Choices

Politically, I would like to see more positive choices made, choices that "increase the integrity of the universe", to use a quote from my book. It does not make any difference to me if the choices are republican or democrat, only that they are oriented toward the long term good of all the people. I believe the words of Rufus Jones when he said "From the nature of things life means choice and selection, and every positive choice negates all other possibilities." So, if we begin to make positive choices and continue it will put an end to racism, elitism and environmental degradation.

Power of Love

I was shown many years ago that I could fill myself with a loving feeling, confront any "demonic" or negative forces within myself and then make them leave me alone by simply telling them to leave. It worked like magic though I could never fit the process into my logical thinking (like I say in my book "understanding is not required"). Last night I was able to do the same thing with a group of spirits. This process then frees up the energy so that the same energy can be used in me or them for positive growth. In the words of John Yungblut "It is not that the demonic forces within the unconscious are not capable of destruction and disintegration. It is rather that within the mystery of the conjunction of opposites their sting can be drawn, their poison drained, and their very energy harnessed to realize a more profound individuation."

Paradox

Because of today’s recovery meeting and my own reading I have been aware of and contemplating the numerous paradoxes in my life. In my recovery meeting, as often happens, "surrender to win" was implied several times. The other paradoxes in my life are summarized nicely by the words of Rufus Jones when he wrote "To get we must also give, to advance we must also surrender, to gain we must lose, to attain we must resign. From the nature of things life means choice and selection, and every positive choice negates all other possibilities." For me the largest and most difficult paradox was/is that in order for me to become my true Self I have to give up the worldly demands of my ego self or in his words "To become a person one must both affirm and deny himself. One involves the other."

Acceptance

I fully accept the limitations imposed on me by my disability and, at the same time, do everything I know to do to reduce or eliminate those limitations. I accept it but do not like it and try to make it go away. Seeking to alleviate the pain and discomfort of my disability has forced me to meditate more and have a much better connection with God/love. It is only through that connection and then filling my life with being of service that I find relief. In the words of Seeger "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."

Mistake

This morning I went for my first appointment with a neurologist in MD, an appointment that I had confirmed last week. When I got there the office staff was there but the clinic was closed so the appointment was cancelled. It turns out that in addition to erroneously confirming the appointment, they had also originally scheduled it under the wrong name, so they had made two errors. Initially when I pointed out that they had "messed up" they denied it but after figuring out what they had done wrong, they explained their error to me, apologized and rescheduled. I laughed a bit, pointed out that they had admitted the mistake and apologized for it. I told the office manager that she had done well. A mistake had been made, I did not take it personally and a reasonable resolution was arrived at. It could have turned out a lot worse!

Meditation

Today, a Sunday, I had several periods of exercise, each followed by a period of sitting quietly and meditating. This was one of those days when I did not look forward to or enjoy the exercise, primarily the treadmill. I, of course just did it anyway as part of my daily practice. I did enjoy the meditating, my way of listening to God/love. I was not seeking any specific guidance so I just quieted the mind chatter and listened. In the words of Loring; "Our awareness develops in the context of prayer, our communication with God—not only as we address God but as we learn to listen for God [love]."

Differences

I spent most of the day in the company of my in-law family talking (primarily listening) about relatively superficial life events and them not allowing any connection at a deeper level. I find that I am increasingly sensitive to the energy field that people project, so the day was exhausting for me and an exercise in truly "embracing" the beliefs and attitudes of people very different from myself. In the words of Walsch "Embrace every circumstance, own every fault, share every joy, contemplate every mystery, walk in every man’s shoes, forgive every offense (including your own), heal every heart, honor every person’s truth, adore every person’s God, protect every person’s rights, preserve every person’s dignity, promote every person’s interests, provide every person’s needs, presume every person’s holiness, present every person’s greatest gifts, produce every person’s blessing, and pronounce every person’s future secure in the assured love of God."

Commitment

Today I met with one of the people that I am mentoring in his recovery process. It is a real pleasure for me to watch his excitement as his life changes in response to his definite commitment to the recovery process. His rapid progress reminds me of the comments of W. H. Murray of the Scottish Himalayan Expedition; "Until one is committed there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamt would have come his way.  I have learned a deep respect for one of Goethe's couplets: "Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it./ Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it."

Difficult Times

In my book, Three Simple Questions: Being in the World, But Not of It, I outline a way of life, an approach to life, that got me through hard times. The book revolves around three questions that I have used many times and continue to use daily. They are, (1) Would I do this in front of God, or whatever you call that power/force?; (2) Is my name really on it or is it really my responsibility?; (3) Will this increase the integrity of the universe, or is this loving? The book also contains outlines of several meditative and contemplative practices I use every day. The book contains a spiritual way of life that works for me. It’s a way of life that brings me joy even during difficult times. It is also a belief system that is totally adaptable to any person and any belief.

Perfection

The human concept of "perfection" feels wrong to me. The concept is based on duality and judgment, neither of which have significance in an eternal sense, in God’s reality and both are generally harmful. Perfection, in a human sense, means that all of the actions or thoughts are judged to fall within a certain category of being "right". For example perfect grades means all As. In God’s world, or the world of the Absolute, there is no duality so everything is perfect within its "imperfection". "Within the realm of sublime relationships nothing which exists has an opposite. All is One, and everything progresses from one to the other in a never-ending circle."(Walsch). That concept works for me.