I’m not interested in being ‘fearless’ I reckon it has a part to play I’m also not interested in letting it run the show. In contrast to our ancestors, who used fear to protect their life, we still use fear to protect ourselves from the unknown. Friends and students often tell me that one of the scariest things is silence, being alone with thoughts and feelings. Being Alone.
No distractions.
Empty space.
The void.
I reckon being OK in The Void is key is unlocking our unique purpose and here is why.
We can easily recognize out cultural addiction to Doing. Having constant and consistent stimulation. Relentless productivity. And, to clarify, being OK in The Void isn’t about not doing, in fact it’s all about doing, and this is the path of purpose. It’s about making inspired action in the world.
Meaning?
Life itself has no inherent meaning; we bring meaning to life through our actions. According to the Vedas and yogic philosophy there are three paths to self-realization and the path of action, Karma is one of them. (Check out my last two posts for the two other pathways) It’s understood that through our inspired and selfless action we realize the truth of who we are (self realization) and are liberated from the cycle of Karma.
Let’s take a moment to unpack this very loaded word “Karma”
There’s a common contemporary use of this word as if there is a cosmic court of law presiding over us. Or that Karma is a nasty character out to get us “Karmas a Bitch” However, when we talk about Karma in a yogic context, It’s not personal it’s about cause and effect. There is the understanding that every action we take has an equal and opposite effect. Karma’s about maintaining cosmic balance.
When we walk further along the yogic path we learn that being a Karma yogi is being unattached to ‘the fruits of our labor’ Living in a purely results based, objective led culture, this can be a little bit mind-bendy. The practice is to let go of our expectations of how we think things should go and detach from the results, the outcome of what we do. If we can walk this path, every action becomes an offering of intention, free of agenda.
Being all about Doing
The path of karma is for the yogi that lives in the world, not in a cave. At it’s essence it means that everything we do in the world is in service, and self-less service at that! Selfless action is the stuff you do without want for personal gain. It’s Doing with zero ulterior motive.
Ulterior motive might sound kinda evil, but more often than not, they are benign and unconscious. Through the practice of yoga, meditation and self-enquiry we shine light (awareness) into any dark (unconscious) corner of our mind, body and heart to realize (live as) our truest Self.
What does The Void have to do with it?
Making space in which to be still for a millisecond is often enough to catch when we are on autopilot (unconscious) then we see that sneaky ulterior motive or personal agenda. That agenda is usually to gain respect and love from the people we care about the most. Sometimes The Void needs to be way bigger to see what we are Doing unconsciously and the choices we make to gain approval and acceptance. And sometimes we need to press Pause on our daily life completely to be in the empty space.
Or press Stop.
Or even press Eject.
The Void, Karma and Purpose
It’s important to be OK floating in the empty space, in quiet and solitary spaces with little input from the outside or distractions from the inside. When we are OK there, not doing for the sake of Doing our sense of self becomes crystal clear. The path of karma is revealed and through making inspired action, for the sake of something bigger than ourselves, we find Purpose, meaning and fulfillment like never before.
If you want to explore your unique purpose in detail and learn some practical tools to walk the path, join me on January 1st for my New Year's Day activation; Passion Power and Purpose
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Love, Mandy