Freedom from mind

Freedom from mind

Februruary 2024

Freedom from Mind

As Suma Varughese embarks on freeing herself of the mind, she finds her allies in her inner  Spiritual Warrior and her Vast Higher Self 

My focus is currently on  freeing myself of the hold  of the mind, and that  is no joke, because identification  with the mind has been my lifelong  experience. However, God’s grace  afforded me a couple of allies who  are supporting me in this daunting  task.  

The first surfaced four months  back. I was facing a particularly  intense fear. It had come up  several time earlier, and each  time it did so, I could feel myself  almost collapse under its weight.  On this particular instance, I felt  so incensed by the power this fear  wielded over me, that I gathered  all my strength and insisted that  God free me of this fear that very  instant. Wondrously enough, a  stream of strength and power  flowed through me, and for the  very first time in my life I felt I  had been given the capacity to  take charge of my life.  

I now understand that I must not  take my mind seriously, must take  no decision based on its verdicts,  and instead of resisting it, open  up to it fully. Allow the Vast Self  to embrace and accept it, and  anchor it to my breath. I must also  never allow its seductive vision of  happiness in the future through  

the realisation of this or that  dream to entrap me. Only when  the mind is fully tranquil, will I  know what to do, think or say.  

This newfound energy has filled  me with a commitment and  determination that was earlier  alien to me. I call this power  my Spiritual Warrior, and over  time, it has proved itself capable  of taking on almost anything  that the Universe has thrown  at me. I have been beset with a  severe stomach infection that has  persisted for more than 40 days.  I have lost enormous quantities  of weight, gone through severely  uncomfortable symptoms, and  yet my Warrior has blazed  through it all. It has helped me  to face the helplessness to which  the mind habitually succumbed  without flinching. It has stood by  waves of anger and capitulation  and helped me bank them. It has  supported me in embracing every  bit of mind stuff and anchoring  them to my breath. Its steely  resolve wavers often, but it returns  with redoubled vigour. I have  also discovered another secret  power, and that is the enormity  of the real me. A thought came  to me a few days back, that I was  everywhere and that was why I  was in the here. I also existed in  

all time zones and that was why I  was in the Now. I soon began to  feel a new spaciousness dawning  over me which enabled me to  embrace every part of me – all  thoughts, feelings, sensations  and my resistance to them. For  the first time, I experienced an  immense and unconditional peace  which nothing could disturb  because whatever showed up was  embraced by the Vast Self. And as  the mind reduces its speed, I am  finding it easier to descend into  my Vast Self. 

As I become more conscious,  I am recognising how shallow  and frivolous are the mind’s  wants, desires and impulses. The  insecurities that well up, the fear  that others may hurt me, the need  for others to behave in a way that  would not give me pain, the desires  and hopes that keep me stuck in the  future, the judgements, reactions,  prejudices and biases that pit me  against the other. None of these  are worth taking seriously. And  doing so will only cause suffering.  

Suma Varughese is a teacher of words and wisdom.  She broadcasts spiritual truths and a love for  

writing in her various capacities as columnist,  writer, writing coach, and the founder-facilitator  of the popular Zen of Good Writing Course. She  

is the former editor of Life Positive and Society  magazines. She has authored Travelling Light,  Travelling Lighter, and 50 Life Lessons. She can be  

contacted at sumavarughese@gmail.com . We welcome your comments and suggestions on  this article. Mail us at editor@lifepositive.net