As you read this chapter, please begin your own mind retraining discipline by simply asking yourself two questions as often as you can think of them. These questions are: "Why peace of mind?" and " Why peace of mind now?" The choice we make to focus our thoughts upon these questions is a decision we make right now. It is not the kind of decision in the sense we may normally think. The decision is one of recognizing what is already ours. Peace of mind is not something we must work for or earn. It is something we already have and all the time. It is part of our package, part of being a Child of God within God. We are not choosing to make anything. We are choosing to align with everything that is God by choosing not to place clouds of worry in front of the light.
We often think that we are victims of the circumstances around us. For many of us it seems natural to turn to thoughts based upon fearful foundations. Yet those very fears and interpretations are based on perceptions we think we see of the world outside of ourselves. This way of thinking becomes a cycle. The fear thoughts support the fearful perceptions which feed the fear thoughts. Eventually we form thought habits. When we choose to place our thought energies and beliefs in how separate we are from others, our small mindedness supports and reinforces feelings of aloneness and fear. Our aloneness becomes our reality. What we sometimes think of as emotional disorders such as depression and anxiety, are all actually variations on this conviction. And this conviction itself tends to build in strength over the years as our minds see more and more fearful events. The events seem to justify our holding onto this victim state. Maybe at some point, we even wonder if we are Children of God, or if there even is a God.
There is a way out. A true way, in fact a way so true that it has always been and always will be available for us and for everyone. With a little daily practice, you can achieve a state of mind, which has been the essence of all major religions throughout the ages. This state of mind, which you will want more and more as you experience it, is your way out of all emotional and thus spiritual feelings of discomfort. This process of claiming your rightful decision is not one of rigorous effort; in fact, it is the undoing of effort. The experience of effort requires an attachment to an end result in whatever matter appears to be troubling you. As soon as we attach, our expectations themselves place blinders on our minds. Deep inside we sense that we have closed ourselves off from the unfolding of miraculous lessons that God wishes to show us. Yet until we choose to remember our own greatness, we can keep ourselves in a small-minded frame of being. God does not wish for us to be afraid and we are never ever really alone. There is really nothing to fear.
The metaphor of light revealing truth is as universal as a smile reveals openness in greeting. When we open the shade of a window, the light that has always been there will effortlessly come streaming in. The darkness we previously thought we were in is now immediately revealed as nothingness. Darkness is only the absence of the light that always and forever exists ready for us to open the shade of our minds. When we come to our spiritual senses, we know we have a place within our souls where God exists and where His/Her word is clear as a bell. When we are in the darkness, we may say,'it is dark in here.' Yet, the truth would be better stated by saying, 'Light has not yet been revealed here.'
This same truth can be illustrated by our simple smile. Can we say that if a person's smile is not seen by us that the smile is not there? In but an instant, and by our request, the smile we show to another spreads and the glow of our smiles enhance each other. What we ask to place in our minds will manifest in the world we see. As we take on responsibility for our own perceptions, we are reminded again of a simple and always accurate truth. 'When I am ready to see your smile, it is because I am first ready to show you mine.'A candle never loses its brightness by lighting another.
Can you see the paradox within this framework? Our ego thought habits place the cause and thus the reality of events outside our minds. Yet, we must decide to see these events as mere reflections of what is within our minds. This helps us to choose to see God revealed through these seemingly external events. The thoughts for the Voice for God are always within our minds. The more we see the loving and Godlike qualities in everyone, the more we are able to recognize them within ourselves. The more we see ourselves as a part of God, the more we can experience where we truly exist: in the Kingdom of Heaven on earth. There boundaries of time, distance, and our possibilities are only limited by our frame of mind. We are becoming more attuned to daily miracles that show us again and again that God wants us to have it all!
Our recognizing the power of our mind's decisions moment by moment helps us choose to see the light of truth, the light of Heaven on Earth that is always with us. To see the light is to see well beyond what appears to be external circumstances and appearances. To bask in this light is to remove blocks from faith in the form of fears and doubts of who we really are: children of God. God allows us open communication through our minds to make any event a call for love. The more love we can see around us, the more serenity and peace of mind we claim. Isn't that what we know we want? Please ponder that question for a moment.
So how do we KNOW what we truly want? What makes it so clear for us? Our knowing thoughts visit us in the blink of a Holy Instant, a time when we have tapped into the part of our minds where God resides. What feelings come to mind at the thought of a sunrise, a baby's face, a placid lake at sunset on a cool summer night, the witness of baby birds in their nest as they are being fed? In this Universal knowing we see these events as miracles of love. When you were born into your present incarnation, these ancient memories and love's gifts, which they represent, were already there within your mind. You did not have to learn your reaction to them, you simply knew. There are probably countless other examples that you can think of and I invite you to go through one day recognizing things that you know and that you have always known. This background of knowing helps us to appreciate art, to relish the smell of fresh air, to enjoy togetherness, to sense what another person feels, to share affection with our pets that speak not a word, and to have faith that our prayers will bring God's will clearly to our understanding.
Can you see that by our sharing of this sense of knowing we can witness each day as a testament of our own Oneness with God? This concept can be greatly extended, far beyond what we can imagine. Our collective thinking can literally save our world from the misery we have come to put our minds through each day. There is a well-known phrase: 'What we think expands.' This means that whenever we put our energies into what is truly real, the light of love, these thoughts will expand both within our minds and beyond to the Universal Mind which is God and of which we are a unique part. Please don't misunderstand. God's mind does not have any thoughts other than those of unconditional and everlasting love. Our part in the spreading and revealing of this love is one of faith. Keeping our hearts and minds open to see and feel the light that we know is there in God's blessings can help heal the pained hearts and minds of ourselves and of others we may never have physically met. This is the Universal loving mind of which we are all an integral part.
Is it worth it to you to train your mind in a very deliberate way to make peace of mind your habitual thought framework? Is it worth it to you to train your mind to release itself from temptations of worry and tension, and to feel direct and conscious contact with God, never alone or comfortless? And the best part is you can start with but a few minutes a day. You will feel immediate relief from stress--at first for brief periods, but then increasing in length. My hope is that you will want to increase your daily mind training as explained in the following chapters. Please use their gifts in your own way, for you are your own best teacher. With a little daily practice you will recognize the small shortcuts that you can use to form a mind set which automatically leads to mind correction. Yet, there will be times when you will find that your resistance will be strong. The habit of thought, especially ego self-protection, can be deeply engrained. The very act of questioning your thoug hts can get the ego's grip on your thoughts ever tighter with fear. Simply do not allow the ego to block your awareness of your spiritual reality.
To help you along this path, treat yourself to the following daily meditation to begin your day or one similarly meaningful to you. Do this just as you are arising. Join with the Voice for God within you before thoughts of fear, anticipation, and worry begin to set you off balance. Make this statement of faith as a Child of God. Then let God through communication with you show you the power of faith and the glory of all events and encounters that come to you.
Today, We Is One
Upon arising, stand up and see yourself in the center of a circle. Facing each direction, complete the following short steps.
Raise your hands above your head and say or think with strong conviction: 'Today, Dear God, please show me Who I Am.'
You may receive a message such as "I am a Child of God within of God," for example.
Lower your hands and let the palms face the earth and say and think with strong conviction: 'Today, Dear God, show me Where I Truly Am."
You may hear a message such as "You are in the Kingdom of Heaven on earth," for example.
Extend your arms out in front of you, palms up and say or think with strong conviction: 'Today, Dear God, show me my purpose in Your Plan."
You may hear "Your purpose is the illumination of love, which is your birthright," for example.
Now, sit in the center of the circle quietly while seeing yourself in a world called Heaven. You need not imagine any details. Simply place the calling for that image in your mind and let it emerge through the guidance of a prayer answered. This is not an undue expectation because you are only asking to be shown what is already yours. When you see the image, thank God for reminding you of your open and continual communication with Him/Her. Then complete this meditation with the following heartfelt conviction:
'As I make no decisions without your help, Dear God, this day in Heaven will be given me. Amen.'
To release ourselves from the strain of worries, concerns and fears and anticipations. We need not think of ourselves as doing this alone. In fact, if we did feel the need to rely only on ourselves, we would be placing ourselves in the same dilemma which caused strain in the past. The core of that dilemma is the belief God is not with us. In order to achieve peace of mind, we must take the leap of faith that God will never leave us alone. In calling upon God's companionship, in achieving His/Her purpose, we become radiant in our expression of Love. It becomes a way out for us. A way out of the bonds of victimization that we tend to place ourselves in with our own small minds.
The release from our small minds and victim hood, to remembering our vast ability to join with the large universal mind, which we know of as God, is our birthright. The journey you will be taking will increase in clarity over the next several weeks. The first step is our willingness to embrace the Holy Spirit who will be our constant companion, guiding us through all the other chapter meditations. For this reason, the meditations are kept open ended, allowing much space to listen to the Voice for God, the Holy Spirit.
We will consciously train our minds through the meditations included in each chapter to see the abundant evidence of miracles, which are given to us simply for the asking. Each expression of love through the Holy Spirit becomes more evidence to expand our minds beyond the dungeons of fear and anticipation. We will find that miracles become more abundant as we consciously create them in loving relationships. We find that we are able to create miracles during the course of any encounter. We have the ability to create a moment of love between ourselves and whomever we meet.
Next, we rediscover that our relationships can bring salvation to our minds. By placing our minds in the hands of the Holy Spirit we are able to spread joy through these relationships and in turn receive what we give. At first in small spurts of time, but later in concentrated periods, we find release from tension, stress, tightness and physical pain through the concentrated release of love in our holy encounters.
As our spiritual process continues, we may expect our minds to continue to expand at an ever-steady pace. However, our thought habits do not change quickly or evenly. At this time, we need to look at our thought habits closely; specifically the habits of pride and ego. As we face the ego, we face our habit of judgment, which creates artificial, perceived barriers in our minds. There are large moments of darkness, so please do not feel discouraged. You are making progress just by staying with this program. As you continue to keep and review your journal entries, you will see the evidence of your shift in thinking. Forgiveness, as the release from critical judgment, and the awareness of God's blessings in all events, will happily visit our mind's perceptions with increasing frequency. Your journal, which is a testament to your transforming mind, is essential as a clear way of offsetting the ego. Please celebrate and share your successes as evidenced in the journal.
As we look at each one of our thought habits, we will ask the Holy Spirit for an alternative way of looking at that circumstance and situation. We will consciously ask to be released from self-abusive thinking based on fear and projection, including the fear that our minds are not changing through this discipline. We will see that every time we perceive the 'sin' of another, we have really considered ourselves as sinful, and subject to judgment, apart from and separate from others. As we progress, we allow our focus to shift away from self-criticism, and identification with and attachment to material objects that can be compared and contrasted with each other. You will notice what appears to be a subtle and simple shift occurring in your typical thinking. God's blessings, periods of joy, periods of self-acceptance, periods of gifts which bountifully come our way in the context of relationships, will increasingly show us how little we need to do to deserve our own perfection.
As illustrated in the diagram below, ego thoughts which have increased over time, have created blocks to our awareness of the love which surrounds us; a subtle and unconscious role of victim. With the decision (in any given moment) to call upon the Holy Spirit for a new and less painful way of forgiving our past judgments, those ego thought habits can be transformed into thoughts of love. With that decision, and the resulting experience of love, we can see the miracles and look on life with a peaceful and gentle mind. It is this new way of looking at life (in the context of relationships with others, with God, and with ourselves), which is our own true salvation.
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