactly the same thing.
As on the outside – so on the inside. Neurologically we are having to speed up when many people long to slow down. It’s our choice to try and keep up, but the penalties for not doing so are electronic, sometimes financial detriments and social exclusion. The monkeys in the mind no longer relentlessly chatter and play psychological tricks, now, for some people, they are rampaging. It’s no wonder so many people turn away from the world and hide, literally and metaphorically, disconnect from social and electrical grids and isolate themselves.
Rudyard Kipling began his beautiful poem ‘If’ by writing, “If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs and blaming it on you”. In analytical terms, if you can maintain your central control in all the projection cross-fire, without being seduced by the unconscious forces that move people or succumb to a lesser version of yourself, then you will have done very well.
Learning how to remain calm in the mind when everything and everyone outside is in turmoil, is a skill that is completely worth mastering. In the absence of being able to manage, people turn to all sorts of distractions to help them cope, but many distractions are the beginnings of addiction and distraction doesn’t stop the mind monkeys chattering.
I am happy to predict, however, that there are two things that are about to happen. Whilst the hare appears globally in charge, as everyone knows, it’s the tortoise that wins the race. The first evolution is that people will begin to individually understand that spirituality has nothing to do with religion. The second is that there will be a rise in collective consciousness, a human upgrade that started years ago. As I wrote in ‘The Prophecy’ in Pandora’s Panacea (2007), “when hundred monkeys tilt thy brink …. In everyday language, we have at our fingertips free and ancient practices of psychological restoration to ease transitions, that do not require us to go anywhere, join any group or perform behaviours that can feel embarrassing and odd. We can simply learn how to meditate. Not just in rooms created for peaceful reflection, but in offices intended for fast commerce.
Many years ago, I created the concept of my own college of the mind and have been building it ever since. Over that time, some people have asked why someone with a foot firmly in the teaching of science, would also offer opportunities to explore the deeper philosophies and spiritual disciplines. The answer, quite simply, is that I knew everyday people would want to explore all the chambers of the mind mansion and that they would have nowhere to go for a spectrum of practical, grounded information and guidance – all that people would need to navigate future evolving worlds.
It’s easy to be spiritual in a spiritual place, but your task is to be spiritual in an unspiritual place. Or for anyone still unsure about the word spiritual, it’s easy to be nice in calm surroundings, but it’s a task to be so when in the company of those with seeming intentions to cause us and others harm. In those places, we need to learn the ability to silence the internal monkey, when the external bananas are flying!
With all the above said, I’m delighted to let you know that the next live event at Hebe College is a timely seminar on ‘How to Meditate’, in which you’ll learn the fundamentals and differing practices of meditation, in quiet places and on the go. After all, if you don’t already know that when you offer a monkey a nut it will not take it, but will suddenly grab the entire bag from your other hand, then you’ll at least need to know a teacher that does.
Carole Sawo
27th July 2019
Can’t join us in class? Here’s some related courses in the Online Study;
