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When I was younger, I used to worry a lot. I also spent a lot of time thinking about how to solve the problems in my life. Needless to say, my mind was always going. With all my thinking, not much changed in my life.
Imagine a jar filled with water and a layer of sand at the bottom. Someone comes by and shakes the jar, which leads to the water becoming murky. If you were to point a flashlight at the jar, the light beam would be broken up by the suspended grains of sand.
Now suppose that you let the jar sit undisturbed. The grains of sand would settle at the bottom of the jar, and the water would become clear. When the beam of light passes through the jar, it is sharp and focused.
The jar and its water are a metaphor for your mind; the sand is your thoughts, and the beam of light is awareness. My mind used to be like a jar with murky water. Thankfully, my life is not like that anymore. My mind is largely quiet. When I have a problem, I briefly reflect on it before I go to sleep. In the morning, I get up and get into the shower. It is then that the magic happens! I am bombarded with insights on how to address my challenge.
The insights that I receive are not of my own doing. Rather, I provide the space for them to enter. I create that space by making the intention that I will receive the answers that I need. I usually do this at night before I go to sleep. When I do this, the sands of my mind settle. All I must do is shower the next morning to receive the information. The clear waters of my mind allow the light of awareness to shine through!
I do not spend hours racking my brain or worrying about what may happen. I open myself up to receive the information that is offered to me. There is nothing special about this ability, and anyone can do it. As a matter of fact, most of us have experienced this at some time in our lives. We commonly refer to this phenomenon as intuition.
There is a simple way to tell the difference between intuition and normal thinking. When you experience intuition, there will be no associated emotional reaction. On the other hand, you will have an emotional response when you are thinking. It is not that thinking does not have value. Thinking is useful for practical purposes, but will not tap into universal intelligence.
I gave a personal example of showering to clear my mind, so I could receive the information. It did not hurt either that I had just woken up, so my mental noise had not arisen. The point is that we all have engaged in an activity that causes our minds to become calm. Some of the greatest scientists made their discoveries when they were not thinking about them. Einstein came up with the theory of relativity while daydreaming. Find what works for you to get the sand to settle and the water to become clear.
