Freedom from mind
Februruary 2024
Freedom from Mind
As Suma Varughese embarks on freeing herself of the mind, she finds her allies in her inner Spiritual Warrior and her Vast Higher Self
My focus is currently on freeing myself of the hold of the mind, and that is no joke, because identification with the mind has been my lifelong experience. However, God’s grace afforded me a couple of allies who are supporting me in this daunting task.
The first surfaced four months back. I was facing a particularly intense fear. It had come up several time earlier, and each time it did so, I could feel myself almost collapse under its weight. On this particular instance, I felt so incensed by the power this fear wielded over me, that I gathered all my strength and insisted that God free me of this fear that very instant. Wondrously enough, a stream of strength and power flowed through me, and for the very first time in my life I felt I had been given the capacity to take charge of my life.
I now understand that I must not take my mind seriously, must take no decision based on its verdicts, and instead of resisting it, open up to it fully. Allow the Vast Self to embrace and accept it, and anchor it to my breath. I must also never allow its seductive vision of happiness in the future through
the realisation of this or that dream to entrap me. Only when the mind is fully tranquil, will I know what to do, think or say.
This newfound energy has filled me with a commitment and determination that was earlier alien to me. I call this power my Spiritual Warrior, and over time, it has proved itself capable of taking on almost anything that the Universe has thrown at me. I have been beset with a severe stomach infection that has persisted for more than 40 days. I have lost enormous quantities of weight, gone through severely uncomfortable symptoms, and yet my Warrior has blazed through it all. It has helped me to face the helplessness to which the mind habitually succumbed without flinching. It has stood by waves of anger and capitulation and helped me bank them. It has supported me in embracing every bit of mind stuff and anchoring them to my breath. Its steely resolve wavers often, but it returns with redoubled vigour. I have also discovered another secret power, and that is the enormity of the real me. A thought came to me a few days back, that I was everywhere and that was why I was in the here. I also existed in
all time zones and that was why I was in the Now. I soon began to feel a new spaciousness dawning over me which enabled me to embrace every part of me – all thoughts, feelings, sensations and my resistance to them. For the first time, I experienced an immense and unconditional peace which nothing could disturb because whatever showed up was embraced by the Vast Self. And as the mind reduces its speed, I am finding it easier to descend into my Vast Self.
As I become more conscious, I am recognising how shallow and frivolous are the mind’s wants, desires and impulses. The insecurities that well up, the fear that others may hurt me, the need for others to behave in a way that would not give me pain, the desires and hopes that keep me stuck in the future, the judgements, reactions, prejudices and biases that pit me against the other. None of these are worth taking seriously. And doing so will only cause suffering.
Suma Varughese is a teacher of words and wisdom. She broadcasts spiritual truths and a love for
writing in her various capacities as columnist, writer, writing coach, and the founder-facilitator of the popular Zen of Good Writing Course. She
is the former editor of Life Positive and Society magazines. She has authored Travelling Light, Travelling Lighter, and 50 Life Lessons. She can be
contacted at sumavarughese@gmail.com . We welcome your comments and suggestions on this article. Mail us at editor@lifepositive.net