It’s easy to live under the assumption that our existence ends at the edges of our physical human body. But is that really how it is? Today, we’re going to investigate further into the invisible space of who we really are. Are there really edges to be found? Are you really as small as you’ve believed?

EXPERIMENT:  This is an exercise in feeling rather than seeing. Close your eyes, forget your body, and try to find the feeling of any edge or end to you. Can you find anything but endless, infinite space? You can’t! Now, open your eyes and notice how this feeling of boundless space remains, the world appearing as an image on top of it.

“If man’s perception were cleansed, everything would appear as it is; infinite.”
William Blake

EXERCISE: Contemplative walking is an intentional practice that connects the experience of expansiveness to the act of walking. This practice integrates the sense of boundlessness into daily movement, giving you a direct experience of the vastness beyond the physical body.

Begin by setting the intention to explore the concept of boundlessness.Find a quiet and safe space to walk, free from distractions. Stand still for a moment, grounding yourself. Take a few deep breaths to relax and center your awareness. Start walking slowly and deliberately. Focus your attention on each step. Feel the contact between your foot and the ground. Notice the sensations arising with each step, the pressure, movement, and connection with the Earth.

As you continue walking mindfully, bring your attention to expansiveness. Imagine with each step that your feet are not just contacting the ground, but extending into the Earth, merging with the soil and spreading infinitely.

Expand your awareness beyond the immediate surroundings. Visualize your awareness expanding beyond the boundaries of your physical body, into the space around you. Feel how your being is not confined by the body but is vast and infinite. Gf

Gradually slow down and come to a stop. Take a moment to stand still and reflect. Observe any shifts in your perception or sensations. Notice if you feel a greater sense of spaciousness or expansiveness compared to when you began. Come back to this awareness as much as you can throughout the day.

ADDITIONAL NOTES 

Are you a body sitting in space, or space containing a body? 

This experiment builds on Days 1 and 2, encouraging you to further rethink one of the most basic assumptions we’re taught about life—that we are a body, occupying a tiny bit of space, operating within a solid physical universe. Instead, we discover we are quite the opposite—we are the boundless space that contains not only the body, but the entire surrounding universe.

The mystics, yogis and masters have often said that one of the greatest illusions is “I am a body.” It isn’t to say you don’t have a body; their lesson is to reveal the silent truth we all live with, just don’t notice—the real You, the You seemingly peering through the body, is beyond the body, beyond time and space, beyond suffering, beyond limitation, beyond lack and beyond form.

The real You contains the body, along with all other form. There is no separation. 

The real You is the space within which your entire subjective reality occurs. 

The real You is the spirit that animates the entirety of your reality. 

The real You is pure Beingness, the source of life itself and the substance of all creation. 

(We will get more into these statements as our journey unfolds, so keep these in mind but don’t get too hung up on them; they will be tested later on.) 

Challenging our understanding of who and what we really are is so important because of this— 

When you identify only with “me as a body” (The Fourth Realm), you have no choice but to be in survival mode. You feel dense and heavy, weighed down by the world. You bear the burden of survival. You are virtually powerless, because everything around you has power. You feel out of control, stuck and hopeless. It’s a no-win battle. 

Fortunately we’re discovering another way— 

When you identify with the expansive, boundless You (The First and Second Realms), the You that contains and animates it All, life becomes lighter and less dense. You are able to live with a sense peace and power. Your mind is left open to hold thoughts of potentiality and creation. And you know, since it is within You that reality happens, you are the director of your destiny, not some “outside” power. 

Now that you’ve experienced your “edgeless space” with your eyes closed, carry this experiment through your day with eyes open, and see how your perspective and experience change. If you simply observe, you’ll notice there’s a drastic difference between feeling identified with the body as opposed to the space. Both are aspects of you, but one is limited and the other infinite!