LOVE AND UNDERSTANDING 2

“The illusion of love” is not just that which supports any idea of separateness, but also the whole “falling in love” thing as well. We do “fall in love,” but if we “fall in” we can also “fall out.” 

Simple explanation—falling in love is an interesting process when our ego barriers drop away for a time, and we begin to see the the other person as “perfect, the man or woman of my dreams.” Wonderful feeling, even if it is an illusion, I hope you have all experienced it at least once. The problem is that I’m not really “in love” with another person, I am projecting onto the other person all the positive qualities I desire.

(Scott Peck in The Road Less Travelled describes falling in love as being a “mild form of insanity.”)

When my ego decides to come back into the picture, which it inevitably does, this “perfect” person disappears and… well, depending on the people involved, there are varied consequences.

Enough of that—back to Real or Unconditional Love—the only Love that truly exists.

“Imagine right now that you stand on a street corner and you see people pass by you and you see them in their worth as a Created Being. You can understand this. There is a Creator and he made everybody, so consequently everyone must have some worth attached to him or her and you bear witness to this. So you see yourself standing on the corner, watching people pass, and you acknowledge that they are all a Created Being.”

As with many of you I was reminded of that marvelous reflection by Thomas Merton.  

This is an expanded reflection of his experience.

"In Louisville, at the corner of Fourth and Walnut, in the center of the shopping district, I was suddenly overwhelmed with the realization that I loved all those people, that they were mine and I theirs, that we could not be alien to one another even though we were total strangers. It was like waking from a dream of separateness, of spurious self-isolation in a special world, the world of renunciation and supposed holiness. The whole illusion of a separate holy existence is a dream.

We are in the same world as everybody else, the world of the bomb, the world of race hatred, the world of technology, the world of mass media, big business, revolution, and all the rest. We take a different attitude to all these things, for we belong to God. Yet so does everybody else belong to God. We just happen to be conscious of it, and to make a profession out of this consciousness. But does that entitle us to consider ourselves different, or even better, than others? The whole idea is preposterous.

This sense of liberation from an illusory difference was such a relief and such a joy to me that I almost laughed out loud. And I suppose my happiness could have taken form in the words: 'Thank God, thank God that I am like other men, that I am only a man among others.' 

It is a glorious destiny to be a member of the human race, though it is a race dedicated to many absurdities and one which makes many terrible mistakes: yet, with all that, God Himself gloried in becoming a member of the human race. A member of the human race! To think that such a commonplace realization should suddenly seem like news that one holds the winning ticket in a cosmic sweepstake.

I have the immense joy of being man, a member of a race in which God Himself became incarnate. As if the sorrows and stupidities of the human condition could overwhelm me, now that I realize what we all are. And if only everybody could realize this! But it cannot be explained. There is no way of telling people that they are all walking around shining like the sun.

Then it was as if I suddenly saw the secret beauty of their hearts, the depths of their hearts where neither sin nor desire nor self-knowledge can reach, the core of their reality, the person that each one is in God’s eyes. If only they could all see themselves as they really are. If only we could see each other that way all the time. There would be no more war, no more hatred, no more cruelty, no more greed…I suppose the big problem would be that we would fall down and worship each other. But this cannot be seen, only believed and 'understood' by a peculiar gift."

From Conjectures of A Guilty Bystander:

I find it fascinating that the guides should create an exercise so similar to Merton’s experience.

The message above is so simple and clear, I’m not going to clutter it up.

I just want to pull a few more prayers/affirmations from the section we covered this week.

“I am now intending to lift in my frequency where I can benefit from the higher perspective of each man and woman created in the image likeness of their Creator. And I can see them as perfect beings manifested in perfection by the love of the Creator.”

“I set this intention now. I am seeing all before in the image and likeness of God. I am seeing the Christ in all of my fellows. I am witnessing the divine perfection that is created in every man and woman that I encounter.”

“I am Word through my intention to realize myself as my perfect being incarnate. And I stand now before my fellow man and I allow myself to be seen as perfect, as a perfect creation manifested in a body. And I do this now with the support and with the guidance of the powers, the teachers, and the guides that are supporting me on this journey. I do this with the intention to be made manifest as myself as the frequency of the Christ. I am Word through this intention. Word I am Word.”

“I am Word through those I see before me. Word I am Word.”

I would encourage us all to create our own affirmations/prayers with the Word I am Word form. You can fit them to any situation or circumstance.

May all beings be at peace. May all beings be free of suffering. Word I am Word through this intention. Word I am Word.

LOVE AND UNDERSTANDING 1

As with most people I continue to see myself as struggling with forgiveness especially in the light of some events that are happening around the world, but here we are.

It is my choice to remain justifiably angry and outraged or to be willing to see my brothers and sisters as children of God no matter what they are doing.

I emphasize willingness here again—this is not about feeling something—my feelings of outrage and anger at what we do to one another might not go away quickly, BUT through my willingness, I am no longer holding onto it or trying to be “right.”

**********

There are many ways of knowing, all are valid and some are limited.

I can know through my intellect. This is the way we are taught to primarily “know”—through our empirical thinking mind, our senses. Most evidence and proof for this kind of knowing comes from the material world.

I can know through my imagination. Far from being a child’s toy—aka “DisneyWorld”, the imagination is a powerful instrument that allows us to bypass logical thinking, and truly enter the world of creation.

A favorite tool of hypnotherapists when confronted with an individual having a difficult time breaking through an internal barrier is to present the suggestion, “Imagine what it would be like…(if you are not so angry; if you really loved yourself; if you could be mare joyful” [you can put anything in here]).

Notice what happens when you ask yourself that question. For a moment the barriers disappear and you really do KNOW what it is like.

That is just one example of the creative power of the imagination. Essentially all manifestation emanates from the power of the imagination.

I can know through my intuition. This might not “bypass” the thinking mind so much as it goes deeper into our soul’s being. As we move farther along the path we begin to rely on this knowing more. We are willing and able to listen to our inner voice, guiding, directing, loving.

I would encourage all of us to be more aware of this knowing and to find some working examples of it in our lives.

We can know through faith. I don’t mean blind faith here, I mean a knowing of truth that goes even deeper than the intuition. For example, I can know someone loves me through my intellect ( what I can see, feel, touch); I can know through my imagination (my fantasies, wishes, hopes); I can know through my intuition—that inner part of me that speaks truth, and I can know through faith, the even deeper part of me that cannot be shaken by any thought, action, or experience).

I Am the Word is opening us up to being aware of these deeper and more powerful ways of knowing through intuition and faith.

In the second book (The Book of Knowing and Worth) we are continually repeating to ourselves, “I am in my knowing.”  That affirmation does not create a new state of mind, it reinforces a state of mind at already exists. When I am conscious of being in my knowing, I am aware myself and everyone else as a child of God; I am aware that I am love in action and therefore God in action.

“And understanding actually is a way of knowing and a process of knowing, but it is not knowing.”  p.121 (meaning-it is beyond our ordinary knowing)

The science fiction writer, Robert Heinlein invented the word “grok” his novel Stranger in a Strange Land. Interestingly, it has even been officially recognized. The Oxford English Dictionary defines to grok as "to understand intuitively or by empathy; to establish rapport with" and "to empathize or communicate sympathetically (with).

I believe, however a more complete definition is “to grasp fully; to recognize as a part of the self; to incorporate into one’s being; to know by fully embracing/and being embraced by the essence of that which you desire to know.”

You grok the Truth—your relationship with it is so intertwined with your own being that distinctions are meaningless, and the Truth is You are Love; you are God in action.

Now what we are doing here is we begin to challenge these old notions and definitions of ourselves and begin to recognize our Inner Being. By doing so all the labels and the baggage attached to the old idea of self begin to drop away. 

Earlier in the book, p. 111, explains this process more fully:

“Your emotional body has requirements in order to recognize itself as who it is. “If I didn’t get angry on Mondays, I would not be me.” “If I didn’t smile when I got a present, I wouldn’t be me.” “If I didn’t feel joy when I watch that television show I like so much, I wouldn’t be me.” “If I didn’t cry when I was sad, I wouldn’t be me.” All of these ways are ways that you inquire (I think that should be "require") yourself to know yourself through your experience of your feelings. So we will say now that we want to transform the way in which you experience your feelings so that you may recognize them as responses to your external matter and experience and not as who you truly are. There is a difference here, so we will say this to you. We want you to ask the feelings at this time to begin to release the need to control your emotional self in ways that preclude you from realizing yourself in the higher frequency.”

I would encourage us all to sit with the beautiful and powerful imagery/meditation on p. 122-24*

The last piece explored in this class was what ACIM would refer to as “special relationships.” 

Probably the best way to explore this is to open ourselves to the realization that Love is unconditional and therefore limitless. You cannot truly love one more than another. When we begin to make distinctions in our mind, even unconscious one’s the power of our love is diminished, our ability to be a clear channel of God in Action/of God’s unconditional love becomes diminished as well.

(My personal experience with this came about when I was challenging those whole concept of “special relationships” as being part of my illusory world. My own inner guidance led me to thinking of Margo, my grandkids, and said to me, “Are you aware of how much you love those beings?”

I said, “Yes.” 

“Well,” the inner voice replied, “that is who you are to love everyone.”  (game over!)

So here again we are going beyond the realm of feelings. I am not denying my feelings; I can recognize that I feel more love for one person as compared to another, but my feelings do not dictate reality. Just because I feel it, I do not have to make it a truth. 

Loving is more than a choice; unconditional loving is more than a choice. It is opening ourselves up to the Truth of who we are—Love; God in Action.

I can’t choose that because it is already who I am—I can hide it, deny it, but the Truth will always be the Truth.

Matthew 25

“Master, when did we find You hungry and give You food? When did we find You thirsty and slake Your thirst? 38 When did we find You a stranger and welcome You in, or find You naked and clothe You? 39 When did we find You sick and nurse You to health? When did we visit You when You were in prison?

40 I tell you this: whenever you saw a brother or sister hungry or cold, whatever you did to the least of these, so you did to Me.”

John 13:34

34 “I give you a new commandment—to love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. 35 Everyone will know by this that you are my disciples—if you have love for one another.”

No difference, no distinctions. “Hate the sin, but love the sinner.” The “sinner” is My child just as you are. Be grateful that you are not so lost. But do not take pride in your awareness. You know nothing about what motivates another soul, and there are many times when you too could have fallen.

* a recording of this will be included on the christintraining web site. 

this link might also work:

 HAND ON HEART MEDITATION from I AM THE WORD.MP3 MPEG Audio Stream, 16,166 KB 

RECOGNITION 4

“The natural state of man is to be in forgiveness and the recognition of the divinity of his brother. That is actually the true state of who you are and how you are intended to negotiate with one another and behave with one another and experience one another. It’s as if the dance was always in place and everybody could step on one another’s foot as part of the dance and not be smacked for it. And somewhere along the road, man began to hold grudges and to covet and to fear and consequently began to hold their brothers outside of the light while claiming that they could be in the light. And isn’t that an impossibility, to stand in the light while you demand your brother stand in the darkness?” p. 116-7

I found it interesting that after all the work in this chapter about claiming our true identity, that the final theme of the chapter is our old friend FORGIVENESS.

In the light of recent events, the terrorist attack in Paris, the extremist group Boko Haram in Nigeria and the arrest of a young man plotting to blow up the Capital building—and all the other stuff that is going on,  I do need to look at forgiveness and what it means.

To understand the essence of forgiveness I need to realize I am not accepting or condoning the behavior or actions of another. Violence, prejudice, disrespect for life need never be tolerated, but the elimination of hatred and fear cannot happen through more violence or prejudice. 

Right now we are working with forgiveness as a way to foster the understanding of who the “other” is.

Even looking at the language I am using here should make it pretty obvious that whenever I am speaking of “another” who is "out there" someplace, I am speaking the language of separateness, and how easily I fall into that mode of thinking.

The essential message of Jesus was that of Love and  Forgiveness. As the quote above suggests—you can’t have love if you are holding onto hatred, anger (no matter how justified), prejudice, or any notion of separateness. Love and Forgiveness 

go hand in hand.

A group of elders attempting to test Jesus asked him “What is the greatest commandment (of course they are thinking of the “Ten Commandments” and knew there is no right answer to that question, ‘cause no matter which one you pick as the most important, there is always an argument that another one could be more significant).

Not only did Jesus see through the trap, he also saw this as a marvelous opportunity to teach a deeper truth, a Truth that went well beyond rules and laws. 

He replied: 

“ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. Love him with all your mind.’ (Deuteronomy 6:5) 38 This is the first and most important commandment. 39 And the second is like it. ‘Love your neighbor as you love yourself.’ (Leviticus 19:18) 40 Everything that is written in the Law and the Prophets is based on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22:36-40)

Then he was asked, “Who is my neighbor.”Luke 10:25-)

Now follows that wonderful parable called the Good Samaritan.

Samaritan’s to the Jew’s at that time were the enemy, religiously, politically and every other which way. To care for one like this would have been close to unthinkable.

Today, if Jesus was answering the question, “Who then is my neighbor?” he might have substituted Palestinian or terrorist.

This would be a current day version of the story:

There was once a man who was planning an act of terrorism. As he was traveling, he was jumped, beaten, and robbed by a gang who cared only for themselves. They left the man at the side of the road, bloody and dying. 

A priest, a man of God, walked by, and saw him there and moved to the other side of the street. The man cried out for help, but the priest pretended he did not hear. He needed to get to his church; his congregation was depending on him. 

In the same way, a doctor, a healer, walked by on his way to the hospital where he worked, and saw the man who was now moaning in pain. The doctor also moved to the other side of the street. He could not afford the chance of a malpractice suit. 

A construction worker came by, saw the man and heard his cry, he started going over, but he decided not to, he just could not get involved. He thought to himself, “Who knows what that person might have been mixed up in?” 

A family went by — Dad, Mom, and the kids, they too saw and heard the man, they were drawn to help him, but someone said, “Maybe it’s a trap, a setup; we’d better not stop.” 

And finally an off-duty policeman walked by. He was thinking about his brother officers lost on 9/11. He saw and heard the man. He went over, looked at him, and knew exactly who and what he was. Initially he was filled with rage. The urge to inflict more pain and revenge was strong in him, but he also remembered he was an aspect of the Divine, (I Am Word—and so are you) and so was the wounded man in front of him. The officer got a blanket, wrapped the man in it, and carried him to his car. He tended his most serious wounds and then drove him to the nearest emergency room, where he enlisted the care of a physician he knew. He said, “Treat him as you would a fellow officer. I will come by later and check on him. I’m good for any expenses.” 

“Then Jesus asked, ‘Which of these, do you think, proved neighbor to the man?’ And the questioner said, ‘The one who showed mercy on him.’ And Jesus said, ‘You go then and do the same.’ ” Luke 10:37 

It is written, “If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar.” 1 John 4:20 And who is my neighbor, you may ask? Here are a few examples: the person in front of you who is going too slow, the person behind you talking at the movies, the guy who shortchanged you at the store, the annoying guy who wears his hat in the restaurant, the woman jabbering about nothing on her cell phone, the person who left the shopping cart blocking your car, the person who is late, and Osama bin Laden and all the rest. 

Be careful, there is a deep lesson here. Throughout history there are experiences of violence and oppression. It is easy to feel anger and hatred when you hear names such as Stalin, Hitler, and Osama bin Laden. You are told to love them, and you feel a resistance. You know you “shouldn’t” feel that way. It is natural to take these seemingly un- acceptable people, and say, “Yes, you are my neighbor, but I’m not putting you in the same room in my mind with my grandkids. I still love you, but you go over there.” 

Sorry. That will not work. Recognize of Jesus’ statement when asked, “Lord when did we see you hungry or thirsty . . . or naked . . . or sick?” and Jesus’ answer, “Truly I say to you as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.” Matthew 25:37-40 There must be room in your heart for everyone — no exceptions, no separation. 

Forgiveness is not about the actions of another it is the willingness to see the “other”, everyone, as a part of God as a Divine child of God no matter how they might appear on the outside.

It is only when we hold forgiveness with this kind of understanding can we begin to realize that forgiveness is also about me. What kind of righteous anger, fear, justifiable hatred and aggression am I holding onto that is contributing to my separateness thinking, and hurting me deeply.And not only hurting me, but affecting the thinking of all beings?

So even if I am only thinking of my own ascension to higher frequencies, I need to realize:

“It’s actually not possible to ascend in consciousness to the extent that you require your brother to suffer. It is not possible to rise in frequency when you hold the lower frequency to your heart and refuse to release it. And unforgiveness, of course, is a lower frequency.” p. 116

I would encourage us all to read/pray those two affirmations on p. 119-120

May all beings be at peace; may all beings be free of suffering.

Again, thank you for letting me share this journey with you. 

RECOGNITION 3

I probably do not need to clarify this, but I will anyway. I did not intend to be flip, nonchalant or irreverent when I said that “I am making it up as I go along.” When I am with you on Sunday morning and other times, I am not “thinking” about what I am going to say next or what the “right” answer might be. As best I can I am prayerfully opening myself up to Sprit to allow as much Truth as I can to come through. Sometimes I am as surprised as you about what is expressed. I cannot tell you the many times when words have come from my mouth and I whisper to myself, “I really need to remember that.”

The essence of today’s work is quite simple, when we open ourselves up (through willingness and intention) to Transformation, then Transformation happens—it has to happen; it cannot not happen.

Now what form Transformation takes is very much up for grabs.

I would think that the essence of Transformation (sometimes also called alchemy) lies within our perception—where we begin to see aspects of our lives differently (and that could include ourselves, others, our thoughts, ideas, patterns of behavior, etc…)

When we begin to perceive something differently, or in a new light, we can more readily be aware if it is still useful or if it no longer serves us. Then we can make choices.

Again, quite often these choices will involve internal mechanisms, although sometimes the “outer” world will need to change as well.

Now, the ego kicks in here with a lot of fear, because if there is anything that threatens the ego it is change. To the ego, change equals death. That’s why there is so much resistance and fear, and, of course, much of the ego’s resistance and fear is projected into the future that does not even exist yet—and might not ever.

One of my favorite questions to ask the ego when it gets into this kind of snit is, “When was the last time you predicted the future with any accuracy?” and it does not have a serviceable answer to that question. 

Much of this negative fearful stuff has been generated from childhood learning, that has stayed with us. How often did we hear, “See, I told you… (that stick would poke you in the eye; that you would fall off that branch; that candy would make you sick, on and on.) Out of all the thousands of times we were “warned” not to do something, there are only a few when that parental prediction of disaster happened. Unfortunately it is those few that we remember and surround with fear.

When we set out on the road of Transformation, none of us know we it is going to take us.

Most of us will not be called upon to change relationships, jobs, homes, etc.* The greater challenge is to allow transformation of those inner things we have clung to for so long. 

• if you are called to any of this, you will also realize you have “know” the truth of it for some time, you are simply allowing it to rise in consciousness.

Becoming aware of the things we just can’t do anymore. The thins that no longer make sense. The things that no longer serve us.

 In this consciousness, this realm of Transformation, we might not even be ware of what we need to release or what we need to recognize or discover. Not to worry. Here again is where willingness and intention come in. I become willing to release all that no longer serves me, all that keeps in the lower vibration of fear and scarcity.

I’d like to close with a paraphrase of the poet/mystic/philosopher Plotinus: “Let your mind and heart release all that disturbs you. Let your body be still, and all the frettings of your body, and all that surrounds it; let the earth and sea and air be still and heaven itself; and then think of Spirit as streaming, pouring, rushing, and shining into you, through you, and out from you in all directions while you sit quiet. (from A Path with Heart, Jack Kornfield)

Thank you, again for letting me share the journey.

RECOGNITION 2A

Addendum

There are some passages from NTI that I found meaningful and pertinent with this section.

The last two chapters(20-21) of the Gospel of John and the book of 2 Timothy. I recall Regina Dawn Akers stating: “2Timothy will save your life.” I’m not exactly sure what that means, but it certainly got my attention.

Moving into NTI again caused me to reflect on the journey over the last few years. In a linear way we could look at it as jumping from one book to the next with a sense of moving towards something or Someone, but what seems to happen if I take that linear approach is that the tools I used or was offered in the past sort of get discarded by the wayside as I pick up new ones. That picture just didn’t seem correct to me.

The Path is much more a spiral than it is a straight line, and as we move on the spiral we touch some of the same things (feelings, behaviors, attitudes, beliefs), but we discover that our knowing and perception are now different and we might be seeing something (including ourselves) for the “first” time.*

Presently to me now is also a deep sense of being guided, lovingly lead to a deeper sense of Self-Discovery or as this chapter would say “Self-Recognition.”

There is no backward motion on the Path. When we are called to pick up an “old” book or revisit a set of teachings we might have used in the past, I believe that is an encouragement to be open to seeing, hearing, feeling, knowing in a different, perhaps deeper ways.

*great line from Harry Chapin—-“There’s no straight lines make up my life and all my roads have bends, there’s no clear cut beginnings and so far no dead ends.”

And I think that is a great thought to begin our NEW YEAR.

Peace, Love, Blessings to all—-as we walk each other home.