The Gate

Thank you very much. Let’s explore this wanting security closer.
Here are two questions for you to play with. Ask them as often as you remember through the day.

Am I safe right now?
Do I feel safe right now?

Every time you ask notice how you feel.
Security is not somewhere in the images about future. Check in the moment, here now. Write what you notice.

Love.

I've been paying attention to this, (although admittedly, not as often as I hoped when I first read your suggestion). What I've found is that the answer to "Am I safe right now?" has always been "yes." It's been a quick/easy answer - "yes, I am safe right now". I've tried this at various times throughout the day, various locations, etc.

When I then ask "Do I feel safe right now?", the answer is less clear. It's a slower response. It's kind of like "well, I just said that I am safe right now, so I guess I should feel safe" But, it's uneven footing. Almost as if it takes a little convincing and I have to reference back to the previous question.

I liked this exercise. Curious to hear where it's going or if there are other similar questions - thank you Ilona.

Great work.
Is there any other place-time than right now?

:)

I guess not. Past is a memory which I guess is a thought. Future is also a thought

Admittedly, my grasp on this idea that the only time & place is right now is a little slippery.

I am a little concerned about finances and am thinking ahead to where I'll be financially a few weeks from now.

I do think I can understand that anything other than the present moment is just thought based though. It can be tough to keep this in perspective at times.

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Here is a video for you to help make sense of time
https://youtu.be/G4j6cUwCRmI

Can you ever fall out of present moment?
Do thoughts about future happen on the future or in the present moment?
Is worrying about future manipulate what happens next or not?
Is worrying helping?
Do things happen because you worry about them?
Or things happen and worrying is optional?

How do you see?

Love.

Can you ever fall out of present moment?
Do thoughts about future happen on the future or in the present moment?
Is worrying about future manipulate what happens next or not?
Is worrying helping?
Do things happen because you worry about them?
Or things happen and worrying is optional?

How do you see?

Love.

Can you ever fall out of the present moment? Absolutely no. The present moment is all that there ever is. In a way, that means everything is happening "now".

Thoughts about the future also happen in the present moment.

Worrying about future doesn't help. It's something to let go of.

Worrying about things could possibly make them happen. I think this is certainly more likely than worrying helping (also believe we manifest things in this world with our minds)

Things happen, worrying is optional. I think its important to be aware of the fact that we cant prevent certain things from coming in and out of our lives.

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Worrying about things could possibly make them happen. I think this is certainly more likely than worrying helping (also believe we manifest things in this world with our minds)

Things happen, worrying is optional. I think its important to be aware of the fact that we cant prevent certain things from coming in and out of our lives.

Here is something to look at. We manifest things. As if there is I and life. I with its own free will and choice and life out there that listens to what this I wants. Is that true in experience?

Here is a video that may help to see through this. https://youtu.be/LXrfQqvwIcU

How do you see free will and choice? Take a choice that was made today and examine, what happened, how it happened.

Love

Here is something to look at. We manifest things. As if there is I and life. I with its own free will and choice and life out there that listens to what this I wants. Is that true in experience?

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Wow! Reading these first two sentences, could see the gap in understanding right away. That was enlightening for (lack of a better term)!

If “we”/“I” do manifest things or circumstances, it’s not because our thoughts resonate with something “out there” and bring it into being “out there”. Rather, it’s because there’s no out there versus in here to begin with. It’s either all out there or all in here!




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Really enjoyed the video.

Will watch choice and report back.

Thank you!


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How do you see free will and choice? Take a choice that was made today and examine, what happened, how it happened.

Love

It seems like we have free will on the surface but when looking closer and tracing the chain of events back and back and back, I guess we really do not.

I paid attention to a couple of choices and really can’t even say where the actions or decisions ultimately come from, it’s kind of a peculiar experience - sitting back wondering what I might do next

Write more!

Don’t know why but there’s been a little resistance regarding what to write/writing more.

Free will: the more it’s examined, the more flimsy it seems. The decisions that are made moment by moment are based on thoughts that seem to arise pretty much out of no where if we pay enough attention to them as they are happening.

For example, in retrospect it does seem like choices are being made. Almost as if our mind comes in after the fact and adds in steps to that process that didn’t actually exist at the time.

The more I consider this, the further reaching the implications. I’m often someone who struggles to make decisions. I can dissect “options” and waver back and forth on a decision for a very long time, causing stress and anxiety in the process. It makes me wonder if that stress or anxiety that often accompanies a seemingly tough decision isn’t somehow tied to this.

In other words, if thoughts just arise and aren’t something we are creating, if we hold off on making a decision based on what we know or what is arising, it seems to reason that could cause confusion as other thought arise and the mind continues to toil away considering all the other thoughts that arise as a result of the new thoughts and so on ad finitum.

It seems to reason that what some folks call the flow state is the lessening of this thought battle and going with the first right thought that arises

Thank you for expressing what you feel about this.
Let’s take a simple act of choosing. Anything, that happened today. And take a look, how did the choose happen?
Was it a thought that chose?
What happened first, a thought, action or impulse?
You can play with this: extend your hand forwards and flip the palm, up or down. Watch how that happens. Is there a decider?

Look around, what are you choosing right now? Are the colours seen your choice or are they here? How about sounds and sensations? Can you choose what taste happens when you eat something?

Really connect this to your experience.

Write what you learn.
Love.

Thank you for expressing what you feel about this.
Let’s take a simple act of choosing. Anything, that happened today. And take a look, how did the choose happen?
Was it a thought that chose?
What happened first, a thought, action or impulse?
You can play with this: extend your hand forwards and flip the palm, up or down. Watch how that happens. Is there a decider?

Look around, what are you choosing right now? Are the colours seen your choice or are they here? How about sounds and sensations? Can you choose what taste happens when you eat something?

Really connect this to your experience.

Write what you learn.
Love.

I have been watching this trying to understand the order of how choices are made, in my experience, each of the three pieces happens very rapidly, it’s difficult for me to determine which happens first but I believe it’s: thought -> impulse-> action. There really does not seem to be a decider in practice. Thought comes up, then action is taken. Sometimes thought comes up about taking action, then another thought comes up to override the first (what we would typically think of as the decider is another thought or several thoughts). Thoughts can argue with thoughts through thoughts!

All of the sensations, colors, figures, tastes, sounds, smells and physical sensations occur without choice and without option - there’s an immediacy to each of these, they arise and there’s no choice to experience them or not.



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All of the sensations, colors, figures, tastes, sounds, smells and physical sensations occur without choice and without option - there’s an immediacy to each of these, they arise and there’s no choice to experience them or not.

Yes.

There isn’t a decider. Thought is not a decider.

How does it feel to see this?

Love