I AM IN MY KNOWING 5

p.    249-255

I was pondering this idea of "needing approval" and although it made perfect sense, it seemed somewhat limited. There are certainly areas in my life when/where I feel the need for approval, or the need for reassurance, or the need for confirmation, or the need for acceptance, or love or a reminder that I am OK, etc. So I think all these things are an aspect of what the book refers to as approval.

And why is that so important? Let's recall what we are about here--TO BE IN OUR KNOWING.

I can tell when I am not in my knowing--whenever I am in one of those needy places mentioned above. As the book states so beautifully: 

“The need to be approved of actually vanishes when you are in your knowing at the frequency that we speak of. And the reason is very simple. There is nothing to be gained from it. You are not looking for affirmation for yourself from outside of you because it’s not required. The well that is you is full. You do not need to have it from another source.”

And I am reminded this is a moment to moment awareness.

I AM IN MY KNOWING--there are times when I am very aware of being in my knowing, and other times when I am lost in the consciousness of thinking that my knowing is not enough. And this is part of the human condition, for all of us. So when I become aware that I am being snotty, or impatient or angry or bitter, etc. I realize I am not in my knowing. I am not in my knowing of myself as being a child of God, unconditionally loved, etc. Now that is a extremely important awareness. 

I also must realize that if I observe another as being petty, bossy, selfish, etc. instead of judging or reacting I can be aware that, in this moment, they are not in their knowing (the have forgotten who they are), and I can pray they return to it. 

I recall Ram Dass introducing a talk he was giving by saying, "I want you to realize we are all playing a game. The game is called 'I know, and you don't.' So I am up here and you are back there. But please remember it is only a game."

I might have different experiences than you, but we all have different experiences. Experiences contribute to our knowing, but my true knowing of who I am, who God is. Who we are together is an inside job, and we all participate in this awareness when we choose to.

This whole piece is an exercise in AWARENESS OF MOTIVE. What moves me, motivates me; what are the values attached to my actions?

We are challenged this coming week—and I will share in this challenge—to periodically check ourselves out as to why we are doing what we are doing.

So much of life is spent in “robot mode” when our only motivation is habit, conformity, and “herd” mentality. 

It is only by raising our consciousness, our awareness that we can also raise the frequency/vibration of our thoughts and actions.

Letting go of our limiting ego consciousness is another way of looking at all this. One of the ways I can discover or explore my now neediness are the times when I can ask myself, “How much approval do I need?” and when the answer is “give me more” I can certainly know I am feeding the ego which has endless hunger. It’s like what Joh D. Rockefeller  when asked “How much is enough money?” He replied, “Just a little bit more.”

“Approval, the need for approval outside of a teaching tool and outside of a way of gauging behavior on a moment-by-moment level, is actually not very helpful. “I want my teacher to approve of me when I do the math problem right,” is actually okay to the extent that it supports you in your learning. But it also creates a pattern of pleasing others so that your own information, and gathering of information, is done to appease an authority figure. Do you understand this? So while there are benefits, you are also placing into practice problems that will have to be contended with in the future.”

Of course it was many lifetimes ago and in a galaxy far far away, but the Moody Blues echoed this sentiment in a musical poem as the last cut on their album A Question of Balance. 
(If you would like to hear the music as well, try this: 

THE BALANCE VIDEO

                                                          "The Balance"

After he had journeyed,
And his feet were sore,
And he was tired,
He came upon an orange grove
And he rested
And he lay in the cool,
And while he rested, he took to himself an orange and tasted it,
And it was good.
And he felt the earth to his spine,
And he asked, and he saw the tree above him, and the stars,
And the veins in the leaf,
And the light, and the balance.
And he saw magnificent perfection,
Whereon he thought of himself in balance,
And he knew he was.

Just open your eyes,
And realize, the way it's always been.
Just open your mind
And you will find
The way it's always been.
Just open your heart
And that's a start.

And he thought of those he angered,
For he was not a violent man,
And he thought of those he hurt
For he was not a cruel man
And he thought of those he frightened
For he was not an evil man,
And he understood.
He understood himself.

Upon this he saw that when he was of anger or knew hurt or felt fear,
It was because he was not understanding,
And he learned, compassion.

And with his eye of compassion.
He saw his enemies like unto himself,
And he learned love.
Then, he was answered.

Just open your eyes,
And realize, the way it's always been.
Just open your mind
And you will find
The way it's always been.
Just open your heart
And that's a start.

Peace to all beings.