Ah yes, the Freudian slip... We've all had them, often times to our embarrassment! A definition I found quickly on DuckDuckGo reads "A Freudian slip, also called parapraxis, is an error in speech, memory, or physical action that is interpreted as occurring due to the interference of an unconscious subdued wish or internal train of thought."
Now armed with this new synonym, let me share with you an interesting parapraxis that I had recently. I was replacing a shelf label for one of our book categories while talking to a staff member. I looked down expecting to read "Aging" but instead read the word "Ageless"! I was so intrigued and amused that my subconscious mind offered this alternative that I decided to keep it up, and if you find our "Aging" section in the store, you will see instead a handwritten sign that still reads "Ageless".
I found this parapraxis (getting it into my vocabulary now :) quite hopeful; hopeful that this concept of age with its duals of young and old was slipping out of my subconscious mind. Living in a spiritual community and being surrounded by seekers every day at East West Bookshop, I used to be astonished when I found out people's age but not anymore. The fruits of spiritual practice bestow a vitality and energy to the practitioner that transcends the power of time.
Eckhart Tolle, the author of the Power of Now, writes a wonderful Heart Thought that I wanted to share with you that I think perfectly expressed the power of Ageless and Timeless living.
"Time is not precious at all, because it's an illusion. What you perceive as precious is not time but the one point that is out of time: the Now. That is precious indeed. The more you are focused on time- the past and future-- the more you miss the Now, the most precious thing there is."
Thomas Moore, the revered spiritual teacher and author of the bestselling book Care of the Soul, recently published a new book called The Ageless Soul which shares a refreshing perspective on the experience of aging.
Moore cites the Tao Te Ching's wisdom as an enlightened way to view one's life. His favorite saying, "Let things take their course" becomes a mantra to flow with the current of life and to be in touch with life as it flows through you. To be in touch with the soul that is in its nature boundless, eternal, and peaceful.
May we all have the grace to live more and more in the Here and Now, that we may experience our true Soul nature, Ageless and Endless!
Don't miss the wonderful opportunity to meet Thomas Moore in person as he will be offering an evening event at Center for Spiritual Living this Friday, November 3 and a workshop the following day, focusing on his new release, The Ageless Soul.
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