Miracles

Venice Beach, California

There are many approaches to life.  For example, we can look back and try to figure out how we ended up where we are.  Or, we can imagine the future and have hopes and dreams that things will turn out beautifully for us.  And so on.

What is the best approach to life?  What approach will enhance our lives, make us happy and fulfilled and bring us peace?  Of course, we have to decide that for ourselves.  But let's examine a possible approach.

We are right now exactly where we are.  For the moment, let's forget about where we have been and what got us to where we are right now.  We are here, reading this post.  What should we do right this moment?  The future stretches before us with infinite possibilities.  We do not have any idea what is going to happen to us in the future (including the very next moment).  Are we going to receive a phone call or a visitor?  Are we going to read an email with sensational news or tragic news?  Are we going to be bored, elated, loving, connected, depressed, hopeful, angry, afraid or ecstatic?

So from where we are this moment, what is the best approach for the next moment?  Through trial and error, the best approach that I have found for the next moment is to be completely open and present to what the Infinite Life Energy has in store for me.  It is best for me not to plan, hope, desire, remember or figure things out.

When I am open to the "next" moment, I receive exactly what I need to receive to enhance my awakening.  It always exceeds anything I could have planned or hoped for myself.

The more open I am to what is, the more miracles I receive, and the more I experience peace, love and joy.  There is no plan that we could devise which would be better than the plan that our Greater Self has for us.  We only know a fraction of the information that is available.  Why would we act or react on such limited information?  By having faith that God knows vastly more than we do, We are led to our highest fulfillment.

Let's surrender to the Infinite.

Death

Whangamumu Beach, Bay of Islands, New Zealand

The fear of death is perhaps our greatest fear.  It affects everything we do and say.  It follows us like a shadow.

We may die in the next five minutes or sixty years from now.  We have no idea when our death will occur.

How can we overcome the fear of death?

If we focus intensely on the idea that we could die in this very moment and keep our attention on that idea without judging it, it will lose its power.  We do not judge whether dying is good or bad, or what happens to us when we die.  We allow the "isness" of it. and surrender to it.

Let's say, for example, that we do not have food and are starving to death.  Will the fear and anxiety we experience help us find something to eat?  If we have terminal cancer, will our anxiety and terror about dying help us find a cure?

Since we have a choice, isn't it better to die with equanimity?

None of us know what happens to us when we die.  However, it is certain that we will find peace.  Let's look death squarely in the face and find the peace that we know will be there when we pass over.

Let's become comfortable with death.

Safety

Coromandel, New Zealand

A Course in Miracles says "In my defenselessness, my safety lies."  This means that our safety and security lie not in defending ourselves by arguing or attacking the other person, but by being defenseless.  This seems counter-intuitive.  I am speaking about verbal attacks, although I am certain that the Course is referring to physical attacks as well.

When we are being attacked by someone and we become angry and defend ourselves or attack the other person, we are confirming that what they are saying is true.  We are giving energy to the attack. When we feel that there is no need to defend ourselves, we are confirming that there is no merit to the attack.  The energy of the attack dissipates because we give it no credence.

When we do not defend ourselves, we are confirming to ourselves and the Universe that there is nothing to defend.  Why would we be angry at someone who criticizes us if on some level we did not believe there was some truth to it?  Our ego pushes us to react.  It is almost as if our lives depended on it.  This is because we believe we are who we think we are.

Of course, we are really far, far greater than we think we are.  We are infinite beings with unlimited power.  Once we recognize that, why would we ever have to defend ourselves?

Let's be defenseless.

Courage

Rangitoto, New Zealand

Thoughts cause emotions.  In fact, emotions are the physical manifestations of thought.  When we have a thought such as "I am not good enough," it causes feelings of fear, loathing, etc.  It attracts other similar thoughts, perhaps memories of when we were not good enough.  The feelings increase with the memories and we spiral into a pit of despair and unhappiness. Our thoughts are created from beliefs formed by past events.  It does not matter when or why they initially were formed.

Many of our thoughts create strong emotions.

"I am not good enough";
"I do not have enough money";
"I am not attractive";
"I might get fired and will never get another job";
"Nobody will ever love me";
"Why did I not act upon a past opportunity";
"The Universe is against me";
"Bad things always happen to me";
and so on.

These thoughts which cause strong emotions all come from the same root beliefs:  We are unloved and unloveable.  This is the greatest lie of our lives.  Yet, at our core, we believe it,

Obviously, these thoughts do not serve us.  In fact, they cause our unease and ill health.  They affect our relationships, our careers, and our well being.

We can break the grip that our thoughts have over us.  By bringing attention to our thoughts without judgment, we can learn non-attachment.  The more light we shine on our deepest thoughts, the more their hold over us lessens.  It takes courage to acknowledge our thoughts without reacting.

No thought can hurt us unless we allow it to.  We create the reaction to our thoughts.  We create the pain that our thoughts cause.  Thoughts are only fleeting images in our minds.  They could not be more ephemeral.  They only have the power that we give them.

Let's acknowledge and surrender our thoughts.

Desire

Papa Aroha, Coromandel, New Zealand

What percentage of our thoughts are made up of regret?  What percentage of our thoughts consist of wishing things will occur in the future?  What percentage of our thoughts consist of dreading a future event?  Thoughts such as these make up the majority of our thoughts.  Do any of these thoughts enhance our lives in any way?  Of course not.  In fact, the opposite is true.  Our thoughts are toxic and prevent us from living a healthful, happy, fulfilling life. Yet we continue to waste our time, energy, health and well being on thoughts which do not serve us.

The Buddha said that: Life is suffering.  Suffering is caused by desire.  In order to find peace, we must surrender our desire.

By bringing the light of awareness to our thoughts, they begin to lose their power over us.

Once we are aware of the thoughts which serve no positive purpose whatsoever, we can let them go.

Let's acknowledge and surrender our thoughts.

Love

Venice

Can we love someone who is trying to hurt us emotionally or physically?

If we are angry at someone who cuts us off in traffic, would we feel differently if we found out they were rushing an ill person to the emergency room?  If someone slaps us, would we still be angry if we found out that the person was developmentally disabled?  If someone is trying to hurt us, and there is no obvious reason for their cruelty, how can we feel love for that person?  Does our anger soften when we realize that the cruel person is acting out of a deep self hatred and feeling of hopelessness?

We can change how we react to cruelty.   The anger and hatred we feel to those who have harmed us does nothing to help our situation.  By not reacting, we can more effectively deal with it.  That does not mean that we have to allow people to hurt us or condone their behavior.  We can defend ourselves and others as necessary.  We can and should tell others in a loving way when they have crossed the line. We can even kill with love.

Let's love even those who try to harm us.

Power

Venice Beach This Morning

Studies show that placebos work as well or better than many drugs.  They work even if we know that we are taking a placebo.  More expensive placebos work better than cheaper ones.  We fool ourselves into getting healthy.

We are literally more powerful than we can possibly imagine. 

The only thing preventing us from accessing this power is that we get in our own way.  How do we get out of our way and access the infinite power that is available?  By surrendering our thoughts, which emanate from ancient belief structures which no longer serve us.  Like a snake shedding its skin, we can step away from our belief systems, awaken to who we really are, and experience harmony, peace, love, joy and freedom.

Our power is in the present moment, between our thoughts.  When we surrender our thoughts and allow things to be just as they are without the filter of our many belief systems, we are free.  We see the beauty and grace which lay hidden behind our unconscious beliefs.  We allow miracles to occur and laugh at our past foolish obsessions and pettiness.  Everything that occurs to us is a Divine gift specifically designed for us to enable our awakening.  Once we open our eyes without judgment, we understand what has been there all along, waiting for us to discover it.  

Let's surrender to the Miracle.