The Language of Awakening: How to Use Daily Life to Develop Awareness
Written by Tom Russell
Copyright 2006 Tom Russell
The Language of Awakening is not like standard, everyday information that's meant to be stored in the intellect. The phrases that make up The Language of Awakening need to reach a deeper part of you. They seek to get past the intellect's filter and into fertile ground where knowledge transforms into wisdom.
The Language of Awakening helps you develop awareness: your power to live in the now-the connecting point of God/Truth/Reality-the doorway to a rich and purpose-filled life. Awareness flourishes when you remember what a deeper part of you already knows. And it flourishes in all kinds of circumstances and events: pleasurable and challenging, simple and complex.
Awareness makes even the most familiar events sparkle, whereas preoccupation dulls everything it touches. Awareness allows you to perceive color you didn't see before. You hear sounds with greater clarity. You breathe more deeply. Your powers of intuition come alive. You handle things well. You're decisive. You're a better parent and a safer driver. The practical and spiritual benefits of awareness are endless.
Use NowFacts to develop awareness
The Language of Awakening is comprised of NowFacts-concise statements that transform daily events into opportunities for insight. Unlike affirmations, NowFacts are designed for use while life is in motion-right in the midst of your daily life.
NowFacts are meant to be spoken either silently or audibly. When we first work with them, we hear them resonating on the surface. That's fine. That's a start. But their power is magnified a thousand fold as we learn to feel our true voices in the corridors of our hearts. Like a flower that breaks through the asphalt and realizes its purpose, the energy awakened and released in your being by NowFacts shatters all self-imposed limits.
The following NowFacts are direct quotations from Vernon Howard, taught in his classes over a 12-year period. NowFacts give you a friendly, no-nonsense jolt. They open a window for learning and a door to the cheerfulness of the present moment. Most important, they reconnect you with timeless spiritual principles.
Use the following NowFacts to develop greater awareness.
NowFact A. "I am here."
These three words "I am here" instantly release you from your rambling thoughts and return you to the pleasantness of the moment. They can be used many times a day to teach the mind the supreme value of now. Voice the words (silently or audibly) and let them remind you to notice your environment, including colors, the breeze, your posture, your voice, the room and its objects, the car you're driving, and the passing scene. Awaken to the subtle. No other place is richer than now!
"I Am Here" also unlocks the power to keep your mind where your body is. Since your body is always in the present moment, why not join it? It's amazing how much "I am here" opens you up to glimpses of your rich and purpose-filled life. No force or hard effort, just simple recognition.
NowFact B. "I want to know."
This is self-teaching at its best. I want to know when I'm walking across the room. I want to know when I'm talking to someone. I want to know when I'm watching TV. When you walk across the room, are you thinking of something else?
When you talk to someone, are you concerned about the impression you're making instead of being aware of the other person? When watching TV, are you viewing the screen and knowing you're in the room or do you get caught up in the action on the screen? Resolve to be aware in spite of all the old habits that take away that awareness.
I observed something about author Vernon Howard that had a profound effect on me. Every time he lifted his glasses and put them on, he knew he was doing it. His movement had that special quality of awareness. No wonder he was so cheerful!
NowFact C. "What will happen if I go a little deeper?"
When the heavenly winds of now break through, slow down and take notice of these special experiences. Don't treat them carelessly. Go deeper into their content by connecting to the present moment and taking in as much as you can. Discover what happens when you go a little farther, a little deeper. You can never recreate exhilarating experiences by seeking them directly. The way to guarantee their return is by using The Language of Awakening.
NowFact D. "I can use all things for my inner development."
It's not just the grander events that create significant growth opportunities. You find advanced truths in the little things: tasting your food, turning on the light switch, lifting your cup of tea, reaching for the telephone, taking your next breath. You can find the most elevating realizations in simple things often experienced at a low grade of awareness.
You can also find elevating realizations in unpleasant experiences. For example, you may have loaded software on your computer and it doesn't work as advertised. Feeling frustration because of this is an option, not a necessity. You can use this difficult moment to deliberately choose calmness and intelligent action in place of counterproductive stress, which is entirely self-generated.
Do you see how this NowFact is immensely practical? It reminds you to choose learning over resistance. Like an inverted pyramid, problems draw their strength from mental meandering. Restore your awareness in the simple acts of daily life and watch this meandering fade away.
NowFact E. "I don't have to be interested in what was just said."
This NowFact offers exceptional practical power. You don't have to think about the water cooler gossip or the problems presented by the media. You don't have to accommodate people who demand that you should think about what's on their minds.
This doesn't mean you don't have good manners; it's just that your awareness is awake so you're not so easily carried away. As your power of awareness expands, you're increasingly attracted to the cheerfulness and vitality of the present moment. As a result, distractions hold less power to pull you away from the now.
Marvelous built-in appeal
NowFacts condense an amazing amount of truth into just a few words, making it easier to pause, apply, and become aware. And awareness has a marvelous built-in appeal; the more you experience it the more you want to receive it.
Tom Russell is founder of the SuperWisdom™ Foundation http://www.SuperWisdom.com - an oasis for awareness, purpose, and life-success. It helps empower men and women to live with a greater sense of focus and vitality, enjoy productive and harmonious relationships, and reap the benefits of self-reliance and independent thinking. Learn more practical tips for spiritual wisdom in Tom’s newest book, SuperWisdom: Seven Vital Secrets for a Rich & Purpose-Filled Life. Tom also hosts the "Time Out for Truth Weekly Podcast" at http://www.TimeOutForTruth.com
