Most of us perceive our world by placing attention on forms. By this, I mean what we can experience concretely with our five senses. Many of us define ourselves by what our bodies look like, who our partner is, what education we have, how much money we have, how our children are performing, what car we drive, what our homes and neighborhoods look like, etc.
The Buddhist philosophy reminds us that what we truly are cannot change. Most of us have experienced in some way or another that the aforementioned identities or forms can change radically, and often on a dime. A Course in Miracles helps us remember that peace does not lie in attachment to forms by stating “Nothing real can be threatened, nothing unreal exists, herein lies the peace of God.”
Many of us have been blessed to have moments of mystical or spiritual experiences during which we feel we were able to move through an ego identity and into liberating unconditional love. Needless to say, during this experience we aren’t concerned about whether or not we look fat, are wearing the right clothes, or how we are performing. In the book Paths Beyond Ego, the authors share that “Transpersonal experiences are experiences in which the sense of identity or self extends beyond (trans), the individual, or personal to encompass wider aspects of humankind, life, psyche, and cosmos.” Usually these experiences are just glimpses into divine possibilities and are not fully integrated into our daily realities.
In a coaching session today, my client said that she wants to work in a career where she can express her divinity and help others tap into theirs. I shared with her that I felt that her alignment with her intention to help and heal is more important than the form her job takes. (And of course she will manifest that as she embraces her intention to love and help.) In other words, the outward form or identity of a certain career is not nearly as important as acting in each moment to the best of her ability to be kind and to offer hope and encouragement to those on her path, all the while taking action toward what she can do to offer love in each moment.
