The Trickster
My father was my first teacher on thought…he would relentlessly repeat “Mind over Matter” every time I got a case of the stomach flu. Sometimes it worked. As I was growing up, the idea of positive thinking began to take hold in the culture. The book written by Norman Vincent Peale (The Power of Positive Thinking) brought out the idea that we could utilize this power to direct our thinking as opposed to be victimized by that thinking. It was the beginning of a revolution that included optimism, changing our personal world, making more lemonade out of all those lemons, and seeing silver linings everywhere. It also led to a breakthrough in Psychology and the understanding that thought creates.
All good stuff…all life changing stuff. And there is a trickster in there and an opportunity to miss the truth that is the real power. By the time thought is in form, whether it is positive or negative, it is an effect -not a cause. Still a good effect – and so if we know this and have for over 50 years, why is there still so much negativity in the world; and so many people lamenting that positive thinking doesn’t work for them- or at least doesn’t work for them in the long term.
So here is the trickster…we focus on content of our thoughts rather than the power to think and create from thought. It isn’t a bad idea to try and change a negative to a positive…but it takes a lot of effort and if we are in a swirl…almost impossible. When we begin to notice the power we have in every situation, we begin to lessen our grip on content and ease into grace.
There are two ways I have worked with this and found more peace…the first is to set an intention (yes daily) of how I want to use my power that day and on what am I relying. For me that is knowing my true nature and leaning into that to set my tone for the day. The next is what to do when circumstances seem to provoke negative thinking or thoughts come out of nowhere that trouble me. Then I let them go…drift away like balloons (there are also techniques)…when I let them go – insight and wisdom surely follow. Effortless shift to more natural and positive thoughts.
So now you have the trio of life in formation…the Divine Intelligence that is everywhere and informing everyone…the absolute truth of the watcher which is the consciousness in action and the amazing Power to create through our thought, the experiences we are having. You can take any experience without labeling it as good or bad and apply these principles and see it in real time. Then you can out trick the trickster! Have fun!
