There is not God and the world,
there is only God.
There is not Nothing and something,
there is only Nothing.
That there is God and the world,
Nothing and something,
is an illusion.
The illusion that there is
both God and the world,
both Nothing and something,
is like the illusion that arises
where there is only a mirror
but there appears to be
both a mirror and a reflection,
and so the appearance of two
where there is only one.
The world of somethings
is a reflection that arises
within the mirror that is God,
within the mirror that is Nothing,
within the mirror that is Consciousness.
The world of somethings exists
like a reflection exists,
but the world of somethings,
like a reflection,
is not what is actually there
where it only ever
appears to be.
What exists is created,
whereas what is actually there
is not created
but simply Is.
What is actually there
where the world of somethings
appears to be
is the formless Isness
we call our Consciousness.
And it is within that Nothingness,
within that formless Isness,
that the world of somethings
arises and exists.
And it is by that Nothingness,
by that formless Isness,
that the world of somethings
is known as reality.
And so there is always the appearance
of two things;
the reflection and the mirror,
the world and God,
something and Nothing,
reality and Consciousness,
when all there actually Is
is the one thing
that is not a thing,
because the other thing
that is a thing;
the world, the somethings, the reality,
is not actually an Isness,
but is only a reflection,
and so is only an appearance,
and so is only an existence,
that arises within the Isness,
that arises within the Nothing,
that we call Consciousness.
The appearance of what exists
is not itself an illusion.
It is only the appearance of what exists
as what is actually there
where it only appears to be
that is the illusion.
And so it is only the appearance
of what exists
as what is
that is the illusion.
Caught up in this illusion,
convinced of the ultimate reality
of reality,
the Isness of which the world
is actually composed
becomes hidden
behind what only exists
masquerading as what is.
And this illusion,
whereby what only exists
appears as what is,
imparts upon reality,
imparts upon what only exists,
a false status of equivalence
between created reality
and uncreated Isness.
And it is this false equivalence
between existence and Isness
that allows the uncreated Isness
to mistake itself
for what only exists,
and so mistake itself
for its own creation.
And once the Isness knows itself
as what only exists,
then the Isness,
when it is noticed,
must seem to Itself
to be other than itself.
The word God
is just what we call our Self
when that Self becomes
somewhat aware of the Isness,
and so becomes
somewhat aware of Itself,
while still unable
to recognize Itself.
And so arises
the idea of a God
that is other than our self
and other than the world.
And so arises
the idea of a God
that is separate from our self
and separate from the world.
And when God and the world
seem to be two different things,
we approach the world
differently than we approach God,
not knowing that to approach the world
is to actually approach God
cloaked in a veil of form,
covered in what is only an appearance.
Divinity does not just lie within,
but lies equally without,
it just has to be found within
before it can be found without.
Once divinity has been found within,
where as the formless Isness
it wears no mask,
it can then be found without
as the formless Isness
that lies behind every mask,
behind every appearance
behind every reflection
that we call the world,
that we call something,
that we call reality.
Christmas is not ultimately a celebration
of the physical birth
of a certain person.
That is just the appearance and excuse
that Consciousness uses to throw a party
to celebrate the Awakening of Itself
to the Christ-Consciousness,
to the unity and oneness of Itself,
that lies hidden and obscured
behind all appearances.
And this celebration
is an invitation to all
to become more aware of the Oneness
that lies somewhat hidden
behind the appearance
of me and the others,
and of us and them,
and which lies completely obscured
behind the appearance
of me versus the others,
and of us versus them.
Peace on Earth,
good will toward men.
Not just an empty slogan,
but what naturally arises
within any Consciousness
that sees past the appearance
of "I am this" and "you are that,"
and into the underlying Isness,
and so into the underlying Oneness,
and so into the singular "I am"
that lies beyond
the appearance of two things
where there is only ever actually
one Nothing.
There exists something
because there is
absolutely nothing.
And there is absolutely nothing
because the absence of nothing
cannot be.
If you eliminate everything
then you are left
with nothing.
And if you then eliminate nothing
you are still left
with nothing.
And because the absence of nothing
cannot be
nothing is not absent
but is present.
And this Presence,
which is Nothing,
is that which creates
something.
Nothing creates something
by forming a relation
with the only thing there is,
which is Nothing.
And the something
which is created by Nothing
is known by that Nothing
as reality.
Reality is just an appearance
a boundary that arises,
a shadow that forms,
a reflection that appears,
where Nothing meets Itself
as it moves and flows
in relation to Itself.
And the Nothing
which knows as reality
the something
that Nothing has created
is what we call Consciousness.
And so it is that the Nothing,
the formless Presence,
that we call Consciousness
creates the something
that we call reality,
and not the other way around.
But when Nothing
mistakes itself
for something,
Nothing becomes obscured
by the something
it then knows
as itself.
And so when Consciousness
mistakes itself
for reality,
Consciousness becomes obscured
by whatever reality
it then knows
as itself.
And so Nothing,
the formless I am,
seems to become
I am this or I am that,
and so is known by Itself
as something.
And that something that Nothing
knows as itself
it refers to as "me."
And that "me"
is what we
refer to as ego.
And so Nothing
becomes entangled in the somethings
it is Itself creating
and which it alone knows
as something.
You may mistake yourself
for your reflection,
but because the reflection
is not actually you
it does not know.
And Nothing may mistake itself
for something,
but because something
is not actually Nothing
it cannot know.
Only Nothing can know,
because only Nothing actually is.
Everything else, all somethings,
are created by Nothing
and so only exist,
and so only appear
as what actually is.
And so even when you know
yourself to be something
and thereby obscure the Nothing
you actually are,
that Nothing is still there
hiding behind the something
you now appear to be,
because if it wasn't
then you wouldn't
know anything.Of course God
is omnipresent and omniscient.
Is not clay omnipresent
in a piece of pottery?
And because Consciousness is the clay
from which the Universe is moulded,
that which is everywhere present
is also all-knowing.
The omnipresence and omniscience
of what we call God,
of what we call Consciousness,
is nothing special,
for it is simply a function
of the nature of the Universe
which includes the nature of That
of which the universe is composed.
It is only because we see the Universe
as being composed
of something other than God,
of something other than Consciousness
that it seems so special
that the Universe is pervaded
by That out of which it has been constructed
and so by That of which it is actually composed.
That the universe contains
something other than God,
something other than Consciousness,
is an illusion.
That which the universe contains
that is other than God,
that is other than Consciousness,
is an illusion.
The illusion is not separate from God,
not separate from Consciousness,
for the illusion has God-Consciousness
as its source.
But the illusion,
although not separate from God,
although not separate from Consciousness,
is still not That.
As a shadow
cannot be separated from the light
that is its source,
so it is that experiential form,
emotional, mental, and physical,
cannot be separated from the Consciousness
that is its source.
But a shadow,
while inseparable from the light
that is its source,
is still not that.
And experiential form,
while inseparable from the Consciousness
that is its source,
is still not That.
Both shadows and form are appearances,
and appearances are something other
than what is actually there
where the appearance
appears to be.
A shadow is an appearance
that is superimposed upon
what only seems to be
what is actually there.
A shadow is an appearance
superimposed upon an appearance,
because a shadow is an experiential form
superimposed upon experiential form.
Experiential form is an appearance
superimposed upon That
which cannot appear
as an experience,
as a form,
because it is formless.
Experiential form is an appearance
superimposed upon
the formless Consciousness
that is actually there
where all experiential forms
only appear to be.
That Consciousness
could contain within Itself
something other than Itself
seems absurd and impossible.
But what Consciousness
contains within Itself
that is not Itself
is not something
that is actually there
but is something that only appears
to be actually there,
as a shadow only appears
to be a something
that is actually there.
And so there is nothing within God
that Is,
that is not God.
And there is nothing within Consciousness
that Is,
that is not Consciousness.
That which only appears to be,
that which only appears as what is,
is that within God
that is not God,
is that within Consciousness
that is not Consciousness.
And so of course God pervades the Universe
because what appears as the Universe
of experiential forms
are just very colorful shadows
superimposed upon
the formless Consciousness
that is actually there
where those experiential forms
only appear to be.
God pervades
what seems to be there,
what appears to be there,
because God is
What Is Actually There.
Consciousness pervades
what seems to be there,
what appears to be there,
because Consciousness is
What Is Actually There.
That there is something actually there
other than God,
other than Consciousness,
is an illusion made possible
by the shadows of experiential form
that come into existence
within What Is Actually There,
where What Is Actually There meets Itself
in agreed upon opposition to Itself,
as a line arises and so exists
where a hand has agreed to have
the tips of two fingers meet.
When this illusion
is not known to be an illusion,
when what appears to be there
is not known to be
only an appearance,
then the reality of experiential form
obscures the greater Reality,
obscures the underlying Actuality,
that is its source,
and so hides in plain sight
the greater Reality and Actuality
from Itself,
as a reflection not known as reflection,
not known as only appearance,
hides in plain sight
the mirror within which it arises.
Obscured from Itself
the greater Realty
is left only with form
to think of and know
as itself.
And so the cosmic Self
becomes hidden from Itself
behind what are only shadows,
behind what is only
a mask of experiential form.
It only surprises Consciousness
to realize Itself as being everywhere
when Consciousness first steps out
from the shadows of experiential form,
which it wore as a mask
that kept hidden from Itself
its own ubiquitous Presence.
If you think that what is actually there
is really a rock
composed of matter and energy,
if you think that what is actually there
is only the appearance,
and the names we give to that appearance,
which names are themselves only an appearance,
shadows superimposed upon a shadow,
then it seems either unbelievable or surprising
that what is actually there,
where the rock appears to be,
is pervaded by Consciousness.
But if you can understand
that what is actually there
where the rock appears to be
is Consciousness
moving in relation to Itself,
flowing in relation to Itself,
and in that movement and flow
taking on a transient Form
that appears to us,
with our particular sensors,
as the even more transient form
that is the experience we call rock,
then the idea
that what is actually there,
where the rock appears to be,
is pervaded by Consciousness
becomes as obvious as the idea
that a pot made from clay
is pervaded by clay.
And once this idea becomes obvious
which idea is itself only a form,
only an appearance,
then the direct realization
of What Is Actually There
beyond all appearances
is not far behind.
Because once the illusion
is known as illusion,
once the appearance
is known as appearance,
instead of as
what is actually there,
then its power to obscure
What Is Actually There
simply vanishes,
as the power of a reflection
to obscure a mirror
simply vanishes
the moment the reflection
is no longer being taken,
and so is no longer mistaken,
for what is actually there
where it only ever
appeared to be.
And so the power of maya
by which the Formless
appears as the Universe of form
does not lie in the illusion,
does not lie in the appearance,
but lies only within the Beingness
only within the Consciousness,
that sees the appearance
as what is actually there,
and so turns
what is only an appearance
into an illusion
and so turns the appearance,
and so turns the experience,
into something
that appears to have the power
to hide Beingness from Itself.
And so any power an appearance has
to become an illusion
that hides Beingness from Itself
comes only from Beingness
that continues to entangle Itself
in the appearance,
that continues to mistake itself
for the appearance.
And so Beingness
that has disentagled Itself
from all appearances
does not give to appearances
the power they need
to become the illusion
that hides Beingness from Itself.
The power to obscure
does not ultimately lie in the veil
but ultimately lies only in That
which causes the veil to arise.
The power to obscure
does not lie in the creation,
only in the Creator.
And what is obscured
is never the creation,
but only the Creator.
But the only Creator
that is ever obscured
is only that Creator
which is mistaking itself
for what are only
its own creations,
for what are only
appearances and shadows
that arise within Itself,
that are created within Itself,
that come into existence within Itself,
as it flows in relation to Itself.
Do not abdicate your throne,
the throne of the Actual,
to what is only an appearance,
because to do so is to live in service
to the appearance,
to the imposter we call ego,
to which you have unknowingly
given your crown.
The changing
is just the Unchanging
flowing through Itself.
The changing
is just the Unchanging
moving in relation to Itself.
The changing
is just the appearance
of the Unchanging
as it flows through Itself.
The changing
is just the appearance
of the Unchanging
as it moves in relation to Itself.
The Universe
is just the Unchanging
flowing through an opening
that has arisen within Itself.
And within the Universe,
within the Unchanging
that appears as the changing,
other openings arise
through which the Unchanging flows.
Openings within openings,
flows within flows.
What we call Stars
are themselves openings
through which
the Unchanging flows.
And everything we call life
is itself an opening
through which
the Unchanging flows.
This is why Tolle says
you do not have a life
but that you are Life.
Because what you are
is not the form that arises,
not the pattern of flow,
not that which changes,
as these are only appearances
that arise on the surface
of That which flows,
of That which is Life.
And what you are
is That which flows,
That which is Life,
That which is Unchanging,
flowing through an opening
that has arisen within Itself.
And so the unchanging Beingness
that flows forth as the Universe
and then flows forth
as the light of the Stars
is not separable from
nor other than
the unchanging Beingness
that flows through the body
and so animates the body
thereby giving it
what we call life.
And that unchanging Beingness
which flows forth as the Universe
and as the light of the Stars
and which animates the body,
is not separable from
nor other than
the Formlessness by which
the Universe, the Stars, and the body,
are all known as form.
And so what it is
that is actually there
most directly
where you are
is not separable from
nor other than
what it is
that is actually there
most directly
where everything else is.
Because what is actually there
most directly where you are
and what is actually there
most directly where everything else is
are not the forms
that appear to be
what is actually there,
but is the formless Consciousness
by which all those forms are known
and within which all those forms appear.
And so the difference between
what is there
where you are
and what is there
where everything else is
is only an appearance,
only a reflection
that arises on the surface
of the unchanging,
singular,
and formless Beingness
that is actually there
where all form,
including your idea of yourself,
only appears to be.
The Changeless appearing
as that which changes.
The Formless appearing
as form.
The One appearing
as the many.
Lost in the appearance,
identified with the appearance,
the underlying Actuality vanishes
while always still there
as That which is aware
of all appearances,
leaving only the appearances
to be known as real,
and leaving what is actually there
completely unaware
completely unconscious
of Itself
and so completely unknown
to Itself.
In this way the Changeless,
while flowing through the opening
that is the human Form,
becomes lost
in a matrix of form.
And so humanity seems trapped
within that matrix,
within the matrix of form.
But beyond that matrix
is not some hidden hellscape,
but is the paradise lost
of our own formless Being.
It is the matrix of form
in which we are lost,
in which we have trapped ourselves,
that is the hellscape,
the arena of suffering,
we wish to escape.
But escape does not come
through our reactive efforts
to eliminate this form
or acquire that form.
Such efforts only cause
the underlying Actuality
to remain hidden,
thereby causing
the matrix of form
to continue to appear
as either the ultimate reality
or as the only reality.
And so escape does not come
through any conflict
with what is,
regardless of its appearance,
because conflict with what is
is actually,
beyond the matrix of form,
beyond the level of appearance,
the conflict with our hidden Self
that produces both the illusion
and the suffering
we are trying to escape.
Escape comes
once one realizes
there is actually no spoon,
but only the appearance of a spoon,
thereby allowing the Formlessness
which underlies all appearances,
and by which all appearances are known,
to reappear,
as a pool of water,
hidden in plain sight by a reflection
that appears on its surface,
reappears,
once that reflection
is no longer mistaken
for what is actually there.
Escape comes
once we see past the appearance,
once we see past the illusion,
that made poking ourselves in the eye
with a pointed stick
seem like a good idea.
Escape comes
once we cease to be in conflict
with what is,
regardless of its appearance.
Escape comes
once we cease to be in conflict
with what is ultimately,
beyond the matrix of form,
beyond the level of appearance,
our Self.
To be born human
is to take the blue pill
of form-identification
that causes one's true Self
to become hidden
behind the matrix of form.
But to be born human
is also to be offered
the red pill of Awakening.
But the choice
between red pill and blue pill,
between Awakening and remaining asleep
within the matrix of form,
is not made just once
but is being made continuously
in each moment,
Now,
according to our non-reaction or reaction
to the forms that are arising
within our Consciousness
Now.
And so the Unchanging,
as it flows forth into the Universe
through the human Form,
offers Itself the choice
in each moment,
Now,
to either Awaken
or remain asleep
to its true and essential nature.
Understanding that,
the only question
that remains truly important
is not which pill
I chose to take
in some past moment,
which past moment
is only an appearance
within the matrix of form,
nor which pill
I will choose to take
in some future moment,
which future moment
is also only an appearance
within the matrix of form.
The only question
that remains truly important
is which pill
am I choosing to take
Now,
in this moment,
because this moment
is the only moment
there ever actually is,
and so is the only moment
that lies forever beyond
and forever untouched by
the web of appearances
that is the matrix of form.All experience is a story,
something said about
What Is Actually There
as viewed from
a particular perspective.
But the story is never
and can never be
What Is Actually There.
And so all stories,
no matter how accurate,
are a sort of fiction
because no story
can truly capture
What Is Actually There.
The moment one speaks about
What Is Actually There
one has told a story
that must deviate in some respect
from What Is Actually There.
For What Is Actually There
is not a story,
for What Is Actually There
is not an experience,
is not a form.
What Is Actually There
is formless.
This too is a story
that is accurate
and yet is a fiction
because it still is not
What Is Actually There.
Religion tells a story
about What Is Actually There.
Science tells a different story
about What Is Actually There.
LaoTzu also told a story
about What Is Actually There.
Lao Tzu knew
that he was only telling a story
about What Is Actually There.
Religion and science,
on the other hand,
each believe they have captured
in their stories
What Is Actually There.
Because Lao Tzu knew
that he was only telling a story
What Is Actually There
was not obscured
and so he was able to describe it,
to tell a story about it,
with great and timeless accuracy.
On the other hand,
because religion and science
each believe they have captured
What Is Actually There
in their stories about
What Is Actually There,
What Is Actually There
is hidden from them,
and so their stories about
What Is Actually There
become increasingly inaccurate
with the passage of time.
How can one tell a story
with any accuracy
regarding That which one cannot see,
and which one can only obscure further
when speaking about it
while not recognizing the difference
between That which the story is about,
between That which any story about it
can only ever point toward,
and the story itself?
The more the descriptions,
the more the stories
are mistaken for
What Is Actually There,
the more What Is Actually There
becomes obscured.
And the more obscured
What Is Actually There becomes,
the more the stories deviate
from the truth
of What Is Actually There.
And so religion now tells the story
of a vengeful and jealous god,
of an egoic god,
that is completely separate from its creation,
completely separate from the universe
and the beings that dwell within.
While science now tells the story
of a godless and lifeless universe
composed of energy and matter
that gives rise by pure chance
to the phenomena
of life and consciousness.
Increasing belief
in the story told by science
has lessened the belief
in the story told by religion.
The ironic thing is,
with respect to What Is Actually There,
the story told by religion,
as inaccurate as it is,
is somewhat more accurate
than the story told by science.
Because the story told by religion
about What Is Actually There
at least contains a character
that represents an intelligence,
a consciousness,
that underlies what we perceive and conceive
as the universe,
and so contains a character,
however distorted,
that has as its basis
What Is Actually There.
Whereas the story told by science
about What Is Actually There
eliminates that character
from its story altogether,
and in so doing
removes from its story
any mention
of What Is Actually There.
Science is very accurate in its story
about what lies at the surface
of What Is Actually There.
But in mistaking what lies at the surface
of What Is Actually There
for What Is Actually There,
science has mistaken
what is only a reflection
that lies upon the surface
of What Is Actually There
for What Is Actually There,
and in so doing
has completely obscured
what it thinks,
what it believes,
it is describing.
Science believes it is describing
What Is Actually There.
But what science is actually doing
with its present story
about the nature of reality
only obscures more effectively,
more completely,
more thoroughly,
What Is Actually There
underlying the surface reflection,
underlying the story,
that is experiential reality.
And so in telling its current story
about What Is Actually There,
science is not revealing to humanity
What Is Actually There,
but is obscuring from humanity
What Is Actually There,
and so is hiding from humanity
both the true nature of humanity
and the true nature of the universe.
For What Is Actually There
underlying the surface reflections,
underlying the shadows,
underlying the stories,
that we call experience,
that we call reality,
is what we truly Are
and what the universe truly Is,
which is not a story
but is the formless Consciousness,
the infinite Intelligence,
by which all stories are told
and by which all stories are known.
And What Is Actually There
can Itself be Known,
but it cannot be Known
as a story,
as a form,
as an experience.
What Is Actually There
can only be Known
as it Is,
once it is no longer obscuring Itself,
once it is no longer hiding Itself,
behind some form,
behind some story,
behind some experience,
that it once mistook for Itself,
that it once mistook for
What Is Actually There.
And once you Know
What Is Actually There,
once you Know
That by which all the stories are told,
and That by which all the stories are known,
then you Know
what you actually Are
and what the universe actually Is.
And once you Know That,
then the fairy tales one has been told
by both religion and science,
the mutually exclusive horror stories
of a lunatic god
and a meaningless universe,
become transformed into and retold as
a story more wondrous and wonderful
than any Storyteller,
while their true Self remains hidden,
could ever imagine.
What we experience as reality
is a perfect expression
of the relation of Beingness to Itself
that creates
what we experience as reality.
To be in conflict
with that expression
places what you actually are,
which is Beingness.
in conflict with Beingness,
in conflict with your Self.
To be in acceptance
of that expression
places what you actually are,
which is Beingness.
in alignment with Beingness,
in alignment with your Self.
The perfect expression
of the relation of Beingness to Itself
can appear as that which is wanted
or as that which is unwanted.
The perfection of the expression
does not lie
in the appearance of the expression
as wanted or unwanted.
The perfection of the expression
lies instead
in the way in which the expression,
appearing as wanted or unwanted,
perfectly reflects
and so perfectly expresses
the relation of Beingness to Itself
that creates the expression
Beingness is experiencing
as a reality.
And so the unwanted experience,
the unwanted reality,
is just as perfect
as the wanted experience,
just as perfect
as the wanted reality.
But we do not see it that way
when we do not see the Beingness
that is creating the expression,
that is creating the experience,
that is creating the reality.
Blind to Beingness
we see only the expression,
only the experience,
only the reality,
of wantedness or unwantedness.
Blind to Beingness
the wanted appears as perfect
and the unwanted appears as imperfect.
Blind to Beingness
and seeing the wanted as perfect
we cling to that perfect expression
hoping to make ourselves
more perfect.
Blind to Beingness
and seeing the unwanted as imperfect
we push away that perfect expression
hoping to rid ourselves
of the apparent imperfection
so that we can become
more perfect.
Blind to Beingness
we do not see the perfection
that we already and always Are.
Blind to Beingness
we see ourselves
as what is only an expression
an experience,
a reality,
a form,
that is actually being created by
the formless Beingness,
and actually being apprehended by
the formless Beingness,
that we actually Are.
Clinging to the seemingly perfect
so that we can become more perfect
and pushing away the seemingly imperfect
so that we can become more perfect
are both actions that arise
from the same delusion,
which same delusion
is the identification of formless Beingness
with form.
And as both actions arise
from that same delusion
both actions must perpetuate
the singular delusion
from which they both arise.
For as long as Beingness
flows Itself into action
it knots into place
the underlying flow of Itself
that is the basis
of that action.
And so as long as Beingness
flows Itself into action
based on a delusion,
the flow of Itself
that is creating the delusion
must itself continue.
This is how Beingness,
once it identifies with form,
becomes bound by that delusion,
bound by the actions that seem so necessary,
bound by the actions it feels obliged to take,
once it knows itself as form
and so knows itself as that
which can be made more or less,
and so knows itself as that
which can be enhanced or diminished.
Seeming to be enhanced
by the apparent perfection
of that which is wanted,
and seeming to be diminished
by the apparent imperfection
of that which is unwanted,
form-identified Beingness
moves in attachment
toward the wanted
and moves in aversion
toward the unwanted.
And in both of these Movements,
attachment and aversion,
form-identified Beingness
unknowingly and unconsciously
flows Itself
into a relation of conflict
with Itself.
This is why
form-identified Beingness
creates suffering for Itself
when it tries to create
or modify reality,
when it tries to express Itself
while blind to Itself,
through the reactive and unconscious Movements
of attachment and aversion.
Because what we experience as reality
is a perfect expression
of the relation of Beingness to Itself
that creates
what we experience as reality.
And suffering
is the perfect expression of Beingness
that is in a relation of conflict
with Itself.
Suffering is the Beingness
that you actually Are
perfectly expressing Itself
as it flows Itself
into a relation of conflict
with Itself.
To change the expression
one must change the relation,
and to change the relation
one need only cease to react
with attachment and aversion
to whatever expressions
of wantedness and unwantedness
happen to be arising Now,
in this moment,
which is the only moment
there ever is.
For ceasing to react
with attachment and aversion
to the expressions that arise,
to the forms that arise,
within one's Beingness
within one's Awareness,
within one's Consciousness,
is not no action
is not no Movement,
but is actually the opposite Movement
of the Self-oppositional Movement
that simultaneously
blinds Beingness to Itself
while binding Beingness
to the delusion
that what it is
is what is actually
only an expression
that is being expressed and known
by Beingness Itself.
That is how Beingness unties Itself
from the knot of form-identification
by which it has bound Itself.
Not by tying more knots,
not through further reactive Movements,
but through the opposite Movement
which has already arisen
and in which Beingness is already engaged
the moment Beingness ceases to react
to the expressions of this moment,
to the experiences of this moment,
to the reality of this moment,
by instead accepting whatever forms
that are arising within Itself
in this moment
as the perfect expression
of Itself,
as the perfect expression
of what Is,
regardless of their appearance
as wanted or unwanted.
That is the Unconditioned
being unconditional.
That is the Unconditioned
being Itself.
That is the Unconditioned
moving out of ignorance
and into awareness
of Itself.
When the awareness of an illusion
that is not known as an illusion
fills the space of Awareness
there is no room left
for the awareness of Awareness.
This is how Awareness
becomes hidden from Itself.
Not because Awareness isn't there,
but only because Awareness mistakes
what only seems to be there
for what is actually there.
A reflection that rests on a pool of water
does not hide the water
unless that reflection is mistaken
for what is actually there
where the reflection
only appears to be
and the water
actually is.
And forms that arise within Awareness
do not hide Awareness from Itself
unless Awareness mistakes those forms
for what is actually there
where they only appear to be,
and in so doing
also mistakes those forms
for itself.
That forms exist is not an illusion.
That what exists is what is actually there
where there is only Is-ness,
where there is only formless Beingness,
is the illusion.
Reflections and shadows
are not illusions,
and do not by themselves
obscure what is actually there.
Reflections and shadows
only become illusions
and obscure what is actually there
when the Awareness that is aware of them
mistakes them for what is actually there
where they only appear to be.
And in the same way
form only becomes an illusion
and obscures What Is Actually There
when the Awareness that is aware of form
when the Awareness that is the Is-ness
that is actually there
mistakes form for what is actually there
where form only appears to be.
The world is an illusion.
The world is not an illusion.
Both statements are true.
Both statements are false.
Because the truth or falseness
of either statement
does not lie in what is known
as the world of form,
does not lie in what only exists,
but lies instead
in whether the Is-ness
that is aware of form
that is aware of what exists,
knows those forms
as what is actually there
where they only appear to be,
or knows those forms
as only seeming to be
what is actually there
where they appear to be.
The world of form can appear
as either a rope
or as a snake,
as something neutral and harmless
with no life of its own,
as it actually exists,
or as something pleasing or dangerous
with a life of its own,
as it appears to exist
when form is mistaken
for what is actually there
by the Awareness,
by the Is-ness,
by the Life,
that is actually there
where form only appears to be.
And so whether forms obscure
the underlying Is-ness from Itself
or reveal the underlying Is-ness to Itself,
as a reflection can hide or reveal
the underlying mirror within which it exists,
has nothing to do with
the existence of form,
but has only to do with
how that existence,
how those forms,
are being known by
and so appear to
the underlying Is-ness,
the underlying Awareness,
that is aware of them,
as either what is actually there,
or as what only appears to be
what is actually there.
When an illusion
is not known to be an illusion
then the illusion remains an illusion
and so continues to hide
what is actually there
where it only appears to be.
But when an illusion
is known to be an illusion
it is then no longer an illusion
and so no longer hides
what is actually there
where it only appears to be.
And so when form is no longer known
as what is actually there
where it only appears to be,
form no longer fills
the space of Awareness
leaving room then
for the awareness of Awareness,
leaving room
for the Is-ness to know Itself
as the Formlessness that is actually there
where the forms it once thought of as itself
still exist and so still appear,
although those forms no longer appear
as what is actually there
since they are now known,
when seen in the context
of the awareness of Awareness,
when seen in the context
of the awareness of formless Beingness,
to have only the appearance,
and not the actuality,
of being.
There is no material world,
other than as an idea,
as a form,
that exists only within the mind.
The world is not composed
of molecules
and atoms
and quantum stuff,
nor is it composed of energy.
These are all just words,
forms,
post-it notes,
that we affix
to what we perceive
and to what we conceive
as the world.
And having labeled
our perceptions
and conceptions
of the world
with these forms,
we then fall under the delusion
that we know
what is actually there
where the world appears to be.
However, what is actually there
where the world appears to be
is not a form,
but is a Formlessness
in motion
relative to Itself.
Formlessness in motion
relative to Itself
becomes Form
and yet what Form is composed of
remains the Formless,
as water remains water
no matter how much it flows and swirls
in motion
relative to itself.
And Form in relation to Form
begets form,
begets experience
begets what appears
as the world of form,
as a line arises
where two fingers meet.
And we give names
to those experiences,
to those objects,
to those forms,
and then we think we know
what is actually there
where the world of form
appears to be,
when all we have actually done
is obscure what is actually there,
as a reflection obscures a mirror
when the reflection is mistaken
for what is actually there
where it appears to be.
Because underlying the world of form,
underlying the experiential objects,
and the names, labels, and post-it notes,
that we have added and affixed
to those experiential forms
are Forms
that are composed of the Formless.
The Formless is itself
just a word,
just a form,
just a post-it note,
used to point toward That
which is beyond form
and so beyond naming.
Call what is actually there
where form appears to be
whatever you want.
It is not that.
That is why there is no material world,
other than as an idea,
an experience,
a form,
that arises within the Formlessness
by which all form is known
and by which all form is created.
The material world
is just a story,
a certain arrangement of forms,
that people tell each other
to try and explain
the world of form.
Greek mythology
was also a story,
a certain arrangement of forms,
that people told each other
to try and explain
the world of form.
And with regard
to what is actually there
where form appears to be,
both stories
are equally fictitious.
This too is just a story,
just a particular arrangement of forms.
But this story is not being told
to explain the world of form.
This story is being told
to point beyond form
toward the Formlessness
that is actually there
where form only appears to be.
The story of the material world
is composed of forms
and points back toward form
as being
what is actually there,
as being
of primary importance.
This story of the world
as composed of the Formless
is also composed of forms,
but it points toward something
other than form
as being
what is actually there,
as being
of primary importance.
And what this story points toward
as being what is actually there,
as being of primary importance,
is not separable from,
nor other than
the formless Consciousness
by which this story,
this set of forms,
is being known.
Consciousness cannot know Itself as form
because it is formless,
because it is a Formlessness,
but Consciousness can know Itself directly
as the Formlessness
by which all forms are known
and within which all forms
come into existence.
Lesser forms require Consciousness
in order to exist
but Consciousness does not require any form
in order to Be.
Consciousness Is,
forms exist.
Consciousness is the Isness,
the formless Beingness,
that through relation to Itself
brings form into existence
within Itself,
and then knows as experience
those forms
that it has created
and so which have arisen
within Itself.
And then somewhere along the way
in all this becoming of Form
and creation and knowing of form
the Creator mistakes itself
for its creation,
the Knower mistakes itself
for what it knows,
as the Formless mistakes itself
for form.
And in this misidentification
the Formless becomes obscured,
hidden from Itself,
so that all it then knows
is form,
like a mirror
hidden from itself
by a reflection that has arisen
within itself.
This is why the stories
the Formless tells Itself
to explain the world to Itself,
while deluded with regard to Itself,
and so while hidden from Itself,
point only toward form
and make no mention
of the Formlessness,
of the formless Consciousness,
in the theoretical absence of which
no form has ever been known.
How can a story
include a Character
of which the Author themself
remains oblivious?
The material world
is just another story,
just another fiction,
we tell ourselves
and each other,
that must have form
as the lead character
so long as the actual leading Character
remains hidden
behind a curtain of form
which that leading Character
is Themself creating
and then knowing
as their self.
And so we are not really
living in a material world,
other than in our own minds,
because what the world
is actually composed of
beneath the surface appearance,
beneath the reflection,
that is the world of form,
is the formless Consciousness
upon which that reflection rests
and by which that reflection is known
as the material world.
End of story.
There is That which becomes
and there is that
which is caused to exist
by the becoming
of That which becomes.
That which becomes
knows as experience
that which its becoming
causes to exist.
That which becomes
is the Formless
whereas that which the Formless
causes to exist
and knows as experience
is form.
When That which becomes
knows Itself
as the Formless
there is then no delusion.
But when That which becomes
knows itself
as form
there is then only delusion.
When That which becomes knows itself
as that which its becoming
has caused to exist,
knows itself only as form,
then the Formlessness
that is Itself
becomes obscured from Itself
leaving only
the appearance of form,
leaving only
what That which becomes
knows as experience.
And so it is that when the Formless
identifies with form
then the world appears to be
composed only of form,
when it is actually
composed only of the Formlessness
by which the world of form is known
and by which the world of form
is being brought into existence.
Energy in relation to energy
creates a shadow
and Formlessness in relation to Formlessness
creates form.
Neither the shadow nor form
is what is actually there
where they appear to be.
What if the Sun
in gazing upon the Earth
knew itself as the shadows
created by the Light
instead of as
the Light Itself?
And what if Consciousness
in gazing upon the Universe
knew itself as the forms
created by the Formless
instead of as
the Formlessness Itself?
Consciousness
trying to find Itself in form
is like the Sun
trying to find Itself in shadows.
Looking for Itself
in the one place it cannot be found.
Looking for Itself
in the shadow of form
that is created
where the Formless meets Itself.
This is like the hand
looking for itself
in the line that arises,
in the form that arises,
where the tips of two fingers meet.
Consciousness
trying to find Itself in form,
looking for Itself
in all that remains
once what it actually is,
once the Formlessness that it is,
has been completely obscured.
Such a game
this agreed upon opposition
whereby the Formless becomes,
and in that Becoming
creates a playground
we call the Universe
where it can also become
hidden from Itself,
where it can also become
obscured by all the forms,
all the shadows,
that its Becoming
causes to exist.
But shadows do not really
hide the Light,
and form does not really
hide the Formless.
For the Light to be hidden by shadow
the Light must know itself as shadow,
and for the Formless to be hidden by form
the Formless must know itself as form.
And so what really hides the Light,
and what really hides the Formless,
is the misidentification of each
with its own creation,
the misidentification of each
with what is caused to exist
and so with what only arises
where each meets Itself
in agreed upon opposition to Itself.
And so what really hides the Formless
from Itself
is the Formless Itself,
which is how it must be
because nothing else actually Is,
as all else only seems to be,
all else is only a seam,
a form,
that is caused to exist
where indivisible Formlessness
meets Itself
in agreed upon opposition to Itself,
as it plays the game
of its own Becoming.
And in that Becoming
occasionally becoming lost to Itself,
but not by mistake,
because inevitably finding Itself
after losing Itself
is just a part of the game,
just an inseparable part
of its own Becoming.
so why not just allow it,
why not just go with it.
You can oppose it
but that is not going to make it
other than it is.
All opposing this moment does
is put you in conflict
with what is.
And while in conflict with what is
all hell breaks loose,
because all hell is created
when what is opposes Itself.
You are part of the Isness of this moment,
and so when you oppose what is
in this moment
you oppose your Self
and so are in conflict with your Self,
and while in conflict with your Self
you suffer.
Why create suffering for your Self
just because the moment
does not appear
as the mind says it should?
The only problem
that ever arises
is the difference between what is
in this moment
and what the mind thinks
this moment should be.
For what is a problem
but the mind trying to determine
what it will take
to get from what is
in this moment
to what the mind thinks
this moment should be?
This moment, as it is,
plus or minus something
equals what should be
in this moment.
That is the problem
the mind continuously generates
as it endlessly produces thoughts
regarding how this moment should appear
regarding how this moment should be.
And because we view the world
through this conceptual veil
of what the mind thinks should be
there then seems to be a problem
when the moment does not appear
as the mind thinks it should.
And so the only problems
that ever arise
are problems that the mind generates,
but only because we think
that what the mind says should be
should somehow trump
what is.
So foolish,
so completely insane,
and yet,
so completely normal.
It has been said
that there are no problems
only solutions,
and this is true.
But every solution
is ultimately the same solution
because the solution to every problem
begins with the acceptance
and allowance
of what is.
What is is the universal solvent
the universal solution
that washes away all problems,
because there never really are any problems,
there is only the solution,
only what is
in this moment.
Problems are only the variance
between what is,
in this moment,
and what the mind thinks
this moment
should be.
You can try to close that gap,
to solve the problems
that the mind has generated,
through the reactive movements
of attachment and aversion,
by clinging to this
or pushing away that.
Or you can solve the problems
by realizing
that there actually are no problems,
only the illusion of problems
created by the mind
with its continuous and endless predictions
of what this moment
should be.
This moment is never a problem,
this moment is only ever
what is.
Even if your house is burning down
that is not actually a problem,
it is only what is.
If you think,
"my house should not be burning down,"
then you have generated a problem
where there is actually only what is.
Houses do not often burn down
but every day
some form arises or dissolves
that we think is a problem
because we think
it should be otherwise.
But how can it be otherwise
in this moment
if it is what is
in this moment?
The mind says
this should or should not be
in this moment,
as the weatherman says
it is going to rain tomorrow.
Both are predictions.
Neither is what is.
And just as we think the weather
should obey the predictions of the weatherman,
as when the sun comes out
we say it was supposed to rain,
so we think that what is
should obey the predictions of the mind,
so when this happens
or that does not happen
we say this or that
should or should not be.
So foolish,
so completely insane,
and yet,
so completely normal.
Surrendering to the moment,
accepting what is,
allowing what is,
is not weakness
but is wisdom.
To do otherwise
is to operate continuously
in the state of insanity
that we call normal,
and to continuously generate
the state of suffering
that comes with conflict
with the present moment,
that comes with conflict
with your Self.
So many problems,
just because we believe the mind
when it tells us
how this moment should be.
How does the mind know
how the Isness of this moment
should be?
It doesn't, it can't.
But the ego, the form-identity
wants the moment
to arise in a certain way,
to enhance itself
or avoid its diminishment.
And so the ego uses the mind
to create an image
of how it would like
the moment to be,
to either enhance itself
or avoid its diminishment.
And when the moment comes
and is at variance
with what the mind says should be,
which it usually is,
then the ego has a problem
it has itself created.
The mind is just doing its job
as assigned by the ego,
as assigned by the form-identity
as assigned by Consciousness
that has mistaken itself
for form.
You don't have to believe the weatherman
when he tells you what tomorrow will bring,
and then whatever tomorrow brings
will not be a problem.
And you don't have to believe your mind
when it tells you how this moment should be,
and then whatever the moment brings
will not be a problem,
but will only be
what is.