Is it me?

"The question isn't who is going to let me; it's who is going to stop me." - Ayn Rand

This quote poses a good question. Further, I would ask, how often are we the person stopping ourself?

Do we believe in ourselves?  Are we consciously or unconsciously blocking ourselves from our good?

Take a moment to ask these important questions. Take a moment to listen within, unconditionally. Take a moment to be present to your response and whatever arises for you.

Everything Is Going To BE Ok

What if everything is going to be ok?

Hasn't everything worked out so far?  Hasn't it all been ok?  "No!" You say.  I had this horrible thing happen and this other terrible thing.  Yes, we have had challenges, difficulties.

When I asked myself this same question a number of hardships came to mind.  Yes, I have lost money. I have lost cars.  I have lost  my home more than once.  I have lost friends.  I have lost family.  I have lost face.  I have lost my temper.  I think I have even come close to losing my mind.  And yet, as I sit her right now, everything is ok.

What if we knew everything is going to be ok as it is happening?  I think it is worth re-minding ourselves.  As I have worked at this it goes something like this.  The phone call comes and I go into panic.  The thing I have feared starts happening. I read the email and I start to worry.  He/she says this or that and I feel anger rising.  I begin to remind myself.  "Everything is going to be ok."  More and more I re-mind myself  more quickly.  "Oh yah.  NOW I re-memeber.  It IS
all ok."

Setting Free

This is so true.  I hated that it might be true when I first read it, but as I have learned to apply this wisdom I have been so grateful for it.  I think the block for so many of us is we are challenged by forgiveness.  One of the most helpful things I have learned about forgiveness comes from Myrtle Fillmore who said that forgiveness is simply giving love where we previously gave an error thought.

Giving a loving thought where we are holding an error thought dissolves the emotional link that is stronger than steel holding us to what we don't want and sets us free!

When in Hell, Don't Do As the Hellians!

"When you are going through hell don't stop to take pictures." - Wally Amos, better known as Famous Amos.

I am one of those who tends to not only take pictures, but start a huge scrap book.  Something in me thinks that if I have a detailed account carefully preserved it will somehow protect me from future pain.  Tricky ego.  The truth is that is the ego's trick to keep me in the pain.  How do I know?  Because I fell for it - many times!

When in hell - don't do as the Hellians!  I think of the Movie "What Dreams May Come" where the people in hell are moaning and groaning and pulling everyone around them down into the mire, gloom and doom.  I'm not saying you should never vent, and by all means if a painful feeling presents itself feel it. Move through it.  The key word being "through".  So many times we start to feel the feeling and turn around to run from it as fast as we can.  In turning around to run we get disoriented and end up running around in circles - in hell.

When in hell, have no fear.  It's the fear that gets ya.  Don't focus on the outer conflict, turmoil, struggle or whatever.  You don't have to go all sugary and lace with it either.  Just get present to the feeling that is presenting itself.  Have faith that you are moving through - not stuck forever in it.  Don't look down into the mire, look within to your innate strength. Heaven is there.

Fixing Others

You are not here to “fix” other people or mother earth. You are here to heal the deep wounds within your own being. Please tend to this task and all else will fall into place without any effort on your part. ~Pamela Kribbe

I found this quote on my friend and collegue, Josha Grant's, Facebook today.  What an awesome re-minder and one worth meditating on.  I am taking it to my journal.  Hope you enjoy it as I have.

Getting Rid of the Thorn In Your Side

"When you made visible what is not true, what is true became invisible to you." -A Course In Miracles

So true.  And, when you focus on the *invisible* you know is True, the *visible thorn in your side* you experience will vanish.

Who or what is pissing you off - treating you wrong - holding you back - holding you down - standing in your way?

Whoever or whatever you think is at fault, is false.  Conflict will dissolve when you re-alize your are interacting with the false/fearful self of the person who does you wrong.  It could go like this in your mind. "Oh. So and So is doing that thing that I can't stand.  This is not the true So and So.  This is the false So and So.  I re-cognize the same or similar defense in myself.  Ah yes.  I know the false self that I re-act from.  Oh, that is what is going on here.  I do it, too.  Maybe I do it differently.  Yep, I tend to attack myself instead of others (or whatever).  I choose not to relate false self to false self.  I choose to be present to my true self and their true self.

What I experience/perceive as wrong is covering up the Truth I don't see right now.  I look past this false experience to the Truth I know is present.

What did I make visible that I don't like?  What Truth became invisible to me as a result?  What Truth is present even if I don't *see* it now?

What Your Experience Is Telling You

"Everything you behold without is a judgment of what you beheld within." -A Course In Miracles

So what have you "beheld within"?  (Note the past tense?) You can deduce this by what you are experiencing now.  Allow your experience to be your guide not your "reality."

Are you experiencing harmony or dissension in your relationships?  Answer that and you can discern whether or not you have beheld harmony or dissension within.  Often we are attacking ourselves with very little or no awareness.

Are you experiencing abundant health, abundant wealth, abundant joy?  If not, you are not beholding it within.

Do you experience giving and receiving unconditional love and non-judgement?  Answer that and you can discern whether or not you have beheld unconditional love and non-judgement towards yourself.

Answering these questions is not a way to beat yourself up.  All disharmony without is a call to harmony within. Covering your pain with a coating of "harmony" will not work, rather asking your pain for guidance towards what is out of alignment and bringing it back to Truth will work. Ask with a curious heart.  Inquire as a means to find the place that is blocking you and with the intention of beholding true perspective within.

Are you experiencing light, peace and joy.  If so, you are beholding these things.  Focus there.
 

What If You Were Happy?

What if you focused on happiness in your life?  What if, even if it were really difficult to find, you focused on it anyway?  What if you looked in all the nooks and crannies for happiness?

I hear the retorts, "That would be so Polly Anna!"  So!?  What if you could be happy?  What if you were so happy you didn't care if they called you Polly Anna?

And, I'm not talking about not feeling sadness, anger, grief or whatever comes up.  I'm talking about consciously focusing on happiness, on joy.  If anger comes up when you focus on happiness and joy, then by all means feel it.  I'd be willing to bet it will pass quickly, very quickly.

Conduct your own experiment.  See what happens.