Natural Or Normal?

This talk, originally an outside LiveStream, explores what it means to be natural or normal. It's an invitation to see which will you choose and is a complementary track to Philip's popular and impactful: Trusting and Daring Not to! Track on Insight Timer. Which will you choose? The image is of Amber, one of the Golden Retrievers in his family. Dogs live in the moment and very naturally hence the image!

Transcript

So good morning everybody.

If you're watching this on replay,

This is Philip Wade here.

I'm just feeling cold overnight to share some insight on what I'm calling natural or normal.

You know,

The world wants you to be normal and life and your heart invites you to be natural.

And yet let's just look at those two words.

What is normal?

Actually when you start to look at it,

It's impossible to define because what's considered normal today actually may have been completely unthinkable 100 years ago and vice versa.

And what's considered normal in one part of the world actually could be considered completely abnormal in another.

So it varies by time,

Location and so many other criteria.

So normal is not so easy to define and yet the world wants you to be normal and it wants you to be its version of normal.

And even people close to you have their own definition of what normal is like and will project that onto you and try to get you to comply with that.

When you step away or move away from that,

You can come in for projection and criticism and so forth.

I'm sure everybody has experienced that.

So normal's not so easy to define and actually ultimately impossible to comply with.

So what about natural?

Well natural really is about following the calling of your heart,

The essence within.

And if you do follow your heart,

The ultimate realization that emerges with it is the realization of the self,

The true essence of you as infinite awareness or infinite silence.

So that's where your heart ultimately is going to lead you.

And this natural actually also is really indefinable because the absolute,

The realization of that and its expression in what we experience in the relative domain whilst absolutely pure so to speak,

Once the emotional body has been dissolved can vary widely.

It loves diversity and infinite expression otherwise it wouldn't do that.

And yet it's been open to that and listening to that inner calling and how that inner essence is seeking to express itself creatively through you,

In you and as you,

That the natural flow will come and you can tell when things are going naturally because life is flowing more gracefully,

More effortlessly and more silently and the suffering has gone,

Has dissolved.

So if you're looking to make a choice between natural and normal or normal and natural then really it makes just perfect sense to go for the natural calling of your heart,

The essence within.

For it is that and only that that's going to bring an end to the suffering and the realization of the self with the dissolution of the emotional body.

Normal or natural,

The choice is yours.

Anyway I'm going to sign off here.

I'm at the,

Sat in the Gladstone's meditation circle at the home of the Universal Studio,

North Yorkshire,

England,

Philip Wade signing off,

Good evening,

Good afternoon or good morning whether you're watching live or on replay.

Reviews

By trying to act 'normal', there is a chance of loosing yourself in the process. Loosing yourself is one of the highest prices you can pay. For what?

Thank you for such a profound, compact, and insightful message. I loved the concise and short explanation between Normal and Natural.

This is an obvious and easy choice for my BE-ing - because it is the Natural state which is the ONLY way to find fulfilment, joy, love and contentful existence - the essence of life 🕊️

Philip, my Infinite Silence Awareness is where my True SELF lives from moment to moment and it is sheer Bliss 🕊️🙏🤍

Thank you sincerely. 🙏💛

🌻❤️

Very interesting question - natural or normal . We are socially conditioned to behave a certain way which is considered normal . It is all relative of course and invites the thinking mind to sleep on it. Thank you so much for this question . ❤️🙏🕊️

Profound! Thank you 🙏🏼🌿

I choose natural after your inspiring explanation. Thank you.

Thank you and Amber 🐶 💗