• In :
• March 2021 LP

The power of awareness 
Shivi Verma finds that listening to your inner voice and connecting to the Divine through meditation can change your life in unimaginable ways  

Spirituality changes you at a very deep level. If you come across someone who claims to do sadhana (spiritual practice), read spiritual books, and listen to spiritual discourses—yet does not show any substantial change in their behaviour, habits, and temperament—you can be assured that their efforts are superficial in nature.

As more and more light enters your consciousness via spiritual practices, the more it illuminates all areas in your inner world that need work and improvement. It also makes you realise that nothing happens by chance, and unless you take your share of responsibility for your life, nothing of value will ever unfold in it.

This is where you recognise that the hold of maya, or illusion, is so strong on human beings. The mind, if not tamed by the power of consciousness, can become your master and take you down the road to doom and failure.

I have observed that speaking truth to yourself is one of the cornerstones of bettering your life. For unless you are honest with yourself, how can you make room for changes and improvements in your life? Human beings are a bundle of mistakes, as is rightly said, but we are not obligated to keep repeating them and not learning from them. This is where self-honesty comes in handy. Most people react poorly to criticism, not knowing that success comes easier to those who are open to listening to it. The mind, which is a fragile entity, only wants happiness and pleasure, that too in the short term. Because of this, so often, we do not do things that are beneficial for us in the long run. To rise in life, we need to constantly introspect and check if whatever criticism is being directed at us has any truth in it or not. 

The inner voice never lies to you.We all know when we are guilty of procrastination, fear, laziness, greed, envy, pride, or lust. But since the ego loves comfort, it gives excuses to defend its poor choices. They may sound logical and convincing to yourself and others, but your heart knows your true intentions and motivations. Over time, this inner voice can become muted if we stubbornly refuse to listen to it.

So often I see people around me who could benefit from honest observations about themselves if only they could take it in the right spirit. But since they lack the strength to admit their weaknesses, they vehemently resist any such attempt from a well-wisher and prefer the self-created delusory world of excuses and compulsions.

Sincere meditation or connection with the Divine illuminates all your vices like floodlights do a stadium at night. You can no longer hush your inner voice or avoid seeing your own truth as they stand naked before your eyes. You also see the consequences of all your actions and inactions, and how, eventually, you would have only yourself to blame for your losses. It amazes me to see how I no longer waste time, keep my word, do due diligence, and take responsibility for my life, health, relationships, and finances. I also realise that I am not the one doing all this and a higher power which exists within me has taken over me, simply because I decided to wake up.

When you drop your expectations from life and decide to meet its challenges head-on, you grow exponentially. You also feel content knowing that you gave your best shot at life, regardless of whether the results favoured you or not. This in itself is a reward worth coveting.

Editor of Life Positive, Shivi Verma is a devotee who found all her answers in loving God passionately.