Guilt

Kereta, Coromandel, New Zealand

Feelings of guilt ravage our sense of peace and well being.  Guilt has an original purpose: to encourage us to become more conscious.   However, the vast majority of the guilt we feel arises from our conditioned systems of beliefs, and serves no purpose whatsoever.  We are often tormented by these unnecessary feelings. We can rid ourselves of artificial guilt and free ourselves from the nagging voices in our heads, making us feel shame for no reason.

We can free ourselves from this burden by first identifying natural guild, which has an important role to play in our lives, from artificial guilt, which does not.

How can we tell the difference between natural guilt and artificial guilt?  If we feel guilty about something we did, we can ask ourselves: "if the same situation occurred again, would we do the same thing or do something different?" if we would act differently, that is natural guilt.  Once we endeavor to try to fix the situation we created, apologize, and/or resolve to behave differently when a similar situation arises in the future, the guilt dissolves because it has fulfilled its purpose.

If we would do the exact same thing in the same situation, that is artificial guilt.  There is nothing to be done to remedy the situation, and we do not need to resolve to act differently in the future.  Once we acknowledge this, we can release the feelings of guilt because we recognize them for what they are: an ancient artifact from a useless belief system.  The feelings of artificial guilt will dissolve once we are aware that they serve no purpose whatsoever, except to torment us.

Let's be free.

Awakening

Cocoa Puff

We cannot awaken in the future.  If we are on the path to enlightenment, we will always be on the path.  The future does not exist.  We can only awaken in the present moment.

How do we awaken in the present?  We can awaken in the present by declaring it.  Once we declare it and take that belief into our hearts, we begin to create a new belief system.

When thoughts or feelings of fear, anger or frustration arise, a cognitive dissonance is created, i.e., we have two inconsistent thoughts.  One of the thoughts will have to give way in order for there to be consistency, which our minds require.  Positive thoughts and beliefs are stronger than negative thoughts.  In the face of the belief "I am awake," the thought "I am afraid," will dissolve.

When the negative thought dissolves, we feel good because it confirms our belief that we are awake.  We say to ourselves "it is really true.  I am awake!"   

The next time thoughts of fear or doubt occur, they hit a much stronger and reinforced wall of belief:  I am awake.  The weaker thought dissolves before it even has a chance to take hold.  It doesn't stand a chance.  We are creating an upward spiral.

Negative thoughts begin to diminish and are eventually met only with amusement.  They have lost their power over us.

The next time we meet with our friends or family, we can tell them that we had a spiritual awakening.  We may receive a positive or negative reaction, or they may have no idea what we are talking about.  It does not matter.  Our awakening is not dependent upon the response of others.  Every time we think it, every time we say it, we are affirming our belief.  We should say it and think it as often as possible.  It may seem like bragging, but affirming that we know who we really are is not a bad thing.  It is not only megalomaniacs who know that they are God.

Can obtaining enlightenment be as easy as declaring it?  I have found it to be true.  Let's try it.  We have nothing to lose.

Let's embody our awakening right now, right this very moment, and bring it deep into our hearts.

We are awake.

Simplicity

Coromandel, New Zealand

There is nothing wrong with having nice or expensive things.  We can have and enjoy them, as long as we understand that they cannot bring us peace or fulfillment.  The problems arise when we believe that things will fill the hole in our lives or bring us lasting satisfaction or joy.  The elation that we feel when a long desired item or experience is achieved will soon lead to frustration when the feelings of desolation and isolation return.  It is doubly frustrating because we were so sure that it would make us feel whole.

We can experience peace, gratitude and joy by enjoying simple things: a swim in the sea, a walk in the park, holding hands, or watching a squadron of pelicans glide over the ocean.  Even the simple act of being aware of our breathing can bring us profound feelings of grace and fulfillment.

Let's enjoy life's simple pleasures.

Surrender

Coromandel, New Zealand

Our thoughts and beliefs are keeping us from living peaceful and fulfilling lives.  We have built a solid wall of beliefs which was constructed from our birth and continues to the present moment.  This programming of our belief systems has occurred by our parents, teachers, friends, the media, religious leaders and so on.  We believe we are our thoughts and beliefs.  The reason this causes us so much frustration, anger, unhappiness and despair is because we all share the same root belief:  We are unloved and unlovable.  

All of our problems come from our identification with thought.  We have forgotten that all of our thoughts, beliefs, and judgments are an illusion. They are not who we really are.

The good news is that we can become who we really are and live peaceful, harmonious, fulfilling lives, filled with love and joy, in any given moment, including this very one.  Regardless of how hopeless or frustrated we believe our lives are, we could awaken to a brand new life right this second.  Every problem that we think we have would disappear in an instant.  We could create heaven on earth.  Right now.

All that we have to do is to acknowledge the truth of who we really are and surrender our thoughts and beliefs.

Since we believe we are our thoughts and beliefs, how do we do that?  We create a separation between our thoughts and beliefs and who we really are by bringing awareness to our thoughts.  Awareness is our attention without judgment.  We notice our thoughts, acknowledge them without labeling or judging them, and surrender them, allowing them to drift off without attaching ourselves (i.e., our awareness) to them.

Let's acknowledge our thoughts and surrender them to the light.

Gratitude

Kamakura, Japan

The opposite of gratitude is regret.  We wish we had done things differently.  We wish that other people had acted differently.  We wish that things that happened to us, happened differently.

Gratitude is allowing things to be as they are.  It is accepting that life is what it is.  Anything other than that is denial.  Gratitude is acknowledging that everything that has happened to us is divine grace.  True change can only occur when we accept that reality is what it is.

Gratitude is the key to abundance.  In fact, gratitude is abundance.  If we are grateful for what we have, we are satisfied and fulfilled.  This is the definition of abundance.  When we are grateful, the Universe responds in kind.  Like energy attracts like energy.

The more we accept life, the more we appreciate what we have, the more abundance we will attract.  It is the striving, desire and frustration which keeps us from receiving what we want.

Gratitude is ecstasy.

The Instrument

Dylan

It is much easier to live mindfully when our bodies are refreshed, nourished, relaxed and in shape.  When we eat junk food and do not exercise, our bodies feel sluggish, and so does our mind.  A sluggish mind leads to negative thoughts, which contribute to a cycle of malaise, cynicism and lack of fulfillment.  Low energy leads to boredom and frustration.

Our bodies are our instruments for interacting with the material world.  The more we take care of our instrument, the better it will serve us and contribute to our ability to fulfill our life's purpose.

It is no secret as to what is necessary to keep our instruments in fine tune: Restorative sleep; good nutrition; clean water; exercise and tools for reducing stress (e.g., yoga, meditation, walks in nature, satisfying social interactions).

Let's respect and care for our bodies, so that they can serve us.

Miracles

Kamakura, Japan

A miracle is not necessarily receiving something that we desired.  A miracle is receiving the perfect thing for our development and unfolding when we allow Divine Grace to come into our lives.

When we surrender our desires, we create the space which allows blessings and miracles to occur.  It is our judgments about what is happening in our lives which prevent miracles from occurring.  When we treat everything that happens to us as a Divine gift, we are allowing the Universe to guide us to fulfill our life's purpose.  In a previous post, I said that the Universe is as benevolent as we allow it to be.  Similarly, we will have as many miracles in our lives as we allow there to be.

A miracle is not something that happens to us from outside of ourselves.  When we align our awareness with our Higher Self, miracles happen.  We can do this by surrendering our thoughts and beliefs and allowing life to be just as it is.

To bring miracles into our lives all that we have to do is ask for them and allow them to occur.

Let's ask for a miracle and allow it to occur.