When we think of the mystics, yogis and gurus of the world we might think that what they’re in touch with is the supernatural. The mystical, thats why they’re called mystics, surely! So they must communicate a vision of the supernatural to us normal mortals who live in the world of the mundane, the everyday world.
I’m reading Practical Mysticism by Evelyn Underhill, a great book about how the spiritual life is open to everyone, not just the Thich Nhat Hanhs of this world. One of the key ideas in the book is the idea that what mystics, poets, saints and artists and others with vision have access to is not the supernatural, but union with reality. They see the interconnected and miraculous in the everyday and they attempt through writing and art to make that available to us.
The obvious question that begs then, if these people with vision are in touch with real, unfiltered reality, what is it then that we’re experiencing? Its a bit of a scary thought but its obvious when you break it down.
We all have model in our head for how the world works. This model simplifies and distorts reality; it emphasises some things and deprioritises others. Its full of constructions and labels and judgements and assumptions that come from a lifetime of experience, our culture, our technology, our ideas. I’m sorry to break it to you, but what you’re experiencing isn’t true reality - its what your mind shows you of the real world.
There’s a very good reason why our mind sits in the way and presents us with it’s filtered version of reality. It comes back to the purpose of the mind, which is to keep you alive and safe. Your mind is a bit like a parent saying, "watch out for this, don’t forget about that," constantly worrying about us and making us worry in the process. In the same way that we don’t need to have our parents around us our entire lives, we can also get our mind to stand down, take a chill pill and relax. But like your mum, it needs some convincing to let go.
The first step is realise, accept and look deeply into the model of reality that your mind is putting in front of you. This version has hugely emphasised the dangers, risks and potential catastrophes that could befall you and ignores the beauty of the world most of the time. Evelyn Underhill described it as being inside a house with dirty windows but believing that you’re outside. See the model your mind has created, smile to the model. Smile to your mind. Your mind is still your friend.
Another critical step is to build your daily meditation practice. The only way to touch reality is to glue your awareness back together again and you can’t do this without a strong practice. Set your regular time each day for practice and stick to it, even if you don’t feel like doing it. If you can’t do twenty mins, do ten minutes. If you can’t do any formal practice, work it into your day. Do some walking meditation from your house to your car.
Its also really important to make fundamental changes to simplify your life to give you the space and time to touch reality. If your job has you working all hours and stressed out, it might be time for a career change - nothing is more important than your wellbeing and peace. Even if a job pays well, even if you’re in a position of respect and power - what's the point if it costs your mental health. Future happiness doesn’t exist, you can only be happy in the present moment. Let go of working towards a future, simplify your current life so you can enjoy being alive now.
And finally, a practice that is critical for getting in touch with reality is spending time around nature. That's why we have pets and houseplants, they’re so good for our mental health. But you can also go out and spend time in nature, spend hours just breathing and noticing things - the shape of clouds, the colour of leaves, the texture of bark, the iridescent wings of a magpie. Stop and see how much you can notice every time you’re in nature of any kind. It will reduce your stress and help ground you in the here and now.
Your mind is like a limpet, completely attached to the reality it has created which you’ve lived in your whole life, so don’t rush the process, give yourself time to expand your awareness. But by seeing this construction for what it is you can start the journey of releasing it and living “empty” as TNH describes - devoid of any assumptions, labels or attachments.
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