“We must each work out our own salvation diligently.” That is the bottom line of what I am attempting to do in spiritual practice. It’s a challenging task, no doubt, but the good news is that it’s fun, I have an amazing Sangha team to show the way and support me, and the available support tools are truly endless and mind-bogglingly good. A favorite foundational tool for me, of course, is my recorder. When I talk to my recorder, I speak about what I am seeing, and I ask the Mentor for encouragement and guidance. Here are some of the things I love about my recorder:
- It’s non-judgmental and loves me unconditionally.
- It’s always available! As long as I have batteries, we are in good shape.
- It channels the Mentor.
- I have trained myself, or perhaps we might say that Practice has trained me, to go to my recorder when life turns south. So I always have support available, especially when times are difficult.
And one of the most powerful pieces for me about recording is the encouragement not to censor “myself.” No one else is going to hear my recording, so why hold back?! Although conditioning wants to spin a story about perhaps someone finding my recorder and listening to it, the truth is that no one actually cares about my recordings except me. This is my chance to express whatever is going on, to get it out of my system, and to create an opportunity for the Mentor to give me some relevant feedback.
Just today I had a difficult interaction with someone about a charge on my credit card, and as soon as I was finished, I pulled out my recorder and expressed what was there to say. It was a great way to get the energy out of my system! And I am incredibly grateful to have this tool in my toolbox.
Gasshō
Michael