Contracting or Expanding Your Mode of Focus

The Storm

Yesterday nature sent some chaos into our lives in the form of our first good wind storm of the year. As we watched it howl we wondered if trees were coming down, whether or not the power would stay on and what effect all of these possibilities might have on the evenings commitments.

Earlier in the day I had gone to the grocery store to pick up some items for the house. I don’t watch the news so I was blissfully unaware of the approaching storm. Later on in the afternoon I heard reports from neighbors that the gas stations and stores were teaming with activity as people tried to prepare for the potential loss of power but I went about my day like any other…I wasn’t terribly concerned or surprised when the power actually did go out around three in the afternoon.

The meal I had been preparing was a stove top meal anyhow and our range is gas. It was funny to me that everything I did that day had prepared me for this outage and yet I was not even consciously aware that it was going to happen.

Our Connections : The Hive Mind

As soon as the power went out the generators around the neighborhood began to hum in such a chorus that it was like living in a bee hive. These sorts of events show us just how hive-like we humans are…we all start thinking about the same things, have the same needs and that is really visible when we have to sit in long lines waiting to get gas or when we’re stuck at traffic lights that have now turned into four way stops ~

Using the Light

So last night as we read bedtime stories by flashlight my son was disappointed that he could not find a story of his own making that he wanted to read. He had searched the house over using the flashlight but it was nowhere to be seen. The power returned at about four in the morning. As my son bounded down the stairs toward the breakfast table he paused while he passed the kitchen counter and said in amused amazement…here was my book all along! He then explained to me that when he was looking for it with the flashlight he only noticed the muk-a-muk (a Native American paper basket he’d made at school that was sitting next to the book) and how the narrow focus of the flashlight could not reach what was beyond, but wasn’t it amazing how the kitchen lights allowed him to see so much more!

I took a moment to explain that the flashlight is a lot like human focus as well. Sometimes we choose to use the flashlight kind of focus and this allows us to see whatever we shine it on in great detail. This is a wonderful focus when we are working on a project. It is a disadvantaged way of looking at the world when we are problem solving or trying to make choices, in that case we will find more options if we turn on the light. I asked him to think about the two different ways he could use his focus and to think about which he would like to choose for the different circumstances he encounters in a typical day.

Getting stuck is usually a matter of using a contracted focus when an expanded one would be more appropriate and likewise not being able to focus on the task at hand is usually a result of using an expanded focus when a contracted one would be the best option. So the next time you’re feeling stuck or scattered you might just try asking yourself how you want to use your light

Comments

By Kaspian - Exploring Consciousness on October 19th, 2007 at 11:02 am

What an awesome analogy!

I have often noticed that when I get stuck it’s because I’m fixated on a particular idea or way of thinking, and getting unstuck almost always means taking a step back and looking at the bigger picture.

By Slade | Shift Your Spirits on October 20th, 2007 at 8:51 am

Paula,

The flashlight metaphor totally resonates with me. I have a description about consciousness and intuition being like the expansion/contraction feature on a flashlight — I use it often in readings or one-on-one coaching.

I’ve been meaning to publish a post about this analogy for months — excellent!

By Patricia - Spiritual Journey Of A Lightworker on October 20th, 2007 at 1:58 pm

Paula, what a wonderful analogy. When I was in India this time, my focus was like that of the flashlight. Because of my illness, I was focused inward on body and mind. All of my lessons came from focusing inward.

By Paula Kawal on October 26th, 2007 at 2:32 pm

Hi Guys!

Thanks so much! I’m glad to hear the flashlight imagery really resonated with all of you! Some of you may claim not to be very visual but I’ll bet you all saw some very clear pictures in your minds while reading this post!

This is absolutely fascinating to me because it is a big part of the way that we create meaning from our experiences…in this case the experience was reading, the pictures came, the meaning was associated along with the feelings and now we have a fully integrated shared experience

How cool is that???

Much Love,

PK

By Andrea Hess|Empowered Soul on November 3rd, 2007 at 7:35 am

Great post, Paula. I love the flashlight analogy, also. What struck me in particular, though, was how well taken care of you were. Even though you didn’t consciously know about the storm, we do connect to information in the “hive mind,” as you pointed out. Our Higher consciousness can guide us, even if we don’t “know” what’s going on, by tapping into information contained in the collective consciousness. You obviously allowed yourself to be guided beautifully by your Higher Self as you went about your day!

Blessings,
Andrea

By Paula Kawal on November 3rd, 2007 at 3:19 pm

Hi Andrea,

It’s very cool that you picked up on that part as well! I was being guided by a deep sense of peace and felt very centered throughout that entire day. My connections were definitely open

It makes we wonder about the next territory out there for us as a species…perhaps it is one in which no one worries because we all trust our internal sources and connections to provide us with the proper instruction in every situation!

Much love,

PK

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