“Change the prescription of your glasses”. Swami Muktananda

One of my favorite classes when I was going to college was "Art Appreciation". I learned then all the different techniques that had to be invented to portray reality on a canvas. I started to enjoy art that I used to overlook because of its simplicity. I changed the way I saw art and was able to appreciate the beauty in it. Even in things that would not have stood out for me before.

In yoga philosophy it is stated that every thing is a manifestation of one Consciousness. The differences we see are one of degree but not of essence. This requires a major shift in the way we perceive and approach ourselves and the world around us. Personally this is what one of my teachers was referring to when he said "Change the prescription fo your glasses".

When we observe something whether it is a thought or something from the outside we do it from a very specific set of parameters which conditions the way we see ourselves and the world. Bottom line we see the world in sets of opposites. Some things are good and we want these things. Some things are bad and we avoid those like the plague.

Approaching everything from the stand point that everything is one Consciousness does not mean that we should engage with everything the same way. To engage with a fast incoming car the same way we engage with a bird flying by as we cross the street would be foolish.

Changing the prescription of our glasses to see everything as one Consciousness can mean to be open to the infinite possibilities 'that thing' can be. Once we engage with it in this way we act appropriately according to what we learn about that thing and the circumstances.

As we change the prescription of our glasses in this way everything can become more beautiful.We can appreciate beauty that can be calming, soothing, and aesthetically pleasing and also fierce, fiery, and sometimes even horrifying.

See you in class

I hope you all had a happy love day.

Blessings

Jorge Nihal