Playing footsie with Maya

Playing footsie with Maya

Shivi Verma recommends mindful living to manoeuvre through the labyrinth of life 

Nothing ever baffles me more than the heavy veil of Maya before us.

No matter how evolved and enlightened you may be, the unawareness of what’s happening on the other side or in the other person’s mind has the power to ruin either yours or the other person’s prospects if you didn’t act with patience, agility, and awareness. Misgivings, misunderstandings, and misconceptions all get created simply because we don’t yet know the full story or can’t see the complete picture.

Therefore, our real test on this planet—when doubts, anger, or confusions assail us—is to step back and introspect if what we are perceiving is true or just our coloured perception due to unclear circumstances.

The old man requesting for a lift might really be needy and not a robber as you might think. The bawling child vehemently protesting against being sent to school might have a valid reason and not be throwing a tantrum. But it isn’t just about being fair to innocent people. Successful living entails that our boundaries stay protected too. Sometimes things may really not be genuine on the other side. The sweet-talking saleswoman might be a con woman trying to swindle you of money. The lover trying to woo you ardently might only be interested in laying you.

How to tread this delicate warp and weft of life? How to ensure that we make the right decisions at all times? Once again, living in awareness is the answer.

For example, I could never be conned by fake callers asking    for my card details long before such incidents became commonplace. Reason? My intuition alerted me to something being amiss, and I paid heed to it. Secondly an unknown voice trying to manipulate me into doing something by instilling fear in my mind was itself an indicator of shady activities.

But there are times when my heart simply flows, and I just follow its commandments. This has included standing up for people who were perceived as untrustworthy by people, simply because a strong voice from within me told me that the person has changed. However, in some cases, our intuition can give us mixed signals. In certain unclear situations, your heart is peaceful and calm, yet your intuition  sends you a warning. In such cases, I realise that things are in a process of changing and taking shape, and it’s better not to take a firm stand. Not only that; the situation demands that I keep a strict vigil on the events as they unfold, consulting my inner voice at every step of the way. Such scenarios are dynamic and can deliver a positive or negative result, depending on how you play them. They require you to practice 360 degrees of awareness, like an exciting football match where a small miss can drastically change the end result of the game.

Taking the Divine along in this complicated game of life and honing your connection with Him on a regular basis through daily meditations ensure that your mind stays separate from your higher self. The less you are in the grip of your desires, the greater are your chances of doing the right thing.