Paying Attention

Attention! Attention! Attention!  This is what is wrong with this place.  We don’t pay enough attention to our external circumstances.  Yes, the inner life is vastly more real.  But the outer life informs that reality.  We look in mirrors when we look out there.  There is no compromise on this point. One informs the other.

When you get up in the morning do you dress yourself with eyes closed?  Of course not.  You look at what you’re doing.  You choose colors according to your mood and your personal sense of style. You look forward to the day and prepare to present yourself in the best possible light.  Plaids do not go with polka dots.

So how is it that we continue to forget and choose to block out certain experiences?  Are we not blinding ourselves to some essential reality?  Of course we are.  This is a survival mechanism.  We’ve been doing it since the dawn of time.  Children do it all the time.  Blocking out unpleasantness is a common strategy until we realize we are re-creating and meeting the same issue and situation over and over again.

Grace & Glory

Glory belongs to the passing era of competition and conquest, when our spiritual lives didn’t seem to matter as much as they do now.  In Grace, we are pointed in a whole new direction where the Self comes to surface and takes us onto a new path toward spiritual wholeness..

       As we are guided toward this mission of mercy, we realize that others’ needs are equal to our own. We are advised that anything is possible, but not as determined by fate as we once thought.  We have choice in all matters, conscious choice.

       Where we take this Grace is up to us at this juncture.  We can overdo it as we did with Glory in our past.  Or we can take a new tack and discover something miraculous about ourselves.  We are truly capable of helping one another, through our respective challenges and we can deliver this assistance with compassion.  We can open to a whole new way of being, not measured by what Glory used as standards for success.

Fear

       What is it about fear that gets us all tied up in knots?  Is it the biological realm rearing its head in the face of a possible threat?  Is it our minds making mountains out of molehills?  Or is it some other nefarious element that lies outside of our control? The “fight or flight” response says “you must make a choice,” based on what’s in front of you and what capacity you believe you have to deal with it.

 It’s not always right, this “fight or flight” response.  Sometimes we act when leaving would be a better option.  Sometimes we stay to quickly learn that was inadvisable.  So how do we deal with fear in a manner that is most compatible with our True Self?

The nature of fear is twofold.  First, we are reacting to a real or perceived danger.  Second, there is an urge to do something about it, be it magical or otherwise.  For a physical danger, fight or flight is likely the best course of action.  We measure the danger and act, by either removing ourselves or confronting it.

Growing

Sometimes it’s hard to make a change in our lives.  It requires such stamina, a wealth of desire.  Is it any wonder many give up before they start?  The aching inside drives us forward, to a hopefully better place, where we can be relieved of our dissatisfaction.

So where do we go on this quest? Do we cross the mighty ocean?  Scale the tallest mountain? Or simply take stock of ourselves and issue another edict.  “I will not live like I did before”, “I will change the script of my life”,  “I will scale what is mine to scale, and I will go it alone if I have to”.

There is no need to go it alone.  The Great Creator is always there with a helping hand.  He is right behind you, giving a little push.  Saying things like, “You can do more if you want”, “There is much you have to offer”, “You’re just getting started”.  A gentle prodding it will be, because He’s sensitive that way.  Pushing too hard elicits resistance.  That’s not the way to go.  Gentle prodding, with generous doses of encouragement, will take you further.