What's Before Thought?
As the creators of our experience using the principle or energy of Thought in each moment, human beings exist before our thoughts. Many people identify with their thoughts and thinking. They think they are their thoughts. 'I think therefore I am', as Rene Descartes expressed. Actually, the opposite is true. I am therefore, I think. I am therefore, I have the capacity to think.
There is a space of ourselves before any thinking or before we create thoughts. It's a space of possibility, of rest, of being settled into ourselves. We are content and at peace.
We are literally the space in which thoughts and thinking arise. It comes from us. We cook it up like a recipe.
I like this quote from Vernon Howard. "Learn to see things as they really are, not as we imagine they are."
It points to the difference between what just is - seeing things as they really are and what just is created - things as we imagine they are.
We develop different habits of thought (recipes) in the moment and then carry them forward with us in each present moment. We feel our thinking in our bodies. You can look at this in a very binary or black and white way. If your body feels tense or sometimes in pain, then you're overthinking or creating unnecessary thinking. My head will often feel too tight. If we feel at peace and relaxed, then we know that we are more settled down with less thinking. We are letting more of ourselves shine through. Our natural contentment and peace.
Many approaches these days look at analyzing one's thought content or getting better thinking. This type of approach often seems to bring benefits but it's a lot of work constantly monitoring or being aware of the content of one's thinking. It also operates counter to how we are designed and made to work.
We are designed to notice how we feel. It's a feeling in your body but can also be felt more generally. When we are operating as designed it feels good. When we are overthinking, it feels bad. That's it.
The tense overthinking feeling is a warning light or gentle alarm indicating that it's time to settle. We are designed to settle naturally if we stop shaking ourselves up. We stop shaking ourselves up by knowing that there's nothing to do or fix in the negative thinking or negative feeling. We stop shaking ourselves up by shifting back to the feeling of spaciousness that is you. The space before thought. Put more simply, ignore the negative feelings and shift to something that feels good.
I often notice that I'm shaking myself up and realize "Oh, I don't need this thought."
Another way to access feeling good is to ask yourself "When is the last time you felt like you'd like to feel all the time?"
It's ok if it was a long time ago. You still remember. This is the space before thought or the space of you. By remembering, we are bringing that past experience into the present using our ability to create with Thought. We are re-membering the good feeling experience. Re-constructing it anew in each moment.
You are living it now. We operate so much better from this space of peace and calm. This is available in any moment because it's you and it's always there. Never diminished.
Who you are is before Thought.
With Love,
Sara Joy
What's Before Thought?