"Let's have a chat ...is it?"

Hi Dad how’s it going?” I said as I walked in.

 “How is what and where is it going?” He replied with a wry smile.

 “OK how are you and Mam and have you had a good week ..is that better?”

 “Well it’s easier to understand and answer and we are fine thank you … but more importantly how was your week and how much of it did you spend up in your head flooded with thoughts?” 

 “To be honest Dad I did reflect on what you said … that we create our own experience of reality moment to moment using thought ..but ..it’s a bit too deep for me at the moment ….but what did stick was your comment about not analysing everything and not thinking too much and I have to say I have been a lot calmer and a nicer person to be around”

 “Well that’s good for you and makes me happy as I wasn’t sure you were listening last time  and remember one INSIGHT it all it takes!”

 “So Dad guess what? I’m a ENTP!” “Son you are many things and I’m sure you will be called a lot worse at some point!” Dad giggled. “ No we did a personality test in work and I answered a whole lot of questions and the analysis came back and I’m categorised as ENTP Extraversion, Intuition, Thinking and Perceiving which means …. bla bla bla bla!” ..and now I’m going to really get under the skin of what my true purpose in life it bla bla bal….!:”

 Dad's eyes glazed over again and I knew what was coming …” Let’s have a chat ..is it?” He said…

 So time to stop talking and listen .. what comes next is important and worthy of my full attention.

 “You always have been one for books, processes and analysing but sometimes that can cloud what is actually happening especially when it comes to the quality of your experience… now I’m sure a lot of very clever people spent a lot of time and research designing the questions and analysis that you have now decided makes you an ENTP and I’m sure it will be useful to many people in all kinds of ways but let’s take a step back… shall we?” “It’s a biggy for a Sunday but tell me who is David ?” .. and I’m not talking about your CV!”

 “Well David is your son, also a husband, a father, a salesman, a rugby nut …….”

 “Keep going” said Dad

 “Umm I’m more of a Capitalist than a socialist … I guess I’m not particularly religious despite our family being Bible Bashing Baptist’s .. as you sometimes say!” “I’m sometimes loud, I always have an opinion….bla bla bla.”

 “So not an ENTP then?” He said “OK let me ask this in another way … deep down do you believe you are the voice in your head?” “Are you your thoughts?” Now it was Sunday and I had just blasphemed so I had assumed that he was referring to my soul or some such religious topic so I played along.

 “Well if the voice in my head is my soul Dad then yes” 

 “ Funny you should mention your soul, I guess some of Nana’s teaching did get through” he said smiling. “But we are going in the right direction.” “So, do you believe your soul or whatever you want to call it is the voice in your head?”

 “Yes” I said ..that appeared to be the easiest and simplest answer.

Once again Dad’s answer wasn’t what I expected. 

 “ Do you remember when we last spoke we talked about you being the thinker not your thoughts? Well the same principle applies here…. if you can hear the voice it can’t be you .. as you are aware of it” Now that one was going to take a while to sink in so to buy a little time. .. “OK Dad so if I’m not the voice who am I?”

 “ To be honest son many smarter people than me have tried to work that one out but let me give you my thoughts…. If we are aware of the voice in our heads I guess we could say we are awareness … Nana would call it a Soul, many people would say Spirit and there are many other terms used by religions, and groups across the planet but they all agree that we aren’t just our bodies, jobs etc.”

“Now following on from our chat about THOUGHT let’s call this awareness CONSCIOUSNESS and the link being that Conciousness is the function that illuminates and brings to life whatever you're thinking,  allowing us to be aware of all the things that are going on around us, situations, surroundings, events, people and even thoughts”

 I must have had that look on my face so Dad decided to give me a few practical examples. 

 “Now I know you like watching films but you know that when someone is shot or a dragon appears you know it’s just a film and you don’t run out of the cinema screaming ….you  are aware it’s just a film…but sometime you got fooled, especially if it’s a good film with a great director ...you get drawn in and for a moment and the dragon is real!” 

 “ Your consciousness brings these thoughts to life but the more conscious you are or shall we say the higher your consciousness is the less likely you are to believe the dragon is real” 

 Well that helped but Dad could see I needed more guidance.

 “OK let’s try another more practical example… do you remember running into the house when you were 3 screaming that there was a snake in the garden? You were convinced and nothing I could say would change your mind … until we walked outside, and you showed me the snake!” said Dad. “Yes I do and it was only a length of rope from the garage” “ So once you realised it was only a rope your level of consciousness was higher…. Think of your consciousness as having many layers … if you look out of the ground floor of your office and the traffic has stopped you don’t know why ...walk up to the first floor and you see the road is blocked ...up to the 5th floor and you see why ...a VIP is crossing the City. So the higher level of your consciousnesses the greater the understanding or put another way our level of consciousness at any given moment determines the quality of our experience”

 “OK Dad but how do I know what level of consciousness I’m at?”

“Now that one is a bit easier to explain … it’s how you FEEL …. If you are sitting at a low state of consciousness guess what? You feel low, uncomfortable, sometimes angry or stressed… and the higher your level of consciousness you are likely to be more peaceful, caring and happy.”

“Now if you have a decision to make where do you think you are likely to get the best answer low or high? .. for example remember when you had to make a decision about the role you have now?  .. you came down to see us and didn’t stop talking for 30 mins … pro’s, con’s you even made a comment about the Duke of Wellington making lists to aid his decision making …. It was clear to your Mam and me that you weren’t in a good place to decide what to have for lunch never mind your next career move!”

“Yes but it was an important decision Dad!” “Indeed it was … but what did we do?” he asked with that smile.

“Ah we went for walk with the dog and talked …. Can’t remember what we talked about but I remember I enjoyed the walk.” “..and when we got back” Dad said.

“Yes, I know the decision was obvious to me, easy to make and I FELT good about it!”

“ OK got it … now how did I up my levels of consciousness? What’s the process, the method .. can I get a book on the subject?” With a slight shake of his head Dad took a deep breath and said “ No books, no tricks but try looking towards WHAT is creating your experience rather than the CONTENT of that experience…. Then you may have a chance of hearing that quiet wisdom we all have inside us.”

With that he went to the book shelf and pulled out a book …”Do you know where this book came from? He said . “Yes Dad I brough it back after a trip to the USA when I spent some time with “real” people as opposed to business people” “Indeed and did you ever read it or even open it?”

He knew the answer of course and I shook my head.

“Well needless to say I have read it and it is fascinating …  it’s focused on Native Americans and There is a quote somewhere ..let me find it ..”

 Native American Quote ...

The Creator gathered all of Creation and said, "I want to hide something from the humans until they are ready for it. It is the realization that they create their own reality."

The eagle said, "Give it to me, I will take it to the moon." The Creator said, "No. One day they will go there and find it."

The salmon said, "I will bury it on the bottom of the ocean." "No. They will go there too."

The buffalo said, "I will bury it on the Great Plains." The Creator said, "They will cut into the skin of the Earth and find it even there."

Grandmother Mole, who lives in the breast of Mother Earth, and who has no physical eyes but sees with spiritual eyes, said, "Put it inside of them."

And the Creator said, "It is done."