The Video Game of Life - The Rising of Consciousness - Week #21 of The Awakening Journey
It’s time we explored at a deeper level what it is that we are actually doing together on this awakening journey - zoomed out, sort of the meta-view if we were looking down on ourselves and the arc of our lives.
This zooming out to the big arc is EVERYTHING. This alignment reminds us that these small arcs are fleeting, that these blips in our personal journey are such a small thing when reminded of this bigger arc.
For example, reflect back on something in your past that, when it was happening, felt HUGE. It might have been college final exams, your job interview, a big project at work, or worry your kids wouldn’t turn out okay.
Yes, when you zoom out NOW and look back on some of these experiences, you might feel like that wasn’t so bad. Or you can see the learning, the insight that came from that experience.
Aligning to the bigger arc and the game of life is about gaining insight WHILE THE THING IS HAPPENING. Right now.
The Game of Life
A few years ago, I was in a period of transition in my life. In the middle of the night, my father appeared in one of my dreams. He was demonstrating something with a board game through his behavior. At the end of the dream, I woke myself abruptly and felt like there was something I was missing. And I had the sense it was important.
In the dream, my father had not spoken a word but through his dramatic and silly actions, I felt like he had delivered a message to me. So that night, I retreated to nature to reflect on the message. And as I relaxed under the stars, it came to me:
“Life is a game. It doesn’t matter how you play the game, you always level up. You always win.” As he himself was haphazardly demonstrating in this board game he had been playing with the grandchildren.
What I took from this is that we can strive and struggle and stress but that is all unnecessary. When we simply spin the board, we still win. We still level up.
The game of life is to elevate our consciousness while we are here on this planet.
What about when bad things happen?
So when bad things happen, I’m just supposed to brush it off and say “no, this is just a part of the big arc of my journey?” That I am leveling up, it sure doesn’t feel like that.
No, this is not what I’m suggesting. Remember, let’s go back to a time in your life when you felt all consumed by something that made you feel like a victim. Something you feared or couldn’t control. Just think about the last few years, I’m sure something will come to mind.
Now, think about how you did make it through. And because you are reading this, you have leveled up.
What is consciousness?
Consciousness is the part of us that is the watcher. The one who, when something happens and you are like “oh my gosh, what was I thinking/doing?” Consciousness is the one asking the question.
Our consciousness is a fundamental aspect of our existence, says philosopher David Chalmers: "There's nothing we know about [consciousness] more directly…. but at the same time it's the most mysterious phenomenon in the universe."
It feels like my game doesn’t change
We can sometimes get frustrated that we continue to have the same challenges arise over and over again. We get down on ourselves and think, “oh, didn’t I already do this work. Why do I keep having the same problems or issues?”
Look a little closer. Are they exactly the same? If they are, refer to my Do your own work blog post. Or maybe, just maybe, the challenges are a little bigger, a little more intense, and just resemble those old situations.
When you get to the next level in a video game and the monsters are bigger or the mountains to ski are higher, you don’t say “oh crap, this sucks, I must be playing it wrong.”
No! You are like “Yes, I got to a higher level, this is awesome!”
That is how the game of our lives could be seen.
When your next flat tire happens in the rain or that customer leaves and takes business away or you think you’ve got things handled with the kids and then they throw a curveball, say YES!
This is awesome, it’s Level 100 of my Video Game of Life.
We are all evolving, it is a part of our being on this planet.
The rising of consciousness on the planet is a collective awakening of all beings on the planet.
Practice - Experience Your Consciousness Rising
Make a list of 10-20 experiences that have defined your life up until now. (both positive and negative)
Draw a giant arc shape on your paper.
Mark the “points”, high points and low points of the whole arc of your life.
What do you notice about your arc, your game, what is important?
After this practice, you may realize that events that happened in the past and seemed scary or overwhelming at the time actually prepared you for the next level of your life and that you are able to handle those kinds of challenges when you focus on the bigger arc.
Next, we will talk about Stake, in the meanwhile remember the present moment is where your best life happens.
With love, presence and gratitude,
Darla
“A human being is a part of the whole called by us universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest, a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty”.
Albert Einstein