November 26, 2013

There really is only one answer to whatever we are dealing with in our lives.  It can manifest in many forms and present in many ways, but at the root of all there is only one answer.  The reason there is only one answer is that there is only one question that really matters.  Even the one question is unnecessary except that we have caused a need to ask it.  The question we must ask and answer is, “Who are we?”  Our mistaken answer to this question is the reason we need to answer it correctly for ourselves.  If we had never thought ourselves separate from Source and who we really are, we would have no need to seek this answer.  But, because we have mistakenly thought ourselves separate from others and Source, we must answer the question correctly to return to the awareness of who we really are.

It may seem such an oversimplification of the problem, but it really is that simple.  We blocked our awareness of our Oneness with Spirit, God, each other, and all of Creation simply by believing we are something other than who we really are.  We didn’t change who we are.  We simply blocked our awareness of who we are.  Everything else we perceive about our lives, ourselves, and the world we live in is based on a mistaken perception.  Is it any wonder we are confused and frightened.  When we base all our perception on a mistaken concept, there is no anchor for our mind.  With no real anchor we drift about on the seas of our perception at the mercy of unfounded perceptions of perceptions.  We need to find that anchor and secure it.

We find the answer to the question in the Holy Spirit.  Spirit is our anchor.  Spirit knows who we really are.  It has never been deceived by any misperception about who we really are.  Spirit knows we are the One Holy Child of God.  It knows we can never be anything else.  It knows we are not separate from the Source that created us.  As we drift about in our misperception about who we are, Spirit holds fast to our true Self knowing we can never be anything other than our true Self.  Spirit knows we cannot do any real harm to ourselves in this mistaken misperceived world.  It knows we will return, one way or another, to the awareness of our true state of being, so It calls to us gently, quietly reminding us of our Oneness, of our holy and whole nature.  We are extensions of Peace and Love and so are Peace and Love.  As we return to the awareness of that Peace and Love within us we see and perceive the world and each other in a seemingly new light.  Everything we experience and encounter in this life is a reminder of who we really are.  And once we remember that, we are the Light that guides each other to that same awareness.

The answer is always “Turn to Spirit.  Let Spirit guide you.”  It doesn’t matter where we are or what’s happening.  Allowing Spirit to guide us in any situation will lead us to the correct answer to the question.  We are the One Holy Child of God.  Let the truth of that answer rise to your mind and be who you really are.  Spirit is waiting.  Let yourself be guided by that Spirit to the awareness of you True Divine Identity.

November 19, 2013

“Teach only love, for that is what you are.”  The Course gives us this instruction which is a golden nugget of wisdom.  What would the world look like if we lived by this instruction?  We have lots of excuses, of course.  But the truth is if we apply this to ourselves, we would be at home.  We would be dwelling in the Realm of Heaven, at peace, and experiencing the joy of Spirit.  Teaching love is extending love.  Love cannot be projected because it is always shared.  Love cannot be divided or separated.  Love is total and unconditional or it is not real love.  Love is complete.

To truly extend love we must give up our attachment to any kind of attack.  This includes any kind of defense, too.  We have been taught that we are whole and that we have never not been whole.  Any idea that is divisive is not based in Truth.  Even the simple idea that we need to be seen as right is a form of attack.  The ideas we hold about ourselves have power, the power to perceive the world we see.   If we hold the idea that we can attack, we give power to that idea and thus teach others they can attack and attack is OK.  However, we have given power to an idea that is impossible in the real world.  Truth cannot be attacked and so the idea of attack has no real power.  We just think we can attack and so separate ourselves from the awareness of who we really are, thus making attack appear real.  So we must teach only one lesson, the lesson of love.

Love is the lesson Spirit teaches us when we ask for guidance.  Love is the lesson Spirit teaches us, no matter in what form the lesson comes.    To extend love is to see the reality of wholeness in another.  Love extends from the Mind of God which is our true mind.  Spirit connects our little or lower mind with the Mind of God when our belief in our separateness blocks our awareness of who we really are.  No matter what the world places in our daily living, there is an opportunity to extend love and thus heal in that situation.  Spirit guides us to the words and actions we need to use to be truly helpful.  Extending love will always be truly helpful.  And Spirit will always guide us to extend love.

All that is real is Love.  God creates only Love.  We are created in Love and are extensions of Love.  Our true essence is Love.  Our true state of being is Love.  The only thing we can really extend is what we really are and that is Love.  Teaching only Love is our purpose in this world.  We can only teach what we believe about ourselves.  What and who do we believe we are?  That belief determines what we teach others.  Spirit asks us only to believe the truth about who we are, that we are whole, One with God and One with each other and all Creation.  All thoughts of separation and attack are mistaken.  Reconnect with the reality of the Love we truly are.  Spirit is waiting to guide us in that awareness.  Listen to the call of Love within you.  Peace and joy are waiting within you for you to take notice.  And teach only what you really are – Love!

November 12, 2013

The Holy Spirit is within us.  No matter what we think or how we feel at any given moment, Spirit is with us, within us, and inseparable from us.  Sprit is our connection to the Mind of God, even when we have lost sight of it.  Spirit is our higher Holy Spirit Self.  When we have lost our awareness of who we really are, Spirit holds that knowledge for us.  Spirit carries our wholeness with us when we have chosen to perceive ourselves and each other incorrectly.  We may perceive that we have left the Mind of God, Oneness, but Spirit holds reality for us.  As Spirit holds that reality of Oneness for us, It quietly calls us back to the awareness of who we really are.  It systematically uses all we encounter and experience to teach us correct perception and return us to the Oneness, the Mind of God, we never left.

We have a choice.  We can make it easy or difficult to return to the awareness of who we really are.  We may, in wrong-mindedness, realize we are separated from the Mind of God.  The split mind can accept that idea.  But, the split mind finds it very difficult to accept the idea that returning to the awareness of our One-mindedness is simple.  It prefers to believe it is very difficult if not impossible.  Spirit walks with us continually reminding us of the truth about ourselves, and calling us to simply shift our perception to that which Spirit holds for us in our minds.  We simply shift our focus from our lower mind to Spirit who will guide us to the awareness of the Mind of God within us.  This is who we really are, One with God, each other, and all creation.  We see ourselves and each other through the eyes of Spirit causing us to see and perceive correctly.  Our perception of the world will shift.  Rather than seeing a world of division and separation, we see the Realm of Heaven.  We have a new understanding and a new way of thinking.  We will find peace, love and joy at the center of our being and see all through that lens.

We are the light of the world.  And where light abides, no darkness can enter.  It is impossible for darkness to exist wherever light is present.  We are whole, no matter what miss-thought we have believed.  Once we let go of our attachment to the ideas that block our light from shining outward, we extend that light to all so that they may also see there is no darkness.  Our awareness of our light within shines away another’s blocks to the light we all share.  As light shines forth from us, it also shines forth from another.  We share that light with all of creation.  Only what is real can be shared.  As we share the light and love of God with each other, we extend it to all of creation.  As this light and love extends, it expands.  There is no lack of light and love, for it is real and therefore limitless.  We have and are all we need.  Allow Spirit to show us that.  We are already where we are seeking to go.  We simply need to realize we are already in the Realm of God, Heaven on Earth.  Spirit is the gift given us to guide us to the awareness that the separation never occurred.  Let that awareness be so.

November 5, 2013

Our natural state of mind is whole-mindedness.  This is the One Mind, the Mind of God.  Our attempt to see ourselves as separate is split-mindedness.  Our belief in our idea of separation causes us to reject at least a part of our whole mind.  What we really do is shut out our true mind and the awareness of our wholeness for we cannot split that which is whole.  We turn our back on the wholeness we really are and place our trust in an illusory mind that is not real at all.  Wholeness cannot be divided or parceled out piece by piece.  Wholeness remains whole, so our attempt to be separate blocks our awareness of our wholeness.  Wholeness can be shared and extended, but it cannot be split up.  When we separate ourselves from the awareness of who we really are, we dissociate ourselves from ourselves.  We’ve made up a false identity to take the place of our true identity.

Projection is our way of rationalizing and maintaining our separation.  We don’t really like the state of mind separation we have made up, so we project our dissatisfaction and on others.  It can’t be our fault we are miserable, so we project the blame on others.  And so we heap more and more obscuring thoughts and ideas on each other.  Is it any wonder we are dissatisfied?  The pattern of blame and guilt just keeps building up within us.  And we have no idea how to fix the problem.  By fixating on our perceived differences we obscure the fullness of our equality with each other.  We obscure the awareness of the abundant love and power within us that was placed there by the Creator.

The answer to our separation problem is extension.  To extend is to share wholly.    We are all created with all the love, peace, and joy of God within us and all of it is shared by all of us.  Unless we have all of it, we have none of it.  If we reject part of it we reject all of it.  It is time for us to recognize the light within us.  It’s time to recognize the light that never goes out, the light that shines in the darkness showing us the way to our true reality.  Spirit is placed within each of us to guide us.  Spirit is the plan within us that leads us back to the awareness of who we really are and always have been.  We are all the light of the world.  We all have a choice no matter where we are at or what thought system we are attached to at the moment.

The shift is as simple as making a different choice.  It’s as simple as making a choice to follow Spirit’s guidance.  Rather than projecting attack or blame on another, we have the opportunity to see peace in any situation.  We have the choice to go to Spirit and ask for guidance in any situation.  No situation is too large or too small for Spirit to give guidance.  Spirit is patiently waiting for us to wake up.  It’s waiting for us to choose to see peace instead of whatever we are seeing at the moment.  The Realm of Heaven is waiting for us in that choice.  No matter what road we have travelled down, we still have the simple choice to choose the path of Spirit as we are guided.  Take a step back for a moment.  Take a deep breath and look at what is going on in your mind.  Is this where you really want to be?  Again, ease up on yourself.  Don’t take yourself so seriously and make a choice to see with the eyes of Spirit, think with the Mind of Spirit, and listen to the Voice of Spirit.  The Realm of Heaven is right here within each and every one of us waiting to be recognized.  Let the awareness of who you really are rise in your mind as it extends to you and then from you.  The Realm of Heaven is here now within you.  Say yes to it now and find the ‘you’ you’ve been looking for all along right there within you.  Let it be so.