The power of pause

When man became consciously aware of thought, they began to notice two distinct perspectives within them. 

These perspectives can be understood as follows:

Direct experience of the world.

In this mode of consciousness, we are identified with everything that takes place inside us, with every thought and emotion.

Observation of the Experiencing of the World.

In this mode of consciousness, we step back from the experience, thoughts and emotions and observe them from a detached perspective.

To understand this concept more, let’s say you are arguing with your dad or partner. When you are directly experiencing the argument, you usually find yourself fully immersed in the argument and the emotions and thoughts that come with it.

We can feel angry, desperate, and sad. We can have thoughts like ‘You are an idiot’ or “You are so stubborn” as we are fully absorbed in our emotions and thoughts.

But we could also step back and observe what is happening without being pulled into the reactions, the emotions and thoughts. Instead of being fully immersed in the argument, we see the situation from a 3rd person’s perspective. We observe the reactions, the emotions, and the thoughts we have.

Developing the observer self doesn’t mean in any way that we become passive in situations where we shouldn’t or we avoid conflict when our boundaries have been violated. It does not mean that we remove ourselves from any uncomfortable situation and not let it impact us. It means that we direct our attention inwardly to see what is happening within us.

It means we can remain fully conscious so we may choose to respond instead of reacting. But how do we do that when we feel intensely?

Between stimulus and response, we can create a pause. We can create space. In that pause lies our power to become intensely present and aware of what emotion and thought is occurring within us. By recognizing what is occurring, we are observing what is. We are in the perspective of the observer self.

We are being present with our emotions and negative thoughts rather than being lost in them.

Intentionally creating pauses helps  gather our thoughts, feel our emotions and process our triggers. It can help us to not act violently or say words that we will regret because of the intense emotions and charged situation. It can offer us the opportunity to change our perspective and see the situation in a new light, communicate better. It can help us better understand what we need and express our needs in a polite way. We can also cultivate deeper intimacy with ourselves and a better understanding of our inner self. Creating pauses can also provide an opportunity to shift our perspective and help us move forward in an aligned way.

This channelled symbol can help us pause in order to dive deeply into the experience of what we feel and think so we can come out the other side with more understanding and clarity. It can help us be present with what is occurring  within ourselves.