Day 212 - Lesson 211

I am not a body.  I am free.
For I am still as God created me.

(191) I am the holy Son of God Himself.

In silence and true humility I seek God's glory, to behold it in the Son whom He created as my Self.

I am not a body.  I am free.
For I am still as God created me.

Today has been beautiful.  I sat in silence, I was surrounded by loved ones, I hiked in the pristine beauty of this rugged and historic place, and I studied.  I studied an ancient language and I reflected upon pure consciousness - the sweet, holy state of universal oneness.

I heard a song tonight called The Water is Wide.  I only heard the instrumental version of it and I kept hearing in my mind the classic hymn How Great Though Art.  They sound very similar - or at least they did tonight.  I pulled up the hymn and listened to a powerful version.  It's amazing how easy it is to feel completely connected to holiness, to spirit, to pure-potentiality....

It is as simple as listening to soul stirring music - a guitar, a voice praising all that is holy, as gazing upon a droplet of summer rain upon the leaves of clover, as sniffing the scent of sun-kissed wild flowers rooted within the spongy depths of a carpet of tundra, of raising your arms and face towards the sky and embracing the sun and clouds with your heart - of knowing I am connected to it all.  I am an active, alive, integral part of it all.

I am holy, I am spirit, I am free.

Day 211 - Lesson 210

I am not a body.  I am free.
For I am still as God created me.

(190) I choose the joy of God instead of pain.

Pain is my own idea.  It is not a Thought of God, but one I thought apart from Him and from His Will.  His Will is joy, and only joy for His beloved Son.  And that I choose, instead of what I made.

I am not a body.  I am free.
For I am still as God created me.

I can say for sure that since I began the path of conscious living, joy has become the obvious choice.  I'm not completely wrapped up in worry, anxiety, fear, anger, and pain.  My lenses of perspective have changed dramatically.  My life isn't 'perfect' and things still go in ways that I sure wish they wouldn't.  However, coming at life from a place of self-referral instead of object-referral makes all the difference.  This just means that I find happiness internally.  I don't wait on external experiences to 'make me happy.'  My joy springs from the inside because I choose love.

Day 210 - Lesson 209

I am not a body.  I am free.
For I am still as God created me.

(189) I feel the Love of God within me now.

The Love of God is what created me.  The Love of God is everything I am.  The Love of God proclaimed me as His Son.  The Love of God within me sets me free.

I am not a body.  I am free.
For I am still as God created me.

I collect quotes, all kinds of quotes, but mostly the type that inspire me.  I had the great experience of four such quotes entering my awareness today.

Research has shown that a simple act of kindness directed toward another improves the functioning of the immune system and stimulates the production of serotonin in both the recipient of the kindness and the person extending the kindness. Kindness extended, received, or observed beneficially impacts the physical health and feelings of everyone involved! - Dr. Wayne Dyer

It’s pointless to run around trying to heal all of our friends. We cannot force others to change. Each person is here to work out his or her own lessons, and if we fix it for them, then they will just go and do it again, because they have not worked out what they needed to do for themselves. All we can do is love them and allow them to be who they are. - Louise L. Hay

And - two trail signs at the Montana Vortex and House of Mystery:

Walking this sacred path shows us that all things are alive, intertwined into the One that we bless and love.  The thread of love weaves in and out of the cloth of existence.

The love you withhold is the pain that you feel.

As I considered this lesson today, these quotes showed up - of course right at the perfect times.  Synchrodestiny, synchronicity - All part of a master plan.

Kindness....love and allowing others to be who they are and at their current level of consciousness....recognizing that each path is sacred - whether it's a garden path, a wooded path, a seashore path, or a concrete jungle path; we carry our sacredness in our hearts and in our souls....pain, it's what we experience when we withhold love.  Each one of these messages remind me of the absolute truth of this lesson - I feel the Love of God within me.

Day 209 - Lesson 208

I am not a body.  I am free.
For I am still as God created me.

(188) The peace of God is shining in me now.

I will be still, and let the earth be still along with me.  And in that stillness we will find the peace of God.  It is within my heart, which witnesses to God Himself.

I am not a body.  I am free.
for I am still as God created me.

I love this lesson.  When I am still I do find peace.  When I am still I feel connected to Source.  I came across one of the most beautiful quotes ever today:

Uncertainty is an essential component of a miraculous life. It is the delicious weaving of intention with surrender that keeps us perpetually awake and connected to the creative force of the universe. We get clear on what we want to manifest, stay in present moment, and observe with conscious curiosity what unfolds. ~ Dr. David Simon

This quote, this lesson, and the Law of Intention and Desire really helped me to keep life in healthy and joyful perspective today.  I can't predict the future, but I can most certainly celebrate this very moment that is my life.

Day 208 - Lesson 207

I am not a body.  I am free.
For I am still as God created me.

(187) I bless the world because I bless myself.

God's blessing shines upon me from within my heart, where He abides.  I need but turn to Him, and every sorrow melts away, as I accept His boundless Love for me.

I am not a body.  I am free.
For I am still as God created me.

I thought about this along with the Law of Least Effort today.  I realize that when I don't force solutions, when I allow the ebb and flow of life to occur without inserting an automatic outcome, I reduce the stress in my own life and in the lives of others.

I had a conversation with someone today in which I explained a situation that baffles me.  It was suggested that I just 'make the outcome I want happen.'  That is what I would have done in the past. "I'm right, I know I'm right, and you all will appreciate my outcome - you just don't understand it yet, but you will."  Typically, that just fueled whatever fire was smoldering into a roaring blaze, it caused unnecessary hurt feelings, and I never felt particularly good about myself afterwards.  Really, no one appreciates being told what to do (even though it may make perfect sense to me!).  I explained that rather than 'force a solution - my solution' I was looking for ways that allowed the benefits of my suggestion seem reasonable, logical, and right for everyone involved.  The alternative is I may see a valuable perspective that I can't currently see for some reason, but maybe given enough time I will. 

When I release my need to defend my point of view I bless myself, and, in turn, I bless the world.

Day 207 - Lesson 206

I am not a body.  I am free.
For I am still as God created me.

(186) Salvation of the world depends on me.

I am entrusted with the gifts of God, because I am His Son.  And I would give His gifts where He intended them to be.

I am not a body.  I am free.
For I am still as God created me.

Getting past the male pronouns and 'traditional' language of these lessons still gets me every now and again.  I keep telling myself that the message in the lessons are what is important not the language.  What I notice is that it is on those days when I have less patience, a higher level of frustration, or when I don't feel well that this seems to get to me most.

Anyway, I thought about the gifts I have been entrusted with and asked myself if I am using them to their greatest potential.  It always comes down to wondering if I'm doing (for a living, a career) the thing that I should be.  I honestly don't know.  What I have been trying to do, very consistently, is to live as a vessel of spirit.  So, whatever I am doing for a living, whatever comes my way, I am expressing love and non-judgment to the greatest possible extent.

I know there are plenty of people who shake their heads at this - as if it's too 'pollyanna' for them.  The fact is, I've lived with judgment and criticism - I've gotten irritated at people that I haven't thought were very smart (and some who were very smart), and it just doesn't work.  I came away from those interactions feeling down, more irritated, and dissatisfied.  What I find now is that I may not want to 'hang out' with certain people, but I sure don't have any reason to judge them.  In fact, the more I love the less irritation I feel.

I change the world by changing me and I am not in the world, the world is in me.

Day 206 - Lesson 205

I am not a body.  I am free.
For I am still as God created me.

(185) I want the peace of God.

The peace of God is everything I want.  The peace of God is my one goal; the aim of all my living here, the end I seek, my purpose and my function and my life, while I abide where I am not at home.

I am not a body.  I am free.
For I am still as God created me.

I have someone very close to me that's suffering, unsure, scared, and struggling with what step to take next.  This, of course, affects me and makes me want to reach out and fix everything.  However, I don't have the kind of power it would take to fix it.  So, this lesson was really helpful to me today.  Every time my heart would beat with worry, I would repeat this and remind myself that the peace of God is everything I want.  I am doing all of the things I can do to be helpful and supportive.  I truly believe that, while things are painful right now, they will get better.  The universe is abundant and we are meant to be happy.

Day 205 - Lesson 204

I am not a body.  I am free.
For I am still as God created me.

(184) The Name of God is my inheritance.

God's Name reminds me that I am His Son, not slave to time, unbound by laws which rule the world of sick illusions, free in God, forever and forever one with Him.

I am not a body.  I am free.
For I am still as God created me.

Today we honor the Law of Pure Potentiality.  According to The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success:  Pure consciousness is our spiritual essence.  Being infinite and unbounded, it is also pure joy. Spending time in nature is a great way to feel this through all of our senses.  I spent a lot of time out doors today and I am ever thankful for it.  I was able to honor these lessons by the beautiful experience of welcoming pure potentiality through all of my senses - the feel of the earth beneath my feet, the sight of crystal clear skies and sparkling water, the scent and taste of grass and salt - watching the birds, the fox, the ground squirrels - and there I was right in the middle of it all.

In The Seven Spiritual Laws of Yoga book Deepak Chopra and David Simon encourage that when we practice yoga (union with God), "You will discover that God is not difficult to find.  God is impossible to avoid, for there is nowhere that God is not." 

Day 204 - Lesson 203

I am not a body.  I am free.
For I am still as God created me.

(183) I call upon God's Name and on my own.

The Name of God is my deliverance from every thought of evil and of sin, because it is in my own as well as His.

I am not a body.  I am free.
For I am still as God created me.

I reflected upon my entry of this original lesson and recalled how disappointed I felt that old emotions, thoughts, and unhealthy activities still occasionally arise in my awareness.  This path is a process of discipline, of ritual, of conscious awareness, and mostly of love.  What I see is a time when I would have 'given in' to cravings and sunk myself deeper into masking me.  I feel liberated from that now in that I know about pure potentiality and I know about love. 

When I reach out to the divine and embrace silence I am delivered - I am liberated from those things that don't support my true being.

Day 203 - Lesson 202

I am not a body.  I am free.
For I am still as God created me.

(182) I will be still an instant and go home.

Why would I choose to stay an instant more where I do not belong, when God Himself has given me His Voice to call me home?

I am not a body.  I am free.
for I am still as God created me.

As I first began my regular meditation practice just over a year ago, I remember wondering how I was going to fit meditation into my already over-burdened schedule.  I was worried about that, but certainly willing to give it a try.  I had no struggle with the morning meditation.  It was the evening practice that was most difficult.  My day at work never ends at a regular or consistent time.  It's all based on the activities and needs of the organization.  Some days it's 5:30, some 6:00, and still others later.  There are often evening work functions, board functions, community functions to attend.  And, of course, there's the beagle - she needs a walk (as do I) every day, too.  As time has marched on, I find that the meditation practice has become an integral part of my day and it takes priority.

I felt especially blessed today because I was able to experience a third meditation.  It was a guided meditation, the voice of David Ji, in the hills, in the sunshine, holding hands with a special someone, while the beagle sniffed through the tall grass.  David Ji, when he's teaching meditation, says, "What happens in meditation isn't what's important.  What's important is what happens the other 23 hours a day." 

Meditation is listening to God, to Spirit, to Love.  It is taking 'an instant to go home.'  It is the thing that makes us glow.

Day 202 - Lesson 201

This begins another review.  It begins and ends with a central theme around each review lesson. 

I am not a body.  I am free.
For I am still as God created me.

(181) I trust my brothers, who are one with me.
No one but is my brother.  I am blessed with oneness with the universe and God, my Father, one Creator of the whole that is my Self, forever One with me.

I am not a body.  I am free.
For I am still as God created me.

I experienced three situations today that opened my heart to this lesson.  In the first, I reacted to another person's anger, and really consciously thought about my reaction.  Even though I felt my blood beginning to boil, my cheeks turning red, and an instant reaction in wanting to lash back - I didn't.  I saw and felt the primitive fight or flight reaction in each of us and I stopped.  I responded calmly and stuck with it.

In the second situation, I was responsible for assisting in sharing some bad news.  Even though the person receiving the bad news was well aware that this news was imminent, and in fact was responsible for it, I took time to pray for guidance and for the ability to express the news with as much compassion as possible.  This news came as the result of a serious policy violation in which another person had been victimized.  There was a time when I wouldn't have given much consideration for how a person who caused another to be a victim might feel.  However, now I see that if I show compassion and care maybe that will be some inspiration and encouragement to spark change.

The final situation involved two very dear friends.  One has experienced a major life change and she wanted to share that information with the other.  She wasn't sure how the change would be received - even though she felt confident in the love of the other person.  After the information about the major change was shared, that love was beautifully reinforced.

These situations were all examples of our connections - we breathe the same air - you inhale my breath and I inhale yours.  We are indeed blessed with oneness with the universe.

Day 201 - Lesson 200

There is no peace except the peace of God.

I think the most beautiful piece of poetry in this lesson is this:

Now there is silence.  Seek no further.  You have come to where the road is carpeted with leaves of false desires, fallen from the trees of hopelessness you sought before.  Now are they underfoot.  And you look up and on toward Heaven, with the body's eyes but serving for an instant longer now.  Peace is already recognized at last, and you can feel its soft embrace surround your heart and mind with comfort and with love.

Today is the day we honor the Law of Least Effort.  As usual, this lesson complements the law of the day.  In this law we recognize that when we fight against what is real, what is meant to be, when we attempt to force solutions, and feel compelled to defend our point of view - well, everything is just hard and often doesn't work out at all in the ways we worked so hard to achieve.  It's when we release the need to force solutions, and defend our point of view, and choose love that life comes together with greater peace.

When I arrived home this evening, after my wet walk, I was just sitting down and settling in for the evening, and my iPhone dinged alerting me that I had a new email message.  I opened it up and instantly felt constriction in my chest, my jaw set with a slight grind on my teeth, and the start of a headache.  This person had responded to an email message I sent that had a report attached to it.  The reply came across in a way that suggested I hadn't made a recommendation - this person was making the recommendation, with the rationale for it included, and copied it to someone that: 1. did not see the original message, and 2. did not need to be included.  As I felt my irritation, I glanced over at today's lesson and was reminded that there is no peace except the peace of God.  I asked myself:

Why does this irritate you?  Because I already did the work and made the recommendation.  I just needed this person to acknowledge that.  I don't need this person copying it to this other person that isn't even involved.  And, at a minimum, this person should have responded to my original message.  At least that way the person she copied it to would have the benefit of being aware of my message.

The more this played out in my head, the more ridiculous it became.  My ego (edging God out) was really bothered and was attempting to goad me into going along.  Of course, clearly, I did go along....for a short period of time.  I realized that this person's response has nothing to do with me.  I did my part and I feel good about it.  This person agreed with my recommendation using the same rationale I used in my report.  So, instead of tightening up and feeling constricted - I let it go.

As this lesson says, as it closes -

There is no peace except the peace of God, and I am glad and thankful it is so.

Day 200 - Lesson 199

I am not a body.  I am free.

Boy, did I need to hear this today!  This really helped me change my perspective about how I've been feeling about my body.

Some of what this powerful lesson says is this:

Freedom must be impossible as long as you perceive a body as yourself.  The body is a limit.  Who would seek for freedom in a body looks for it where it can not be found.  The mind can be made free when it no longer sees itself as in a body, firmly ties to it and sheltered by its presence.  If this were the truth, the mind were vulnerable indeed!

The mind that serves the Holy Spirit is unlimited forever, in all ways, beyond the laws of time and space, unbounded by any preconceptions, and with strength and power to do whatever it is asked.

There is a little prayer that goes along with this lesson:

I am not a body.  I am free.  I hear the Voice that God has given me, and it is only this my mind obeys.

I used this prayer as a mantra during my hike this evening.  It was an incredibly beautiful evening here.  As I hiked and climbed, I repeated this mantra over and over again.  I inhaled the sea and repeated the mantra. I inhaled the intoxicating mixture of tundra, grasses, and wild flowers and repeated the mantra.  I put one foot in front of the other and I repeated this mantra.  It may sound crazy, but I felt more powerful with each step forward.  I felt liberated from the weight of my body.

It has been a difficult concept for me to remove attachment to my body and to not be defined so much by it.  However, this lesson and my attention to it really enabled me to see progress.

As I pay attention to these lessons and bring old ideas that may be new thoughts into my awareness, I see life unfolding in ways that make my heart smile.  I see the grand organizing power of the universe and I believe there is a plan - a special plan for each and every one of us.  We all access it in our time, and according to what we are ready to be open to and willing to see and experience.

Dr's. Chopra and Simon sum this up nicely in The Seven Spiritual Laws of Yoga by saying this:

Just a few heartbeats back, the mention of yoga and meditation as essential components of a healthy lifestyle led to skepticism and even ridicule.  But concepts that add genuine value to life eventually find their way into the light of human consciousness.  Paraphrasing the great German philosopher, Arthur Schopenhauer, every great idea goes through three phases before it is accepted.  In the first it is rejected, in the second it is ridiculed, and in the third it is held to be self-evident.

Yes, I can say there was a time when much of what I am finding to be self-evident today I first rejected and then ridiculed.  I am diggin' this progress!

Day 199 - Lesson 198

Only my condemnation injures me.

Today we practice letting freedom come to make its home with you.  The truth bestows these words upon your mind, that you may find the key to light and let the darkness end:

Only my condemnation injures me.
Only my own forgiveness sets me free.

Do not forget today that there can be no form of suffering that fails to hide an unforgiving thought.  Nor can there be a form of pain forgiveness cannot heal.

I am reminded of those famous words I hear Claire say in yoga - "Where our attention goes, energy flows."  It can feel incredibly difficult to release judgment and condemnation - especially when we've turned such thoughts inward.  Indeed we harm ourselves when we treat others this way, but it's equally true when we view ourselves in ways that aren't loving and forgiving.  I have been struggling with this quite a lot lately.  I have been dealing with a significant weight gain.  I have been chubby before and it's always been relatively easy for me to lose weight.  However, this past year - the year in which I've been getting my life together (better diet, no smoking, no drinking, more regular exercise), I feel like I'm just ballooning.  This has been getting me down.  So, I keep hearing, "Where our attention goes, energy flows."  I think it's possible that since my attention has been so focused on the fact that I'm gaining weight - I keep gaining it.  I guess it's time to forgive myself, to embrace that energetic, vibrant, healthy woman inside of me.  I want my attention to be supportive and loving.

....where my attention goes....energy flows....

Day 198 - Lesson 197

It can be but my gratitude I earn.

This is a both a beautiful lesson and a beautiful reminder.  It says, in small part:

Give thanks as you receive it.  Be you free of all ingratitude to anyone who makes your Self complete.  And from this Self is no one left outside.  Give thanks for all the countless channels which extend this Self.  All that you do is given unto Him.  All that you think can only be His Thoughts, sharing with Him the holy Thoughts of God.  Earn now the gratitude you have denied yourself when you forgot the function God has given you.

This lesson addresses our fears that what God gives, God can also take away.  This lesson reinforces that God gives only love and would never, for any reason, take that away.  Love is given completely without restrictions, without strings, without stipulation - we need only open our hearts to it.

This lesson also talks about something I have really been working on - conscious-giving.  It is the same concept: when I give, I should do so freely without rules or expectations.  If I have some attachment to outcome in what I give, especially some unspoken expectation, then instead of giving I should be clear about what I want or expect so the 'receiver' can decide whether or not it's worth it to them.  I hear people complain a lot about ingratitude, about how they give and give and give and they don't receive anything for it, about how people aren't thankful for what's given to them.  I don't necessarily find this to be true.  More so, I see people who are thankful and show gratitude.  However, I think once we change our perspective from one of expectation for things given to recognizing the gift is actually in the giving - we see so much more clearly.

Conscious-giving - it happens when we give without attachment to any expectation or outcome.

Day 197 - Lesson 196

It can be but myself I crucify.

This lesson starts out by saying:

When this is firmly understood and kept in full awareness, you will not attempt to harm yourself, nor make your body slave to vengeance.  You will not attack yourself, and you will realize that to attack another is but to attack yourself.  You will be free of the insane belief that to attack a brother saves yourself.  And you will understand his safety is your own, and in his healing you are healed.

My day did not go as I had planned.  My planned agenda included my usual Saturday breakfast, some study, some work, and then starting my tests for Perfect Health.  I have but a limited amount of time to get them completed, so I decided to get them done today and tomorrow.  As it turns out someone needed me today and, while I went to breakfast, nothing else on my agenda was accomplished.

The person who needed me didn't necessarily need me for anything other than the comfort of my presence.  I am thankful to have been able to give her that.  Her situation is one in which we could have attacked another person in her life - that could have easily been the focus of our day.  Instead we focused on love, and conscious decision-making, and embracing uncertainty.

I have a good friend whose famous line is, "You can get on with life with a smile on your face, or you can be a long time mad - you choose."  So, even though things didn't turn out the way I expected today, and they didn't turn out for the person who needed me, I do believe that our lives are unfolding exactly the way the universe intended today.

Day 196 - Lesson 195

Love is the way I walk in gratitude.

Love makes no comparisons.  And gratitude can only be sincere if it be joined in love.

This lesson addresses how we so often compare ourselves, our positions, our 'station' in life, our misery, our happiness to others.  We can sometimes feel superior to others because we have more, or we suffer less.  We can also feel resentful of others who have more, or suffer less.  The bottom line is when we compare - we aren't being loving and we aren't being genuine in our gratitude.

Today marks the full moon for the month of July.  I feel so blessed to join a group of women each month at the 'goddess gathering' in which we celebrate the full moon, we blindly select a goddess card and review and reflect upon the message of the goddess, we eat, we laugh, we hug.  Tonight we enjoyed henna tattoos along with our feasting and goddess reflecting.  We never know how many women will arrive and participate, but the gathering is always glorious in some way.  The sharing, the support, the acknowledgement of female archetypes is absolutely lovely and even profound at times.

The goddess that I selected - or that selected me is Yemanya - the African and Brazilian Goddess who formed the sea - the Goddess of Golden Opportunity - "Important doors are opening for you right now.  Walk through them."

I am walking through those golden doors of opportunity, whatever they may be, and I'm doing it with love and with gratitude.

Day 195 - Lesson 194

I place the future in the Hands of God.

Release the future.  For the past is gone, and what is present, freed from its bequest of grief and misery, of pain and loss, becomes the instant in which time escapes the bondage of illusions where it runs its pitiless, inevitable course.

There really is something liberating about releasing the future.  I recognize more and more that when I set my intentions, envision myself as already doing, being, creating, fulfilling those intentions, and then release that vision to the universe I am free to experience exactly what I am intended, what I am meant to experience.  There is no sense of loss or worry that things won't work out - because of course they do work out.  I cannot predict the future.

Today, during my walk, in the drizzly rain, I saw myself graduating from the Perfect Health Teacher Training Program.  I saw myself crying with joy and gratitude and relief.  I have no idea if this is going to happen, because anything could happen between now and then, but what a great vision!  I am studying and preparing for it.  I am doing all the things I need to do in order for it to happen.  If it is meant to be - then it will be.  I have no attachment to the outcome because my future is in the Hands of God.

Day 194 - Lesson 193

All things are lessons God would have me learn.

This lesson continues to deal with forgiveness and how forgiveness is the one thing that truly liberates us.  It says:

Forgive, and you will see this differently.

These are the words the Holy Spirit speaks in all your tribulations, all your pain, all your suffering regardless of its form.  These are the words with which temptation ends, and guilt, abandoned, is revered no more.  These are the words which end the dream of sin, and rid the mind of fear.  These are the words by which salvation comes to all the world.

Of course, it says so much more than this too.  It encouraged reflection at least once per hour all day.  It encouraged that when something caused apprehension, suffering, or anger that I reflect on it through forgiveness - it encouraged in that reflection to say to myself: I will forgive, and this will disappear.  When I am mindful and take these steps, it does happen - the weight of it all decreases tremendously.

This lesson is also all about choices - I can make the choice to be negative or positive, to see a grievance or see a miracle, to feel fear or to feel love.  I take responsibility for my emotions, my reactions, my responses, and for where I am in this moment based on the decisions I have made. 

Day 193 - Lesson 192

I have a function God would have me fill.

This lesson speaks primarily of our function of forgiveness.  Without forgiveness we look upon the world as unsafe, ourselves as sinful, and others with judgments.  There is a quote by Carrie Fisher in which she said, "Resentment is like drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die."  Two additional quotes that put this lesson into perspective for me are:

Forgiveness is choosing to love. It is the first skill of self-giving love. ~ Mahatma Gandhi
To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover the prisoner was you. ~ Unknown

I am beginning to recognize that by striving to fulfill this function it makes all other functions more meaningful.  When I release and let go of anger, resentment, grudges, and ill-will towards others (and myself) I am free.  I no longer feel weighted down and drained.  When I express love I feel a warm sense of peace and calm in my heart.

Day 192 - Lesson 191

I am the holy Son of God Himself.

This lesson says, in part:

You who perceive yourself as weak and frail, with futile hopes and devastated dreams, born but to die, to weep and suffer pain, hear this: All power is given unto you in earth and Heaven.  There is nothing that you cannot do.

We are conditioned to believe that we are not worthy, that we must suffer, that we must compete, that life isn't fair, but the plain fact is - all that simply is not true.  We are born of the Divine, we are completely lovable, we are capable of miracles.  We need just believe - just put our faith in action. 

Aham Brahmasmi.

Day 191 - Lesson 190

I choose the joy of God instead of pain.

I posted this quote today: "At every moment the universe is making you an irresistible offer." ~ Anonymous

I think that is exactly what this lesson is talking about.  We can believe that life is awful, painful, hellish - and we can find plenty of examples of that.  However, when we focus on and choose joy, miracles, and love it puts the difficult stuff in a much different perspective.  Again, it's about not taking things so personally - the world really isn't out to get you.  You are in the exact spot you've chosen and you are loved.  There is great abundance in the universe - we need only welcome it.

Day 190 - Lesson 189

I feel the Love of God within me now.

To feel the love of God within you is to see the world anew, shining in innocence, alive with hope, and blessed with perfect charity and love.

My day was much less stressful today than yesterday.  The problems of yesterday, the heaviness in my heart, the tears in my eyes were replaced with steps toward resolution.  "The journey of 1,000 miles begins with one step."

Today I experienced an amazing and unique opportunity that embodies this lesson beautifully.  I work in a multi-cultural environment - with people from upwards of 30 different national origins.  This is a tremendous opportunity that never ceases to surprise, delight, and astound me.  The personal stories of loss, torture, sacrifice, dogged-determination, love, and hope abound. 

We have a group of the 'Lost Boys' of Sudan who work for us.  A couple of days ago, one of them invited me to attend a celebration of their independence (The Republic of South Sudan), today, July 9th.  The celebration was held at a local church.  I had no idea what to expect.  I entered a room at the church and looked upon a group of folks (most from the same company I work for) from all over the world.  There were several from South Sudan, but North Sudan, Morocco, Ethiopia, Somalia, Kenya, Mexico, and the U.S.A. were also represented.  The man who invited me opened the celebration by asking a church representative to say a prayer, then the man began to invite attendees to come forward and say a few words about South Sudan's rebirth and independence.  He invited me first.  I felt both surprised and honored.  The celebration was emotionally profound.  Reflecting upon the fear, the great loss, the tremendous suffering those young boys experienced - some have no idea what their birth dates are, they've witnessed and suffered painful and heart-wrenching torture, they've lost loved ones, and have adjusted to life in a foreign country.  Each of them are clearly grateful to be in the United States of America, but what an incredible sense of relief for them to see this day!

They truly saw the world anew today - shining in innocence, alive with hope!  And I had the great honor of sharing that hope, of basking in that innocence, of looking at the world anew!  May God's Love fill our hearts and bring peace where there is turbulence and strife.

Day 189 - Lesson 188

The peace of God is shining in me now.

I'm having one of those days in which I must put all the lessons I've learned into practice.  I have to breathe in and breathe out this belief, this lesson.  I encountered a situation that triggers old fears and pushes buttons for me that I'd rather forget exist in me....but they do.

I am comforted by Source, Spirit, Love.  I am embracing uncertainty.  I am setting my intentions and detaching from the outcomes.  I believe the universe is abundant.  I believe everything is exactly as it is meant to be in this moment.  I understand that I have no power over any given situation - I have power only in how I react and respond to any given situation.

My heart still feels heavy.  My eyes are still filled with tears.  However, this has helped me to put this situation in better perspective:

The peace of God is shining in you now, and from your heart extends around the world.  It pauses to caress each living thing, and leaves a blessing with it that remains forever and forever....It brings renewal to all tired hearts, and lights all vision as it passes by.  All of its gifts are given everyone, and everyone unites in giving thanks to you who give, and you who have received.

I recognize and I am thankful for this path, for this union with God, because even when my heart feels heavy and my eyes leak tears - I know that: The peace of God is shining in me now and it's never, ever going away.

Day 188 - Lesson 187

I bless the world because I bless myself.

Having had and given, then the world asserts that you have lost what you possessed.  The truth maintains that giving will increase what you possess.

I love that line - "The truth maintains that giving will increase what you possess."  The truth!  When we give information, give attention, give appreciation, give kindness, give love we get it all back and then some.  When we release competition and the desire to 'one-up' others; when we stop withholding information to keep it to ourselves, and just let go of all that negativity - our lives are suddenly so much better.  Truly, the quality immediately improves.

Namaste, I honor the light that shines in you as the same that shines in me....

Day 187 - Lesson 186

Salvation of the world depends on me.

Yes, I admit it....this lesson title had me a little freaked out, a little worried.  At first I didn't believe it.  I rubbed my eyes and re-read it - the title.  I couldn't get past the title.  However, then I read this:

Here is the statement that will one day take all arrogance away from every mind.  Here is the thought of true humility, which holds no function as your own but that which has been given you.  It offers your acceptance of a part assigned to you, without insisting on another role.  It does not judge your proper role.  It but acknowledges the Will of God is done on earth as well as Heaven.  It unites the wills on earth in Heaven's plan to save the world, restoring it to Heaven's peace.

Like Dr. Wayne Dyer says, "Eventually, we all get it."  Now the statement that I am not in the world, the world is in me makes so much more sense - all the sense in the world!

Day 186 - Lesson 185

I want the peace of God.

This lesson addresses the fact that many of us have said these very words, but few of us actually mean them.  Living a life that is committed completely to the peace of God is very different from our earthly lives.  I think about this a lot and still struggle with it.  I struggle because the thought of the peace of God is the most incredible thing ever - but it's also completely and utterly foreign to anything I've ever lived to date.  I get that and, while that may be the absolute best thing ever, it's something I have no familiarity with - when we aren't familiar - we aren't comfortable - when we're not comfortable, change is even harder.  I've said before that sometimes I feel like I'm teetering between two worlds or I'm on a tight rope between two worlds.  I'm leaning more towards peace - but I haven't let go yet, I haven't jumped with both feet and sailed into the net of God's safety....

Day 185 - Lesson 184

The Name of God is my inheritance.

This lesson says, "God has no name.  And yet His Name becomes the final lesson that all things are one, and at this lesson does all learning end.  All names are unified; all space is filled with truth's reflection.  Every gap is closed, and separation healed."  Of course, it says a whole lot more too - but this part is especially powerful to me.

When we walk around believing we are separate from everyone and everything, when we buy into the individualism stuff, when we get caught up in worry, in working harder to try to get ahead, in competing with everything and everyone else, we forget the beauty and the truth of our oneness.  We forget that deep within us our soul is there for guidance and for comfort.  We attempt to force solutions and those 'solutions' then don't really accomplish what we thought they would.

If I have learned anything over this past year, it really is to stop making things so complicated.  To just allow things to be as they are without expectation.  Once I figured out that no, everything isn't about me - people aren't out to make me feel bad, look bad, be bad.  People are mostly caught up in their very own business and do things of their own perception - usually I'm not much part of their own thinking and doing processes.  I am learning to let people be themselves and to stop taking things so personally.  I'm learning to love more and judge less.

I like things simple so much better.  Be here now - this moment, this very moment is my life and I want it to be, as often as possible, a celebration.

Day 184 - Lesson 183

I call upon God's Name and on my own.

This lesson encourages us to think of and call upon God all day.  It says, in part:

Practice but this today; repeat God's Name slowly again and still again.  Become oblivious to every name but His.  Hear nothing else.  Let all your thoughts become anchored on this.  No other word we use except at the beginning, when we say today's idea but once.  And then God's Name becomes our only thought, our only word, the only thing that occupies our minds, the only wish we have, the only sound with any meaning, and the only Name of everything that we desire to see; of everything that we would call our own.

Given that I already find myself thinking about God constantly, this lesson wasn't too difficult for me.  It was a good day for it, too - today I honor the Law of Pure Potentiality.  God is pure potential.  My challenge continues to be in finding and identifying with the divine that I am.  Of course, it's easy when everything feels like it's going right.  When I feel out of sorts, confused, frustrated about things then it's not so easy. 

I have had some old junk surface the past few days that sort of surprises me.... I keep thinking that I should be past it.  Mostly I think I am, but when it comes up it does make me scratch my head.  For example, the sun came out on Friday and it was a really pretty day.  I left work early to take a hike.  As I was outside, I thought about how good a beer would taste.  That thought led to smoking a cigarette, to drinking more, to smoking more, to feeling awful - to feeling like all the progress I've made would just go right down the drain.  It was like watching a really bad 'B' movie in my head.  Once the reel reached it's end (no - no digital here) - I did feel bad.  Why on earth would that stuff come up?  I've been baffled by it and obsessed with it all weekend.  The 'whys' of it all.

Anyway, the formal practice of calling upon God all day today was really helpful.  I don't have any answers, but I'm trying to let it go and let it be.

Day 183 - Lesson 182

I will be still an instant and go home.

This lesson brings to mind that quote about the importance of focusing on being a spiritual being and having a body, instead of believing I'm a body that has a spirit.  It reminds us that earth is not our 'home' and deep within us, when we are still, we can feel that place that is our true home.

It's so easy, too easy, to get caught up in day-to-day life, stresses, and worries; to get stuck in a daily grind and forget to look beyond that.  The way to do that is in silence, in stillness, to go inside - to close my eyes, feel my breath inhale and exhale, to feel my heartbeat, to listen without responding.  In silence I find my true self, I find my way home.

Day 182 - Lesson 181

I trust my brothers, who are one with me.

This lesson addresses several themes: trust, perspective, and present moment awareness.

As I went about my day, I stayed focused on this lesson.  It was a beautiful way to release my own perceived frustrations and to really look at others with a loving heart. 

I received an email not too long ago from an incredibly special person who has felt left out of my life the past few years.  My initial gut response to this email was disbelief and defensiveness.  I just couldn't believe that this person really felt that way, and I thought of all the ways I didn't think that was true, and thought up a dozen ways this person could have felt more involved....then it dawned on me - there is absolutely no reason for me to defend my point of view.  My point of view really makes no difference.  What I needed to do was hear what this special person had to say, to feel what this person is feeling, to acknowledge this person's pain and disappointment without judgment, to love this person more than justifying or defending my own point of view.  I am now ready to respond to that email and I will respond with a sincere apology; I will ask how I can make things right.  I will reaffirm my love for this very special person.

This lesson - trust, perspective, and present moment awareness was the perfect reinforcement for me today.