In the previous post, we examined what it is to become a renegade through a shift in perspective and perception. We examined the primary cause of suffering, which is mistaking a narrative for a fact. This primary misapprehension births all other beliefs and ideas that lead to a contraction of the energy body. This, in turn, leads to more narrative about the feelings, giving rise to more suffering.
It's a vicious cycle.
In this series, we will examine a whole host of misapprehensions that I'm calling masquerades. A masquerade is a false show or a pretense, and often, even the masquerader is unaware of the pretense since s/he believes it to be real and true.
In some traditions, this inadvertent masquerading is called "near enemies," which refers to qualities or mental states that closely resemble desirable or virtuous qualities but are actually subtle forms of their opposites. These near enemies can be misleading and lead us astray if not recognized.
In The Renegade Method™ algorithmic self-inquiry, we begin with exploring the cause of our discomfort at any given moment:
What is the data versus the narrative?
While this distinction seems pretty clear when we are analyzing here in an impersonal way, it gets murky as we become entangled with the emotional, psychological and mental implications associated with the data. In fact, the degree of entanglement (and therefore, the lack of clarity) is directly proportional to how personal the issue is.
The degree of entanglement (and therefore, the lack of clarity) and lack of distinction between data and narrative is directly proportional to how personal the issue is.
The Great Masquerade
Nearly universally and continually, we mistake our narrative for data. And as soon as we pick up one narrative, other sub-threads of the narrative begin to weave around what appears to be sound, true and factual. Before long, we are so deeply embedded and entrenched in the fabric of the narrative that the original event or encounter is distorted. The story-fabric becomes our living reality where we begin to believe the what, how and why of the inciting event.
In other words, the narrative overshadows, overpowers and diminishes the data in our own perspective. This is why each of us remembers common events differently - each of us has seared into memory how we interpreted the data, and not how things actually unfolded.
Why we interpret things the way we do is the crux of the matter, and in this algorithm, we get to it systematically and holistically - not merely mentally or logically. As we all know well, logic can never satisfactorily resolve emotional issues. A different approach is needed...
However, before we even get to an approach, we must understand the real source of our suffering.
It's never the data - if we can perceive events and circumstances as such. It's the story-telling about the data, which poses as facts.
Nearly universally and continually, we mistake our narrative for data.
The Many Facets of the Narrative
Below are some general distinctions between data and narrative. In general, data = experience = the sensations of the senses. In the purest sense, data is without words or thought and occurs as a bodily experience.
You hear a sound, see a form, etc and register it without words. If we can describe data in its purest form, it would only be in terms of sensations and not how they impact us. Strictly speaking, how anything impacts us has nothing to do with the event and everything to do with our pre-existing concepts, ideas and beliefs about how things should be.
Data | Narrative |
|---|---|
Realm of sensations Ex: His voice was loud | Realm of thought/emotion Ex: He was angry |
Non-sequential Ex: He spoke hurriedly | Cause-and-effect Ex: He blabbered because he was nervous |
Lack of assumption Ex: He was pacing | Assumptive Ex: He was anxious/stressed |
Registration of event Ex: My heart is racing | Assigning meaning to event Ex: I'm stressed out |
Allowing experience Ex: I'm ok with this sensation of heart racing | Resisting experience Ex: I need this to stop now |
Lack of Projection Ex: I'm experiencing discomfort | External Projection Ex: He is the reason for my discomfort |
Lack of (self) pity or blame Ex: What's this feeling all about? | Internal Projection as (self) pity or blame Ex: I'm such a loser. I suck, I deserve it |
What Is Ex: It's raining today | What Should Be Ex: I hate it when it rains in summer |
Where is the Love?
One question that comes up often with a description of data is that it is too sterile, "But where is the love, the juice, the fuel of emotion?"
Well, as anyone doing this work knows, the process of allowing data to be as is without constantly adding our interpretation to it is intensely joyful and orgasmic.
This is because the energy that was being expended in the weaving of the story-fabric and becoming entrapped in its folds becomes available to experience life in an increasingly pure and incorruptible fashion. Getting out of our heads with our penchant for thinking, analyzing, assigning meaning, making assumptions and presumptions, projecting to others or resorting to self-pity or self-blame is not easy.
Yet, it can be learned.
The energy and beauty gained in the practice of sticking to the data is the sweet practice of surrendering to the marvel and beauty of life as it unfolds in the here and now. This energy becomes available for creative endeavors, for love, laughter and exploration of life in all new ways.
The energy and beauty gained in the practice of sticking to the data is the sweet practice of surrendering to the marvel and beauty of life as it unfolds in the here and now.
You become a renegade when you begin to recognize the narrative, the great masquerade.
Gratitude and Love Kavitaji!
i am struck with amazement how you unravel the inner work through data and narrative.
i find it very helpful to use this lens in life.
I am your admirer of your awesomeness and auspiciousness and have been following your work for last 2 years. I feel fortunate and blessed to have your voice and teaching . Love you!
Hi Bhanumathy, thanks so much for the kind words! So much love and wish you much auspiciousness on your journey.
Dear Kavitha, Such a gorgeous algorithm of our own tricky mind !! Thank you for explaining this in a beautiful manner with examples of what the data & narrative is. It is so relieving to know that we can learn to stop analyzing, thinking, assuming, projecting to others or self and just relish the juice of this very moment of being here and now Thank you for this wisdom and guidance of self inquiry. I have been applying this method and realizing the beauty of life since then which reflects on my physical, mental, social, emotional, spiritual health in amazing ways and bringing clarity to every moment and aspect of my life .
Hi Madhu, thanks so much for sharing your experience with TRM. So much love to you!
Thankyou Kavithaji. Always and again grateful for your teachings. I am finding this extremely helpful right, as I continue to untangle into presence and neutrality.
Hi Hamsa, thanks so much for sharing your experience. So much love to you!
Dear Kavitha, I have been your follower for a couple of years now(I think). Your writing is so authentic, raw and always touches a chord in me, validating my experience or better throwing some light in the dark place I am trying to crawl out of. I feel blessed to know you and to have access to your teachings.
This data/narrative puzzle is so interwoven and one gets carried away in the flow of habitual patterns. The energy of these patterns are so high that even though there is a silent voice in you that is asking you to take a pause, the pause is super hard. Then even if you manage to pause, it kind of continues in the same vein albeit with less intensity. Is there any technique to pause and just drop it all? I’ve been practicing non-dual meditation for the last 2-3 years.
Thank you,
Much love,
Anitha
Hi Anitha, thank you so much for the kind words!
“The energy of these patterns are so high that even though there is a silent voice in you that is asking you to take a pause, the pause is super hard. Then even if you manage to pause, it kind of continues in the same vein albeit with less intensity.”
Gosh, yes, I know this so well.
One reason this happens is that our contractional patterning (narrative) is actually beneficial to us in terms of our functioning. It keeps us safe from the world and perceived harms, picked up usually in early life and reinforced in all areas of life. Particularly in the throes of conflict or challenges, this narrative patterning comes to the foreground bearing all the weapons needed to protect us!
There is a free document download on POINT, which you may find useful. In the upcoming days, we will be releasing a short starter course on POINT and meditative inquiry that can be very helpful in facilitating the discernment between data and narrative, and further into self-inquiry. Thank you again for reading and so much love!
Dear Kavitha
This is incredibly useful and so practical.
ATA time when one is increasingly getting disconnected from the body whilst amassing intellectual knowledge, dropping into the body is so refreshing.
I often refuse to engage in the story of the head but didn’t quite know to recognise the sensations in the body during the episode.
This method is giving that handle. Looking forward to learning more. What you do is very inspiring. How you find time to do all this is amazing . Thank you for your offerings to us
Love
Padma
Hi Padma, thanks so much! Yes, so true about intellect versus embodying that! Thank you so much for reading and the very kind words. So much love.