Michael Singer wrote a New York Times bestseller entitled “The Untethered Soul” which sheds light on our everyday thoughts and experiences in an entertaining and enlightening way. This is the anchor or theme for the month of March since our book club is in the thick of it currently.
What is an “untethered soul”? First and foremost, we need to dive deep within our thoughts and emotions and when we do, we discover there is a constant chatter that is going on inside our heads. We humans have a tendency to see what is going on in the world around us and then “audit” it; we categorize, pass judgment, jump to conclusions and basically bring out a flurry of problems.
But what if we were able to realize that there is something within us that is more than this constant chatter and “auditor”? What if we were to recognize that there is something within us that is deeper than this? There is. It’s called consciousness and consciousness has the ability to focus. The process of seeing something requires a subject-object relationship. The subject is called the “Witness” because it sees what’s happening. The object is what you are seeing.
To obtain true inner freedom we must be able to objectively watch our problems and break the habit of thinking the solution is to rearrange things on the outside. Being aware that we are aware is the key. Eventually we will begin to realize that the outside world and the flow of inner emotions come and go. But you, the observer, the witness, the one who experiences these things, remain consciously aware of whatever passes before you.
Say with me: “Today I am aware I am more than thoughts and emotions. I am the silent Observer of the objects before me and as I quiet my mind I find peace within.”
— Rev. Gay Beauregard, Alpine Church of Spiritual Living
