Escape from Wonderland
Have you ever tried to watch your thoughts? Just observe them without judgment. It’s very, very hard to do.
For one thing, we get so easily distracted. One moment we are observing, and the next thing you know, we’ve gone for a ride with one or more of the thoughts deep into some story. I can’t believe she did that. I should have said this in return. I wonder how that meeting will go tomorrow. I’m worried about next week’s doctor’s appointment.
That rabbit trails are endless. Cat: Where do you want to go? Us: Hmm … not really sure. Cat: Then it doesn’t particularly matter which way you go.
The other reason it’s so hard to objectively observe our thoughts is that we jump into judgment. We have no neutral thoughts. They all affirm our state of wellness (or lack thereof) in this seeming reality.
And yet, all our joy and sorrow are caused by our thoughts. From one of the most powerful lessons in A Course in Miracles are these lines: “It is your thoughts alone that cause you pain. Nothing external to your mind can hurt or injure you in any way.”
The more we practice observing our thoughts without judgment, the more our chains of bondage are loosened. We escape our temporary sojourn into the sea of tears and re-enter the resplendent arms of peace.
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