Many people start out on the spiritual path attempting to become saintly in their behaviour. Deterred by the violence and aggression of the ego-centred world around them they seek a more peaceful and gentle existence. But if our spiritual practice becomes overly biased towards the yin qualities of cultivation, we can find that our lives become out of balance and it can be difficult to cope with the rigours of modern life.
Having learned that modesty and humility are positive qualities to cultivate, many people believe that power is bad. Therefore they shy away from the challenges which would help them to become more empowered.
Mindful of not “blowing our own trumpet” or appearing to be egotistical, there can be a tendency to play down our capabilities and hide behind phrases such as “it’s the energy that does the work, not me”. The danger here is that what we are effectively broadcasting to the world is a kind of weakness when what we need to be broadcasting is strength.
The answer is to develop presence. Developing, cultivating or building presence is about standing in our power without shouting about it. It is about knowing what we are capable of without bragging about it. It is about being confident and self-assured without being arrogant. It is like being surrounded by a circle of bodyguards with each one embodying one of the cultivation qualities. The bodyguards of non-judgement and non-identification prevent us from getting drawn into the dramas around us whilst the bodyguard of strength stops us from wanting to run away.
When we align our consciousness with who we really are, we get in touch with a great presence. When this happens it is a good practice to remain in silence and to breathe that presence into the body. Once that presence feels properly grounded within the body we will find that our speech is confident, assured, commanding and authoritative, yet also calm, gentle and loving. This is true balance.
Being true to our Inner Being is about getting into the consciousness of our inner Self and then radiating out from there. When we align with our inner Self whatever we say or do will carry a great energy with it, regardless of which words are used. If we try to moderate our output by being careful what we say, then we are centring our consciousness on the mental level rather than on the deeper spiritual level.
Next Chapter: Beyond I-Consciousness >>
*** This chapter is taken from my book The Light Within ***
