Tag: enlightenment

Thankful

It’s time to assess your blessings. They might not be as apparent as you think. Many blessings are so common to living that you could take them for granted. These are the blessings to be considered most of all, for it’s in the common spaces that you find grace.

Will you say grace at your table this Thanksgiving? As you gather among others around a bountiful dinner or simply sit alone with a morsel of sustenance remember one important fact: you are here on this earth by God’s will to live humbly and do good works for your fellow humankind. You are not on earth to resist or to impress.

The ability to resist is the furthest action from grace. You might ask how can this be? Why wouldn’t you resist a tyrant? This perspective is incorrect. Resistance is trouble to your own soul. The correct approach is to acknowledge the presence of the perceived tyrant, assess their actual control over you and to make changes in your life to free yourself from those feelings that prevent you from making divinely inspired gains in your own self. This pursuit of happiness is unique to each individual and can only be taken from you if your soul is burdened by resistance. Sounds like Yoda speak! Well, it is. It’s a circle meant to bring you wholeness. And in that wholeness you will find grace.

Amen

The ability to impress offers a similar trouble to your soul. Your desire to make another person admire and respect you is in itself a tyrannical act. Admiration and respect is earned by your own good works regardless of the views of others. Our communities offer countless ways to showcase your time and talents. You don’t have to say ‘Yes’ to everything and everyone, you simply need to understand your own strengths and weaknesses to apply yourself effectively and with confidence…This humble light of good works will shine brightly for all to see and bring peace to your soul.

The serenity prayer comes to mind as a way to live with grace: “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference.”

Be thankful. God’s blessings are bountiful.

The Cloak of Love and Joy

Imagine, if you will, that you live in a city or town with individuals of diverse family situations, ethnic and cultural backgrounds, and religious philosophies. Trying to imagine this in the United States of America isn’t very hard to do, especially if you live in an urban setting. The hustle and bustle of public transportation among densely populated neighborhoods and a variety of commercial buildings is second nature to those who live in these environments. Many times even the suburbs located not too far from these urban areas are bustling just as much. However, there is a great deal of difference when towns are located far from this hustle and bustle.

Small rural towns are more homogeneous, that is, the people in them share a sameness of culture born around a common industry such as agriculture, mining or manufacturing. There is still a diversity of incomes and thought, but race, ethnicity and religious beliefs are typically less different. Our rural identity is just as important to the fabric of our country as our urban identity. Both knit together a unique sense of pride which we call patriotism.

What we build together as communities of hardworking and intelligent citizens is more important than what we take individually. We cannot have one without the other however…My commitment to myself as an asset to my community ensures a lasting civilization. Self awareness is key to prosperity no matter who you are on the spectrum of cultural diversity because it can help you make better decisions, build healthier relationships, lead with authenticity, take better care of yourself, and live a more fulfilling life. Self awareness is your personal cloak of love and joy.

Joseph and the Coat of Many Colors

Think of this cloak as your own hero cape! You are a Superhero to all those around you when this cloak has been fully formed by other self aware people in your life. It is like the Biblical narrative of the coat of many colors that Joseph’s father gave to him. In this story Joseph’s brothers did not get one and so were jealous of him. The importance here is that the father only recognized Joseph as most worthy of this gift because Joseph had obtained true self awareness. Of all his future suffering, Joseph would still go on to achieve and share much prosperity while maintaining his humility with God, his family and all those around him…An inspiration for all.

Who will give you your hero cloak and are you deserving of it? Is your character up to the challenge? Can you knit your own with the help of God’s presence in your life? The answer is a resounding YES! No matter who you are or where you’re from it is possible. Our western civilization truly depends on our Superheroes.

As with most anything, there is a balance to achieve when being self aware. The jealousy of others will be present and your perception to this will help to direct your path in life…Trust in divine providence.

Unexpected Treasures

A hopeful prayer by the Shrew

There is Hope. We have known about This for quite some time! Only, we ignore Its promise. Such a pity.

Look around and witness all the struggle. The hurt that blossoms forth from this struggling empties out into the world as irrational behavior. We turn heads away in pity. Instead, we must lift our hearts in prayer.

God knows this struggle. His physical world made it possible. Struggle involves mind made darkness. Yes! God did not make this darkness, only the human mind can do that. God’s darkness is only in the free and open night sky. He would never want His creation to dwell in the self created mind made darkness. Well, if that is so, why do we suffer so much? There in lies the struggle.

Whether it’s addiction, hate, despair, grievance or covetousness, our mind has made it up and our behavior has made it reality. This reality is what we are witnessing. Those who are in the struggle are intentionally sleeping in their mind made cold, yet comfortable, darkness. What those in the struggle do not understand is that our witness cannot help them. Our efforts cannot help them. Only God can help them out of the struggle.

But, you say, the struggle these people display affects my life! This struggle harms people and it harms themselves. How can we make it go away? We want to help. We care and we need to make it right!

All we can do is be a guide…Show them the way. There is truly more light in this world than there is darkness. Our prayers are only part of our guide to their path for more goodness and light. God gives the enlightenment.

Any religion or ideology that promotes or dwells on struggle as its basis purposefully brings darkness to our world and that is evil. God does not condone this arrangement. The Judeo-Christian model is God’s guide. The Ten Commandments point the way. We know this! Jesus was and is a living guide to open our eyes and in turn our hearts. Pray that you are like Him, a living guide to light us towards the treasures for which this life is worth living.

Struggle is an illusion. Give the gift of light this season. He made you in His image for this reason.

Shrewd Awakenings: How Are You Using Centering Energy?

Female energy at it’s core is Chaos.  Male energy at its core is Order.  These are opposing emotional energies, and no matter where you are on the LGBTQ or cis-gender spectrum, you can exhibit these energies in a variety of unhealthy ways.

What humanity needs is a balance which can only be found through centering energy…Christ knew this, Ghandi knew this and MLK knew this as have many others who understood the human need for freedom.

Government is not our friend in the quest for freedom because government is control inspired by men and women who are imperfect.  To expect that a government authority could administer an efficient program for all with equal results is impossible.  This is why government must be limited in its scope and why the individual must have maximum freedom to explore their unique potential.

The Enlightment ideas based on reason, individualism and skepticism did not occur overnight.  Influenced by 17th century philosophers such as Descartes, Locke, and Newton with prominent promoters like Goethe, Voltaire and Adam Smith, the further development of these ideas formed the basis of our U.S. Constitution.  We could conclude that the Enlightment is the centering energy  for our government.

Are our law makers on Capitol Hill using centering energy?  I think many are not!  They take an oath to uphold the Constitution and yet all I see are the energies of order and chaos at work:

Chaos demonstrated by:

  • Identity groups causing disruptions
  • Women literally crying as a force to be reckoned with
  • A porous southern boarder
  • Out of control deficits and spending

Order demonstrated by:

  • Emigration that helps parties and not people
  • Equality of outcomes as a means to an end
  • People forming separate group identities
  • Media platforms pushing compliance of liberal platitudes

We must be very careful not to live enmeshed in these opposing energies.  Our binary form of government leadership only adds to this push-pull hysteria.  To balance these energies leadership must become more “enlightened” and model best practices of reason through understanding, skepticism within context and legislation honoring our inalienable rights.  And we the people must become more “enlightened” and model good works while loving our neighbor as we love ourselves.