Seasons of the Soul

Our Journey through the Years

As we run headlong into the outer life, we keep finding ourselves beset by attractions that don’t last long. We keep looking for “it”, but nothing satisfies. The next "it" must be internal, and that is the gift of age. I see it so clearly in relation to the decades of our lives. In our 20s we are trying to determine who we are and how we fit into the world. We are experimenting and exploring options to see what fits and what doesn’t. In our 30s we are busy expressing ourselves and expanding who we are biologically and creatively. These are the years of fully engaging with the dance of life and self-expression.

In our 40s we are looking at the foundations we've built within and without....which ones are sturdy, what needs assistance, and where we need to reconstruct all together. By this time we see enough of the same reactions on our part to situations/relationships cropping up over and over so that we begin to ask questions about how we are doing with life, and where we might need to correct a view that is limiting us. Then when we come to 50, if we have followed the clues, been willing to do the work to establish and recreate ourselves if necessary, these years are a great opportunity to expand and explore and experience because we have a better sense of who we are, idiosyncrasies and all.

By 60, we are aware that time is passing. What are the values we hold dear? What do we want for our families, our grandchildren, ourselves? And by 70 and beyond, we begin to look at the whole root system of the "tree" we have become. What is important? What do we have to share, and what do we have to ask ourselves related to our purpose in life. These years are golden in essence when someone is unafraid of going within...and it is the inner life that can reflect wisdom to the outer if we have done the soul searching and been willing to take the challenges and make of ourselves something more through each of the decades.

I see life as a hidden object game in a sense. There are so many elements that have shaped our lives based on a seemingly random choice at different points, and yet when taken as a body of work, we are pretty amazing. For those who are aware of clues, this can be a goldmine of information. For those who are constantly looking outside for answers, it can be a futile experience because the only way "out" of our dilemmas is "in". That's one of my credos. Life is a remarkable journey IF we take it as it is intended. The growth process and character building qualities inherent within are amazing. Everything in life points to the brilliance of the intelligence that has created it all. Our journey reflects our willingness to take each challenge and opportunity as a clue worthy of inspection and as a stepping stone to the next step on our path.

As we reach advanced ages, what didn't necessarily make much sense in earlier years now makes "perfect" sense. We are gifted by life, and as we remove the barriers to receiving the gifts, we are greatly blessed!

The Branch is Not the Tree

Religion is the outcome of understanding of the Divine, and as such, it is viewed from multiple vantage points related to customs, origin of birth, and circumstance. The Divine Creation is beyond any one viewpoint, for its Nature is unfathomable in total by any mind. However, aspects of Its nature can be expressed by Its creation, and as such, each will find their way according to their understanding and their needs.

Religion is part of a multiplicity of views that seek to define the Divine Creation, and can be likened to a branch on the tree of life. Each branch has a purpose in the expression of the tree, but no one branch is the tree itself. Therefore, when any religion, philosophy, or scientific view claims to have the whole picture, it is self-deceived. No branch holds the whole within itself. It is merely an expression of the whole, and as such, is limited in its capacity and function to express understanding from its vantage point.

When any particularized view claims to be the ONLY correct view, it is based on the small sense of self, isolated from all other aspects of creation that have within themselves a Divine connection to creation that is equal, yet different, to the one claiming to be the only correct view. The narrow definition of Creator is an indication of a narrow understanding of the complexity of the Divine, and in a sense it seeks to usurp the Divine to legitimize its claim to superiority over others that hold differing views.

The impulse of tribal and animal instinct is to create hierarchy, and in the natural world of predators, this makes sense to a point. In order to regulate a system, strength of leadership is necessary to focus the group towards specific goals and objectives. It follows the self-organizing principles that provide stability and position so that the system functions harmoniously rather than in a haphazard fashion. It brings order out of chaos. However, within this hierarchy, each position must have value, and when it becomes lopsided and places the one leading in a position of exaltation, it is out of harmony with the natural order. Yet, we see this happen again and again in societies, as leaders become the “special” ones and the support system becomes the lesser.

This model is based on domination rather than stewardship, and is the cause of wars, discontent, and the breakdown of integrated whole societies. It always pits one group or individual against another, creating a system of winners and losers, or the haves and have-nots. It breeds inequality and discontent, and reflects a level of consciousness that is based on survival of the fittest.

When religions, which have taken on the role of providing the moral compass for society, become entrenched in that mentality, the results are the pitting of one religion against the other for the same implied survival of the fittest and dominance model. It is based on a lower level of consciousness and does not serve to bring about the uplifting and unity of intention that religion needs to play in its assigned role of pointing to the Divine – not usurping it.

Religion is assigned the role of pointing to a higher calling. Its function is to overcome the limitation of small views based on political infighting and intrigue. Yet, being led by humans who are part of the system from which it springs, the hierarchal model is imposed on the Divine and, rather than elevating the human view, seeks to entrap the Divine in the field of limitation.

The Divine has no religion. It is beyond all concepts of human understanding, and as such, must be viewed with awe for the mystery It is. When humans seek to confine the Divine by creating a singular view in their own image, they are defiling the Divine. To claim righteous ownership of the Divine is hubris. No one thing can claim its view of the Divine as whole and complete. By Its very nature, the Divine is Unfathomable and Unknowable in totality.

As we move into an age of expanded consciousness and global integration, we must redefine our imagery of a God that we have created in a small and petty image that justifies wars and unholy alliances as Its mainstay. We have cast the Creator in the image of tribal chieftans who vie among warring factions for supremacy and justification of their claim to power. And what better claim than the ultimate authority of the Divine? Yet, in all of creation, this is impossible. Small mindedness can never enter the Holy of Holies, and humans who extol one view over another as the only legitimate one are practicing heresy whilst they claim just the opposite.

The vast intelligence and magnificence of That Which has created all of life is so far above and beyond our grasp that we need be humbled by Its splendor and grateful for the provision of life it has afforded us. As we come together to share views rather than defile them, we begin to catch a glimpse of the diversity and richness of texture that our Creator has bestowed upon us all. Mineral, plant, animal, human – all part of the royal family that is the handiwork of our Creator. We have been crafted in brilliance, and it is our task to reach up and out to embrace all our companions on this journey regardless of our seeming differences. THAT is the legacy we have received, and once we do so, we will find cures for disease in the natural world, answers to our energy needs through ways and means that do not plunder the oceans or the land. We will come into alliance and complicity with the grand plan of stewardship for our planet and for and with one another. We are indeed to be “our brother and sister’s keeper,” and that projects to all of life.

Creator has no favorites. We are part of the gigantic wheel of life, and as such, we each have a part to play. Some may be more visible, more seemingly exalted, and others are seemingly minimal. But from the least to the greatest, from the mineral to the highest form of life – ALL are precious and necessary, and ALL are the creation of the Divine Intelligence.

When humans awaken to their true calling, humility will replace arrogance, and kindness will replace mean spiritedness. As for those who lead in any field, more is asked of them, for the one who leads is the upholder of the many – not sitting atop a pinnacle upheld by them. The leader is the one who is to empower the whole, not be empowered by it. And leadership involves maturity and wisdom. Leaders from all fields are to come together to share and LEARN from one another. Each has something important and precious to share that expands understanding about the Whole. Polarized views contribute nothing to the growth and development of life. Polarized views are debilitating and constricting. They are based on ignorance and arrogance, and those who practice this form of leadership do their constituents and life in general a grave disservice. They are a cancer to the body of unity, and cause distress and chaos in their wake.

For those who would be led, it is imperative to choose those whose views encompass a grander vision that unifies rather than divides. Look for those who serve without need to be aggrandized. Look for those who do not seek to live above their means or to show others the extent of their power or authority by subjugating anyone else to their will. Look for the peacemakers and those who understand the importance of all within a system bringing their gifts and abilities forward. Look for those who do not claim to have the only truth or way, and who do not need to be “right” at all costs. Look for those who listen and act prudently. Impulsive actions are the sign of immaturity, and in all leadership, it is not physical age that is important, it is emotional maturity.

Comfort Substitutes

As we look at the concept of negative tapes and move into the script that a child enacted during the early years, there are other elements that come into play as outcroppings of that script. One of those is substitutes for comfort.

Human beings seek comfort naturally. And when we have the comfort we require, we have a sense of well being. When we do not, we feel empty. In looking at comfort substitutes, we can see a whole array of choices. Small children are very tactile. Some cling to a favorite stuffed animal, a soft blanket, or a favorite article of clothing. They suck their thumbs to alleviate a feeling of being separated from what is comforting to them. As they grow, the list of comforts shifts as needs expand.

One of the most obvious comfort substitutes is food. Much more than a dietary requirement, food is a psychological trigger for feelings of well-being. As we eat our meals, we feel full. And when we lack fullness of affection or support, we will automatically gravitate to those things that give us a feeling of being filled. Food becomes that substitute. And later, as we acquire new habits that make up for feelings of lack, enter drugs/alcohol/cigarettes, or any other drug/stimulant that can alter a sense of emptiness to fullness, or transcend reality altogether.

When we are excited about life, fully engaged in a dynamic process within life, there is no need to fill ourselves with something to make up for lack. Nothing is lacking. It is when we are most in need of encouragement that we may turn to these habits that we acquired as original comfort substitutes that often end up being self-defeating in the long run. In the immediate moment, however, they provide a sense of escape from the pain of loss, lack, or unworthiness.

So, as we seek to replace our "bad" habits with positive ones, we again need to understand why those habits have been established in the first place...going to root cause...and then give ourselves something that will forge new alliances to reality that enliven and renew us.

If we can unfold an understanding of the mechanism of affirmations and the underlying principle that makes them work, we can gradually wean ourselves from the destructive habits born of frustration and lack. We can introduce something that stimulates centers in the brain where possibilities arise, and we can offer tools for empowerment...perhaps for the first time in our lives. We must demonstrate how the new "habit" will support our need for comfort...how it will make us feel full. And beyond that, it must be so attractive and accessible that it becomes a pleasure, not a duty, to perform. In other words, we have to make the new habit more attractive than the old, and this is a gradual process.

To state that affirmations are positive and we can all do them is not enough. We must walk our way through the reasoning behind them and find out through experimentation that they are more fun, less of a hassle than what we did previously, and will indeed offer us a new avenue of comfort. In addition, as we recognize through repetition that this "habit" will also lead to the unfoldment of success in our lives in ways that are important to us, we will come to the process freely and regularly. Nothing is more pleasurable than a habit that has a beneficial payoff! And nothing succeeds like success!

So, as we unfold the series of Affirmations, we enter with the understanding that we are shopping for new comfort substitutes. We do not have to accept them because we "should". We are not being asked to give anything up for them. We are merely investigating and opening ourselves to pursue the potential of what they might do for us, and how they might make a positive difference in our lives. Nothing more is asked of us...no requirements except our willingness to give them a chance.

Fear in the Face Of....

One morning years ago I heard the furnace go on, and suddenly in my mind was an image of the furnace blowing up, and I felt fear creep through my body. “What if?” “What if?” Absolution of dreams, of appreciation for what is given – wiped out in an unthinkable event. Yet there it was in my mind. I sent love and healing to the furnace, to the house, and to myself. Just that morning I’d been in bed feeling a part of my tailbone that was sore and stiff, and sent light there, and affirmed that I am the embodiment of Love.

We go on – the great internal puzzle waiting for solution, and we the board, the pieces, the game. And I want to become as I Am - I want the unfolding of God’s play in me to bear joyous fruit – to move out of the wasteland – the walk with fear – the tightness and need to control the variables because I am so afraid. And then the next day after reading a portion of a book by Neville, I got a sense to call my aunt and uncle regarding a lease of family land. My uncle went on and on about all the problems we “could” have if we agreed to let someone on the land and how they might take advantage of us and how he could lose everything he’s built up for his children – and there was a perfect example in my face of fear blowing up – and he with high blood pressure and a stroke – so afraid of what might be and only in the negative – only what could go wrong.

And as I wrote about this I was flooded with compassion for him because the wash of recognition dawns. He lost his brother in a freak hunting accident at age 17. I think he may have accidentally shot him. And then he was the only one left on the bridge of his ship after a Kamikaze pilot slammed into it during WWII. He saw the horror of things going wrong – and they haunt him – and they eat at him and feed off his continuing fear. And suddenly I wanted to hold him in my arms and comfort him. Some wounds just don’t heal - they hold us in bondage throughout life. God Bless my uncle!

Before the image of the heater blowing up, I’d walked out in the back garden after feeding the cats. The fog was everywhere like an Avalon mist – and it was so quiet – poised with the promise of sun to come, yet pregnant in the possibility. Just that extra weight of the thickened air – water molecules clinging and hanging, draping us in a beautiful camouflage for the moment. From that to the heater vision. Horror intrudes like a sculpting knife to hone us and define our love of the good that much more. Yet, what might be possible if we would give ourselves unconditionally to Divine Creation without the baggage we all carry of fear, of sin, of exile? What might we become?!

Terror and joy are companions – the yin and yang in consciousness. Dark and light need to co-exist for life to exist, so rather than wishing for a “perfect” world, I need to see the benefit in the play of shadow and light. It adds to the texture and complexity and ultimate beauty within life. Childbirth is painful, but when a healthy baby is born, that pain is worth the price. We must all remember that the resurrection redeems the experience on the cross.

Turning Irritation Into Gratitude

A friend called who is having a challenging time taking care of her sister who had fallen and severely hurt herself. Both of the women are in their 60s, and both have had falls. This time, however, a broken leg was the result, and whereas the sister who was injured was only allowed to get up to go to the bathroom, her sister was taking over all the chores and the full care of her sister, including helping her at night when she had to use the facilities. It was difficult for both of them and called upon all my friend’s energy reserves. She was exhausted and began to feel resentful, and then she had a startling idea. She would see this time of helping her sister as if she was in a Buddhist monastery for two months. She knew that if she were there, she would be up at 3:30 or 4 AM and that there would be requirements that instill patience, compassion, and serenity in the midst of annoyance.

She told me that the most amazing thing happened as a result of the decision. Both she and her sister were better tempered, more loving, and able to laugh, and that she had absolutely no resentment about helping – only gratitude that she COULD. The negative became a positive and ushered in more ideas about how to make the holidays easier and more fun for them both.

The decision my friend made is one that all of us would benefit from. We are always dealing with annoyances in one form or another. Little things become big things when we let them get out of hand, and if we were able to remind ourselves that life is a beautiful opportunity to overcome the irritants, we would be able to look through eyes of love, appreciating all that we are given…including the challenges.

Let’s take a little time each day to be grateful for everything that is presented to us. It’s an opportunity to learn, to help, to have more understanding about another, or to utilize our skills in problem solving or diplomacy. When we do this, our focus shifts from being burdened or put upon to curiosity and willingness to see what’s in front of us through eyes of appreciation. As we see everything that comes into our lives as a gift, our reactions shift, and we look for the silver lining in seeming clouds, and for the pearl of great price beyond the irritation. It’s worth trying because we have nothing to lose, and possibly a world of good to gain!

Questions about our Relationship In God

(Final installment of Conversations with the Indwelling Teacher)

I question our relationship with God...the way we do God in the west. Can you give us some insight about that?

Oh, most certainly. You pray to a deity by removing yourself from that deity. You call it God and then proceed to make of it this mythological figure that is all knowing, all wise. However, as much as you say this figure is all knowing and all wise, you then proceed to make it the most petty and ridiculous caricature of Creation possible. You imbue it with powerful jealousy, anger, and resentment. You make it a God of judgment and wrath. It holds little resemblance to the Creator of All. It is much more akin to the ego that has caused it into being. You see, you have created God in your mind's image, not recognizing that you are in truth created from this vast eternal substance that continuously recreates itself.

Because you do this, you are very invested in being good rather than bad. Yet when you have things happen in your life that seem bad, you shake your fist at this God you have created because it has not rewarded you for your piety, nor has it saved you from the vicissitudes of life. Your concept of God is such a narrow one that it confines you to a very short range of emotion, growth, and expression. You are damned so frequently that soon you may give up altogether, because the requirements of this God are so unrelenting that being Mother Teresa might not even qualify for full acceptance.

The problem with your linear view of God is that it does not mesh with the natural order of life. It is confined to good or evil. There is no in-between state of grace. Because it does not include the circular movement of existence by which the round of life and death are integral parts, you have no context for the times of good (growth) and bad (decay). In a more natural rhythm of life and creation, there are seasons. We have the springtime of creation. We have the full flowering of activity in the summer of our lives. We have the harvest of Autumn, and the return to source or death in winter. But always out of winter comes spring. Yet, in the narrow theology of God presented by the ego...it is all or nothing. This is probably one reason why you cling so fervently to youth in the west. Old age represents finality and is a signal that your one allotted moment on earth is coming to an end.

But here we get into another topic altogether.

Can you talk about our relationship to God...this God you say is the ego's creation?

Yes. Of course. The ego makes of God something it must be supplicant to. It beseeches, petitions, pleads with, threatens, wails, and confronts. But again...all from a position of being other than. The outsider. How can that which is part of creation be anything but creation? How can that which manifests itself in everything be anything but part of everything? Therefore, how can creation petition outside of itself for anything? And why would creation hold itself in fear or contempt? Only the ego is capable of this kind of chicanery.

Therefore, I must say to you that the God you pray to is not the Great Creator of All That Is, but rather the construction of your ego's perception of what God is. It is the ego that holds itself up as singular, as separate. It is the ego that is the great usurper and the false God. And as the scriptures state..."Thou Shalt Place No False Gods Before Me." Who but the ego can ask this? Who but the ego considers I and Thou? Creation knows itself as itself...whole, holy, and undivided. It is the true "one nation indivisible."

Through this perception of Creator, you are always at a loss when something horrifying occurs. You cannot justify that a just and merciful God would cause hurtful things to those it loves. Yet, your assumption is that something is found and something is lost. Neither is true. All just is. Birth and death, creation and destruction...all are part of the great circle, the great recycling of life. Because we are limited in perspective to the moment, we cannot see how the interweaving of life and death causes greater symmetry in the fabric of life. Because we are limited by our physical vision, we are unable to pierce the veil that separates us from the other half of our existence...the place where death resides. We fear this. We are terrified of loss.

Changing States of Consciousness

(continuation of previous article)

Does moving in to our divine inheritance require a lot of time and effort?

It isn't about length of time. We are talking about a state of consciousness. We can hypothetically adopt this state of consciousness instantaneously, and that is that. However, being human and having the mental faculties that we do, we are very prone to thinking, which may be a dangerous preoccupation, depending on how we use our thoughts. As we connect historical actions to our thinking process...we tend to bring our history forward with us. Each time we are confronted with a dog that looks like Bowser next door who bit us when we were 3 years old, we will react with the same fear. This dog is not Bowser, but it is a dog. Bowser bit me. Bowser was a dog. Dogs bite. I.E. beware this dog. It cannot be trusted.

Little Martha down the street has been loved by dogs all her life. She is enthralled with them. To her, dogs and unconditional love are one and the same. So her experience with dogs is much different.

We see the seeds of individual persuasion and perception. We see the need to bring those perceptions back to neutrality - out of historical context. This small example is given to reflect a much larger idea...the one of love that was mentioned before.

So our task is to alter our perception and to continue feeding pictures that endorse the new light view we have taken. In the case of the person bitten by the dog as a child, the correct posture would be that Bowser bit me. He was a quarrelsome dog. Not all dogs are Bowser. Therefore, not all dogs bite. The new attitude allows for the individual to move cautiously into situations with dogs until enough exposure with friendly animals causes the old tape of bad dogs to be diminished or released completely.

So, how do we do that?

We continuously fuel our old pictures with our mental constructs from the past. In this new modeling or re-scripting process, we are creating new pictures...new ways of viewing past events. In an ideal world, we give up the events from the past altogether. In a more realistic world, we may always remember the event, but we don't need to keep the "charge" connected to the event. So we are creating pictures of safety, health, wellbeing, and so on to dislodge and replace our previous pictures that caused us suffering.

Can you give us an example of what you mean?

Yes. I have an example of an individual who was petrified each time she took a shower. She had seen the movie, Psycho, after being expressly forbidden to see it by her mother, who knew she was overly sensitive and would be badly impacted by the film. In the movie, the lead female character is repeatedly stabbed by a crazed innkeeper as she is showering. The woman I know could not get that scene out of her head, and each time she went into the shower, she was petrified that the same would happen to her.

One day she realized that she had to break the "charge" of this image. She began visualizing herself in the shower, with a floral delivery boy coming to the shower door and handing her a bouquet of flowers. The image was so ridiculous and comical that it made her laugh. Soon, she was anticipating the type of flowers she would receive in her daily shower, and within a matter of weeks, the entire shower issue was dissolved. She had not only interrupted the pattern of a negative response to a violent image, she recreated the scenario to introduce a creative image that would replace it. In the end, both the positive and negative image cancelled one another out.

In our daily lives, we must root out the images that have caused us to form distorted representations of reality and find healthy pictures to replace them. In this way, we are able to create a more vibrant present rather than recreating our wounded past.

So you are saying that the past fuels the present unless we alter the images we feed?

Exactly. When we allow ourselves to be swept along by the tide of familiarity, we are reacting unconsciously and are restricted in our thinking. There is no new information or creative input to alter an existing scenario. It is only when we make a conscious act to redirect thought that we begin to make positive changes in our lives. This is an act fueled by the will, and requires attentiveness and repetition...like developing a group of muscles. Once is not enough. The action must be consistent. Soon it is integrated and becomes a new habit. And the brain appreciates this kind of mental discipline. It responds well to this and will begin to open more creatively as a result. Everyone should try this.

Look for an area in your life that is a chronic problem, or where you are locked into an habitual pattern. Consciously change the picture or thoughts you feed. Choose something that is nourishing and life giving. Make this effort a daily one, and interrupt the old thought pattern every time it comes to your consciousness. Do this for at least a week and see the difference it makes in your reaction to life. It will stimulate other areas of growth as well. It is very good to develop more brainpower by using these visualization techniques to retrain the thinking processes that have become sluggish or lazy. We are waking the brain up to its creative potential. Mind over matter!

Overcoming Blockages to Perception and Love

(This is a continuation of a series about Love, broken into smaller sections. See the last entry for the beginning of this discourse from Dialogues with the Inner Teacher)

Does changing our way of seeing things take a lot of time and effort?

It isn't about length of time. We are talking about a state of consciousness. We can hypothetically adopt this state of consciousness instantaneously, and that is that. However, being human and having the mental faculties that we do, we are very prone to thinking, which may be a dangerous preoccupation, depending on how we use our thoughts. As we connect historical actions to our thinking process...we tend to bring our history forward with us. Each time we are confronted with a dog that looks like Bowser next door who bit us when we were 3 years old, we will react with the same fear. This dog is not Bowser, but it is a dog. Bowser bit me. Bowser was a dog. Dogs bite. I.E. beware this dog. It cannot be trusted.

Little Martha down the street has been loved by dogs all her life. She is enthralled with them. To her, dogs and unconditional love are one and the same. So her experience with dogs is much different.

We see the seeds of individual persuasion and perception. We see the need to bring those perceptions back to neutrality - out of historical context. This small example is given to reflect a much larger idea...the one of love that was mentioned before.

So our task is to alter our perception and to continue feeding pictures that endorse the new light view we have taken. In the case of the person bitten by the dog as a child, the correct posture would be that Bowser bit me. He was a quarrelsome dog. Not all dogs are Bowser. Therefore, not all dogs bite. The new attitude allows for the individual to move cautiously into situations with dogs until enough exposure with friendly animals causes the old tape of bad dogs to be diminished or released completely.

So, how do we do that?

We continuously fuel our old pictures with our mental constructs from the past. In this new modeling or re-scripting process, we are creating new pictures...new ways of viewing past events. In an ideal world, we give up the events from the past altogether. In a more realistic world, we may always remember the event, but we don't need to keep the "charge" connected to the event. So we are creating pictures of safety, health, wellbeing, and so on to dislodge and replace our previous pictures that caused us suffering.

Can you give us an example of what you mean?

Yes. I have an example of an individual who was petrified each time she took a shower. She had seen the movie, Psycho, after being expressly forbidden to see it by her mother, who knew she was overly sensitive and would be badly impacted by the film. In the movie, the lead female character is repeatedly stabbed by a crazed innkeeper as she is showering. The woman I know could not get that scene out of her head, and each time she went into the shower, she was petrified that the same would happen to her.

One day she realized that she had to break the "charge" of this image. She began visualizing herself in the shower, with a floral delivery boy coming to the shower door and handing her a bouquet of flowers. The image was so ridiculous and comical that it made her laugh. Soon, she was anticipating the type of flowers she would receive in her daily shower, and within a matter of weeks, the entire shower issue was dissolved. She had not only interrupted the pattern of a negative response to a violent image, she recreated the scenario to introduce a creative image that would replace it. In the end, both the positive and negative image cancelled one another out.

In our daily lives, we must root out the images that have caused us to form distorted representations of reality and find healthy pictures to replace them. In this way, we are able to create a more vibrant present rather than recreating our wounded past.

(to be continued)

About Love

The following article comes from Uncommon Dialogues With the Indwelling Spirit, written several years ago. This particular portion is about Love.

We are asked about Love. Being in love to be exact. And the answer to this is that being in love is a state of consciousness. To be in love denotes that you are living in a state of union to that which we term Love. You are In Love. Now...the human mind often equates being in love to mean that there is a specific object...a specific other...that they are in love WITH. However, what they are really saying has nothing to do with being in love...it has to do with being in Joe or being in David or Kim or whoever.

When we are in love, we are operating from a system that flows with life. The sun is shining, the birds are singing, and all is right with the world. When we are in John, Janice, or whoever, we are dependent upon THAT individual to provide the nourishment that will allow us to stay in that state of what we think love is, but is not. We are invested in them. We have lost ourselves, and the moment that something does not work in the relationship with that "other" to whom we have given a significant portion of ourselves, we are in anguish, in despair, inconsolable.

What do you mean we have lost ourselves?

The heart becomes heavy when we invest in limitation because no other has the breadth and depth to house more than themselves. None of us is meant to give ourselves up to another. We are meant to give our love FOR another as a reflection of our love for ourselves. When we mistake the order, when we mistake the housing of love, we open ourselves to tragic consequences as we see in Romeo and Juliet and other so-called love stories. They would more adequately be termed Possession stories...for the quality of emotion is of being possessed. We are no longer in control of ourselves, we are hopelessly mired in the complexity of another. We no longer consider what we want to eat... what does that other want us to eat? Everything they do is "perfect," and slowly we lose our identity as we slip further and further out of our own bodies and move more and more into theirs. This is an energetic action that becomes unhealthy, because it is totally dependent upon the other for our sense of wellbeing, motivation, and livelihood. Without them, we are nothing. And literally, that becomes true.

If I give myself to you and you do not take good care of me...I am left untended. If you cast me aside...I am lost because I did not retain the right to myself and therefore have lost myself. I erroneously gave myself away. And when I do find the shell of myself, I feel empty because I am no longer there.

How can we overcome this false sense of "In Love"?

We overcome this false sense of in love by growing into a state of Love naturally throughout our lives, beginning with the initial introduction to life. As we are aware that we are housed in a loving universe, we are growing in love. When we believe that we live in a hostile environment...we are living in fear because we must always be ready to protect ourselves. Then we seek the illusion of love through another while holding a perception that living in love is not a state we can occupy...because the world is hostile. We think that only if we live in love with another are we safe. Therefore, we must change this script. We must go back to the original perception and alter it to reflect a state of love. This requires willingness to open ourselves to something larger than our biological heritage, our ancestral roots. We must reach out or in to the divine inheritance that is ours, and move into its state of grace.

(to be continued)