Why this? Why now?

I have given a great deal of thought to whether or not a blog is right for me. I have been on an amazing journey - some of it very sad, some of it profoundly joyful. Transformation is possible - I know because it is happening with me.

I can't say for sure when it all started, other than it started happening with tremendous regularity upon my 40th birthday. This may be a rather normal occurence - you reach a certain age and start wondering if this is all there is in life. Am I doing what I'm meant to be doing? Are my beliefs real - what are my beliefs exactly?

Here's a smattering of the journey -

I got a divorce and began to discover and explore life from a much different perspective.

I began thinking about my health and researching and reaching out to learn things like: what I should be doing to avoid heart disease. The book, The China Study, changed my life. I am now a vegetarian. This also led me to quit smoking....and finally to stop drinking, too (I don't care what the studies say - just eat the grapes instead).

I have embarked upon an incredible spiritual journey - from a comparative religions class, to studying Ayurvedic living (of which I'm now studying to become an instructor), to learning more about Buddhism, and, as documented here in my blog, an active study of A Course In Miracles.

I am in a place in my life where I finally recognize very consciously that what I put in my mind and in my body is what comes out. As I am reminded most days when listening to Deepak Chopra's soul affirmations, "My body is the garden of my soul."

May I be of vessel of spirit, of loving-compassion.

Yes, I do think a blog is right for me. Thank you for joining me.
Namaste,

mac

Sunday, July 17, 2011

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.
Posted by at

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)