Acceptance…
Often, changes are taking place within ourselves independently from our thinking, and we forget that it is the higher Self in us that guides the soul to its evolutionary unfoldment. Tasting the sweet-bitterness of life, our ego is busy pocketing the experience, while the Self is watching in detachment.
Acceptance... for we are already being guided, every day, every moment. Once we've made the decision to enter the path of meditation — the silent path to unfold the soul — means the Self is ready to be acknowledged by the self, which is ultimately the same. The seeming difficulty is only in that transitory state of self-identity, for of course the ego and the lower nature will put up a ferocious battle for its survival.
Acceptance means non-judgment. Letting everything and everyone be as they are: life's circumstances, people with their opinions, yourself, with all the mental and the emotional ups and downs. Ultimately, acceptance leads to surrender, one of the greatest qualities of a mature heart, open to all experiences and possibilities. Surrender is the key to set the soul free from its imprisonment, and allows the light of the Self to reveal your true nature.
How can one practice acceptance? The mind is wavering by its nature — always analyzing or calculating, and the ego is not going to accept anything without a credit. Trying to practice acceptance without the help of the Witness in you, is like signing cheques on an empty account, knowing your efforts will bounce.
The deep inner silence of our daily practice reveals the Witness of all our experiences — that which illumines our senses, our mind, our ego and our intellect. Without the light of the Witness, all the above mentioned have no existence of their own. Is there anything for us to accept or reject? That is the basis of true acceptance…
Witnessing yourself by the Self, you will live in the presence of the moment, knowing well that, that is all there is — the ever-changing experience of never-changing Awareness.
Igor Kufayev, Primrose Hill, London. September 2003