Wake Up, Grow Up, Show Up

For as long as I can remember, it’s been my highest priority to live in a way that I’ve come to describe as consciously and creatively.

It isn’t a choice I’ve made intellectually because I think it’s a good idea; instead, it’s a powerful impulse that arises from the depths of my being that I just can’t ignore.

Over the last 35 years, it’s increasingly become the absolute guiding principle of my life.

Conscious and Creative Living

Conscious and Creative Living is a core commitment for me that is so vast it can be challenging to sum up in a few words.

Essentially it goes something like this:

• Conscious – this word points towards spiritual awakening as the process of waking up from the illusion of who you think you are and realizing your true nature.
  • It’s like the in-breath when you turn your attention inwards and discover that you’re an individual expression of absolute infinity.
  • It’s an enquiry into the question, “Who am I?” and the realization that, in each moment, who you are being determines every aspect of your life.
  • This is because your conditioned identity has an entirely different agenda to the truth of who you are which ultimately has no agenda at all!
• Creative – this word points towards the spontaneous and perpetual arising of life itself and the multitude of forms it takes, including you.
  • It’s like the out-breath that naturally follows the presence of awakening when life pours freely through you as intuitive insights, ideas and actions.
  • It’s an enquiry into the question, “What am I called to create, say, write, do…?” and the realization that the answer can only come from deep within as you discover your true calling.
  • Often this is quite different to what you’ve been conditioned to believe about what you “should” or “shouldn’t” create, say, write, do…
• Living – this word points towards the on-going commitment to making conscious choices about how you live your life in relation to your ever-deepening discoveries from the enquiries above.
  • It’s how to be and do what you’re here to be and do in order to share your unique gifts and make your individual contribution to the whole – consciously, creatively and authentically.

Awakened Living

There are endless ways to express similar principles relating to what I describe as Conscious and Creative Living.

Here’s an elegantly simply yet profound example from the Zen tradition:

• Sit (in silent contemplation to realize your true nature)
• Tend the garden (take awakened action in the world)

Recently I came across a version I’d not encountered before that adds another layer to what is essentially an approach to awakened living.

Spiritual teacher Adyashanti* wrote about three aspects that he summarizes as:

• Wake up – to the fundamental reality of your being
• Grow up – get your personal psychology straightened out
• Show up – embody who and what you truly are in your human life.

What stands out for me is the focus on what Adya describes as “growing up”.

This is the process of “hollowing out” the ego to the point where the identity aspect of ego dissolves while the functional aspect remains, namely the ability to discriminate.

Straightening Out Personal Psychology

Earlier this year, I realized that my attention has been primarily on “waking up” and “showing up” following the head injury that changed the course of my life and led to a deep awakening in 1999.

The clearing of my personal psychology has been occurring organically in quantum leaps every six months or so ever since, and I’ve been committed to working consciously with that process.

So I’ve included that level of “straightening out” in both my personal practice and professional teaching without unduly emphasizing it.

A Fresh Perspective

However, as my experience continues to expand, I’ve gained a fresh perspective on the significance of “growing up” as an area requiring more active attention, especially in my work with others.

Perhaps even more importantly, I can see how this can be achieved without the negative impact of strengthening the sense of identity that requires straightening out!

I’ll write more on this topic in the future and share some specific suggestions for you to apply the principles I’ve touched on here.

For now, I’m just planting a seed to encourage you to explore your intuitive sense of what “straightening out your personal psychology” means for you and to reflect on where you are in relation to it at this time.

I also want to leave you with one important question to take forwards as a living enquiry…

In what area(s) of your life do you need to wake up, grow up and show up more consciously and creatively right now? Please share your response and reactions below. Thank you!

*****

* For more information about Adyashanti’s teaching visit https://www.adyashanti.org/

 

 

 

 

Photo by Mohamed Nohassi on Unsplash