Let me ask you a question... What is meditation?
I'm sure you have an idea about what it is, but I want to challenge your depth of understanding. I'm not challenging you because I know better, I want to challenge you because I believe that the more you understand about meditation, the more powerful your meditations will become.
I started accidentally meditating in 2013 and then more consciously in 2016 when I completed some meditation courses. During that time I listened to guided meditations or simply followed the guidance of my instructors and to be honest, nothing really changed.
I mean sure, during the meditation I would feel different feelings but after each meditation, life didn't really seem profoundly different. Because of that, meditation wasn't something I prioritised because in all honesty I found more benefit in simply taking action towards my dreams.
However, it didn't take long for me to experience a crisis in life which forced me to re-evaluate my strategy and what I thought would lead me to fulfilment. I had reached a point in my life where any success I achieved left me feeling empty and unfulfilled. It didn't matter how much money I made, or how much praise I received, I still felt as if it was never enough. As I began to see beyond the illusion of success I was chasing, it became clear that nothing in the outside world was able to fill the void inside.
Through these experiences I noticed that no matter what I achieved, there was something inside of me that felt inherently uneasy. Anything I was doing in my life, whether it was exploring relationships, creating wealth or building a brand, it was simply a means to compensate for this deeper inner emptiness. Upon this realisation, I sought to explore meditation once more, but this time by confronting this void within me.
This void is what spiritual teachers like Eckhart Tolle refer to as the primordial pain, and believe it or not, this rests deep within every person. If you had asked me even four years ago if I had pain driving me, I would have denied it: I was focused on chasing success and striving for achievement. However, through a sequence of painful events, I had come to realise that deep within me too was this inherent sense of pain and that any action I took was simply a means for me to fill this void.
Faced with a dichotomy, I had to make a decision. Either put on my mask of success again and pretend that everything was ok, or go inwards and explore the innermost cave to discover who I truly was. I knew that chasing success would just lead me around again in a full circle, and so I decided to risk it all and face whatever was lying inside.
This is when meditation gained an entirely new level of meaning. No longer was I meditating to feel better, or to "rewire" my mind for success. No longer was I listening to enjoyable music and the guidance of a mentor. This time around I was going inwards, with no music, no guidance, and simply confronting the pain face to face.
I knew that if I didn't confront the pain I would keep wearing a mask and pretending that being successful was making me happy. And on the other hand I was also petrified of facing the pain because I had no idea what to expect by letting go of everything I thought I was. Over the course of maybe two to three years, as I wrestled with my mind and emotions, I went through a barrage of experiences in which I faced all of the pain that was lying beneath.
During this time I wanted to make sense of myself. I wanted to know who I really was. I wanted to know from an intellectual standpoint as well as an experiential standpoint, and gradually, through many meditations and contemplations I began to shape a greater understanding about what authenticity actually is and how to reach the state of authenticity within.
I realised that at the core of it all, we are the soul. We are the consciousness that sits beyond our personality, but I hadn't in my life experienced a conscious connection with this part of myself. Everything I had done was simply my personality trying to succeed, be loved and gain validation. To help me understand myself and the journey towards myself, I created the Map of Emotion which you can learn about in my free course, Discover Your Authentic Self, and I will also be talking about in in greater detail an upcoming newsletter.
"I realised that at the core of it all, we are the soul"
Using the Map of Emotion, I began meditating with the clear intention to find myself because I knew that if I could find myself, then my life would no longer be driven by the primordial pain and from the internal void. I knew that if I could connect with my Authentic Self I'd find my purpose and from there my life would become inspired, meaningful and fulfilling.
Then, one day, it happened....
I had an experience that changed the trajectory of my life forever. During a four hour long meditation something profound occurred. I won't go into the detail here because it was an ordeal, but to make a long story short I had an experience of such purity that my entire being became absolutely peaceful. Amidst that total inner peace, there was no void or primordial pain, there was just love and abundance.
After the experience I had a feeling of calmness come across me that multiple people commented on, saying how calm, grounded and present I had become. I felt inherently different and I acted inherently different. It was as if the mask of my personality had come off and I could see myself for who I truly was. The need for success and validation dissolved, along with the fears that were driving me into action each day.
It was liberation...
Liberation from my mind...
Liberation from my emotions...
Liberation from who I thought I was....
It was freedom, and with that freedom came a new life...
Out with the old and then simply leaving empty space for the new...
I didn't make any plans, except for to spend as much time as possible in meditation and connecting with myself each day. And from there, naturally following the most inspiring path. This led to large scale physical changes in my life, selling everything, moving overseas, stopping work and of course, writing my book which will be coming out in 2025.
What I can tell you is that until we find ourselves, until we get beyond our personality, we will keep running the same patterns within our life. We might experience change, we might experience happiness but we'll never experience genuine fulfilment. There will be always seem to be something missing in our lives, something we're always chasing, and the only solution is to fill that inner void.
It is through meditation that this realisation can be achieved, and it is through this achievement that we set ourselves free to follow our true path.
Live Inspired,
John
PS: Each month I write a free newsletter that explores tips for empowering and inspiring ourselves by mastering our psychology and tapping into our spiritual potential. If you'd like to join the newsletter and learn how to empower yourself in every area of life, click the link below and enter your details.
📥 Newsletter Sign Up: www.johntempleton.io/newsletter
FREE ONLINE COURSE - DISCOVER YOUR AUTHENTIC SELF
To find genuine fulfilment. To find true purpose. To live an inspired life. All of these things can only occur when we are being our Authentic selves. So who are you? And what is your purpose? We can only truly know these things when we're connected to our soul, our Authentic self.
💻 Discover Your Authentic Self Sign Up (FREE): www.johntempleton.io/discover-your-authentic-self
Comments