Showing posts with label peace. Show all posts
Showing posts with label peace. Show all posts

Monday, September 29, 2014

It's Simple...We're all the Same

I woke up thinking about the Middle East this morning.  I'd just love to throw a big blanket over Syria and Iraq.  "Sleep, everyone, just sleep", I'd whisper into the blanket.  "Calm down, sleep and find some quiet."  

When everyone is finally sleeping peacefully, I'd continue my whispering.  This is what I'd say:

We're all the same.  
The Divine created each and every one of us in exactly the same way.
He made us all out of the same substance.

He made us all exactly in his own image.  We are just like him.  Every single one of us.

We are love.  That is what he is.  That is what we are.

He love us infinitely.  Yes, each and every one of us is loved infinitely by the Divine himself.

And the Divine gave us each a function.  That function is love.   

We have a job to do, an assignment, a purpose.  Love is why we exist.  

Exercise that love.  Put it into action.  Fulfill your purpose.  

Be who you were created to be.

Forgive.  Accept.  Love. 

It really is all just this simple.  We're all the same. 

Live in peace.  Nothing is more important than this.  Nothing.  





Tuesday, August 26, 2014

"Forgive the World" -- What Does it Mean?

Forgiving the world...it seems like a daunting task.  There's a lot of pain out there.  In fact, there's a lot of suffering close-by.  Where do we even start?



When it comes to forgiving the world, we need to look at how forgiving plays out in both our immediate world and the greater world at large.

Forgiving in Our Own Backyard   In our immediate world, we can forgive the things that come up on an every day basis.  Whenever we feel frustrated, angry or hurt by the people or events that surround us, we need to do a little forgiveness work.  This can be done right on the spot, or it can be saved for a quiet moment later.  I like to review my day each night in bed and forgive anything disturbing that happened.

Global Forgiveness   Forgiving the world at large is a different kind of forgiveness.  It means releasing attachment.  It means that we watch what is happening in Israel, in the Ukraine, in Syria or wherever, from arms length, yet with an understanding that suffering  is occurring.  As we observe, we do not allow our thoughts to mentally sink down with fear and angst for the events that we see.

Just as we forgive the bullies in our immediate world, we also need to forgive the bullies of the world at large. And this we can add to our nightly forgiveness work.

Mind Work   However, when we think about the victims, we must not become upset and focused on the unfairness of it all.  Thoughts are creative and this kind of thinking holds the victims down.  If we want their lives to improve, we need to see them in their strength and truth.  We must hold the mental high ground with images of their higher source and true potential.  (Of course, this doesn't mean that we refrain from providing the help needed.  If there is something we can do, whatever it is, we can feel free to contribute.)

Remember that forgiveness happens on the mental plane.   We must hold a vision that helps the victims and sufferers to rise up.  It is our job to find the vision for peace.  It is our job to forgive and to see love as a real possibility.

World Peace Starts at Home, Inside   Of course, our biggest contribution to the healing of the world is the work we do on our very own minds.  We must release our habits of judging others.  If we want to heal the world, we must heal our own thinking first.  When our minds become a place of peace, the world will reflect that.  When we stop the attack thoughts that frequent our minds, when our minds become gentle, the world will too.

Remember that all minds are joined.  We can lift others up.  By filling our minds with love, we are showing others the pathway to peace.   And loving thoughts have so much more power than fearful thoughts.  It starts right here, right now, with us.  Each of us has the opportunity to contribute to the forgiving and healing of the world.




Tuesday, April 8, 2014

May All Beings Be Happy

I've noticed that this past week there have lots of readers from the Ukraine coming to this site.  I'm glad to know that there are people in the Ukraine that are searching for ways to deal with what has happened with forgiveness.  I also want any Ukrainian readers to know that there are people all over the world that support you and are praying for your well being.



When life shattering events occur, there is certainly much deep forgiveness work that can be done.  There are ideas in my book and throughout this site that may help with that.  However, in this posting I want to offer again a process, a Buddhist Metta prayer, that can easily and immediately help everyone get on the pathway to forgiveness around this issue.

Whenever we "flip the switch" in our minds from fear to love, we are beginning to forgive.  A Course in Miracles defines a miracle as "a shift in perception that takes place within the mind".  This little Metta prayer is truly a miracle-maker because in a matter of moments it takes you to love.

The prayer was written by Lama Surya Das and can be found in his book "Awakening the Budda Within".   There are many metta prayers and all have similar intentions.  However, the language in this one is particularly beautiful and seems to speak to everyone who reads it.

Here's what you do.  Get a picture in your mind of anyone involved in the recent events in Ukraine, the protagonists, the victims, the villains and the innocent by-standers.  You are going to say this prayer for each and every one of them. Say the prayer as sincerely as you can and really direct the words out to the individuals or groups whom you wish to receive its benefits.  If you need to, you can repeat it several times, once for people you feel angry with, another for victims, another for the people you are simply worried about, etc.

May all beings be happy, content and fulfilled.
May all beings be healed and whole.
May all beings have whatever they want and need.
May all beings be protected from harm, and free from fear.  
May all beings enjoy inner peace and ease.
May all beings be awakened, liberated, and free.
May there be peace in this world and throughout the entire universe.  

(You can insert someone's name instead of using the words "all beings" if you have a particular person or group of people in mind.  By the way, this prayer is so powerful, it will absolutely change your life if you use it every day.  My advice would be to print it out in a word document, perhaps add a beautiful picture to it like the heart world below and take it to your local office store to have them laminate it for you.  Then use it first thing in the morning.)

I would like to encourage all readers of this posting to say this prayer for the Ukraine and sincerely wish that everyone involved will be lifted up, be safe and will find a way to heal and to bring more love into their lives. 


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As a next step in forgiveness, I would suggest a guided meditation process that you can download for $2.99 called "Forgive the World Now".  It only takes 17 minutes to do and it will take you to a place where you will be able to see all this from a different perspective.  


And finally, here is a link to an article I like titled, "The Path to World Peace Starts Within" from The Power of Oneness.  A few excerpts:

"The condition of our physical world is a giant mirror reflecting back to us the collective thoughts of every person who is part of our earth family.  since thought is creative, whatever we focus on expands.  Therefore, what we are seeing is an indication that part of our human society is predominately focused on judgement, violence, greed and crime.  
We can point a finger of blame wherever and to whomever we want, but it does not change the truth that each of us has played a part in creating the condition of the world in which we live.  
We can only change the quality of our collective personal reality by taking personal responsibility for the part we have each played in creating it.  Since all change begins at the level of self, when we change our individual lives, the world around us changes as well. 




Sunday, December 8, 2013

Get on the Forgiveness Gravy Train

Forgiveness changes your life.  If you want to stop living a nightmare and move your life into the "happy dream" life the Course of Miracles promises, only forgiveness can get you there. 

Some ways a steady habit of forgiveness will change your life:

Your life begins to feel lighter, easier, more pleasurable.  This brings you happiness.

The people you've forgiven change and actually become less annoying.  The more you forgive them, the more they change.  This brings you peace.

Life eases up.  Nightmarish things occur less often or not at all.  This brings you security. 

You begin to feel powerful in the role you play in healing the world around you. This brings you joy.

As your forgiveness work accumulates, you find that you are actually forgiving yourself on a deep subconscious level.  You allow yourself to accept God's gifts because you actually believe you deserve them now.  This brings you abundance.

The more you forgive yourself, the more you see the false self and the false world you've created.  This brings you truth. 

As you  begin to see your false self you begin to really see the insane lies you've been telling yourself and the insane things you've been doing, and you develop humility.  This brings you dignity.

Life slows down.  You take more time with what's important.  You know the difference between crazy ego schemes and the simple truth of God's love. You see the "real world" all around you.  This brings you beauty. 

You see your brother in every person you encounter.  This brings you love. 


Forgiveness will bring you everything you truly want!



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Saturday, December 7, 2013

Forgiveness is Easier Than You Think

Yes, it actually is easy, once you get the hang of it.  In fact, it's not only easy, it's pleasurable!



However, easy forgiveness requires a shift in the way we view the world.  We have to stop thinking about the world from the same perspective we've seen it from all of our lives.  We have to let go of a world where "me" and "them" are two different things. 

In order to forgive easily, we need to see the world as a place where we are split off from our normal home in the Oneness of God.  We are here to learn some lessons and purify, but our real home is with God.  In our real home, we all live in perfect bliss, forever. 

When we come here to earth, it's set up so that we forget everything about our true reality.  Then we start to get all caught up in the illusions that make up our lives on earth.  We start to want things.  First we want toys and playmates, but later we want houses and cars and relationships.  We might want success, fame, power or glory.  Wanting these things can set us at odds with other people.  Often, one person wrestles these things away from someone else.  One of us wins, and one of us loses. 

When we lose, we can feel hurt, angry or fearful.  When we win, we feel guilty, although some of us are not aware of this in our every day consciousness.  Rest assured, however, that whenever we win at the expense of someone else, we create guilt deep in our sub-consciousness. We all have mountains of this guilt hidden deep in our minds and it is the source of our real anxiety, worry and fear.

In reality, we're all the same, each of us created exactly in God's image and loved infinitely by him.  God wants us to know this about each other.  The way we do this is through our forgiveness.

When we forgive, we drop our earthly view of the person we are forgiving and we see their higher truth.  We know them as God's beloved son.  We recognize that if God loves them unconditionally, then they are truly worthy of our love, too.

Of course, in the beginning, this is not always easy.  It takes practice to get good at this.  What happens, however, as we start to forgive others, is that we find that we feel so much better afterward.  Over time, we realize that we can feel better NOW, if we will only let it go, shift our perspective and see the higher truth of our trespasser.

Another benefit of forgiveness is that as we begin to forgive the people and the world around us, that horrible guilt that has been building up in our sub-consciousness is dissipated.  Over time, through our weeks, months and years of forgiveness, a significant release of this guilt occurs and we find our lives become peaceful and happy, even blissful. 

If you are just starting out with forgiveness, try this beautiful forgiveness process from Lesson 68 in the Workbook from A Course of Miracles.



As a beginner, I would recommend that you not start out with the most difficult forgiveness task in your life.  Rather, select the people who are only mildly annoying you, people who are not wreaking major damage to your life. Let's go for success and ease this first time out of the box!

"Think of the minor grievances you hold against those you like and even those you love.  It will quickly become apparent that there is no one against whom you do not cherish grievances of some sort.  This has left you alone in all the universe in your perception of yourself. 
 
Determine now to see all these people as friends.  Say to them all, thinking of each one in turn as you do so:
 
I would see you as my friend, that I may remember you are part of me and come to know myself. 
 
Think of yourself as completely at peace with everyone and everything, safe in a world that protects you and loves you, and that you love in return.  Try to feel safety surrounding you, hovering over you and holding you up.  Try to believe, that nothing can harm you in any way.  Tell yourself: 
 
Love holds no grievances.  When I let all my grievances go I will know I am perfectly safe." 


What about the people who do real damage to our lives...how do we forgive them? Obviously, serious injuries require serious forgiveness work. In my book, "Forgiveness is the Key to Happiness", there are many forgiveness processes explained. There is a process that works on any problem in your life. Rest assured, however, that even serious forgiveness work can become easy and pleasurable. And the rewards of living a steady forgiveness habit are simply too fabulous to pass up!

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Thursday, November 28, 2013

My Table is Set and Ready

Come join me at my table.  This is a table of gratitude for all that God makes ours.  We give thanks that God loves us infinitely. We give thanks for the beauty and abundance we experience in this world. Thank you God for the love that surrounds us and the joy and peace that is ours whenever we choose to join with you. 

As an expression of our thankfulness, we in turn, love our brothers.  We release all judgments and we accept everything in this world.  All is forgiven.  We choose to live in love.  And on this day of gratitude we say our Thanksgivings!

Saturday, November 23, 2013

Are You are Holding Yourself Back?

Why Forgive?

You may be wondering why forgiveness is so important.  Well, here are two very big reasons why you are holding yourself back whenever you do not forgve. 

1)  You are holding yourself back from going home to God.  Our goal is to be more like God so that we can go home and be with him.  Until we become more like him we are destined to remain in  this "dream world" of  suffering and fear. 

God does not judge.  He only sees our true and perfect selves.  In A Course in Miracles, we are asked to give up all forms of judgment and to accept and forgive everything in our lives.
 
"It is necessary for the teacher of God to realize, not that he should not judge, but that he cannot." --A Course in Miracles, Manual for Teachers 10, 2, 1



"God's Son is guiltless, and sin does not exist."--A Course in Miracles, Manual for Teachers 10, 2,9

2)  You are holding yourself back from knowing peace while you are here.  Relinquishing judgments by accepting and forgiving this world is the only path to inner peace.

"God's word has promised that peace is possible here, and what He promises can hardly be impossible. But it is true that the world must be looked at differently, if His promises are to be accepted."  A Course in Miracles, Manual for Teachers 11, 1, 7

We look at the world differently by seeing through the eyes of forgiveness. We drop all judgments.  We know that every person here is a brother, even if sometimes they have forgotten this themselves and behave badly in ignorance.   We must know their real identity for them.   We accept with grace the events of this world and trust that they are happening here for us as a means where we can grow and purify by accepting and forgiving.  When we accept everything that happens to us, we are creating peace in our minds. 

"How is peace possible in this world?  In your judgment it is not possible, and can never be possible. But in the Judgment of God what is reflected here is only peace."--A Course in Miracles, Manual for Teachers 11, 3, 7-9  

Start a forgiveness habit today and move your life in the direction of happiness!  It doesn't happen overnight, but with diligent practice your life will change in ways that astonish you. 


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"Forgiveness is the Key to Happiness" is available in both paperback and hardcover at:

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