‘Just be it’ is about bearing witness to unity consciousness. It’s about deciding to dis-identify from the ego. Bearing witness is about finding refuge in the moment and in love. It’s about standing up to the illusion of our separateness, of duality. ‘Just being’ is about balance and alignment, standing upright bearing witness in the face of anger, hate, greed, the dogmatic closed mind that would oppress and the violence that would rob opportunity. ‘Just being’ is about bearing witness to our interconnection with all things, to love. ‘Just being’ is free from attachment, complete freedom to explore the present moment and all of its newness. ‘Just be’ is free from judgment and opinion. ‘Just to be’ is bearing witness to unity consciousness.

This is a video insight from a few years back that seems so relevant today as our ground continues to be shaken. A practice of awareness and opening to unified consciousness seems essential to holding balance in such a rapidly accelerated world climate.

It’s all too easy to move from presence to restlessness, from a sense of peace/wholeness to division and negative thoughts and emotions, from a focus on ‘being’ to ‘having’ or ‘doing’. I have found clothing to serve me well in my practice of presence. The phrase “just be it” is my mantra, and much like a mala or rosary helps to keep the divine in our presence, I have found the clothing I wear supports my practice. In 2004 I had shirts printed with the graphics below. They’re Hanes Beefy T, 100% cotton, and not a fashion statement for others, certainly not a slogan to be pushed on others. The message runs deep in my bones and I wear this clothing frequently to deepen my practice, whether awake or asleep. I believe we’re here to do what we can to ease one another’s suffering. With that intention, I’m offering the shirts to anyone who would benefit from wearing the mantra. No doubt, the meaning of these words is in each person. However, when these shirts were printed in Maui, the meaning for ‘peace’ was similar to ‘whole’, ‘healed’ and ‘undivided’. It wasn’t meant as a destination, but an awareness to the illusion of our separateness. The meaning for ‘aloha’ came from Uncle Les and Auntie Pua, to great leaders of Hawaiian tradition who claimed the “ah” was awe and wonder, the “lo” was Divine essence, and “ha” was breath. To just be peace and aloha seemed a great intention. Again, it’s so easy to forget and wearing this has served me well in staying on the path of no harm. These shirts are only in men’s sizing and I have s, m, l, xl and xxl. If you’d find it helpful to your awareness practice simply email me at randyjustbeit@gmail.com and I’ll get one on the way. I also have some Minnesota Paddle and Sail long sleeve black shirts that carry the motto, “Cultivating stability on an unstable platform”. I have since closed this operation, still find the shirt helpful when traversing some turbulent times. Again, they are only available in men’s sizing s, m, l, xl and xxl. Simply email me if you think it would help you suffer less through uncertainty.

A solid practice of presence gives us the strength to hold balance even through challenging conditions. Hope and fear are based outside of the present. When we move to our heads we may lose balance, may be carried away with emotion, and may end up saying or doing things we regret. The practice of presence helps fine tune awareness to the moment, giving us the strength to “show up, to pay better attention, to aim to cause no harm, to be our best, and to hold kindness to ourselves knowing we don’t control the results. When I can let go of these concepts I care for myself. When I can surrender to the sun, the earth, the water… I’m filled with joy. Isn’t that what we’re here for? For sure, we’re here to ease the suffering of others but we can’t do that when we’re in turmoil, reactive and filled with uncontrolled negative emotions. It’s helpful to have a list of those things we can do to feel good. We need reminders to keep us in gratitude, love, joy and peace. I can become carried away with “having“ and “doing“, but “being“ is the strength to me for a life well lived. One reminder that has worked well for me is to wear a piece of clothing that carries the line “just be it“. It’s too easy to forget. It’s too easy for the ego to capture the thoughts of the mind. It’s too easy to lose equanimity, to grow negative emotion, to fill with fear or hope… leading to stress and anxiety. Breathing in “yes“ and breathing out “thank you“ to what comes up. This is a tremendous practice of balance, posture and equanimity