The Receptive Mind
In the 21st century, excessive use of technology and the need to over-communicate causes our brains to stay busy at work, trying to keep up with all the distractions.
Since our brains are adaptive, this distracted state of being can become our normal before we realize what we have lost. The longer humanity stays in this cycle of information-overload, moving from one mental stimuli to another, the more difficult it will become to reside in an aware, present state of being.
The mind relies on past data to feed future thought. It is habitual, easily repeating what it knows. The same thoughts are followed by the same behavior, often without an awareness of what we are doing. This “automation” creates a way of existence that is often remiss of openness, creativity, and the life-expansive energy a soul needs to evolve.
Time becomes irrelevant when we keep recreating the same thing.
Overtime, thinking the same way and doing the same thing creates a comfortable efficiency. Attached to this feeling of comfort, we end up creating life circumstances that are difficult to get out of. Our mind becomes so comfortable in its knowing and way of doing things that we lose touch with the “I of consciousness” that is the true navigation of this earthly plane.
How do we move beyond our comfort with the familiar to experience a more expansive way of being? We start by understanding that it is not our mind that is creative – it is our consciousness that creates. Our mind can process the unlimited data we have access to, but its true purpose is to be receptive.
To cultivate a receptive mind, we question our old way of doing things. We open ourselves to consider new ideas. We train our mind to explore and grow beyond habitual thought and behavior.
A receptive mind does not grasp for information, and it is not strengthened by data. It is strengthened by time and space. It thrives on stillness, silence, and a relationship with the unknown.
A receptive mind resides in a state of openness and trust. It embraces unfamiliar circumstances with ease. Creative activities cultivate this space beyond the mind, allowing us to move into receptivity more easily.
Residing in this receptive state, our mind follows the wisdom of our body as it is instinctually designed to do. Listening to our consciousness, we respond to our soul’s direction. We experience emptiness as the ultimate accomplishment.
Photograph by Vivek Doshi