The Observer 
Tuesday, July 28, 2009, 08:10 AM
Posted by Administrator
Tolle tells a Sufi story in his book, “The New Earth”, of a king who suffered from great mood swings. Unable to take it anymore, he called upon a great sage, begging for help. The wise man brought him a ring with an inscription. The words on the ring said, “This too shall pass.” The sage told the king, “Wear this ring always. Whatever happens, before you call it good or bad, touch the ring and read the inscription. That way, you will always be at peace.”

In Radical Acceptance we speak of the Observer. The Observer is the archetype that stands back, touches the ring and knows that there are no good or bad events, thoughts or feelings. All just are and that, “This too shall pass.” In others words, all events, thoughts and feelings are neutral.

There are many archetypes in the human psyche. Each has their role to play. The role of the Observer is to stand back, to see with awareness, and to know that all is neutral. The Observer watches while the other archetypes do their thing: the lover loves the event, the child whines about it, the fighter gets angry, the parent gets protective, the martyr feels put out, the victim, feels powerless the spiritual archetype blisses out, and so on.

The archetype called the ‘self’ then chooses which archetype to energize; to put in control of responding to the event. How often do you choose the Observer? Do you notice when the Observer is not in charge?

[ add comment ] ( 4 views )   |  permalink  |   ( 2.9 / 273 )

<Back | 1 | 2 | Next> Last>>