Atonement is not just the act of identifying our shortcomings.
To be meaningful, atonement requires an active commitment to new and better ways.
Monday, September 28, 2009
Friday, September 25, 2009
LET GO IN ORDER TO GO...
Until we effectively let go of the past, our lives are blocked from entering the future we most desire.
Being stuck in our pain is often just an addiction to drama that does not serve us or encourage us to be MORE!
The weight of our past delays considerable future flight!
Being stuck in our pain is often just an addiction to drama that does not serve us or encourage us to be MORE!
The weight of our past delays considerable future flight!
Saturday, September 19, 2009
OUT THE BOX!
Never put God in a box because He is more proficient than Houdini and will surely find an escape quicker than you can contain Him. Secondly, God is bigger than human consciousness, both individually and collectively, so no box is big enough to contain "All That Is".
Every belief is a box! Belief is about mental structure and has defined boundaries. From early childhood we start to take on the beliefs of those closest to us, because this is the only reference point we have. As we grow, so our point of reference starts to expand too, but sometimes we stay trapped in the comfort zone of the beliefs of our forebears because we never open our consciousness or awareness enough to see what else exists. Often by using fear as a weapon, others control our thinking and keep our beliefs tightly bound in boxes where they would have us exist. As such, we become the "great unthinking', like a herd of drifting sheep who move to where we are bidden. Education is surely only as good as it allows our minds to grow, to expand beyond the box, to discover the genius which exists in everyone.
When things go wrong, we automatically ascribe the event to "darkness" beyond the influence of God's light. We try to box God into the comfortable niceties of life and exclude Him from the pain. But how else would God give us the possibility to discover ourselves, other than through trial and tribulation? Our adversities bear the kernel for the greatest expansion of our understanding. Is this not the miracle of evolution? The extreme heat of Life's crucible burns away all unnecessary dross and it is here that were discover absolute human alchemy.
When will we start to bless all aspects of our life's journeys and see all of them as God-given, not just the sunny mountain tops but the deep, dark valleys too where the fertile soil exists? God dwells in the light as well as in every dark, heavy cloud.
By placing my God in a box, I see Him as right and your God as wrong. The great religious divide separates humanity and has been the source of considerable blood-letting for generations. The sick fanatacism of man-made dogma drives people to the point of atrocity which is not the essence of God. To be godly is surely to see and ackowledge the face of God in everyone. Bigotry and judgement create further boxes which encourage a deep separation from God Himself.
Miracles can't happen in boxes! Miracles can only happen when we drop our egos and pre-conceptions to allow for something beyond human understanding. The God of Miracles is ever present ant totally unconditional, stepping right into the vacuum we create when we open ourselves to an experience of MORE. As we open our consciousness so we begin to develop a real relationship to God, which exists in every moment rather than in the spiritually obvious. When we give God the space to be God, we begin to understand the considerable meaning of the Infinite!
Every belief is a box! Belief is about mental structure and has defined boundaries. From early childhood we start to take on the beliefs of those closest to us, because this is the only reference point we have. As we grow, so our point of reference starts to expand too, but sometimes we stay trapped in the comfort zone of the beliefs of our forebears because we never open our consciousness or awareness enough to see what else exists. Often by using fear as a weapon, others control our thinking and keep our beliefs tightly bound in boxes where they would have us exist. As such, we become the "great unthinking', like a herd of drifting sheep who move to where we are bidden. Education is surely only as good as it allows our minds to grow, to expand beyond the box, to discover the genius which exists in everyone.
When things go wrong, we automatically ascribe the event to "darkness" beyond the influence of God's light. We try to box God into the comfortable niceties of life and exclude Him from the pain. But how else would God give us the possibility to discover ourselves, other than through trial and tribulation? Our adversities bear the kernel for the greatest expansion of our understanding. Is this not the miracle of evolution? The extreme heat of Life's crucible burns away all unnecessary dross and it is here that were discover absolute human alchemy.
When will we start to bless all aspects of our life's journeys and see all of them as God-given, not just the sunny mountain tops but the deep, dark valleys too where the fertile soil exists? God dwells in the light as well as in every dark, heavy cloud.
By placing my God in a box, I see Him as right and your God as wrong. The great religious divide separates humanity and has been the source of considerable blood-letting for generations. The sick fanatacism of man-made dogma drives people to the point of atrocity which is not the essence of God. To be godly is surely to see and ackowledge the face of God in everyone. Bigotry and judgement create further boxes which encourage a deep separation from God Himself.
Miracles can't happen in boxes! Miracles can only happen when we drop our egos and pre-conceptions to allow for something beyond human understanding. The God of Miracles is ever present ant totally unconditional, stepping right into the vacuum we create when we open ourselves to an experience of MORE. As we open our consciousness so we begin to develop a real relationship to God, which exists in every moment rather than in the spiritually obvious. When we give God the space to be God, we begin to understand the considerable meaning of the Infinite!
Thursday, September 17, 2009
WHEN YOU HIT THE WALL... BREATHE!
When you feel depleted by a torrent of relentless pressure, just stop and be still!
Allow the whirling eddies of your fretful mind to settle by consciously focusing ALL thinking on your breath, which is your life force.
In that silence, detach from fear and let Life fill your empty well with renewed energy to sustain you to where you are meant to go!
Allow the whirling eddies of your fretful mind to settle by consciously focusing ALL thinking on your breath, which is your life force.
In that silence, detach from fear and let Life fill your empty well with renewed energy to sustain you to where you are meant to go!
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
LIMITED BY FEAR
When we start to understand that most of our life is motivated by fear, we discover the absolutes of limitation.
Fear constrains and constricts before we have even begun!
Consciously move beyond fear to expand every moment, thus making the whole journey to be MORE!
Fear constrains and constricts before we have even begun!
Consciously move beyond fear to expand every moment, thus making the whole journey to be MORE!
Monday, September 14, 2009
THE RITE OF WRONG
You hit me... I hit you. You hit me again and I strike back. And so begins an eye for an eye for an eye...
A perpetual cycle of violence is created out of the endless desire for retribution; which is borne out of bruised ego and the inane need to assert oneself having been wronged. It is here that the so-called "pecking order" is created which is the very seat of power as we know it. The only way to break this passage of ongoing destructive behaviour demands out-of-the-box thinking like the post-apartheid Truth and Reconciliation Commission hearings in South Africa, which created a climate for considerable social healing in a very innovative way.
Out first primal reaction to having been wronged is to strike back. That is the "animal" in every human where a defence instinct causes us to snarl and even to bite before considering a more powerful and meaningful reaction. The testosterone laden mind seeks revenge, because this is seen as the route to getting even and better still, a misplaced notion to getting ahead.
But when we begin to study the dynamics of energy, which is the foundation of modern quantum physics, we discover that nothing happens randomly. The root of everything (in human terms) begins with a thought which sets up a stream of energy. As this energy moves into the ether, so it causes a reaction which in turn evokes a whole chain of response. As humanity hopefully moves to greater degrees of civilisation, so we would expect enhanced consciousness to create the framework for more appropriate reactions to the ways in which we have been wronged. Rather than thoughtlessly hitting back with the intention to cause harm, it would serve us to stop and think before doing anything. Correct intention is everything!
When we begin to fully understand why someone may have wronged us, more often than not we start to see an imperfection in ourselves that deserves our attention and requisite action, thereby starting another small quest to really be MORE! People who suffer the wrong of abuse can often trace this hurt back to inadequate levels of self-love and the inability to create adequate personal boundaries. In that situation, best to first work on building adequate self-love rather than vengefully seeking retribution. It is more effective to deal with the real cause of our hurt rather than unthinkingly applying a violent response to the obvious symptom.
Many find forgiveness difficult because it effectively closes the door on retribution. Forgiveness always brings closure and considerable healing! It is not so much about letting someone off a hook, because history can never be re-written. But forgiveness dissolves "baggage" and creates an awesome lightness of being for the road ahead. All the great personalities in history chose to forgive and as a result, changed history for many others in the most profound way. Think of Jesus, of Gandhi and Mandela! These men made a better future for all because they steadfastly refused to play out the rite of wrong.
Before you lash out again, stop and think and do the "right" thing. Find the path to becoming MORE by breaking your cycle of destructive response. This is not about getting the upper hand, but more about progressing beyond your wildest dreams!
A perpetual cycle of violence is created out of the endless desire for retribution; which is borne out of bruised ego and the inane need to assert oneself having been wronged. It is here that the so-called "pecking order" is created which is the very seat of power as we know it. The only way to break this passage of ongoing destructive behaviour demands out-of-the-box thinking like the post-apartheid Truth and Reconciliation Commission hearings in South Africa, which created a climate for considerable social healing in a very innovative way.
Out first primal reaction to having been wronged is to strike back. That is the "animal" in every human where a defence instinct causes us to snarl and even to bite before considering a more powerful and meaningful reaction. The testosterone laden mind seeks revenge, because this is seen as the route to getting even and better still, a misplaced notion to getting ahead.
But when we begin to study the dynamics of energy, which is the foundation of modern quantum physics, we discover that nothing happens randomly. The root of everything (in human terms) begins with a thought which sets up a stream of energy. As this energy moves into the ether, so it causes a reaction which in turn evokes a whole chain of response. As humanity hopefully moves to greater degrees of civilisation, so we would expect enhanced consciousness to create the framework for more appropriate reactions to the ways in which we have been wronged. Rather than thoughtlessly hitting back with the intention to cause harm, it would serve us to stop and think before doing anything. Correct intention is everything!
When we begin to fully understand why someone may have wronged us, more often than not we start to see an imperfection in ourselves that deserves our attention and requisite action, thereby starting another small quest to really be MORE! People who suffer the wrong of abuse can often trace this hurt back to inadequate levels of self-love and the inability to create adequate personal boundaries. In that situation, best to first work on building adequate self-love rather than vengefully seeking retribution. It is more effective to deal with the real cause of our hurt rather than unthinkingly applying a violent response to the obvious symptom.
Many find forgiveness difficult because it effectively closes the door on retribution. Forgiveness always brings closure and considerable healing! It is not so much about letting someone off a hook, because history can never be re-written. But forgiveness dissolves "baggage" and creates an awesome lightness of being for the road ahead. All the great personalities in history chose to forgive and as a result, changed history for many others in the most profound way. Think of Jesus, of Gandhi and Mandela! These men made a better future for all because they steadfastly refused to play out the rite of wrong.
Before you lash out again, stop and think and do the "right" thing. Find the path to becoming MORE by breaking your cycle of destructive response. This is not about getting the upper hand, but more about progressing beyond your wildest dreams!
Thursday, September 10, 2009
THE SOURCE OF BEING MORE!
A seed, a nut or a bulb often face the extremes of Nature before germination or re-growth can occur. As humans, we are no different!
Considerable challenge is our seedbed to absolute potentiality. Always choose to be MORE!
Considerable challenge is our seedbed to absolute potentiality. Always choose to be MORE!
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
AT THE CROSSROAD...
Life gives us the option of two roads - the high road and the low road. This is the essence of moral dilemma.
We meet many people at the junction, but few have the courage or grit to take the road less travelled.
We meet many people at the junction, but few have the courage or grit to take the road less travelled.
Sunday, September 6, 2009
HIV/AIDS....MORE OR LESS?
Growth only occurs when we traverse personal frontiers of experience and understanding into the uncomfortable unknown!
Like most others, I believed HIV/Aids was something other people contracted, much like a cancer, stroke or other life threatening illness. I read about the great suffering wrought by the pandemic spread of HIV, but somehow felt that I would be immune to its influence, until fatefully diagnosed some four years ago. My experience of this virus would take me to the point of confronting my own mortality, as two savage episodes of full-blown Aids would severely challenge my ongoing existence.
I was not unlucky to be infected with HIV!
In truth, I had loved myself little enough to willingly engage in unprotected sex which I knew could lead to the transmission of this deadly virus. I cannot blame anyone but myself and take full responsibility for the consequences of my actions. HIV/Aids is the disease of self-love... It is generally given an opportunity to cross human boundaries by those with inadequate levels of self-love who take dangerous chances. Once infected, HIV/Aids comes to teach the art of self-love, as those infected need to exercise considerable and regular acts of self-love to preserve their ongoing life.
As a young man, I asked for a BIG life. BIG can never happen when trapped in tight boundaries and HIV/Aids was one of the vehicles that came to provide an opportunity for extreme personal growth. This is not what my perception of BIG was all about, but fighting to regain a fading life is not a small experience. Feeling life ebb away under the onslaught of repeated different opportunistic infections requires an inestimable desire to live through the dark valley in order to find the glow of life again.
Not only was this a struggle for physical survival, but my fragile ego took strain with a relentless fear as to what others might be saying or thinking. HIV/Aids taught me that the opinion of others is irrelevant and needed to be studiously avoided. More important for my mental health was the need to hold empowering thoughts to provide the mental armoury to effectively conquer this considerable life challenge. My limiting self-beliefs of feeling unwanted was also firmly revisited through the process of HIV, as I began to wonder whether anyone would willingly wish to hold and kiss me ever again. Here again HIV/Aids taught me that rejection always begins with ourselves and that stigma needs to be rooted out at source. We need to be the change we want to see in the world... it has to start with us!
Four years later, medical science and an indomitable spirit has enabled me to regain a life which today is substantially larger than before encountering this BIG experience. Apart from popping a few pills daily to ensure my ongoing survival, HIV has become a minute part of my overall life landscape. I have taken back my power and studiously keep the virus in correct perspective. I choose to live "positively" and openly with HIV, as secrets always disempower their owners.
The journey with HIV has not been easy; the journey with Aids was a nightmare! But in truth, like every adversity, HIV/Aids has expanded my life in more ways than this article permits. HIV/Aids has inadvertently made my life to be MORE rather than LESS, because I chose to live and continue to choose to live fully. Adversity is the crucible where we decide whether to grow or succumb, to be MORE or to be LESS.
Please share this testimony with others who are either curious about HIV/Aids or those whose lives have been incontrovertibly infected or affected by the virus. Let's actively move beyond a victim consciousness and change the negative impact that HIV is having on our planet!
Like most others, I believed HIV/Aids was something other people contracted, much like a cancer, stroke or other life threatening illness. I read about the great suffering wrought by the pandemic spread of HIV, but somehow felt that I would be immune to its influence, until fatefully diagnosed some four years ago. My experience of this virus would take me to the point of confronting my own mortality, as two savage episodes of full-blown Aids would severely challenge my ongoing existence.
I was not unlucky to be infected with HIV!
In truth, I had loved myself little enough to willingly engage in unprotected sex which I knew could lead to the transmission of this deadly virus. I cannot blame anyone but myself and take full responsibility for the consequences of my actions. HIV/Aids is the disease of self-love... It is generally given an opportunity to cross human boundaries by those with inadequate levels of self-love who take dangerous chances. Once infected, HIV/Aids comes to teach the art of self-love, as those infected need to exercise considerable and regular acts of self-love to preserve their ongoing life.
As a young man, I asked for a BIG life. BIG can never happen when trapped in tight boundaries and HIV/Aids was one of the vehicles that came to provide an opportunity for extreme personal growth. This is not what my perception of BIG was all about, but fighting to regain a fading life is not a small experience. Feeling life ebb away under the onslaught of repeated different opportunistic infections requires an inestimable desire to live through the dark valley in order to find the glow of life again.
Not only was this a struggle for physical survival, but my fragile ego took strain with a relentless fear as to what others might be saying or thinking. HIV/Aids taught me that the opinion of others is irrelevant and needed to be studiously avoided. More important for my mental health was the need to hold empowering thoughts to provide the mental armoury to effectively conquer this considerable life challenge. My limiting self-beliefs of feeling unwanted was also firmly revisited through the process of HIV, as I began to wonder whether anyone would willingly wish to hold and kiss me ever again. Here again HIV/Aids taught me that rejection always begins with ourselves and that stigma needs to be rooted out at source. We need to be the change we want to see in the world... it has to start with us!
Four years later, medical science and an indomitable spirit has enabled me to regain a life which today is substantially larger than before encountering this BIG experience. Apart from popping a few pills daily to ensure my ongoing survival, HIV has become a minute part of my overall life landscape. I have taken back my power and studiously keep the virus in correct perspective. I choose to live "positively" and openly with HIV, as secrets always disempower their owners.
The journey with HIV has not been easy; the journey with Aids was a nightmare! But in truth, like every adversity, HIV/Aids has expanded my life in more ways than this article permits. HIV/Aids has inadvertently made my life to be MORE rather than LESS, because I chose to live and continue to choose to live fully. Adversity is the crucible where we decide whether to grow or succumb, to be MORE or to be LESS.
Please share this testimony with others who are either curious about HIV/Aids or those whose lives have been incontrovertibly infected or affected by the virus. Let's actively move beyond a victim consciousness and change the negative impact that HIV is having on our planet!
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
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