I must say, I really didn't think the more conservative among us would react to the Bergdahl exchange in such a nasty way. But judgment is like that. The facts aren't in yet and they've already condemned both Sgt. Bergdahl and his parents. His dad is clearly Taliban, according to one pundit. Sgt. Bergdahl is lucky he wasn't executed on the spot, according to another pundit..that one a woman. I don't understand that at all.
When did ascertaining the facts become irrelevant to the discussion? The town in Idaho where he's from has decided to cancel the celebration they had planned due to security reasons. Security reasons? Let that sink in for a moment. How on earth did we get here? Conservative media has become surreal. The Bergdahl family has been demonized into jihadists. No, they're from Idaho. I heard today that they homeschooled (we did that as well), they ride motorcycles (we do as well), the dad has a beard (my husband does as well). When I think about it, at least half the people I know would qualify as jihadists, just from the beard notion alone.
But then Sgt. Bergdahl's dad did something else. He learned Pashto so that he could communicate with his son's captors. The beard, the language..wow..I guess a father isn't supposed to try to assist in the release his son. Tell you what..if that had happened to one of our boys, we'd have done AT LEAST what the Bergdahl family has done. And frankly, I don't know anyone who wouldn't have tried to do something to rescue their child. Surely these conservative media people are parents. Surely they have a conscience. Surely they can express empathy. Bet they'd want this from the rest of us if it were one of their sons.
I don't know if Sgt. Bergdahl deserted or just went on walk-about like he's apparently done before. To think soldiers don't have opinions and feelings about what they do while in the military is naive. They do. My husband is a Vietnam veteran. He's just livid over what's happening to that family. We don't leave anyone on the battlefield. We bring them home. It's part of the contract we make with those who defend us. But it's more than that. Regardless of what Sgt. Bergdahl did or didn't do, he's an American who signed up to defend our country. We MUST bring him home, investigate what happened, and then do the right thing for Sgt. Bergdahl, his family, and the country. If he's guilty of something, then he'll be dealt with. But if he's not, will there be an apology from these people who prefer to condemn him and his family without the facts?
Can you imagine not knowing for five years if your son is okay? Can you imagine not knowing if he's alive or dead? You're powerless to bring him home. You can't protect the child you've loved more than life itself. You can't hold him and tell him that everything is going to be okay..that the nightmare is over. You can't make the pain he's in go away. How do you survive this without losing your mind? I'm not sure I could. And to then be ridiculed and condemned for just trying to help and honor your child is beyond abusive. It's cruel. These people are simply cruel.
Isn't the vitriol getting old? Isn't the judgment without knowing the facts irritating? There is a solution, you know. Don't watch or listen to these foolish people. Their irresponsibility is destructive and cruel. Where is their humanity? Their compassion? We're better than this. I know we are. There's a point at which enough is enough.
And I'm pretty sure we're there now.
Showing posts with label judgment. Show all posts
Showing posts with label judgment. Show all posts
Friday, June 6, 2014
Sunday, April 20, 2014
On being an empath in the new age
The end of the world is not upon us. Armageddon, the Apocalypse, it's all a metaphor for the end of an age..not the planet. We're not going to be physically taken up in any sort of Rapture. That's not what's happening. We've forgotten why we're here in the first place. We've forgotten who we actually are. We've forgotten that we are One with Source and with each other. We've forgotten that we can experience Heaven on Earth together. But none of that matters..the time is now for Oneness and no matter what roadblocks are put up, nothing is going to prevent that.
The energy frequency of the Earth is increasing. We can no longer turn our backs on how we choose to live here. We must learn that living in harmony with and protecting our wonderful Gaia is critical. That means that collectively we have to deal with climate change, war, our ecosystem, and everything else that takes instead of gives. We don't have time for denial any longer. As the Earth's frequency increases, more and more Empaths, Indigo and Crystal children have been born to help usher in the new age where intuition and love will guide our relationships as well as our very existence. Angelic presence is felt by many who have also learned to ask for angelic guidance in their daily lives. The purpose of all of this is to help with that increase in frequency and to live in Oneness with others.
The old paradigm is ending. It has no choice. It's nasty and hurtful and we watch as some of our lawmakers try to preserve the status quo by endless repeal attempts of our new healthcare law, voter suppression, the war on women and the middle class, and the disrespect and vitriol shown to our President. Try as they might to preserve the unworkable, we know that separation serves no one and will only lead to our destruction. But that's not going to happen. It's going to be difficult as the new age begins. It won't be comfortable. Those people who insist on separation will have an awful time because unity will ultimately prevail.Those who join in Oneness will have a better experience. So, if you've chosen separation, you might want to rethink that and be part of something amazing! Because it really is okay to care about people.
So, what on earth is an empath and how do we help bring about this inevitable change?
Empathy. We all have it to some degree. It's the ability to feel what others feel..to put ourselves in the shoes of someone else. Some of us, however, function as empaths. We feel everything. The fact is, all we are is energy...everything is, and our energetic bodies are actually more prominent than our physical bodies. We only have them as a temporary manifestation or projection so that we can experience life here in duality. Empath energy is faster than our physical energy so empaths must find a way to balance the two to stay present and to avoid illness. That increased energy flow is great when nothing interferes with it, but not everyone is comfortable being around us. We can do or say absolutely nothing, and still affect them. Somehow, they feel judged I guess, although that's not actually happening. Knowing isn't the same as judgment, but evidently it feels that way to others. It's like when you feel that someone can see right through you. Don't worry, it was just me and I'm not a threat at all. I see how you became the way you are..and all the childhood pain that brought you here. And I feel only compassion..
Although there are many similarities in empath expression, not everyone shares the same gifts or intensity. It's more of a continuum, I think. For me, it feels like my energetic or empathic body is more active and present than my physical body. And I see everything at once - the whole picture of something or someone. It may come as a simple awareness, or in great detail. Most say that they experience a general knowing about things that they have no personal knowledge of. Also, most share the gift of knowing when someone is lying. We're all clairsentient in some fashion, some more than others. Some are able to see non-corporeal entities and some aren't. Some are pre-cognitive, and some are telepathic. Or, if you're like me, a universal or implicate empath, you experience all of it in one form or another. It's weird, exhilarating, annoying, and amazing all at the same time. We're not insane, or crazy, although we might feel that way sometimes. I think we're just not completely "here". I think we're mostly "there". And that's why there are so many of us now helping to bring about a better life for all of us to experience.
Empaths feel such a responsibility to get things right. We want to make sure people are safe and happy. We want to make sure the truth is both revealed and preserved. We're viewed as over-sensitive, over-reactive, over-you name it. Then we run around in an attempt to fix everyone's attitude toward us. It's as if we hand our feelings to others on a silver platter to do with as they will in an effort to preserve our place in their lives.
So why do we do this? We learn early on to respond in ways that mitigate whatever situation we're in. Unfortunately, truth isn't served this way, and eventually, it comes out anyhow. It also doesn't develop our empath abilities when we suppress our knowing to make our parents, teachers and friends more comfortable. But that's what we do to survive. In my case, it had the opposite effect. I seemed to become more aware which helped in negotiating my way through that family.
I understand why some empaths choose a solitary life. It's easier than dealing with all the disparate energies around us. I'm about there, myself. Even traveling around the town where I live can be challenging. Volatility abounds out in the world and I pick up on it as I drive down the road. It's really freaky when we walk, which we do daily. Stores of any size can also be difficult, big box stores in particular. I don't always know where I begin and others leave off. And it's not always easy to center to figure it out when around volatile emotions. I was in a Costco recently and I had to cut the shopping trip short due to the frenetic energy inside. Energy was hitting me like gangbusters and I couldn't think clearly. I kept looking around to see if someone was about to attack me, but no one was even paying any attention to me. It was probably the worst experience I've ever had as an empath. The energy was so strong that I couldn't get control until after I left.
Living in the world, particularly now, requires engagement. It's critical that empaths understand how to engage in a way that not only helps others with their energy issues, but also prevents more vampiric energy from setting up house in your energy field. Most energy vampires don't realize what they're doing anyway, but some do and we really have to be vigilant with those people. They invade with intention and it's, well, icky. The others are usually just upset about something and choose empaths when needing to get something off their chest. And it doesn't seem to matter if they're complete strangers. Typically it happens to me in the check out line at the grocery store. I try to be supportive and respectful while keeping my frozen stuff frozen all at the same time.
Many empaths grow up in abusive situations and feel as if we're born into the wrong family. Like we were switched at birth at the hospital or something. Except that we weren't. At some point, however, if we're going to be of help in this transition, we need to get a handle on what we're experiencing so that we can foster positive outcomes instead of wondering what the hell just happened.
So we have three options..we can engage, disengage, or observe. Observe, not absorb..that's the motto. That's the safest option, but it's not always realistic. It can make us seem aloof or indifferent to others, when nothing could be further from the truth. It's not uncommon for empaths to find work as healers of some type, so engagement for those folks is necessary. But are these three options mutually exclusive? I don't think so. Instead of observer, perhaps we can think of it is simply remaining non-judgmental. And maybe that's the key to the entire transition as we go forward.
Judgment involves the past and vain imaginings of the future. If we eliminate that and understand our essential Oneness, it becomes easier to maintain the higher frequency that's needed for the transition. Everyone will benefit from this. Even the people who resist. It just may take them a little longer to realize that. Eventually, even the most resistant will ultimately rest in the loving embrace of Family. And then they'll wonder what all the fuss was about. Staying in the Holy Instant, as A Course in Miracles suggests, is key, because there, we exist only in Love and extend that outward to everyone. And as we are all energy, all benefit from that loving extension.
But here's the cool part. As empaths, we don't have to fix any of the problems affecting the world unless we want to be a part of that. We only have to stay in the Holy Instant and be loving. That's it. Not everyone can be an activist for change. We simply need to keep our energy in balance and send out loving intention. Instead of reducing our energy frequency to match others, remain present, non-judgmental, and let others rise to ours. Trust me, it feels so much better to do that. I spent years engaging in other people's drama and all it got me was seriously ill, so it's far better the other way. Engagement doesn't always fix the drama, so deal with whatever you must, but stay as non-judgmental as possible in the process. Drama has only the meaning we give it. It has little power on its own. Staying firmly in the Holy Instant keeps us in the positive flow of creation. Anything less is fuel for more drama. It's better to remain part of the solution.
So, as we go forward into the new age, empaths should learn as much as possible about how they experience their time here. Less reaction, more observation, and knowing when to disengage will not only make our experience in this life less upsetting, but also make us more helpful to others. As the frequency rises, we'll have a much easier time of things and the oneness that we crave will prevail. And there's so much more support out there now for empaths. Lightworkers abound and are ready to help in any way possible. Empath forums exist to provide connection with other empaths to help as you discover more about your reality. We are living in exciting times. Let's embrace this transition together.
~ Blessed Be
The energy frequency of the Earth is increasing. We can no longer turn our backs on how we choose to live here. We must learn that living in harmony with and protecting our wonderful Gaia is critical. That means that collectively we have to deal with climate change, war, our ecosystem, and everything else that takes instead of gives. We don't have time for denial any longer. As the Earth's frequency increases, more and more Empaths, Indigo and Crystal children have been born to help usher in the new age where intuition and love will guide our relationships as well as our very existence. Angelic presence is felt by many who have also learned to ask for angelic guidance in their daily lives. The purpose of all of this is to help with that increase in frequency and to live in Oneness with others.
The old paradigm is ending. It has no choice. It's nasty and hurtful and we watch as some of our lawmakers try to preserve the status quo by endless repeal attempts of our new healthcare law, voter suppression, the war on women and the middle class, and the disrespect and vitriol shown to our President. Try as they might to preserve the unworkable, we know that separation serves no one and will only lead to our destruction. But that's not going to happen. It's going to be difficult as the new age begins. It won't be comfortable. Those people who insist on separation will have an awful time because unity will ultimately prevail.Those who join in Oneness will have a better experience. So, if you've chosen separation, you might want to rethink that and be part of something amazing! Because it really is okay to care about people.
So, what on earth is an empath and how do we help bring about this inevitable change?
Empathy. We all have it to some degree. It's the ability to feel what others feel..to put ourselves in the shoes of someone else. Some of us, however, function as empaths. We feel everything. The fact is, all we are is energy...everything is, and our energetic bodies are actually more prominent than our physical bodies. We only have them as a temporary manifestation or projection so that we can experience life here in duality. Empath energy is faster than our physical energy so empaths must find a way to balance the two to stay present and to avoid illness. That increased energy flow is great when nothing interferes with it, but not everyone is comfortable being around us. We can do or say absolutely nothing, and still affect them. Somehow, they feel judged I guess, although that's not actually happening. Knowing isn't the same as judgment, but evidently it feels that way to others. It's like when you feel that someone can see right through you. Don't worry, it was just me and I'm not a threat at all. I see how you became the way you are..and all the childhood pain that brought you here. And I feel only compassion..
Although there are many similarities in empath expression, not everyone shares the same gifts or intensity. It's more of a continuum, I think. For me, it feels like my energetic or empathic body is more active and present than my physical body. And I see everything at once - the whole picture of something or someone. It may come as a simple awareness, or in great detail. Most say that they experience a general knowing about things that they have no personal knowledge of. Also, most share the gift of knowing when someone is lying. We're all clairsentient in some fashion, some more than others. Some are able to see non-corporeal entities and some aren't. Some are pre-cognitive, and some are telepathic. Or, if you're like me, a universal or implicate empath, you experience all of it in one form or another. It's weird, exhilarating, annoying, and amazing all at the same time. We're not insane, or crazy, although we might feel that way sometimes. I think we're just not completely "here". I think we're mostly "there". And that's why there are so many of us now helping to bring about a better life for all of us to experience.
Empaths feel such a responsibility to get things right. We want to make sure people are safe and happy. We want to make sure the truth is both revealed and preserved. We're viewed as over-sensitive, over-reactive, over-you name it. Then we run around in an attempt to fix everyone's attitude toward us. It's as if we hand our feelings to others on a silver platter to do with as they will in an effort to preserve our place in their lives.
So why do we do this? We learn early on to respond in ways that mitigate whatever situation we're in. Unfortunately, truth isn't served this way, and eventually, it comes out anyhow. It also doesn't develop our empath abilities when we suppress our knowing to make our parents, teachers and friends more comfortable. But that's what we do to survive. In my case, it had the opposite effect. I seemed to become more aware which helped in negotiating my way through that family.
I understand why some empaths choose a solitary life. It's easier than dealing with all the disparate energies around us. I'm about there, myself. Even traveling around the town where I live can be challenging. Volatility abounds out in the world and I pick up on it as I drive down the road. It's really freaky when we walk, which we do daily. Stores of any size can also be difficult, big box stores in particular. I don't always know where I begin and others leave off. And it's not always easy to center to figure it out when around volatile emotions. I was in a Costco recently and I had to cut the shopping trip short due to the frenetic energy inside. Energy was hitting me like gangbusters and I couldn't think clearly. I kept looking around to see if someone was about to attack me, but no one was even paying any attention to me. It was probably the worst experience I've ever had as an empath. The energy was so strong that I couldn't get control until after I left.
Living in the world, particularly now, requires engagement. It's critical that empaths understand how to engage in a way that not only helps others with their energy issues, but also prevents more vampiric energy from setting up house in your energy field. Most energy vampires don't realize what they're doing anyway, but some do and we really have to be vigilant with those people. They invade with intention and it's, well, icky. The others are usually just upset about something and choose empaths when needing to get something off their chest. And it doesn't seem to matter if they're complete strangers. Typically it happens to me in the check out line at the grocery store. I try to be supportive and respectful while keeping my frozen stuff frozen all at the same time.
Many empaths grow up in abusive situations and feel as if we're born into the wrong family. Like we were switched at birth at the hospital or something. Except that we weren't. At some point, however, if we're going to be of help in this transition, we need to get a handle on what we're experiencing so that we can foster positive outcomes instead of wondering what the hell just happened.
So we have three options..we can engage, disengage, or observe. Observe, not absorb..that's the motto. That's the safest option, but it's not always realistic. It can make us seem aloof or indifferent to others, when nothing could be further from the truth. It's not uncommon for empaths to find work as healers of some type, so engagement for those folks is necessary. But are these three options mutually exclusive? I don't think so. Instead of observer, perhaps we can think of it is simply remaining non-judgmental. And maybe that's the key to the entire transition as we go forward.
Judgment involves the past and vain imaginings of the future. If we eliminate that and understand our essential Oneness, it becomes easier to maintain the higher frequency that's needed for the transition. Everyone will benefit from this. Even the people who resist. It just may take them a little longer to realize that. Eventually, even the most resistant will ultimately rest in the loving embrace of Family. And then they'll wonder what all the fuss was about. Staying in the Holy Instant, as A Course in Miracles suggests, is key, because there, we exist only in Love and extend that outward to everyone. And as we are all energy, all benefit from that loving extension.
But here's the cool part. As empaths, we don't have to fix any of the problems affecting the world unless we want to be a part of that. We only have to stay in the Holy Instant and be loving. That's it. Not everyone can be an activist for change. We simply need to keep our energy in balance and send out loving intention. Instead of reducing our energy frequency to match others, remain present, non-judgmental, and let others rise to ours. Trust me, it feels so much better to do that. I spent years engaging in other people's drama and all it got me was seriously ill, so it's far better the other way. Engagement doesn't always fix the drama, so deal with whatever you must, but stay as non-judgmental as possible in the process. Drama has only the meaning we give it. It has little power on its own. Staying firmly in the Holy Instant keeps us in the positive flow of creation. Anything less is fuel for more drama. It's better to remain part of the solution.
So, as we go forward into the new age, empaths should learn as much as possible about how they experience their time here. Less reaction, more observation, and knowing when to disengage will not only make our experience in this life less upsetting, but also make us more helpful to others. As the frequency rises, we'll have a much easier time of things and the oneness that we crave will prevail. And there's so much more support out there now for empaths. Lightworkers abound and are ready to help in any way possible. Empath forums exist to provide connection with other empaths to help as you discover more about your reality. We are living in exciting times. Let's embrace this transition together.
~ Blessed Be
Saturday, January 25, 2014
Working through the Workbook
Now that I've read the entire text of A Course in Miracles, I've finally begun the accompanying workbook for students. It's divided into 365 lessons which I can do daily, or stay longer with some lessons if I need to. The lessons appear at first to be simplistic, but as I continue to work through them, their meaning is profound. The idea is to re-train our minds to see holiness instead of judgment. The Course begins with:
The world of illusion is filled with drama. We don't want to accept our role, much less our active participation, in that drama. But we must accept that responsibility or we'll never accomplish the task at hand. The first twenty-five lessons focus on understanding that not only do I give meaning to whatever I'm seeing, but also my thoughts have power, that they're not neutral. They have effect and keep the drama going. I can focus on thoughts of attack and judgment, believing that I am responding to what I see. But that's the whole point..I'm responding to what I see. Not someone else..me. No one forces me to process things the way I do. I do that. I can choose something else. Choosing to stay above the fray and not judge, frees me to love unconditionally. I'm only at lesson twenty-five. Still having trouble with the unconditional part at times. We can attempt to control the outcome of situations, but as long as we stay in the drama, that will never happen. It's only when we step away from it, and choose extending love over judgment that we choose to remember who we are as part of the Oneness that is God. That's the only thing that's real. The rest is a projection of our collective guilt over our perceived separation from God. It's not true..we're still part of that Oneness, existing here in our collective dream state. That ends when we all remember. The workbook furthers that goal.
Lesson 22 says that when we typically look upon the world, vengeance is what we project. We blame everyone for our so-called problems and feel justified in responding with attack. The drama is circular in nature and, therefore, self-reinforcing. It never ends unless we choose to step away and end it. In lesson 24, it suggests that nothing I do is in my best interest as long as I'm choosing judgment. It's in my best interest to see holiness and Oneness, not judgment and separation. And yet that's exactly what we all do. Our justification fosters more separation. Judgment gets us nowhere and never will.
Today's lesson, twenty-five, tells me that everything I encounter is for my best interest. It doesn't matter if it is an expression of love or a call for love, it gives me everything I need. These are opportunities to join with others in Oneness. They're a blessing. If I devote my time to expressions of ego, then I don't understand what my life is about. Remember that if only God is real, then this world of projection is meaningless. Focusing on or responding to meaningless projections instead of seeing them as love or a call for love, prevents my awakening. If I extend love in whatever situation I find myself, then my awakening continues.
As the work continues, I'll be posting more.. It's going to be an interesting year..
Note: the above quotation is from A Course in Miracles. Foundation for Inner Peace. 2007
Nothing real can be threatened. Nothing unreal exists. Herein lies the peace of God. ACIM Preface p.xThe point is to embody that idea in our daily lives. It's the way to peace. It's the way to remembrance. It's the way to Oneness. The lessons illustrate that the world we see is a projection or illusion and that we give it all the meaning it has. It's really that simple. We can choose to see it through the prism of the ego, or we can choose to see it as either an expression of love or a call for love. We can see it with judgment, or see it as nothing at all. In the Oneness, this world doesn't exist. The workbook teaches us how to live in the world while remembering we're not of the world.
The world of illusion is filled with drama. We don't want to accept our role, much less our active participation, in that drama. But we must accept that responsibility or we'll never accomplish the task at hand. The first twenty-five lessons focus on understanding that not only do I give meaning to whatever I'm seeing, but also my thoughts have power, that they're not neutral. They have effect and keep the drama going. I can focus on thoughts of attack and judgment, believing that I am responding to what I see. But that's the whole point..I'm responding to what I see. Not someone else..me. No one forces me to process things the way I do. I do that. I can choose something else. Choosing to stay above the fray and not judge, frees me to love unconditionally. I'm only at lesson twenty-five. Still having trouble with the unconditional part at times. We can attempt to control the outcome of situations, but as long as we stay in the drama, that will never happen. It's only when we step away from it, and choose extending love over judgment that we choose to remember who we are as part of the Oneness that is God. That's the only thing that's real. The rest is a projection of our collective guilt over our perceived separation from God. It's not true..we're still part of that Oneness, existing here in our collective dream state. That ends when we all remember. The workbook furthers that goal.
Lesson 22 says that when we typically look upon the world, vengeance is what we project. We blame everyone for our so-called problems and feel justified in responding with attack. The drama is circular in nature and, therefore, self-reinforcing. It never ends unless we choose to step away and end it. In lesson 24, it suggests that nothing I do is in my best interest as long as I'm choosing judgment. It's in my best interest to see holiness and Oneness, not judgment and separation. And yet that's exactly what we all do. Our justification fosters more separation. Judgment gets us nowhere and never will.
Today's lesson, twenty-five, tells me that everything I encounter is for my best interest. It doesn't matter if it is an expression of love or a call for love, it gives me everything I need. These are opportunities to join with others in Oneness. They're a blessing. If I devote my time to expressions of ego, then I don't understand what my life is about. Remember that if only God is real, then this world of projection is meaningless. Focusing on or responding to meaningless projections instead of seeing them as love or a call for love, prevents my awakening. If I extend love in whatever situation I find myself, then my awakening continues.
As the work continues, I'll be posting more.. It's going to be an interesting year..
Note: the above quotation is from A Course in Miracles. Foundation for Inner Peace. 2007
Sunday, December 15, 2013
Oneness and the Course..
I became a student of A Course in Miracles in the mid-eighties. I heard the name of the book and I knew it was real. Yes..I know..but empaths do that sort of thing. We just know. I have spent around thirty years of my life trying to complete it because it's required. I'd get through most of it, and then I'd become sidetracked by my ego and come back to it, sometimes years later. Once you know about it, you have to do it. No matter how long it takes. I drove my family nuts with all the "things only have the meaning you give them" comments. Although not a religion, it references Christian terms, but it's more than that. The Course redefined my understanding of God and myself in a way that I had never thought of before. Honestly, if everyone knew what the Course says, our view of religion would change completely. And it probably should given how people have used religion for their own nefarious purposes. Religion, in and of itself, is fine. It creates community and teaches people to be loving to each other. But as we all know, this can go awry and all kinds of destructive things can result.
I've always been interested in the "how" of things. How is even more important to me than "why". So when it became clear to me from my study that oneness was more than just a spiritual concept, I was intrigued. And after you know that, just try and get mad at people. Go ahead..try to condemn them completely. Pretty soon, you start thinking about how they became so awful that they deserve your wrath in the first place. That gives way to, say it with me now, understanding. Anger gives way by then to forgiveness and pretty soon, not only can you not be mad at anyone, you actually find yourself becoming concerned about them instead of condemning them. How is that even possible when you felt so justified? Of course those who are immersed in their "me-ness" might have a problem with all of this, but separation, divisiveness, and disunity are at the root of the world's problems, so individuality be damned.
So back to the notion, we are one. What does that actually mean? I attended a lecture last May given by His Holiness, the Dalai Lama, where he affirmed this very premise. In my study of A Course in Miracles, I discovered that oneness actually exists on the metaphysical level. We are one, because we are one. We only look separate because we chose to be separate. The Sonship is actually all of us, as one. We are also one with the Holy Spirit, the Voice for the Creator, as well as with the Creator. We can choose to forgive (the Atonement) and return home, or delay that return by choosing the ego (body). We cannot choose both. It's either one or the other. We either choose oneness with the Creator (which is reality) or oneness with our ego (unreality). The Course says:
We blame and attack each other for problems that, more often than not, arise from our own perceptions. We make this stuff up out of whole cloth, creating drama in an effort to dominate others. Instead of understanding this is all a script that was written long ago that we come back here time and again to relive, we view what's happening as real. Except that drama is often threatening. And as we know from the aforementioned quote, if the drama was real, nothing about it can be threatening. In other words, if the drama were from the Creator, then it would be real and all-encompassing. Instead, it's from our minds. We create the mess that doesn't actually exist and if we only turned away from it, we would be fine. We would remember that we're part of something that is so much greater than anything we can conceive of here in this existence. We exist in peace and love. We can exist that way here by viewing everyone and everything as holy and engage in the Holy Instant with everyone, free from judgment, and full of love.
And that's not always easy, and we're always looking to see if forgiveness "took". Unfortunately, that's also judgment, and considered to be an attack upon the very person we're forgiving..as well as ourselves (that whole oneness thing again). And really, is there a choice to be made at all? We tell ourselves that there is, but there isn't if we want to live in truth. Life here in corporeal existence is hard. We dodge minefields everywhere. If we actually believed that we were part of a greater spirit that is complete love and joy, wouldn't we focus on that? Somehow, we've decided the world of the ego is more interesting, so we focus our efforts on building that world, instead of turning back to the only world that really exists..Heaven.
All that happened was misdirected thought. When everyone understands this, this world will no longer exist because it won't need to. Learning will have been accomplished and oneness will again be all that is.
NOTE: Quotations are from A Course in Miracles. Foundation for Inner Peace. 2007.
Contact them at PO Box 598, Mill Valley, CA 94942 or on the web at www.acim.org
I've always been interested in the "how" of things. How is even more important to me than "why". So when it became clear to me from my study that oneness was more than just a spiritual concept, I was intrigued. And after you know that, just try and get mad at people. Go ahead..try to condemn them completely. Pretty soon, you start thinking about how they became so awful that they deserve your wrath in the first place. That gives way to, say it with me now, understanding. Anger gives way by then to forgiveness and pretty soon, not only can you not be mad at anyone, you actually find yourself becoming concerned about them instead of condemning them. How is that even possible when you felt so justified? Of course those who are immersed in their "me-ness" might have a problem with all of this, but separation, divisiveness, and disunity are at the root of the world's problems, so individuality be damned.
So back to the notion, we are one. What does that actually mean? I attended a lecture last May given by His Holiness, the Dalai Lama, where he affirmed this very premise. In my study of A Course in Miracles, I discovered that oneness actually exists on the metaphysical level. We are one, because we are one. We only look separate because we chose to be separate. The Sonship is actually all of us, as one. We are also one with the Holy Spirit, the Voice for the Creator, as well as with the Creator. We can choose to forgive (the Atonement) and return home, or delay that return by choosing the ego (body). We cannot choose both. It's either one or the other. We either choose oneness with the Creator (which is reality) or oneness with our ego (unreality). The Course says:
Nothing real can be threatened. Nothing unreal exists. Herein lies the peace of God.What an amazing concept! If true, then this world is an illusion and apparently only necessary so that we can forgive ourselves for separating from the Creator in the first place. We accomplish this by forgiving others. Since we're all one anyway, by forgiving others, we forgive ourselves. This is the miracle the Course speaks of. It brings love to each of us and undoes fear. It acknowledges the worth of all. Miracles are thoughts so loving that they heal involuntarily, apart from our own direction. True healing we leave to the Holy Spirit. All we're asked to do is to remember that we are one and as such cannot judge anyone. If we are indeed one, then any judgment we make of others is judgment upon ourselves.
We blame and attack each other for problems that, more often than not, arise from our own perceptions. We make this stuff up out of whole cloth, creating drama in an effort to dominate others. Instead of understanding this is all a script that was written long ago that we come back here time and again to relive, we view what's happening as real. Except that drama is often threatening. And as we know from the aforementioned quote, if the drama was real, nothing about it can be threatening. In other words, if the drama were from the Creator, then it would be real and all-encompassing. Instead, it's from our minds. We create the mess that doesn't actually exist and if we only turned away from it, we would be fine. We would remember that we're part of something that is so much greater than anything we can conceive of here in this existence. We exist in peace and love. We can exist that way here by viewing everyone and everything as holy and engage in the Holy Instant with everyone, free from judgment, and full of love.
And that's not always easy, and we're always looking to see if forgiveness "took". Unfortunately, that's also judgment, and considered to be an attack upon the very person we're forgiving..as well as ourselves (that whole oneness thing again). And really, is there a choice to be made at all? We tell ourselves that there is, but there isn't if we want to live in truth. Life here in corporeal existence is hard. We dodge minefields everywhere. If we actually believed that we were part of a greater spirit that is complete love and joy, wouldn't we focus on that? Somehow, we've decided the world of the ego is more interesting, so we focus our efforts on building that world, instead of turning back to the only world that really exists..Heaven.
All that happened was misdirected thought. When everyone understands this, this world will no longer exist because it won't need to. Learning will have been accomplished and oneness will again be all that is.
NOTE: Quotations are from A Course in Miracles. Foundation for Inner Peace. 2007.
Contact them at PO Box 598, Mill Valley, CA 94942 or on the web at www.acim.org
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