Everything changes. Seasons come and go, mountains rise and fall. From the moment we are born, we are changing too. Sometimes the changes that we go through proceed at a regular pace, and sometimes they are more rapid, more dramatic.When we undergo such a change, and particularly when it is a change that not everyone else is going through, we might be experiencing a transformation. But what distinguishes a mere change from a transformation?

A transformation involves a total change of some kind, such as a change in form, appearance, or nature. Alchemists of old sought to change base metals into gold. We will consider the transformation of our lives.

Any basic change which affects all aspects of life can be considered a transformation. Changing one important aspect has the power to change all the rest. Consider your state of physical health. If you were suddenly stricken with a debilitating disease, this would certainly transform every aspect of your life, just as it would if you were to recover from such a disease. The same principle applies to mental and emotional dysfunction as well. Adding a dimension to life can be transforming too, as many people have transformed their lives by discovering their spiritual nature. These changes involve a change of a basic pattern of our lives, and our lives consist of a weave of complex patterns. We have patterns of thinking, eating, sleeping, driving our cars, and so forth.

The most important patterns, which create the very substance of our lives, are our patterns of thought. We might consider all of the visible features of our lives as nothing more than the manifestation of our thoughts in the material world. We can transform our lives by cultivating different patterns of thinking. I can think of many examples of this. Adopting the pattern of optimistic thinking will transform our lives as we suddenly become aware of all the good that can be found and the positive things that can be done.

Cognitive therapy is another technique of repatterning thought for transforming anxious and glum lives into something else. If we adopt a naturalistic attitude towards diet and nutrition, we become aware of all the choices we can make concerning health, and we will get a corresponding result. Practicing spiritual disciplines may change one’s world from a hostile place to a place where one might experience oneness with all, cooperation, and inner peace. All of these examples involve a major change in patterns of thinking.

But if there is one major feature of thought in the Western world that is almost universal, it is the pattern we have of identifying ourselves with our thoughts, or believing that we are our thoughts. This self-identification with our thoughts is one popular definition of the ego. This self-identification gets us into all kinds of trouble. When we entertain troublesome thoughts, we become troubled beings and have no peace. When our opinions are challenged, we are compelled to defend them, for we feel that we are defending ourselves. This is particularly problematic when our opinions are challenged by facts, for we may be denied information that could do us good.

Our thoughts also take almost all of our attention. We therefore experience life in the fantasy of our minds much more than in physical reality. This is why two people can go to the same party and report that they had two entirely different experiences. This is also why many of the people you know are taking prescription anti-anxiety medication or medicating themselves with alcohol. They are trying to dampen the effects from thinking about all the things that have gone wrong in their lives, or all the things that could go wrong. They are at the mercy of their thoughts, rather than being in a position to use their thoughts. We are so lost in thought that we can drive our cars from point A to point B and have no recollection of driving. This constant daydreaming is considered to be rather benign as long as our daydreams are pleasant, or until we lock our keys in the car.

Few of us ever consider that it is possible to pull ourselves out of the incessant torrent of thought. We may experience the absence of thought during sex. Or we may accidentally experience such a moment when we turn around to see a sunset so beautiful that there are no experiences in our memories that compare to it, and no words in our minds to describe it. Such moments usually bring an entirely different feeling of perception. Such an event is usually followed by thinking about it, and as a result, the feeling is lost. Yet, we have tasted the direct experience of life.

There are those who wish to perceive life more directly in order to transform their lives. Certain spiritual practices can do this, such as meditation, in which the practitioner seeks to quiet the ego mind so that he or she may put the attention on the superconscious mind. Another method for dislodging one’s self from incessant thought is explained in Eckhart Tolle’s book, The Power of Now. He explains how he became aware of the life force within him as a gateway to becoming aware of the life force in everything, in the present moment, rather than being aware of mostly thought and the illusion of time that it creates. This kind of perception leads to a life quite different from one lived mainly in the mind. Such awareness not only transforms life for one’s self, but can eventually transform all life on the planet. It certainly transformed my life.

Since everything in life changes anyway, decide what kind of transformation you would like to undergo. Then practice a new pattern of thinking toward that end. Practice conscious transformation, or you will experience the alternative of random changes.