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INTRO
My goal today isnโt to calm the mind, or heal the soul,
or even make us better people.
It is to know thyselfโฆ
AS WE ARE,
to see ourselves clearly,
with lucidity.
Thatโs where the name Lucidesse comes from: Lucid โฆ clear, bright, shining..
The easiest and most powerful way Iโve found to know myself is through awareness and breath.
These two innate gifts are often overlooked, or misunderstood,
so I'd like to explore breath,
then explore awareness,
and then explore their combined wisdom.
Which I call divine refraction,
Or, to know thyself.
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Before I share my experience of breath and awareness, I'd like you to experience your own.
Please situate yourself so you can focus for about one minute without interruption.
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Iโd like you to do nothing.
Do absolutely nothing.
Are you still aware, even as you do nothing?
Be aware that you are aware.
Now, direct your awareness to your breath.
This takes no effort.
Simply be aware of the breath as it flows in, and flows out.
Nothing to do, no one to be, nothing to fix, or heal, or change.
Simply aware of the breath. Aware of each breath.
In the present moment. With nothing to do.
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What did you learn from this experience?
Does it take effort to be aware?
Is awareness constant?
What of the breath?
Did you remain aware of your breath?
Did you get pulled into thoughts, or emotions,
or into a time other than the present?
Did you try really hard, did you resist, or fight yourself at any time?
Were you simply aware of it all?
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This is the scenario I use to better know myself.
Iโve learned an enormous amount just by being aware of the breath.
The most powerful thing is that, for me, the breath is beyond words.
Iโve spent thousands of hours focused on my breath and come to know and love my breath as deeply and passionately as any lover.
I literally love my breath.
And not as an entity, I love each and every, singular, breath.
Every breath is itโs one and only, never to be breathed again.
Some breaths are easy, others are hard.
Some breaths are thin and weak, others are strong and powerful.
I love them all.
Each one teaches me about myself, about my reactions to life, about my deepest truths,
and also how to live toward the dreams in my heart.
My breath is my greatest teacher, and itโs also my most simple teacher.
All it asks of me is to be aware of it, be aware of the breath.
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Now. Awareness.
For me, awareness has no qualities.
It doesnโt want anything, it doesnโt need anything.
It isnโt happy or sad, it isnโt trying to fix anything, or do anything.
My awareness isnโt concerned with anything Iโm concerned with,
itโs simply aware of what is, in each moment.
And it never judges.
Itโs simply aware.
Like an eternal ear and eye, it listens, and it sees.
Nothing to do. Nothing to be. Nothing to fix, to change, or heal.
Awareness is simply aware of what is, in each moment.
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Now. Divine Refraction.
Refraction is the crystal which receives sunlight and returns rainbows.
I call this innate ability refraction and not reflection because reflection is a singular view,
while refraction sees many facets, many aspects, many colors.
When I combine breath with awareness,
they naturally refract,
like an energetic crystalโฆ
they allow me to see many spectrums of light,
many aspects of life.
When I refract breath and awareness back upon myself,
I remove my habitual lens, the one I constantly filter life through.
I shine light upon my deepest truths,
as well as others truths, which often oppose mine.
The innate ability of divine refraction allows me to behold all the colors of the rainbow,
and see us as equals.
I see beyond right and wrong, beyond good and bad.
I see the minut complexities and the great multiplicities of life.
I see an entirely new reality,
a new dimension to explore.
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Words fall short of the depths of my experience, plus? They are only my words.
What Iโd like is for you to experience breath and awareness,
for yourself,
so Iโm going to guide you, and join you,
through a simple yet powerful meditation.
In the Buddhist tradition, this meditation is called Annapanna.
And my teacher in this tradition was the delightful Goenka, to whom I am ever grateful.
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Before continuing to the next episode where we meditate,
and experience the power and wisdom of breath and awareness,
please remember my goal:
to know thyself.
Beyond any judgment of right or wrong, good or bad.
As the great poet Rumi says:
Beyond the belief of right and wrong,
There lies a field,
I will meet you there.
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And Iโฆ will meet you in the next episode,
where we meditate and learn about ourselves,
together.
With love, with luck, and with laughter,
I bid you farewell.
OUTRO
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