Brahms, or Beefcake?

You're standing in your kitchen, preparing food for dinner. Your favorite Brahms concerto is playing, the cat's curled up on the chair, and there's a nice breeze outside, so your window is open a crack. And then you hear the cackle Your attention is grabbed by a cackle outside your window. Setting your cleaver down, you glance outside and see your neighbors outside, having a conversation. One of them cackles. They're talking loudly about hair, their friends, and the relative "hotness" of the men of Hollywood. Ten minutes later, it hits you. What happened to Brahms? You got so interested in the discussion about beefcake, that Brahms went right out the window. Did you turn down the volume? Nope, it's right where it was. But because you wanted to hear the dating discussion, you turned it down in your head. It's called selective listening. And it'll save your hide. How to save your hide Every day, thousands, if not millions, of messages make their way through your various senses and into your mind. You are constantly filtering them, listening to the ones you want and tossing the rest. But sometimes, you get stuck with a voice that doesn't really take you where you want to go. Why would you listen to a voice that isn't taking you where you want? Same reason you rubberneck on the freeway when there's an accident: d-r-a-m-a. Drama pulls you in and makes you look, even when it isn't something you necessarily want to see. I mean, seriously, do you really want to see someone hurt on the side of the road? Probably not. But it's still hard to turn your head away, because you're naturally drawn to drama. Save the drama for your mama When you're trying to heal an issue, pattern, or disease, however, it's the drama within the issue that can keep you from finding the truth and peace, so you should, as they say, "save the drama for your mama!" (Never thought I'd say that in an article...) Turning your attention to the truth, however, is sometimes easier said than done. How to hear the truth You miss hearing the truth In the moments when your drama is overpowering your connection to God (beefcake, over Brahms). But the truth isn't gone - it's just in the background. To bring it back to the forefront, here's a key that works for my clients: Turn the volume up on God, and down on the drama. Let's look at how this works... Example: There you are, stuck in your painful pattern of say, victimhood. You can see it, and you can see how it messes you up, and in your mind, you probably even know it can't be all there is - but it's got you in its clutches just the same. So, you use your Remembrance to connect into the presence of God... wait - where's God? You can't feel God!? Now you really feel like a victim. Did God abandon you? Of course not, silly! You're still listening to the pain! But just like the Brahms, God's volume didn't change - your focus did. And you can shift your focus back, just as easily. By choosing to "turn the volume up" on God - putting the focus of your awareness on the signal being broadcast in your heart - and choosing to "turn the volume down" on the pain, by not believing or giving in to the voices that tell you otherwise. It's simply a matter of intention. When intention isn't enough Sometimes your intention to listen to your Remembrance isn't enough, though. You try, and try as you might, it's still faint. When this happens, it's time to bring in the big guns. Here's a trick my spiritual guide once shared: "If you ever feel like something has come between your heart and God, say 'Bismi'llah!' (translation: In the Name of God), and be in Remembrance until you're clear." Sounds simple. It is. Does it sound simplistic? It's not, believe me. You'll be surprised how quickly the feelings of distance and separation can dissolve. The first time I tried it, I wasn't expecting much, either. But I was feeling stuck, so I gave it a shot. It took about seven seconds before I was back in my heart, feeling connected and held again. I was a believer after that, let me tell you! The moral of the story Attention, focus, awareness - these are powerful tools. They can make the difference between having an experience of peace and connectedness, or experiencing drama, pain, and separation. But, none of this is new to you, is it? What you need to remember is that you can turn down the volume on the drama around you, just like tuning out the beefcake discussions. Because your experience of reality is much, much different when you're listening to the Brahms in your heart.