Written from my own experience, may apply to some of you, may be irrelevant to others. Wheresoever you may be on your spiritual journey, I hope some of these random tips can help you out. With love, Nigel.

1. Your MIND is NOT the enemy

The mind is the most powerful tool that homo sapiens has. It can transform reality through the creation/use of narratives, which foster cooperation among others, and direct all the effort towards the fulfilment of a goal/ambition. That which separates us from animals is a wonderful tool that encourages cooperation to be put in the service of a creative imagination.

Somehow, this wonderful tool has seemingly turned against humanity, with the advent of depression in newer generations and the creation of ever more pointless things. This being the case, the mind is thus treated as the enemy for some people, for they are constantly being bombarded with nonsensical/negative thoughts that do nothing but create misery. Unfortunately, many people associate themselves with their thoughts and make it their identity, thereby enslaving themselves to a tool that only serves to protect the individual through the acquiring of more stuff (anything that you can think of really). This phenomenon is called identification with the ego.

The solution here is not to demonize your negative thoughts, or trying to change them, for the thought of trying to improve upon or change the current situation is in itself a denial of the moment. That being said, the real cure is to recognize that you are not the mind, and to literally ‘not mind’ your negative thoughts as they pop up. In this context, instead of resisting what is (negative, positive or whatnot), be curious about these thoughts and see them for what they are, just thoughts.

Who you really are is far greater than the mind, so be present and explore your experience, for only a clear/still mind can see things for what they truly are.

2. The EGO is NOT the enemy

The ego is literally identification of Being with the mind, thereby acquiring the limitations of the mind. Because the mind is merely a tool, any identification with it is to identify with the constant pursuit of problem-solving and to lose sight of the happiness innate in our being. The self hat you are has no limitations, but however you CAN give reality to what you believe to be true, thereby empowering it. That is the foundation for the law of attraction, and in this context the mind is the prism that focuses the desired reality into existence.

Just as the mind is not the enemy, the ego, too is merely identification with the mind and therefore not the enemy. But when the mind is seen for what it really is, then the identification with the ego ceases, but it remains not as the cause of suffering, but rather as the vessel through which the creative spark of your being is unleashed, just as the mind is the prism.

The ego, just like the mind, when properly understood, becomes a valuable tool in your service. It’s function is to be an agency for true creativity, but when mis-believed in, creates an identity that is not only hellish to live as, but a slave to a mind that does not know when to stop. To resist the ego is to make an enemy of it, thereby creating opposition for the mind to fight itself with in a never-ending battle. The inevitable result is self-hate and a needy, never-ending quest to ‘improve’ oneself, both of which are not fun.

3. HAPPINESS IS THE PATH

Happiness is but peace in motion, expressed through the melody of joy.

Myself included, it is a living lesson that is to be practiced in copious amounts (who doesn’t like being happy?). Happiness is not acquired through objects of experience, but rather what we already are. The trick here is learning to be still and seeing that the peace that you have sought all your life is you. Thought and life circumstances may seem to interrupt you, but in reality they are tests for you to go deeper, to further embody the peace of your being.

It first starts out as a subtle contentment in the background of your experience, and sometimes it becomes a roaring blaze of joy in your brightest moments, but that’s how your being expresses itself. Just as the Law of Attraction is but a Law of Acceptance in reality, so too is true peace and happiness but acceptance of what is, and it goes really well with sprinkles of gratitude and spontaneity.

“Happiness is the path.”

Gautama Buddha

4. HELL is a human creation, HEAVEN is here and now

Heaven and hell are purely human concepts, invented in a time when people needed a strict means of guidance/morality to base their actions on. It prevents people from doing bad stuff to each other through the creation of a fiction to terrorize the bad guys from ever doing bad stuff unto each other. You may ask, if so, then why do so many acts of evil go unpunished? It is because the ego only sees in shades of good and evil and cannot see these acts for what they are. If we were to know that the other ‘evil’ person was merely doing what he was doing because that way to happiness made the most sense to them, then why would we not want to show them a better (win-win) way to happiness? The unfortunate reality is that throw them in prison for not conforming to a code of ethics (human thought forms ultimately) because it serves to punish them and remind them that human thoughts forms are superior to God. It is because we believe in hell and punishment, that we create prisons and the concept of an afterlife prison to terrorize them so that our egos can be satiated.

When you recognize that hell and morality are human concepts, it frees you from guilt for all the ‘wrongdoings’ that you have ever created, for no longer do you fear your self-worth to qualify for heaven. It does not mean that you allow yourself to be a doormat, but rather to see things for what they really are. If you had a choice, would you choose vindication or acceptance? Would you choose Hell through negativity or Heaven now?

“The kingdom of Heaven is within you; and whosoever shall know himself shall find it.”

Luke 17:11

That’s it for now, I guess. I wish you guys a great day ahead.