Become the Observer - Higher Self 11

Become the Observer

The old sage told Huo that they were going for a walk in the forest rather than doing their meditation and martial arts training. The boy was a little confused and out of kilter, as he had become accustomed to the training in the morning, which started his day. His first thought was to pick up his pack and take it with them, but he faltered and put it next to the old man's pack instead.

"So it shall be," said the old man.

Huo felt uncomfortable. He had a queasy feeling in the pit of his stomach that he ignored, simply putting it down to the change in routine.
The old sage led him in the dark on a walk through the woods. It was pitch black, the new moon shining no light on their journey. Still feeling queasy, Huo banged his head on a low lying branch, the same branch the old sage ducked under. The old man knew that it was going to be a tough day for the young man, but he had chosen it by not listening to his inner feelings. It would be a great lesson in many ways.

"Huo, if you do not want to get another bang on your head or lose more skin off your arms, I would suggest that you walk with your feelings; obviously, your eyes aren't much help in the darkness.” With that, the old sage took out a piece of cloth and tied it around Huo's head. "Now you will have to go with your feelings."

The young man panicked. He tried to remove the blindfold, but the old sage reached across and grabbed his arm. "Relax," was all he said, and the young man took a deep breath and began to imagine what it would be like to walk in the forest blindfolded. At first he could not imagine it, but as he became more relaxed, he could actually see the forest in his inner mind. He took a few tentative steps, then a few more; soon he was walking at the same speed as he would fully sighted on a bright sunny day. He continued to walk easily through the forest, trusting nothing but his inner sight and his feelings.

It was then that the nausea returned. He continued to walk, trying not to think about the nausea, but the nausea would not disappear, and it was not long before he bumped his head again and started losing bits of skin as he walked into more bushes and trees.

Huo stopped and removed the blindfold. It was still dark, although a hint of sun was coming up over the hill. He sat down, closed his eyes, and centered his feelings in the nausea. After a couple minutes, a picture began to appear in his mind. It was a picture of their camp, and he could clearly see their two packs leaning next to each other. He wondered why he was seeing that particular image when all of a sudden the picture changed and a band of men walked into the camp and were soon rifling through the packs for anything of value. Huo's heart sank when he realized that the dragonfly pendant, the one that was given to him by his parents before they died in the fire, was in the pack and that his last physical memory of them was about to disappear.

He jumped to his feet; maybe he still had time to get there and fight the men for the pendant. No sooner had he had those thoughts, though, did he realize that in his vision of the men it was still dark; it must have happened hours before, and he knew he would never get there in time.
He slumped to the ground in resignation. If he had only brought the pack with him. If he had only tapped into the feeling of nausea earlier, it could have been different. After a few minutes of self-pity, he sat upright and centered his awareness. As he took a few deep breaths, a picture of the bandits appeared in his mind. He sent them love and forgiveness, and all the anger that he was holding towards them drifted away. They obviously needed what was in the pack more than he did. It was unfortunate to lose the pendant, but his mother and father were deep in his heart. He had learnt a great lesson from the loss of the pendant, and that had made it even more special. The old man had taught him to become the observer, but now he knew it was just as important to observe what was going on on the inside. He thanked the Tao for his great lesson and sent a feeling of love out into the world. It was such an expression of love that anybody who had the awareness would have been bathed in its beauty.

Huo opened his eyes, and there sitting beside him in deep meditation was the old sage. He waited while the old man finished his meditation, then came back into the present time and space. While he waited, he reflected on what he had learnt that day. One surprising observation he made was of the incredible control he had allowed others to have on his life; whether it was the bandits who robbed him or the village people who had made him who he was today, everywhere he looked, he could see others trying to control what he thought and did. He realized that by not reacting to others and what they did to him, being the silent observer of his own life, and forgiving himself and the others who trespassed against him, he was free to be person he wanted to become.

The old sage just smiled; his apprentice was now free from the emotions and expectations of others. One day he might even give him back the pendant he removed from the pack when they left the camp that morning.

Blessings and Peace and may you become the observer of yourself and become the person you were destined to become.

Geof

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The 33rd Sage and the 33rd Sage and the Initiate are available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, Watersons, Xlibris, a number of online book stores and on my websites.

The Way of the Initiate will be published late 2013

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