The Mental Cage
Most of us live & move within a mental cage that is constructed out of our thoughts, feelings and desires.
The entrancing nature of this illusion makes us regard the cage as our true identity and so if anyone threatens our desires, beliefs or identity then we may become defensive and want to fight them.
The defender of this cage is the ego or ‘I’ thought and it is the root and foundation of the entire mind. It keeps us trapped and fearful about what will happen if we drop our mental defences. The ego keeps the cage door locked tight and it is only when we are patient and forgiving towards the ego that it will relax and open the door into the freedom of the silent Presence.
Until then a lack of discernment binds us to our thoughts, cut off from the life and creativity of the present moment. Discernment refers to the ability to tell the difference between what is real and eternal in our nature and what is mind-based and temporary.
The world is a dream created by the mind and senses and the dream’s story is narrated by the ego. Trapped in this cage we are like the man who reacts when he thinks he is seeing a snake, when he’s only looking at a piece of rope.
Every immersion in your natural state of Presence dis-empowers the dream, allowing you to relax more deeply into the ever-present, all-knowing and all-powerful present moment.
As the cage door slowly opens you gradually realize that events are transient, that love and silence are your true nature and are always there when you are present. The mind just has to be silent for you to feel it.
When you surrender to what is and relax into your natural state of Presence you see that all the beliefs, fears and desires are separate from your true nature and then they melt away.
With each moment of awakening you stand free, liberated from the activity of the mind, even though nothing else has changed in your day to day life.
You come to love and value the silence and stillness above all things and see that nothing has ever happened to take you out of your natural state. You have simply identified with the cage and its contents.
In Reality everything is perfect and whole and always has been.