Staring at Infinity

One of the ‘mental laws’ that can be found working in the world is referred to as the law of correspondence which states that ‘as without, so within’. If your desk or you bedroom are in chaos, it means your mind can be chaotic, and you probably find it hard to order your thoughts. A precursor to this mental law is a spiritual law which says, ‘as above, so below’.

Have you ever stared at the night sky and found yourself staring into infinity with a sense of awe and wonderment? If you haven’t, try it tonight. Find a quiet spot and simply look out into the vastness of outer space. Several poets, down through the ages, have been inspired to record the profound feelings and inner awareness this contemplation upon the unlimited seems to invoke. Why is this?

As you stare into the boundariless, infinite space, with no limit or end in sight, it is simply reminding you of your own inner space. If you would learn to meditate and thereby turn the eye of attention and awareness within, you would rediscover, ‘as without so within’. You would realize outer space is but a reflection of inner space. As you practice this meditation/contemplation you would necessarily need to let go of thoughts/images/memories that are pre-occupied with the details of wordly life, and as you did, a spaciousness would begin to open within your own being. You would gradually become free of any sense of self-limitation. You would no longer become ‘trapped’ in past memories or projected worries, just as astronomers tend to get trapped in the study and analysis of particular constellations or planets. You would hear and be deeply refreshed by the ‘all pervading’ silence of your own being. And then there is the stillness -the absolute stillness that exists in both outer and inner space. This stillness within your being is a stillness that contains such a deep inner peace that once tasted, can free you from the cravings for anything that seems to bring you peace in the outer world.

To some, the night sky may appear to be just a dark and empty black mass above, containing many mysteries. After a while, they tend to find looking at outer space a little boring and uninteresting. They find little upon which to focus. There is no stimulation, and they crave stimulation. They will find it hard to turn their gaze within until the mental noise of their craving is quietened.

Outward focusing is a habit of busy eyes - our two physical eyes, which then keep our minds busy with thoughts and images of the world. This is why, at the end of each day, both eyes and mind are tired. That’s when the night sky offers one of the most undiscovered forms of relaxation – staring at infinity. Look up tonight. Rest your gaze on the blackness. Allow yourself to stare out into the infinite universe. Feel your eyes relax, and your mind unwind, as they become free from the details of the day. Allow your eyes to become still and your mind to be silent.

Then turn your gaze inwards and allow your inner eye to rest its gaze on the infinite and unlimited nature of your own being. As you do, behold an awesome inner sight and realise that the wonders seen ‘without’ are nothing compared to wonders that you may find ‘within’.

Question: What is an unlimited state of consciousness?

Reflection: The outer is a reflection and a projection of the inner – what do you see around you that reflects or projects what you feel within you.

Action: Take 10 minutes tonight and lie under the stars and gaze upwards into the darkness – allow your mind to be free and empty but don’t force it in any way – watch for the feeling of spaciousness expand within you – embrace any sense of awe and wonder that emerges within your awareness – relax your body and your being … and be still.