The Two Forces There seem to be two invisible forces shaping our earthly journey. One force pulls us toward forgetfulness . The other calls us back to awareness . Forgetfulness is the movement into identification with thought, roles, stories, fears, desires, and the endless pursuit of becoming. It is the dream in which we forget what we truly are and become lost in what we imagine ourselves to be. Awareness is the movement back toward our essential nature. It is the quiet remembering that beneath every thought, emotion, success, failure, gain, and loss, there remains an unchanging presence that has never been disturbed. The journey of life is not merely a journey of becoming. It is a journey of remembering. Each day, we drift into forgetfulness countless times. We become absorbed in the mind’s stories and mistake them for reality. Yet each moment of awareness is a return home. This is why meditation is so valuable. Meditation is not about becoming something new. It is about strengtheni...
Consider this... f rom a neuroscience perspective, the subconscious is constantly constructing a model of reality from memory, conditioning, beliefs, expectations, and sensory input. We do not simply see the world "as it is"; we interpret it through patterns already stored within us. From the contemplative perspective that runs through 9 books, one journey, one could say: You never experience reality directly. You experience reality as it is rendered through consciousness, mind, memory, and perception. Think about this: When you see a tree, how do you know it is a tree? The eyes receive light and shape, but the recognition comes from memory. Without prior familiarity, the image would simply be color and form without meaning. In that sense, every experience is a meeting between the following: What appears "out there." What already exists as potential "in here." The mind recognizes because it contains a corresponding pattern. This is why two people can wi...