47 on Nostr: attention is worship 👌 ...

attention is worship 👌

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Biological life is a dissipative structure, constantly working to achieve alignment with the cosmic flow of energy, and this truly is what life is all about. This is true both at the cellular level, and at the individual human level. Life is centered around the pursuit of that proper energy flow, that alignment with what is most efficient, that balance that optimizes the flourishing of life. This we experience as good, meaningful, and love. It is a kind of journey that involves self-realization through constant discipline and devotion. That self-realization is achieved by constantly reiterating upon our relationships, whether those relationships be with nature, with ourselves, with our family, with our friends, or society: all of which culminate in a relationship with the holy.

Most of the grand questions regarding this holy subject, and the discussions that have happened throughout time, come down to how one should pursue this path. How does one find that self-realization? How do we properly align ourselves with the flow of the divine? What is the proper relationship?

In meditation, which can be articulated as the practice of altering one's relationship with the mind, one works on having a single pointed focus, usually upon the breath, that aims to adjust the relationship one has with their interpretation of their thoughts. Typically, we see the mind as us: all the thoughts that bounce around and present themselves in front of our living experience are interpreted to be our thoughts, but that is the maya. Through attention towards the breath, or some other kind of focal point, one can learn to recognize that the thoughts that appear are simply thoughts. One learns to dereify these thoughts, and slowly but surely a different relationship with the mind forms, a different relationship with the self appears, and the identification of the true Self begins to emerge. Through attention to our own mind-body, we not only help align ourselves with the cosmic order, but in doing so realize who we are. We achieve health, wellness, well-being, and greater clarity all at the same time. Proper alignment and self-realization go hand in hand, and they are achieved through the time and energy of our attention.

In this way, one can notice that attention is akin to worship. What we give our attention and energy to is what becomes of us. Are we attending to our indulgences of the narrative self, or are we attending to our breath and finding the Self underneath it all. Are we attending to our bodies and spending time outside, or are we feeding our desires by being indoors on our devices? Are we giving our attention to aligning ourselves with the flow, or to that which takes us away from it? The disciplinary worship that demands our attention helps us stay on the path. What we pay attention to, day by day, is what we give our energy and time to, and that energy is either directed properly or improperly. Proper worship can lead one towards the light, health, freedom, and prosperity, and improper attention can lead one astray towards disease, disaster, and dismay.