704th Week: The Concept of Emergence—Expect Miracles

ByNancy Napier

Watching a video of a talk from, I think, a Science and Nonduality Conference, a concept caught my attention and got me to thinking about the power of creativity and unexpected discoveries.  In this talk, the presenter described the process of  “emergence”, where nature is able to bring things together and create completely unanticipated results, outcomes we wouldn’t be able to conger up from the original elements involved.  The example he gave that stuck with me is how, when nature brings together two inert elements—say, two atoms of hydrogen and one atom of oxygen—there is no way any of us would expect that combination to create a liquid, water.  For me, this is a powerful and inspiring example of Nature’s intelligence and of the creative, living context in which we live.

It also got me to thinking about how important it is to stay open to possibility.  Because of my many years of working with the optimal future self, and how that can include the idea of “emergence”, hearing about this concept fed my sense of how we have an opportunity to learn to be open to the possibility that something unexpected and healing may be able to emerge from seemingly disparate and unrelated developments.

When I run into these kinds of ideas, I find that my mind and emotions orient to the process of being open in the ways I might do if I’m walking through a park or a forest, alert to things I haven’t seen before.  Curiosity and interest, along with what I can only describe as a perceptual flexibility, accompany me and I am ready and willing to be surprised when I encounter something totally unexpected.  I feel the same way when I watch presentations from conferences that interest me—what new way of seeing or understanding things will surprise me as I watch and listen?

For this week’s practice in conscious living, I invite you to be aware that there are potential miracles all around you.  Nature constantly brings together seemingly unrelated elements and creates unexpected outcomes.  Life, nature as a creative force, has an infinite array of possibilities to explore and has done so in some amazing ways over the eons of time life has emerged and developed on this planet.  Notice what it’s like to allow your life to include this sense of possibility in terms of what might emerge for you personally, for us collectively, for the planet as a whole.

Pay particular attention to the degree of flexibility you discover in your perceptions, in the ways you think about things, and in how it is for you to receive unexpected input.  In a number of the presentations at the Science and Nonduality Conference, I was reminded of how little we humans actually perceive of the actual environment around us, and how powerfully our perceptions are shaped by our beliefs.  For me, this reminder becomes an invitation to take on as a practice a process of promoting some increased flexibility in my willingness to be surprised by new information.  Track how this process is for you, as part of this week’s exploration.

As with all these practices in conscious living, there’s no “right’ way to do this one.  Rather, it offers an invitation to become increasingly aware of how your beliefs, perceptions, and emotions shape the quality of your inner life.  Remember to bring along curiosity as your constant companion, and to pat gently on the head any judgments that may arise, allowing them to move on through.

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676th Week: Healing Happens

676th Week: Healing Happens

ByNancy Napier

Walking through Central Park one morning, as I do every morning on my way to work, I went in amongst the trees – something I also do every day. I’m often in the same areas where off-leash dogs run and play, so I’m used to having dogs appear seemingly out of nowhere as they explore their very large playground.

When I first began to commute across the park, some 20 years ago now, my body had to unlearn some early programing that constantly caused me to experience a startle response when a dog would either come toward me or suddenly show up behind or near me. This response came from grammar school experiences of being chased by a neighborhood dog where I was not at all amused, as were the boys who encouraged the dog to chase me.

On this particular morning, my attention was with the trees, as it usually is when I walk in certain areas of the park, and I suddenly felt something nip at the heel of my shoe… Read More “676th Week: Healing Happens”

714th Week: When Every Being is Kin

714th Week: When Every Being is Kin

ByNancy Napier

Recently, I’ve been ramping up a practice as I go through Central Park on my way to the office that has to do with recognizing that everything I encounter along the way, every living being—human or otherwise—is kin.  This recognition comes from the awareness that we are all “children of Gaia”, with no exceptions.  A colleague mentioned to me last week that she saw a documentary in which the anthropologist pointed out that not so long ago, geologically speaking, we humans were part of nature’s “wildlife”.  It was only when we began to use agriculture that we shifted from actively participating as local wildlife.  It was a reminder that we humans, as well as every other life form, are born from the same source of physical life—we are all Gaian beings.

This practice got me to paying more attention to what I experience as I recognize that every living being I encounter in the course of my daily activities is kin.  On my walk, for example, acknowledging people, trees, bushes, birds, dogs, grass, rocks—everything I encounter along the way—as kin, I notice that my heart becomes more open and I feel more immediately connected to the world around me.  It’s hard to describe, but I become aware of a deepened sense of relatedness to, and part of, my world.  That experience then touches something deeper that nourishes a richer sense of well-being. Read More “714th Week: When Every Being is Kin”

856th Week: Returning to Steadiness

856th Week: Returning to Steadiness

ByNancy Napier

For quite a long while now, I have invited myself and others to find the fundamental and ever-present steadiness that is an inherent part of our core presence. Within this living presence of centered and grounded awareness, there is always a steadiness that is undisturbed by anything that may be happening in our lives. It’s a practice I’ve cultivated and returned to again and again, and the habit of orienting to the steadiness that cannot be disturbed has proven to be a powerful and useful resource.

One example of the benefits of settling into the underlying steadiness we all carry at the core of our being is a mundane one, but one that has had particular importance to me. As the child in my family who felt responsible for caring for my mother’s happiness (definitely a child’s perspective!), I developed an underlying anxiety around caregiving. Needless to say, this anxiety was readily present over the years whenever animal members of my family needed medication or some other challenging treatment. Inevitably, I would be anxious—anything but calm—and that never helped. What I discovered in recent weeks, when three feline members of my household had medical issues come up, is that my practice of orienting to my internal steadiness has offered an opportunity to meet these medical needs with a calm presence that I didn’t know was possible. 

For this week’s practice in conscious living, I invite you to explore the following practice to see what it might offer to you. 

Read More “856th Week: Returning to Steadiness”
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March 2017 Audio Meditation

ByNancy Napier

2023 February Audio Meditation
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2023 February Audio Meditation

ByNancy Napier

This month, we continue the theme of how we are in relationship with everything around us. This meditation is an invitation to sense into the presence of the environment around you, noticing how your radiating presence contributes to this environment even as its presence, and all that comprises it, touches you.

Please remember never to listen to these audio meditations when driving or operating dangerous machinery…

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