Curiosity, Questions, Answers and Awareness
Lovely Lulu. © Lynn Walden, 2024.
Anyone who’s known cats, knows that for every fluffy brain that exists, there are those magnificent felines who understand life at a level far deeper than most humans will know. While I’ve seen my beloved do amazing leaps into seeming nothingness as I hold my breath, the only result it’s ever had has been to land her gracefully on a ‘special’ shelf or garner her a fly for a snack. I have never seen curiosity ‘kill’ any of the 5 cats I’ve had the honor to live with and totally adore. I believe that this old adage comes from those people in power who feel threatened by others who would dare to question the status quo that keeps them inviolate. Maybe those people who came up with that expression chose a cat because cats have an innate sense of personal authority. Their curiosity is not hampered by anyone or anything. To them, it’s simply a way of life and it’s that quality that threatens anyone who’d try to enforce authority over them. So it serves as a good warning to any human who’d dare to live with that level of personal power.
How many times has it been unsafe to challenge authority figures throughout history. Even within the family it's often been dangerous. Sometimes the most frightening person to challenge is yourself. I recently asked a friend what she thought about something related to personal growth. She told me quietly and with absolute conviction “I try NOT to think about that kind of thing”. It’s not uncommon for people to deliberately NOT investigate their emotions or how their mind is habitually reinforcing old unwanted situations. I was born with a questioning mind. My Mother used to tell me that I thought too much (when I was 9!). It took me a long time to understand that many people don’t ask questions of themselves, about their situations or of their friendships and family patterns. But If you’re not willing to ask questions, how can you find any answers? If you're not curious about why and why not, how can you ever challenge the status quo, even if it’s only (or maybe most importantly if it is) your own?
Curiosity Opens up the World
Curiosity is only dangerous to those who fear change. Asking ourselves questions is the first step to expanding beyond what we believe, move beyond what our current habits are, identify what our patterned behavior has structured around us as boundaries. Are the boundaries internal or external? Are they healthy, balanced and supportive or are they outdated and therefore useless, or worse, destructive? Is the structure they’ve created keeping us in our own status quo without looking beyond to something more fulfilling? Are they keeping us safe or imprisoning us? Have they become walls? With self understanding we have the power to initiate change instead waiting until it’s thrust upon us by crisis.
High Quality Questions and Higher Frequency
We know that attitudes and emotions have frequencies. We'll talk about that in greater depth later in another post. What I’d like to point out now is that the highest frequency is operating when we observe with curiosity instead of judgment or expectation. We are in our higher conscious mind, when we are in the neutral energy of the observer. The neutral energy is what Dr Stone (Polarity Therapy founder) would call the Ultrasonic Core. It’s the pure energy of spirit that enters through the crown chakra and is then transformed into the various different energies (frequencies) relating to the 6 major chakras that support (among other things) the emotions related specifically to each of them. The more neutral we remain, the less inclined we are to have our observations influenced by the imbalances that are still being held in the chakras and the corresponding body systems. But for now let's stick with the concept of the ultrasonic core, neutrality, and Observer as being the higher frequency. Energy has the greatest momentum when one is in neutral Observer mode. It creates the space which allows us to be aware, without being attached in a way that otherwise restricts our perceptions and narrows our view. Intentionally observing (which almost always generates questions) prevents ‘reacting’ and allows for us to ‘respond’. The ability to respond to something means that there is enough space and time in between the perception and the reaction to make it a considered response rather than a knee jerk reaction out of being triggered into defensive or offensive attitudes.
Questions can also ‘jump’ in as part of a reaction: ‘Why would she disrespect me like that?” In that question you can identify an assumption that there was an intended slight. That question was not neutral. Asking high end (high frequency) questions are a part of keeping yourself neutral and anchored in the neutral observer state. You could re-frame it as ‘I wonder. Did she intend to be disrespectful?’ or even more high end ‘I wonder why I feel disrespected by that behavior?’ or even higher ‘Oh look, there’s a feeling of disrespect…”. We might then follow it up with ‘What next?’ or ‘Is there more?’ I suggest that you refer to the exercise section under the Cards menu tab and apply the Triple A method. It’s quite simple and yet a very effective way to generate investigation on any subject within a defined formula.
Generally, the more you ask open ended and neutral questions, the higher quality of information you’ll receive. Because you’re in higher frequency they’re more likely to be answered by your higher conscious mind, your wise intuition and be more connected to (and deepen) your emotional intelligence. This helps you further understand how your mind works and the kind of outdated defense programs that are still running in the background just waiting for the signal to engage. Unfortunately they often hijack a mostly benign situation and turn it into something quite dramatic. Luckily noticing them come up, allows you to develop an awareness of how your mind is likely to take you off track and what the triggers are that will do that so very efficiently. By slowing it down with observations and investigatory curiosity, you’re more and more able to sidestep the triggers and get a clear read of a situation without having to hit the landmines on the way to resolution or transmutation. Techniques that develop and train you in the habit of noticing how your mind is functioning accelerates this ability. You can find some options in the exercise and resource sections which can support you in finding your own way to develop this ability.