It is easy to separate the self from the world around us. We move through this life as a single entity, experiencing the world through our own eyes. We react to protect ourselves, we take actions to advance ourselves, and we regard the rest of the world as outside of ourselves. 

What is more difficult is to see the connectedness of all things. Understanding that we influence the world around us, and that the world also influences us, is a higher level of understanding. The ripples of cause and effect throughout history are inconceivable. 

The ripple of cause and effect, the vibrations of the world around us, are more than just the perceived reality that we experience with our five senses. Our human brains are not capable of grasping everything that has a significant impact on our lives on a day-to-day basis. 

The subtle cues from the universe are set in motion long before we experience them. Generations of life and activity have led to this point in your present. The flow of energy throughout all of time - every atom of the universe - is tied to your life today, what is happening right now. 

In this way, we are part of the cosmic flow of all things. We can work to become more aware of that flow, and become more in tune with it. However, there’s little we can do to fight against it. 

Through mindful meditation we can become more aware of our place in this flow, and what we can do to influence it for the better. When we work with the flow, and understand the connectedness of everything, we can then participate in our own destiny.

To work against the flow of causality is to work against the will of the universe. Attempting to alter the flow of our lives by brute force is like placing a rock in a stream. The universe doesn’t bend to brute force. Understanding the flow and being aware of this indomitable force allows us to control our destiny through gradual change.