As the Paradigm Shifts | There’s so much more to aging than meets the eye

||| AS THE PARADIGM SHIFTS by ROSIE KUHN |||

My friend Daisy, who worked in hospice for many years, shared with me that from her experience, it appeared that most people make the greatest spiritual advancement in the last few weeks of their lives. I find that fascinating!

Why is it we wait so long to wake up to the incredible potentiality that resides within. Just before meeting that eternal sleep, so many people finally see the light. They are the ones that die with a smile on their face. Here’s perhaps a reason why we wait:

In the book Oneness, I recently read…

“Many feel a reluctance to step into uncharted territory, when the reality of what is transpiring
becomes obvious. And after all the work has been done and the destination is in view, it is easy to
suddenly question all of it! For it is one thing to have intellectually grasped the concepts that
have been presented and to have gone through the motions of putting them into practice. It is
quite another thing to begin to embody the heightened energies and to experience the quickening
that accompanies it.” (Pg. 363)

Though this paragraph is referring to nothing specific, it resonates for me with the process of aging. We are journeying through the direct experience of life on a trajectory of completion. However, as we near the end stages we feel reluctance, resistance and a great desire to avoid that whole arena of living and dying. It’s like dropping out of college just months before graduation.

The Transformational Process Called Aging

One is often unprepared to anticipate the feelings that accompany the transformational process called aging. As we approach the threshold that appears to separate us from life on this planet—what we call death, we are at choice as to how we want to prepare ourselves for this phase of the journey.

Most of us are thoroughly unprepared for the potentiality of what awaits us in the Golden Years of our lives. I remember complaining to my chiropractor years ago—probably when I was in my 50’s, that I wasn’t as excited about long hikes as I had been in earlier years—that I was afraid that I was getting weak and flabby. She responded with, “You aren’t supposed to be as physically strong as you have been. That’s what this next phase of life is about. Stop worrying about it!” I
got what she was saying, but I didn’t like it yet!

From Outward to Inward

In this next phase of life, we are on more of an inward journey. It’s less about being of service to the world through productivity, and more about being of service to the world through stillness, contentment, serenity and peace. Yep! This is a big leap—one we can take with our eyes and our minds open, or we can shut our eyes and our minds off, and blindly and ignorantly go forward.

Most of us, I’m said to say, choose the later. Dang it!

As our abilities decline, where do we focus our energy, our intentions, our hearts’ desires? We have greater awareness and access to our human spirit-self. We have an opportunity to experience compassion for who we are, what we’ve gone through, and all the perceptions that brought us into this specific condition of aging. But, again, sadly, most of us are focused on avoiding what we are afraid to be with, what we are afraid to lose, what we can’t control, and what we will ultimately surrender. This is a very humbling stage of life. So worth the wait!!!

If we want, we can begin to consciously witness ourselves on our journey to becoming something else. We’ve witnessed others—parents, aunts, uncles, and grandparents. But now, we are in it, and it’s a fascinating experience. In our fifties and sixties, we can to review regrets, resentments, and come to accept that perhaps in the physical world, this is as good as it gets. We see the insanity of our bodies changing, but our sense of self feels ageless, and as full of wonder and delight as ever—if not more so.

Yes, grief is part of the process—a huge part in fact. And, all of it is essential to the unfolding of You as you progress. You know this life will end, but you have no idea how or when. You might try to imagine your ending, but you can’t really know it until you live it! Such an adventure, right?

For me, the longer I’m in this body the more fascinating I find this life to be.

Cultivating awareness of who we are inside this physical vehicle grows our capacity to be at choice about what we want to focus on in life. When I die, I want to be one of those people who die in peace, with a smile on their face. Since this is something I aspire to, I actually focus on what I need to shift in order to make this happen. There’re no guarantees. But, regardless of the outcome, my life keeps getting better. Though many of you may consider yourself a spiritual being in a human experience, I would say the majority of you have yet to be clear about what you are actually here to learn in this Earth University. You have yet to declare your major and devote yourself to the tasks of learning what is yours to learn.

Aging, for me, is a spiritual practice. It’s like any and every area of life, for instance parenting, creativity, mediation, yoga, service, and all forms of partnerships. Each of these areas of life can turn up the heat. The intensity of learning opportunities arise and are inevitable. Mortality must be faced, or not. The acceptance of impermanence stares every one of us squarely in the face. Regardless of age, regardless of your major here in Earth University, it is all a huge playground
for Gurus in the making!

Though not speaking specifically about aging, yet certainly relevant to the process, Ram Dass, an American Spiritual Teacher says: “One way to handle extraordinary experiences is to be neither horrified nor intrigued by them. The Tibetan Book of the Dead refers to the ten thousand horrible and the ten thousand beautiful visions. In the course of… [Aging for example] you may meet them all: powers, great beauty, deaths, grotesqueries, angels, demons, all of it. These are just forms, the stuff of the universe. You confront them on the path just as you meet all manner of people when you walk a busy street. Notice them, acknowledge them—don’t deny them—and then let them go.

To cling to these heavens and hells, no matter how beautiful, slows your progress. Not to acknowledge them, or to push them away, is just a more subtle form of clinging. Follow the middle way. As stuff arises in your mind, let it arise, notice it, let it go. No clinging.”

I think we tend to distract ourselves from what Ram Dass wants us to be with. I have no doubt that everyone of us on this planet are meeting the 10,000 horrible and the 10,000 beautiful visions. I believe we would be kinder to each other—more compassionate even, if we allowed ourselves to truly embrace that we are all part of this extraordinary adventure—together! There is no right, wrong, good or bad. There are no reasons to judge another for their way. There’s no reason to hate and be afraid of life or death—we just make it all up. Just embracing the truth of You existing now, is a great leap in faith. A leap that most of us won’t dare to consider. Who thought aging could be such an amazing adventure?

If you are interested in more of what Dr. Rosie has to offer, visit her website: www.theparadigmshifts.com. And, her books are available through Darvills.