I am noticing another shift in my relationship with the Byron Katie inquiry process. It seems to have reached a plateau, and the next step for me seems to be to trust the process even more. Instead of the subtle tendency to jump to an answer, I now need to stay open and allow the answer to come to me – to be with uncertainty and the unexpected. The other aspect is to stay with the insight, to allow it to sink in, instead of going on to the next question right away.
And this trust is really a trust in Existence. Trusting what is. Trusting that seeing what is – as it is – leads to openness. Trusting that we are being held by Existence, in the groundless and spacious.
There is no need to even subtly manipulate or change it (in fact – this subtle manipulation may be exactly that which limits). Instead, there is an invitation to be with uncertainty, with the unknown, with the open space where anything is possible.
And there is another trust here as well. Trusting that going through the process, sincerly but without taking it too seriously, is all that is needed. The process itself provides my mind with the food it needs to continue to process it and unravel whatever is ripe for unravelling. I do the inquiry, trust the process, and let it go.
I hear what you’re saying about trusting the process more and staying open to allow the answers to come to you.
One way that I’ve worked on this area is by doing The Work with the thought: “I’ve done The Work before.” Because it’s really the story of my past that prevents me from experiencing it for the first time. After all, I think I know what kind of responses should come here!
So then I ask myself when I’m doing The Work, “Who would I be, doing this piece of inquiry, without the belief that I’ve done The Work before or know what I should put there?”
It really seems to open me up to hear the truer answers.
Thank you for writing your blog as you do. I’ve been enjoying it.
Love,
Mona