WELCOME 8

P. 42-44

There were some interesting leaps in consciousness this morning!

We began the reflection with: “When you deny the Christ in your fellows, you deny the Christ within yourself.” (or as the song states it, “You can’t hold your brother/sister in the dark and expect to see the light.”)

The thinking mind will not or cannot grasp this one because the ego and the intellect always wants to be right. There is no way that the mind can resonate with this truth.

However, the expression of this truth is what we sometimes refer to as “spiritual law.” That does not mean a command or a dictate. What it does mean is this is the way it is; this is how it works and it cannot work any other way. A simple analogy in the physical world would be one of Newton's Law’s of Motion—“For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction,” or really any other “law” of physics. They are ways of describing the way physical objects act and interact in the material world—-they cannot act any differently. 

One of the reasons why it is so easy to fall into judgment is because judgment is a natural protective mechanism of the personality self. In some ways it is a means of control, in other ways it is a reinforcement of separateness and often to it creates a false sense of superiority.

Specifically here, we are talking about judging another human being. The simple realization that we are often unaware of our own motivation, how could we possibly beware of the motivation of another? Please know this has nothing to do with victim consciousness or excusing an inexcusable behavior. There are certainly times when action is called for, and it is a deep learning to be able to act appropriately without judgment. Just saying that out loud makes me aware of how difficult that can be.

One example that I thought of that I believe we all have some awareness of. When I was growing up I often heard “Your a bad boy.” I realized today that was not necessarily the message or the totality of the message my parents were attempting to convey, but like most people of that age they did not have the words. The words or expressions that I use towards my grandchildren might sound something like this, “I do not like what you did or how you did it, but my dislike or disapproval has nothing to do with how much I love you now and will always love you.”

I often wonder what it would have been like if I could have heard and taken in that message where there would be little or no blame shame or guilt, and I would have this space and the opportunity to become aware of the motivation that was behind my action and give myself the opportunity to change it.

The guides seem to change focus here but I believe their direction will lead us exactly where we need to go.

“Now, there is a discipline at hand here and we will have to attend to that. You are not used to this. You are not worthy, in your own minds, of being forgiven, so how can you forgive your fellows? This is what you’ve been brought up with, you know. This is what you have believed, and this is what you create through.”

When I first read that passage, I was taken aback by the mention of worthiness. I did not really comprehend how worthiness fit into the picture and then I began to see.

The antidote to judgment is forgiveness. Of course, there might be a time when forgiveness is no longer needed, for there is no longer any judgments. That is not where most of us are today yet. (A Course in Miracles speaks to this through the concept of Atonement—-there will come a time when there is no need for Atonement, when there is no judgment/no sense of separation.

Why would I not be able to forgive myself?????—the only answer is, I do not experience myself as worthy of (worth) forgiveness.

You see, many of us took on these fundamental messages of “not enoughness” or guilt or shame before we could even walk or talk. They are not just ideas in our heads, they are core beliefs that have become so much a part of our being, we assume they have always been there.

We do not get rid of these just by wanting to, we practice learning to hold this little wounded part of ourselves just as we would hold a hurt or frightened child. Hold them until they heal. AND the old messages might not ever completely disappear, but as we heal, they become less important, they lose their energy to bring s down. 

Of course, I can use my proclivity for judgement as a learning experience as well—you know, the old—“you spot it; you got it.” That puts me face to ace with my shadow and the healing and acceptance it is needing. (You do not have to take the “you got it” thing too literally—for instance, if we see arrogance in another, it might not be that we are arrogant—it might be that we are covering our fear in other ways—-so it is the fear we are being asked to look at.)

I quoted from that wonderful Zen poem, the Hsin hsin Ming, in counterpoint to the words of Jesus from Matthew 7:13-14: 13 “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

The Zen poem begins: “The Great Way is not difficult, for those who have no preferences.” 

It goes on to suggest, “When love and hate are both absent, everything becomes clear and undisguised. 

Make one distinction however and heaven and earth are set infinitely apart.”

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When we explore judgment/non-judgement, it is difficult to keep the thinking mind out of the picture. It will be continually asking questions such as, “Why do bad things happen to good people,” or the reverse—“Why do good things happen to bad people?” And, then we are stuck with needing to explain all the other imbalances and uncontrollable happenings in he world.

The simplest “explanation” is that we are not limited to one lifetime here. The idea and exploration of REINCARNATION might be far beyond the scope of our study, but it is something to look at.

I will leave you with this paradox: “Can you recall a time when you were not?”

Peace