Are you in trance or in presence?
Hey there system changer, I hope this finds you well!
I’m currently re-reading Radical Compassion by Tara Brach, a world-renowned meditation teacher, psychologist and author of several bestselling books. It’s a beautiful, heartfelt book that teaches a four-step practice for awakening compassion and releasing the grip of painful emotions. She shares lots of case studies and guided meditations. I love and recommend the audio version.
In my last newsletter before a summer break, I wanted to share a simple concept from the book with you, something you might want to use as a tool for reflection if you’re slowing down or finding a change of scene in the next few weeks.
I’ll be back in the autumn with a refreshed format. In the meantime, I wish you the kind of deep rest found by this little lady in a basket of almonds at our local farm this week!
Sending love from Portugal,
Gen
The Circle of Awareness
In her book Radical Compassion Tara Brach shares a diagram she uses to teach people about awareness. It was originally created by Joseph Campbell. As she describes, “above the line is everything we are conscious of, and below the line is everything outside of our conscious awareness - a hidden world of fears, aversion, conditioning and beliefs. To the degree that we’re living below the line, we’re in trance. Being in trance is like being in a dream. We’re unaware that there’s a larger, living reality. And awakening from trance is like waking from a dream.”
Living above the line is living in presence. According to Brach, “presence has three characteristics: wakefulness, openness and tenderness and love. Many spiritual traditions describe presence an open, sunlit sky. When presence is full, like the sky it is luminous and boundless, and it provides warmth and nourishment for life. All kinds of weather systems pass through it - happiness, sorrow, fear, excitement, grief - but like the sky itself, presence can hold them all.”
When we are in trance, we’re taken over by unconscious stories, beliefs, wants and fears. These forces not only shape our behaviour but also our sense of who we are. We’re cut off from our true selves and our ability to connect authentically with everyone around us. Being in this state makes us feel lonely, threatened and incomplete.
Do you recognise any of these states in yourself? Can you identify a recent moment you found yourself under the line? Brach shares a brilliant question which could be used as a daily check-in and a nudge towards greater awareness: “is there anything between me and presence right now?” You might also want to think about the specific costs of being in trance, and what might open up for you if you could spend more time in presence.
Presence is a foundational quality and way of being for anyone who wants to do good in the world. Now more than ever we need to show up with wakefulness, openness and tenderness, and encourage these qualities in our relationships and the different systems we operate in. I se
e a great need for this shift in my work with system changers, and in different forms and themes of activism around the world, so I’m exploring how I can incorporate more of this work in my practice. TBC.
Join me in learning how to cultivate more presence this summer, and let me know how you get on!