Just like the computer systems we design, the Human OS needs proper maintenance. Maybe that’s why our systems need to be rebooted from time to time.
Because like our devices, we do too.
When properly maintained, the Human OS can be such a valuable tool. Or when it’s not maintained, it can drag you down. Your mind can make you think that everything happening on the surface is reality. So much so that your mind can encode experiences as your identity.
And people do identify themselves with their past.
Eek.
Then their system gets bogged down because the past is a HUGE memory hog.
And you can tell someone till you’re blue in the face not to let themselves get bogged down by their past. Does it work? Probably not. Here’s why:
Their association with their past is just this: Everybody creates their own reality based on how they’ve selected their input. Beliefs drive behaviors and determine what reality is filtered by generalizing, distorting, and even deleting information. It’s just how we work.
That creates a frame of reference with which people see the world. Ever try to get someone to see the same way you do? It doesn’t work until you can speak into their map of reality.
And when someone has mapped their reality from “what’s happened to them,” they’ve framed only a limited amount of outcome from infinite possibilities.
The scary part–it happens to us all.
The good part–now that you know, you can navigate yourself out of it.
You start seeing life through new frames of reference. And once you’ve crossed this threshold, you can never go back to those old ways of thinking.
This is your singularity of consciousness.
Like an event horizon of a black hole, there’s no going back. In this case, it’s a damn good thing. Because why would anyone want to go back to the past and relive their worst moments? Seriously?!
Here’s how to get out of that old frame of reference: You reboot. Same thing as hitting ctrl-alt-delete on your computer and even rebooting your phone. The funny thing is that control-alt-delete correspond to how we generalize, distort, and delete data to fit our reality. Hmmm makes you think, doesn’t it?
This reboot goes beyond that.
The Human OS has other ways of rebooting. And exactly how you do it is completely up to you and what perfect for you.
You can reboot through physical activity. Exercise. Sex. Hobbies. Music. When done in a mindful way, it’s all good!
You can reboot in nature. Get out of your habits, out of your boxes, and outside of your comfort zone. Nature can challenge you and/or relax you. Even if it’s just enjoying a campfire. Or maybe a waterfall. Or a hike to the top of a mountain.
Nature brings a greater sense of awareness.
That’s because you’re connected. You are one with Earth. You come from Earth and you will return to Earth. No one gets out alive. And that knowledge is liberating. So find your happy place.
Knowledge is also a great way to reboot. Become lost in books. Let your mind become a sponge absorbing information. Knowledge brings awareness. And knowledge is one key to enlightenment.
Knowledge brings you new ways with which to see your reality as well as your own life.
New perceptual positions. A wider perspective of information that’s shaping your surface reality. And knowledge brings you past the surface reality to the very essence of you. But you already know that, don’t you?
To open your mind to allow even more knowledge, meditation becomes practice. This is probably the deepest reboot because it’s happening in a physical level, changing your breathing, heart rate, and metabolism, and on the nonphysical level.
Meditation is a journey into the unknown.
Meditation connects you with all that is yet disconnects you from that which holds you down.
And it’s as simple as breathing.
There’s no trick to meditation. You don’t have to do fancy guided meditations. You don’t have to silence the mind. You certainly don’t have to kill the ego (seriously, every part of you serves a function of the whole, and it’s all good).
Just breathe. Let what comes up just flow. Listen to your mind chatter. Let it run around. Let it take you places. Let it feel emotions that come up. Just let everything be. Simply observe.
And everything is perfect exactly as it is.
Love what arises.
Simply that.
When you come back, you’ll experience a new you, with new ways of seeing yourself and your experiences.
It becomes practice. And you see beyond the surface. You see that life isn’t happening to you, it’s happening for you. Because even when shit goes down, you get the lesson now.
That’s connectedness!
And it just happens.
It’s automatic.
Because you designed your physical self to have a reset button.
When your ready to take it to the next level, combine practices. Yoga is physical activity and ancient philosophy with knowledge of the body and spirit. Tantra is breathing and also incorporates sex. You’ll see that just like you, your practice can be limitless.
There’s also ancient practices that tap into the power of language. Chanting mantras attunes your frequencies and can be highly energetic. The Sanskrit language itself is said to be specific frequencies aligned with your energies.
And you can experience intonations. These are very powerful ways of combining motion and the power of the microtonal characteristics of your voice. It’s all good!
Rebooting clears your memory cache. It releases attachments to the past. It releases attachments to future outcomes. It brings you fully to the now.
Now is the best place to be because that’s where everything happens.
Rebooting transcends your limitations. It changes your frame of reference. It clears memory and allows you to find the underlying lessons of any situation. And it keeps you from getting the blue screen of death!
So tell me, what’s your favorite ways to reboot?
=D