"When spider webs unite, they can tie up a lion"

Todays fortune cookie thought: "When spider webs unite, they can tie up a lion"

There's many ways to take this, so let's try this one on for size.

It's said that we are each powerful beings, we are each representatives of the divine. In the New Testament it is said that we will do all the things Jesus did, and more. So, why do we not each live the potential it is said we have? Is that saying false? Or is there some way to explain it?

It's well understood that we each have self limiting beliefs. We may be eminently successful but inside us is a voice that nags with self doubt. The voice may or may be weak or it might even be unknown consciously, but it's there. It might not even be self doubt, explicitly, but each of us have beliefs inside us that act to limit us.

Some examples are:

• "He's gotten too big for his britches",
• "Don't get a swelled head",
• "I can't do that",
• "Nobody likes/trusts/etc me",
• "They'll just laugh at me",
• "They won't like that idea",
• "They always reject me",
• afraid of the limelight,
• ...etc...

It may seem that each one of those beliefs are small and insignificant. Not unlike a strand of a spider web.

It's known that such beliefs have a source from some event, usually during childhood. In the source event some decision was made. For example you might have tried to make a joke, and all your friends laughed at you instead, which helped you form a belief they'll just laugh at you. You could easily have decided from that belief that you wouldn't try to make jokes again, or you might even be quiet all the time, all in an attempt to avoid having them laugh at you, again. The belief then gets carried forward through your life and you might have other events that reinforce the belief.

There are dozens of these beliefs inside each of us. Each are formed in the same way, and each are like a strand of a spider web. Each acts to bind or limit what you can do in order to avoid some unwanted result.

While each of these beliefs might be weak, they work together. The effect is that, together, they have the force to hold in check the awesome power it is said each of us have.

What can be done about this? How can we break free of these limits?

I think the first step is awareness, as always. Awareness that this is happening, that you are doing this to yourself. How can you prove to yourself that what I'm saying is true? Meditation.

One purpose the Buddhists have for meditation is so that you can learn to compassionately see your inner process. While sitting in meditation the instruction is to stay with the breath and not be attached to any chatter that happens. In effect you're learning to watch your inner chatter without being tied up in believing that it is true. It is the inner chatter which carries those beliefs, the more your inner chatter cycles around a given belief the stronger that belief is. It is said that by witnessing your inner chatter you can begin to have freedom from it.

For most people these processes of self limiting beliefs happens below the level of conscious awareness. It happens in what psychologists call our shadow self, the part of us we are not consciously aware of. Through meditation we learn to witness more of our inner self allowing more of our inner self to emerge from the shadow.

A concept to consider is: "What you give attention to grows"

If this shadow self is given free reign to focus on these self limiting beliefs, then it is those beliefs which will grow. Through meditation you can become aware of the habitual focus on these self limiting beliefs, and begin to choose to focus on other beliefs.

It's not just that we learn to see how we hold habitual self limiting beliefs which keep us from achieving our dreams and life purpose. There's another thing we can learn to focus on and give attention to.

It's said that we are each powerful beings, we are each representatives of the divine. If we learned to give attention to that part of ourself what might happen? Psychologists call this part of ourself the Golden Shadow, or the part of us we aren't aware of which has no limiting beliefs and is quite capable, beautiful and powerful.

One way I practice this is through chanting OM. This sound, OM, is said by Hindu mystics to be the seed sound of the universe. The idea I have is that through chanting OM it can serve as a portal which connects me with the divine plan for the universe, and that by having greater resonance with the divine plan of the universe all of my being can be in greater harmony and peace.

Another way I practice this is with a prayer taught by Ron Roth. It is very simply to, as you breath in and out, say to yourself "(breathing in) I am (breathing out) God breaths". In effect your prayer is "I am God, breath". In this practice it's not just the words, but it's the intention. For example you could experience being breathed by God. What is that like, to be breathed by God? Try it and find out.

Your poison is your medicine

I had an inspiration the other day which I want to share.

In Buddhism, and many other spiritual practices, they teach compassionate self awareness as the path to enlightenment. The Buddha had a long series of teachings about this, but what's interesting is their meditation practice. One sits and stays in awareness of whatever is going on inside themself. But, instead of trying to change what you see inside, instead of trying to fix it, you're guided to have compassionate acceptance of whatever you find inside yourself.

No matter how nasty or how wonderful what you find inside yourself, compassionate self acceptance is the Buddha's guidance.

My inspiration is, this is just like homeopathy.

In homeopathy the remedies are usually made by taking a poisonous substance and diluting it. You dilute it, and dilute it, and dilute it, and dilute it some more, until there is nothing of the original substance left over. The dilution process is very specific to homeopathy. What results is a remedy for the condition caused by the original substance.

Isn't that just like compassionate self awareness?

If you sit and observe yourself, you will find various pains, doubts, fears and more. You have a few choices, don't you? For example you can try to change those things, you can reject them, you can try to cut them out of you and toss them off a cliff, you can try to give them to someone else, you can ignore them hoping they'll go away, etc. Or you can accept them.

When you accept your pain in love, it is absorbed in love. As you accept your pain into love, it will, over time, be diluted. As you accept your pain into love, as a continual practice, the dilution process will be ongoing, and over time your pain becomes more and more diluted. Until ... your pain becomes dilute enough to become the remedy for whatever caused the pain.

That's an idea for you to ponder.