Resistance and the path to freedom

For many years I have been searching for my 'spiritual tribe'. Only to find out there isn't one in which I feel true and free to expand. Always to much rules and regulations. So I am not a follower of any religion or philosophy. Nevertheless I am able to see truth in almost every religion and spiritual path.

It was a mighty humbling experience to see they are essentially all pointing to the same truth, and they are all leading us to freedom, happiness and inner peace. In fact, I believe that literally every existing thing can lead us to freedom if used soul-intentionally. Even the things we label as unwanted or "ugly" like sickness, war, pathological behavior or addiction.

In this process it is intention, timing and sequence that are keyfactors. Not everything is for everyone at anytime. It all depends on the experiential needs and longings of our soul in this lifetime. All, of course, according to the big Divine plan. So you can relax, you don't have to know all of this in advance. The Universe has got your back and will serve you the right things at the right time.

One piece of universal wisdom I am feeling very deeply again these last weeks, is the core teaching of the Indian guru Ramesh Balsekar: 

Life is a happening according to Gods will."

Lets talk a little about this. The teaching says that life happens according to Gods will. Now I can hear you thinking: how about free will or personal will? Do I have a say in this? Please allow me to share with you my own experience of searching for truth in this question.

I do not believe in controlling or manifesting your preferred life with personal will. And God knows I've tried controlling a lot. But I have experienced every time that it is the biggest ego-attaching trap. It keeps you further away from real freedom then you could ever imagine.

I have come to know free will as this: "Free will is the right we have to say "no" to the timing of Gods will. Say "pause" to something life presents us right now. You may always say "I am not ready to receive this yet". You are allowed to resist the timing of Gods will. Nothing more, nothing less.

When something is strongly (re)occurring in your life, it is usually the Divine telling you it is time for change and new growth in your life. So what are you going to do with this invitation? You may choose to say "no" if right know it feels unwanted, to scary or undesirable. God gave you the freedom to pause and delay. Nothing wrong with that. But learn to see it for what it is, don't shut your eyes for it. Become aware of the growing resistance inside of you.

Life will come back next time with the same offering, ussually a bit stronger this time. And even a bit stronger the next time, just as long as it takes for you to give up your resistance against the change that is suggested. Resistance is your right, a present from God to play with your free will.

You can imagine that when life gives you a little nudge towards something new, you can easily resist. But when life runs you over with the suggested change (sometimes literally), it can urge you to give up your resistance. Finally, you have no other option but accepting the glorious power of the Divine over the limited power of your ego, your personal will. And this is exactly what your soul came here to experience. To remember there is no infinite life, no lasting power, no ultimate glory outside of Unity. You as a soul, longed for this experience. So you play the game by desiring, wishing, hoping and striving, struggling and fighting. All under the law of this earthly dimension: no matter what you gain, it will always perish. Winning and losing everything, again and again. That is life built with personal will. It is the road of suffering, because of the ego's desire to grab and hold in a world that is made of impermanence and loss.

Your resistance is therefore the most important wayshower to real freedom, happiness and inner peace. If you want to work with this tool, you have to keep a close eye on yourself. Whenever you feel the urge to respond with resistance to something life offers you, you might want to take a moment and consciously feel if dynamics of attachment to peoples, things or outcomes are at work. These attachements is what you want to become aware of, and resistance is what points to them. It may buy your ego some time to play its personal games a little longer with it's free will, but deep down you come to learn this is never a lasting choice for happiness. Giving up attachments is.
If only you could allow the invitation for change that life is consistently offering you. You would live in the flow of life. Not struggling or fighting anymore. Wouldn't that be great?

You see why it would be wise to get to know your resistances pretty good. Get really conscious about them. And no longer allow your ego to play with you as it pleases. You have to acknowledge the fact that now you are conscious of this dynamic, it is not wise to give your ego space to control it.

Saying "no" or "not yet" to life's offerings may be your right, but it is pure grace to also feel the freedom to surrender yourself to the invitation and leave the path of (ego)self-sabotage!

What might happen if you would begin to trust life and say "yes" to its offerings from now on? And let yourself fall into the stream to go with it instead of against it. You would be in the flow! Literally.

Become intimate with your resistances. It is truly enlightening to contemplate them. Open yourself and let them go next time life presents you it's holy invitation for change and growth.

Not my will, but Yours be done."

Resistance and free will are the biggest dynamics to neutralise, so steadily put your awareness and energy on them. Be clear and conscious to feel the resistance to the things you don't like, and also the clinging to what you do like.
Clinging also includes personally creating more of the things you like by practicing manifesting.

Clinging is the same, but inverted dynamic of resistance. Manifesting is resistance in disguise, because you (ego) still wants something else, or more then you have right now. Do not be fooled by this 'positive' form of resistance!

Experiencing and transcending this self sabotaging dynamic of the ego and its free will IS your spiritual path to become enlightened.

I wish everyone, everything on their path.

"We are all just walking each other home."~Ram Dass

In liefde geschreven,

Maria Helena