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Class 13 - Work
The man who has no imagination has no wings. - Muhammad Ali
Often in doing these classes, a common problem is the management of 'outer' work activities and our spiritual lives. The overwhelming complaint is that all this meditation and spiritual activity is fine for the time that we are not involved in our jobs and ‘outer’ lives, but what do we do then? Obviously, the goal is not to create two separate lives, but rather to blend a much more holistic sense of self. Put simply, our life goal is to centre our day-to-day actions in our heart and have it guide and direct the dimensions of our outer lives. This applies to everything, every moment, every action, including, most importantly, our work. Generally our work life is often in situations that might seem spiritually constrained or at least inhibited by a variety of factors. Workmates that have no spiritual inclination or perhaps are even negative about spirituality, a boss that is severe or even ruthless in his or her demands on our time, work that we may not particularly enjoy – are some of the multitude of reasons we perceive that might make it difficult for us to live our spiritual life in work situations.
Man's Unhappiness, as I construe, comes of his Greatness; it is because there is an Infinite in him,
which with all his cunning he cannot quite bury under the
Finite.
Do you see where we are going? The reality is that we have the potential for the force to power everything we do. Remember the exact nature of heaven is that it is flooding us with love and infinite capacity and more than this it will actually power every action if we allow it. Contemplate this for a moment and consider the words of great artists or athletes or sports people, they all speak of their greatest moments being effortless – as though they just connected with some higher power – that allowed them to break that world record with very little effort.
It is not only possible but exactly inevitable when we allow the Force to be channelled through us. The great miracles of the prophets of the past have one thing in common, they themselves claim no credit, yet, the laws of physics, of time and space have been not only broken but completely transcended. The kingdom of heaven is within. - Jesus How does this apply to us? Simply, within you is the infinite power of the universe. Open yourself to it and you can channel into anything you do. This is your natural place, your normal power, the heaven that is within you. The highest work is effortless. No matter the nature of work, whether it is cleaning the dishes or being the Prime Minister or perhaps working for world peace, the highest action is alway effortless. It doesn't mean to say that it does not require physical exertion but in our consciousness, we will be centred and calm and effortless. You will also know the action is the right for you at this moment in time, by your consciousness of it being effortless. So, if you are working under stress, or pain, or too much effort, relax, shut up the noise and allow the infinite power of the universe to do its work. The same truths repeat themselves over and over again, that spirituality is easy and natural and effortless. Whenever you are feeling uneasy or disconnected, simply relax, express your gratitude to God or the universe or the Force for your privileged place and awareness and simply shut up the noise, meditate in silence or in action and rejoice for heaven is here, now!
Exercise 13 - The Ego Meditation
prepare for your meditation as usual
When you look outside how much of 'you' exists out there? All the things that you see, do they help define who you are? The sounds you hear, the things that you touch, do any of those define you? Yet the mind comes out through the physical senses. It paints pictures of the world outside of you and actually creates a sense of 'you' that exists in that world. This 'you' is your ego. It is nothing more than a construct of your mind, no more real than the illusion a projector assembles from transparent plastic.
Let's begin by analyzing this idea a little more. Gently repeat to yourself "Who am I? Am I defined by the things that I see? by the sounds that I hear? by the fragrances that I smell?" The answer should obviously be a resounding 'No!". So then firmly and calmly go through the process of rejecting the egoic construct of you. "The real me is not outside of me. The real me is not even the things that I do." "I am not the body" - and try consciously to let go of all your body consciousness. Your attachment to the way you look, the food you eat, your age etc. "The real me is not even defined by the thoughts constructed by these things" "I am not the mind" - and let go of superficial and even, finally, all thought. "I am the soul" - and allow yourself to be intuitively guided to the real centre of your own existence. A place beyond all the egoic constructions and free of all material, physical or emotional attachments. A silent place within that is your window to the kingdom of heaven within us all. Try to consciously stop allowing the mind to flow outwards and direct it inward. Ask your mind to entertain the idea that inside is your real self. Ask it not to travel outside but to journey within to find the real you. This will take much practice as you might imagine as we have all become very accomplished at the egoic construction of us, now we have to become experts in the heart construction, the spiritual construction of us. Rejoice and realize that heaven is here, now.
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This is obviously the major challenge each of us
faces, living our spiritual life amidst the hustle and bustle of a world that is
not particularly understanding or even interested.
The great
majority of people in our world may not be trying to live with the spiritual
intensity of which we are striving. This doesn’t make it wrong, it just
necessitates more certainty. 
How is this possible?
For this exercise, we will
make the leap between the 'constructed ego' and our real nature that is our heart.
