Often when I am writing on any of the various facets of metaphysics and how the universe works, I am struck by how much one facet is very much related to and tied to other facets, which in turn are tied to others, which in turn are tied to others and that ultimately it's all one whole. I then always end up coming to the conclusion that it really almost doesn't matter where you begin a discussion. You can begin just about anywhere. So rather than viewing a discussion in terms of a continuum, with a starting point on one end and a conclusion on the other, I view it more as a sphere where you can begin at most any point and from there, go in many different possible directions.

Lately I've been thinking a lot about and discussing with students, the subject of form and transforming and the idea that any form we experience in our lives is as accessible as any other. Related to this are the subjects of cycles and the impermanent nature of the universe and transcending. And so, in writing about this, I again asked myself where to begin? Well let's just begin.

Think about this. All of our current conditions and circumstances in our lives are just form in this physical world which is all about form. They are the form that your thoughts and beliefs have cast. You can also think of them as just an illusion; and that when it comes right down to it, you can have any illusion you desire, any personal reality. Any reality is as possible as the one you are now experiencing.

The Form Is Chosen By You, Not Assigned To You

Let's take the financial aspect and look at it as a continuum for purposes of illustration--on one end the experience of homelessness with no belongings and on the other end, Bill Gates. Now realize this; from the perspective of your higher self, any stop along that continuum is just as accessible as a personal reality as any other. The universe makes no judgment, sees no stop as any better or any worse than another. Any position is as good as any other. Within the grand scheme of Infinite Mind, we have total freedom to choose. So wherever we find ourselves along the continuum, we are there because we have chosen to be--not because the universe has assigned us there or said that's where you deserve to be because that's all you are worthy of, or some such. The universe doesn't care a twit about any of that--only the ego, wanting to maintain the illusion of limitation, does. The universe, being pure Principle doesn't see you as limited in any way at all. Remember, this pure Principle is about energy, totally unbiased and without judgment.

The reason we are not moving easily, anywhere at will, within the continuum of the illustration is that we have tended to solidify ourselves into certain experiential "form". In other words, we have identified with our circumstances and conditions so much so that it seems that that is who we are. And we have taken on that form. You see, you keep thinking that the current illusion is something with permanence because it is all intricately tied to all sorts of history and perception of self, a self that is limited to only certain experiences and undeserving of many other ones that seem totally unattainable. Well, guess what, this is the essence of the illusion. And buying into it, as the ego (the body of false and limited beliefs you have accepted) would have you do, you have chosen to tie yourself to all of this history and self-image stuff. Realize that our identity with the way we are is the same as beliefs of who we are. We feel comfortable with the identity. But the thing is, is that the identity is totally arbitrary, based upon thoughts we choose, focus of attention we choose and the beliefs we have accepted for ourselves.

We could as easily accept any other beliefs about ourselves and choose other thoughts and focus of attention and, thereby, have a different "formation" of experience. Our identities are not assigned to us from an outside source. They are not written in stone, not in the least. We have chosen them, maybe unconsciously so, but chosen just the same. We have unconsciously become so attached to current form that it almost seems we have made a permanency out of it, though it's not totally permanent. The reason we do that is that we either have things in our experience we fear letting go of (an attachment) and / or we are fear that other undesirable experiences may enter our life (resistance). Thus we are resisting the flow of the universe.

I have pulled a number of statements from Eckhart Tolle, in his book, The Power Of Now, which describe this quite well. He says,

"As long as a condition is judged as "good" by your mind, whether it be a relationship, a possession, a social role, a place, or your physical body, the mind attaches itself to it and identifies with it. It makes you happy, makes you feel good about yourself, and it may become part of who you are or think you are."

"[This is not to say] that you should no longer appreciate pleasant or beautiful things or conditions. But to seek something through them that they cannot give - an identity, a sense of permanency and fulfillment - is a recipe for frustration and suffering… The more you seek happiness in this way, the more it will elude you. Nothing out there will ever satisfy you except temporarily and superficially, but you may need to experience many disillusionments before you realize that truth. Things and conditions can give you pleasure, but they will also give you pain. Things and conditions can give you pleasure, but they cannot give you joy. Nothing can give you joy. Joy is uncaused and arises from within as the joy of Being…It is your natural state, not something that you need to work hard for or struggle to attain."

"The happiness that is derived from some secondary source is never very deep. It is only a pale reflection of the joy of Being, the vibrant peace that you find within as you enter the state of nonresistance."

"To offer no resistance to life is to be in a state of grace, ease, and lightness. This state is then no longer dependent upon things being in a certain way, good or bad. It seems almost paradoxical, yet when your inner dependency on form is gone, the general conditions of your life, the outer forms, tend to improve greatly. Things, people, or conditions that you thought you needed for your happiness now come to you with no struggle or effort on your part, and you are free to enjoy and appreciate them - while they last. All those things, of course, will still pass away, cycles will come and go, but with dependency gone there is no fear of loss anymore. Life flows with ease."

"The external conditions that were being resisted also tend to shift or dissolve quickly through surrender. It is a powerful transformer of situations and people. If conditions do not shift immediately, your acceptance of the Now enables you to rise above them. Either way, you are free."

Tolle also provides us with another angle to the hardening of form.

"Non-surrender", he says, "hardens your psychological form, the shell of the ego, and so creates a strong sense of separateness. The world around you and people in particular come to be perceived as threatening. The unconscious compulsion to destroy others through judgment arises, as does the need to compete and dominate. Even nature becomes your enemy and your perceptions and interpretations are governed by fear [...] Not only your psychological form but also your physical form -your body - becomes hard and rigid through resistance. Tension arises in different parts of the body, and the body as a whole contracts. The free flow of life energy through the body, which is essential for its healthy functioning, is greatly restricted."

Attachment and resistance indicate a doubt that the universe will provide better, a sort of faith, in fact, that the next form will be worse. And, though unintentionally, when you project your fears into the future and then resist them, you can almost be assured that it will be worse-at least from the perspective of your ego's assessment. However, as we know, from the higher perspective, the subsequent manifestation of your fears will be perfect because the new less preferred circumstances will have the potential of moving you to even greater awareness-the awareness that you should stop resisting and allow the universe to provide. And if you still do not get it and continue to resist, the universe, in its great wisdom and love will provide you more of what you are resisting. Hallelujah!!

But let's remember that now we are becoming more enlightened beings, acknowledging that we aren't just at the whim of whatever the universe decides to deliver us. We know that the way the universe works is that it can and will deliver ONLY according to our thoughts and focus of attention. So I suggest that we begin to break that seeming solidity of form and free ourselves that we might move around the reality possibility continuum. (I will provide you a powerful visualization to assist with this at the end of the article.) Surrender is a big part of this. Be willing to let go of all current stuff you fear losing and also don't attach to new forms as a condition of your happiness.