The Living Universe - Duane Elgin [61]
What does flow consciousness feel like? Imagine you are riding a bike along a road with a 20-mph wind blowing directly at your back. When you are pedaling slower than 20 mph you feel the wind pushing from behind. When you are pedaling faster than 20 mph, you feel the wind pushing from the front. But at perfect speed—when the speed of your bike matches the speed of the wind—the world suddenly becomes very still and your movement along the road becomes nearly effortless. In a similar way, when our flow of awareness comes into precise synchronization with the arising of the universe, then the world suddenly becomes very quiet and our passage through life becomes calm and easeful. When we are aware of the stillness within motion, we are in the center of the flow of continuous creation. In flow consciousness, we experience a deep harmony as the personal and the universal move together in mutual synchrony.10 Because any activity done with fullness of attention offers an opportunity to connect with the cosmic flow, this experience is always available to us.
No matter how mundane the circumstance, no matter how seemingly trivial the situation, we can always be aware of the subtle flow of creation happening within and around us. We can glimpse the current of creation in small ways—perhaps in the golden light of a late afternoon or in the luster of an old wooden table that shines and dances with an inexplicable depth and glow. We can also witness the buzzing aliveness of creation in places that may seem far removed from nature—a room filled only with plastic, chrome, steel, and glass will fiercely display the flow of creation in the raw. In the gentle contemplation of any part of ordinary reality, we can catch glimpses of the great hurricane of energy that blows with silent force through all things.
In learning the skills of living within a living universe, humanity will acquire the perspective, wisdom, and compassion we will need to sustain ourselves into the deep future. A dynamically stable and self-organizing planetary civilization can grow and become a participant in the unfolding cosmos. The dynamic integration of this stage represents both the completion of a long process of development and the foundation for a new beginning. We are making our way into the infinite reaches of our home—the living universe nested within the ever-sustaining Mother Universe.
In considering these three stages of awakening, it is important to respect our personal stage of learning and be patient with ourselves, neither getting ahead of ourselves nor lagging behind. For example, it is important not to reach for the spaciousness of a cosmic consciousness (conscious participation in the ecology of the cosmos) when a witnessing consciousness has yet to be stabilized. On the other hand, it does not serve us to continue to cultivate the subtle polarity of a witnessing or observing consciousness when we have developed the capacity to move into cosmic consciousness and achieve compassionate communion with the cosmos. We are each responsible for discerning where we are on our journey of awakening and for seeking guidance and a community of support.
Fundamental to our journey of return is resting in the amazing grace of a living universe. What a kindness it is to discover that we are her offspring. What relief from the existential anxiety of profound separation. A higher sanity emerges. Once again we can be curious about the invisible presence and look for the “light within light.” We can listen for the great sound of creation as the universe arises silently in each moment and quench our soul’s thirst with the sweet waters of the primordial ocean of aliveness, present since the beginning of all beginnings.
Part Four
Actions for the Journey Ahead
Chapter 8
Six Vital Tasks for the Journey Home
Take courage. The human race