Saturday, August 26, 2017

I am

Through the process of meditation I have discovered a very loving, constructive and powerful Self or sense of "I am" which also seems to be allied with or part of the force I have come to know as God. I have encountered the same Self within recovering addicts I have worked with and believe that Self is part of all of us. That self is capable of wonderful and very healing actions. "Get to know that "I am" without words which arises in the morning. Knowing the Self, abiding in the Self-knowledge, is not a mere intellectual knowing. You must be that, and you should not move away from it. Remain firm." (Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj). I believe that Self is what Jesus was talking about when he said "Blessed is the one who came into being before he came into being."

Friday, August 25, 2017

Special Sensitivity

Yesterday I was talking to someone about, what I call, their "special sensitivity" to the unseen world. The sorts of feelings or sensations that dogs and some people sense and react to, like energy fields, presence, negative/evil forces, love or spirits. In my case my sensitivity now includes all of the above but began with the negative. I have also witnessed dogs, cats and very young children reacting to the unseen. Partly because of this sensitivity my world is incredibly rich and my daily interactions are very fulfilling. In the words of Walsch "Once you’ve had such a magnificent experience, it can be very difficult to go back to "real life" in a way that blends well with what other people are calling "reality". That is because your reality has shifted. It has become something else. It has expanded, grown. And it cannot be shrunk again. It’s like trying to get the genie back in the bottle. It can’t be done."

Wednesday, August 23, 2017

Love

In my recovery meeting today the main theme was mistakes or failure and it was clear that most of the members feel they make mistakes and continue to strive for the human concept of perfection. I also heard a lot of the gentle, loving laughter that I apply to myself whenever these or other very human, normal, critical thoughts pop up in my mind. The laughter is one of fondness and recognition, and it helps me not take such thoughts seriously. My mystical connection tells me that spiritually we are all perfect in our imperfection and that failure does not exist - those human concepts do not exist within the Love I find there. In the words of Walsch "1. God needs nothing. 2. God cannot fail, and neither can you. 3. Nothing is separate from anything. 4. There is enough. 5. There is nothing you have to do. 6. You will never be judged.  7. You will never be condemned. 8. Love knows no condition. 9. A thing cannot be superior to itself. 10. You already know all of this."

Tuesday, August 22, 2017

Gratitude

This morning I was returning to the house after replenishing the seeds in our bird feeders and as I was entering the house I felt a strong sense of an urge to stay outside, bless the plants in our yard, be present and express gratitude. It was a glorious connection to the morning and the spiritual zone around our house. I was reminded of the words that Walsch attributed to God; "I tell you, I am in every flower, every rainbow, every star in the heavens, and everything in and on every planet rotating around every star. I am the whisper of the wind, the warmth of your sun, the incredible individuality and the extraordinary perfection of each snowflake. I am the majesty in the soaring flight of eagles, and the innocence of the doe in the field; the courage of lions, the wisdom of the ancient ones."

Monday, August 21, 2017

Connection

Thomas Dubay, S. M. comments that "A mystical touch is a deep, intimate contact-union-experience of God in one of His attributes such as power, light, goodness, beauty, or joy." I experience that feeling most nights when I get up to pray and meditate and also during my service work in the daytime. That contact requires intent, focus, listening and little attachment to worldly things. I still enjoy the antics of the fledgling birds in our yard and fussing with our plants and gardens but have little interest in money, power or prestige. I find this to be an interesting and very fulfilling way to live.

Sunday, August 20, 2017

Practice

Today at the Friend’s meeting, using my intent, I went to each individual to remove any negative tendencies, similar to my work with spirits. Next, much as I describe in my book and again using my intent, I went to each individual and beamed love and well-being at them. My wife, one of the recipients, tells me I was successful. A bit later she and I had a very good connection and talk with her mother. All in all it has been a very active and fulfilling day. "It [inner silence] is to establish an inner peace, an inner harmony, which will allow us authentically to contribute to the establishment of an outer peace and an outer harmony in the world at large." (Seeger)