“Aha!” Moments – Reality Revealing Itself
By Shukri Devi Ishaya
Do you remember experiencing an unforgettable “Aha!” moment in your life? A time when something became so clear to you, the realisation was simultaneously astounding and truly inspiring. Do you remember the impact of that?
I remember climbing a really high mountain in Scotland for the first time. My friend and I, aged 16, were so determined to get to the top we hardly stopped on the way up. As we reached the summit, the clouds cleared and revealed an utterly breathtaking view of hundreds of miles along the coast.
I stopped dead. My eyes were in disbelief at the beauty unfolding before us. There are hundreds of islands off the coast, so it is a varied and stunning vista. The light was extraordinary! It was the height of summer, the sun was beginning to dip in the sky, and we sat down quietly to eat our picnic. As the wind dropped, this powerful sense of stillness enveloped us.
There was only stillness and silence.
No wind, no rustling trees, no people, no traffic noise, no talking.
Nothing.
My ears were confused; how could nature be so still? How could there be no noise for hundreds of miles? I looked at my friend - we didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
We didn't speak for what seemed like hours. It was as if my entire existence was happening at that moment. This was a perspective I had never consciously known before.
Space. Calm. Ease. Clarity. Humility. Gratitude.
The “Aha!” Moment Showed Me There Was Another Way To Experience Life
At the time, our usual daily lives were consumed with attending a music school, where everything was stressful and intense. And so noisy! Forty kids practising instruments all day long!
Waking up to Chopin études being played perfectly at 6am; hearing my fellow pupils effortlessly racing through scales, arpeggios and studies each morning was quite disturbing - on many levels!
The daily schedule was so tightly packed there was no space to simply be - it was all about doing. Doing better, more accurately! Pushing. Not being enough in this moment. This moment not being enough.
That day in the mountains, however, the “Aha!” moment came with the experience of just simply being and simply experiencing. Being so empty of myself there was space and time to absorb everything in front of me, and the realisation I could actually experience peace. By doing nothing!
I didn't know this was possible until then, and I vowed to myself to make hillwalking a huge priority in my life. At that time, I thought that peace could only be experienced up a mountain, away from everything and everyone. Also, until that day, I had no idea just how incredibly beautiful the natural world is.
“Aha!” Moments Are A Gift On Our Path
These moments are a huge gift in our journey of life; this journey of Self-realisation. They open us up to more - more awareness, more joy, more gratitude, more love - more magic!
Whether you realise it or not, you are on a path of consciousness. Just by being alive.... Congratulations!
But, what does that even mean? It may seem like life is about achieving things, acquiring things, and creating awesome experiences - which, of course, is all part of the path you have taken and will continue to live. But, it's not the complete picture.
Let's check in for a moment. How is your life right now? Is it uplifting, exciting, enjoyable, rewarding? Or is it uncomfortable? Do you want certain things to change? If there is discomfort, well done you! You really want to celebrate this.
Being uncomfortable is a superb playground for opening yourself up and making exciting changes and discoveries within you. If, on the other hand, your life is comfortable - also, good job! Isn't comfort lovely?
Comfort can also be a little dangerous! There is a very high chance your happiness is based on things on the outside. For example, how would you feel if some of those things or people weren't in your life anymore?
Is Your Experience Of Life Built On A Shaky Foundation?
By relying on temporary things there is always the possibility of loss, and so our happiness is at best conditional, perhaps entirely precarious. You may have already noticed this because of various fears you have.
Of course, the outside can enhance our lives tremendously, but that is very different to it making it our foundation, our core, our identity.
Comfort can also breed complacency which tends to lead to boredom, and we start looking for ways to spice things up a bit in the pursuit of more fun, happiness and joy. Maybe taking up some exhilarating sporting activities, changing jobs or even a partner. Depending on why we are making changes, there's potentially nothing wrong with any of that.
Except this. Listen in....
The part of you which is consistently looking for something outside of you in order to feel complete or loved or happy is the very part of you which can never experience those things permanently.
The part of you constantly judging and having strong opinions about everyone and everything can never be permanently fulfilled. Ever.
You already know this, actually! How many times have you waited so desperately for something in your life, like a holiday...only to finally get there and that damn voice in your head which has been consistently complaining is still talking! Still trying to run the show!?
If you are lucky, you finally lie down on the long-awaited sun lounger, with the sun beating down on your face, warming your body, and finally permitting yourself to stop. You may experience relaxation and a tangible sense of letting go. To begin with...
It's so interesting once we actually live these experiences we have fantasised about - they rarely live up to the experience we imagined. They can be wonderful. But, sooner or later, 'the voice' gathers momentum.
While lying in this perfect place in the sun, our attention may go back to some issue which needs resolving at work, within the family or with friends. Perhaps, a conversation which was unfair and for which we desperately chase our tails trying to find the perfect riposte or solution....and before we know it, although we are lying in paradise with clear blue sea lapping at our feet, our inner experience has returned to discontent and restlessness.
And here is the best part of all!
Attention Is The Key
This shift from experiencing bliss or happiness happens for one reason. Just one. We give the voice in our head all of our attention! Literally, ALL the attention. We believe it is telling us the truth, each and every time! Whether it is saying something positive or negative, we blindly agree. It's almost as if we subconsciously decided at some point that this voice is our own personal all-powerful, and all-knowing life coach.
Unfortunately for us, assuming you have a similar experience to me, the reality is our 'life coach', to which we give all this respect and credit, has the maturity and awareness of a concrete brick! We might as well have picked the most wildly behaved classmate at primary school and asked them to give us guidance everyday for the rest of our lives!
The 'guide' likes to make us the centre of the universe, to take things personally, to judge, to complain, to control, and frustratingly it likes to change tack and contradict itself occasionally. STILL believing it is always right! (Isn't it frighteningly similar to the world of politics?)
And yet, we go with it! We believe the voice! We take action because of it. We experience extreme emotions because of its commentary and judgement. It feels persuasive, big and important. We base our whole life on it. Extraordinary!
The voice is full of judgement. Have you heard the expression, "when you point a finger, there are three pointing back at you?" No matter how right and important you believe your judgements to be, that simple mechanism of becoming 'the judge' moves you away from your natural state, your highest essence, your highest vibration and your ability to have the biggest impact.
So, what actually is this part of us which eventually finds fault in everything or everyone else? It's laughably simple. Actually, this is properly embarrassing, so I'll whisper!!
It's one single thought.
That is it! Your very own childhood life coach is, in fact, just a thought. This part of you, which often acts as a wrecking ball, is only one little thought popping up in your awareness!
The Voice In Your Head Is Not You
A voice in our head. It is not a mighty force with loads of power and wisdom. No, no , no...just a thought popping up one at a time and some of them we hang on to, for dear life! WE give it power because of our intense attachment and attention.
Which begs the question, who is giving the attention? What, where or who is the 'we' giving power to our thoughts?
[Cue one of the best “Aha!” moments I have had so far....]
The day I discovered I am not my thoughts. Wow! That voice giving me advice and, frankly, a running commentary of my entire life, sure does sound like me, but.... I can count my thoughts, I can watch them, I can listen to them! So then, who is doing the counting, the watching, the listening? Who is this 'I'?
The awareness of it all.
That which is looking out of your eyes on to the screen to read this, is awareness. Pure Conscious Awareness. You are the totality of awareness. The underlying reality of everything. It's not complicated; it's not difficult; it is in fact, very simple and easy because it is natural. It is your natural state of being.
It is by becoming intimate with this awareness that more and more “Aha!” moments have the space to come to you. We are released from 'the life coach', and it's as if we have opened ourselves up to allow more truth, more magic into our lives. We are usually so wrapped up in our tiny lives we don't see the magnitude and magnificence of all the magic surrounding us.”
“Aha!” Can Be A Glimpse Of Reality
I didn't realise it then, but that fantastic day up the mountain, where I experienced a stillness and inner quiet I had never known before, was the sowing of a seed - of purpose, of reality and of truth.
We need to make time for these moments to take us and show us what is real. Why? At the very least, life is freer, more fun, and it flows.
I no longer live a life dictated by the quality of thoughts I have on any given day. I now know the voice isn't real. I am more happy and content than I could ever have imagined, and life's vista keeps expanding. Even deeper than that, healing takes place in this space; it's too great to describe and something to experience for yourself. But it's big.
Fortunately, I have since discovered I don't have to be up a mountain or hide away from any aspect of my life in order to experience that sense of peace and stillness! It is here, regardless of the outside, and, I am delighted to say, irrespective of the voice too!
After ten years of living more and more in this space of awareness, with the infinite help of my Ascension practice, I would say it is essential to change our relationship with our childlike 'life coach'. This crazy world may keep going to more and more extreme lengths in order to show us what is real until we do things differently on the inside.
Aha! moments are precious seeds of light which open up our journey of awareness; we want to make space for that light. Intimately knowing awareness allows us to be the best version of ourselves in this life and to have the greatest impact. How amazing is that? It continues to be the most exciting thing for me, to discover who I really am beyond the voice.
Whether or not you remember, you came here to do something important. Find a route to explore that most enjoyably. Make space for who you truly are.
What are you waiting for?
