It is interesting to go through life ‘thinking’ every minute of the day without paying attention to what is actually happening when you have a thought. In practices of dis-attachment one often hears the advice ‘observe your thoughts; thoughts are like clouds in the sky, you can’t grab them, just watch them go by.’ What does that actually mean?

When I say the word ‘mother’ to you, in reality there are only five possibilities that can happen. You SEE A PICTURE of your mother, you SEE A VIDEO of your mother, you SEE THE WORD ‘mother’, you HEAR THE WORD ‘mother’, or you have an abstract THOUGHT BALL of the concept of mother.

Regardless of the meaning (positive or negative) that you associate with ‘mother’, the mechanics of what happens is one of the five things described above. ‘Becoming awake’ has a lot to do with differentiating between what is actually happening and the meaning you attribute to what is happening.

For the next 24 hours, pay attention to what is really happening in your Inner Space, the space you ‘see’ when your eyes are closed. For most people what is actually happening is hearing a voice or seeing a picture, though the other three options are also possible. Notice the shift in your perspective as your awareness increases.