THIS INCARNATION 7

P. 98-100 

One of the words that kept coming back to me is “paradox.” Most of us are living with one foot in the Kingdom and the other foot in the material world. Because of this, it is quite difficult sometimes to know what our next step is, or to put it in metaphysical language, “What is most real and what is an illusion?”

The deeper challenge is “to be in the world but not of it.” Other ways of expressing that: to know I have an ego/personality self, and to realize that is not who I am; to be able to walk lightly, walk freely and yet also to walk the earth. The way I heard a teacher put it years ago was To walk the mystical path with practical feet.

Now that is going to mean something different for each one of us, and will probably mean something different at different times in our lives. The mind would love to pin all of this down with a  definition or distinction that applies to everything all of the time, But when we are walking in the realm of spirit that is just not going to happen.

So here we are, learning and growing together seemingly as separate beings, and yet each one of us knowing that our deepest Truth is that we are participating in Oneness. The way we often express that is by saying “each one of us is a unique expression of the Divine” or “that each one of us is unique expression of Oneness.” The mind cannot grasp the seeming contradiction of that statement and yet the heart knows the truth of it.

At this time when we speak of creating your own reality our focus is on your perception. How and what you perceive, and sometimes even why you perceive it in a particular way, helps to define the reality that you live in. Within the midst of your perception which both defines situations for you and creates a mindset with which you work with and respond to that situation, there is also a level of choice that you are not always aware of.

Each one can recognize that different people in the same or similar situations can carry with them a completely different viewpoint or perception. You can also realize that your perception can be strongly influenced by judgment, by past experience, and by your emotional state either past or present. you have all shared experiences with family and friends and often times when relating to a particular past event have begun to realize that another's perception of what has occurred is very different from your own. In fact, it might seem as if even though historically you know you both experienced that particular event, but the difference between your perception and the perception of another is so great as to seem as if you were in different places at different times .

An aspect of the paragraph below is a difference in perception that might be expressed this is all about me or the scope of this event is bigger than my personal self.

“Two people may see the same accident on the highway and have two very different responses: “Oh, I am so glad I was not driving on the road today,” or “How can I help that man behind the wheel?” You are always reflecting your consciousness in what you see before you and what you attend to. You have made collective decisions about the realities that you exist in. And we say “realities” intentionally, because three people may share the same room and inhabit three different levels of consciousness and, consequently, their experience of the room and their circumstances may be radically different.”

Two men looked out from prison bars the one saw mud the other stars. Same place, same situation, same window, yet a totally different experience of reality. The Christian image that is shared of this understanding is represented by the two thieves on either side of Jesus. One was complaining, while the other was asking for forgiveness. Same time, same place, same situation, and yet each one of them is experiencing a totally different reality.

Keep in mind, one of the things we are doing here is raising all of this concerning our perception to a level of choice. In order to be able to be in that space of choice, we need to remove ourselves from victim consciousness, accept whatever responsibility is ours, and be open to the infinite possibilities that are available to us each moment.

I know--much more easily said than done.

It came to my attention after class was over that I had inadvertently skipped a paragraph so let me share that one with you and whatever reflections might come to mind.

“Many of you get overly attached to your relationships here. You have come to count on them as ways of knowing yourself in your worth. You have come to count on your choices to always lead you where you think you should go. So when something happens that you perceive to be out of your control, your sense of worth is challenged. Somebody goes away, a situation occurs that challenges your safety or your belief in what it means to be safe in your environment. Until you all learn, each one of you, that you are your brother’s keeper and that the wars that you create are manifestations of fear, you will not learn this lesson.”

Life, and what we might call the circle of life or what the Buddhists call the wheel of Samsara, is so huge had we cannot even possibly imagine the breadth and depth of it all. Unfortunately, for most of us, We use our thinking mind to attempt to define, classify, and control the events of our lives. This leaves us to constantly produce expectations which usually end up as disappointments.

The best way I know how to deal with this gently is first of all to recognize that it is the personality self/the ego consciousness which is attempting to create the future and it never quite learns the lesson that it can't really do that. (like that description of insanity--doing the same thing expecting different results). If I remember, if I am in my awareness, I can ask my ego consciousness, gently, “When was the last time you predicted the future with any accuracy?”       I then need to open my soul to the love and the guidance of the Holy Spirit within.

Fear and the need for safety are the mind's way of attempting to control the circumstances of life. I am reminded of that wonderful quotes from Helen Keller who said, “Security is but a myth, life is either a daring adventure or it's nothing at all.”

The paradoxical state of mind spoken of in the beginning here is wonderfully expressed in a reflection from Augustine who said, “Lord you have made our hearts restless, and they will never rest until they rest in Thee. The restless heart that he speaks of is the personality self that in its search for peace is striving for perfection, but like Sisyphus who is rolling the rock up the hill is constantly thrown backwards. The task the personality has set for itself is impossible. True peace is only reached when the personality self allows itself to be completely and lovingly embraced by the Divine that you are. That is the transformation. You are not creating peace, it already exists as an aspect of the essence of who you are.

“Peace is more than possible. It is an intended state of consciousness that you also know in your DNA, or your record, or whatever you would like to call your history-memory of the race. Peace is more than possible. It can be. But it must be within you to be reflected elsewhere. And we will say this once again: There is nothing within you that is not projected outward in your expression, and what you fear within yourself, you fear within your fellows, you fear within your world, and when you are frightened of your fellows, you move away, and your need for peace becomes an opportunity for separation and isolation.”

A classmate pointed out to me that there is a huge difference between separation/isolation and solitude. it is often stated in Scripture that Jesus would go to a quiet place to commune with the Father. In other words, he would seek solitude. Both solitude and isolation are attempts to remove ourselves from the noise of the world. The difference, however, is that isolation and separation are an attempt by the personality self to create peace. Whereas the solitude the soul seeks is to be in touch, to be aware of the Peace that already exists Within. Can you get a sense for that one?

“As you create anew, a new possibility of expressing yourself, you create the same possibility in everybody around you. This is resonance. As you recognize your worth, as you surmount a challenge in this incarnation, you give permission to everyone to do the same. You create a new possibility in your energy field that others may witness, may know, may see as possible and they may align to it and call it into being for themselves.”

In love and gratitude