Medicine for the Chatter-Filled Mind

It’s time to take your medicine.

Picture by Sweet Rose

Call it by name. Watch what you think about as if you were watching a movie. Witness your own thoughts. If you have a negative thought, say to yourself you had the negative thought — then let it go. Do this with all your thoughts.

When you judge, you judge yourself. Many thoughts are judgements. Most people judge as a reflex. Multiple judgements are cast even before we can learn someone’s name. Sometimes, practicing good judgement can save you — most of the time, it deepens the illusion that we are somehow separate from everyone else. It’s ok to judge, but don’t identify with the judgement. If you see someone do something that is foreign to your own process, ask yourself in what ways are you similar to the other person. Even ask yourself when was the last time you did the same thing — it probably wasn’t too long ago. Witness your judgements and practice giving yourself love — soon you will judge less, and discern more. Discerning is merely noticing without labeling or adding a moral stamp. Here’s an example:

Whenever Peggi drinks, she drinks until she’s sick. This happens every weekend. Jessie notices this and has the thought that “Peggi drinks too much and it isn’t good for her”; it’s subtle, but it’s a judgment. Rodney notices that Peggi always drinks until she’s sick. He…