The momentum of our daily lives can sometimes make it seem like we are on a runaway train. But for those of us who are tired of going nowhere, it is possible to catch ourselves
When we are hurt badly, the higher lesson hidden in this trial is to recognize the time has come to let go of who and what we have been up until the moment of loss.
Trying to dominate our destructive thoughts and feelings, or seeking to liberate our "better" parts through some form of self-discipline, is secretly at the expense of our freedom, and not in its cause. Freedom from the ties that bind, victory over our own nature, is not a conquest in the usual sense. Try to see the following as deeply as possible: *anything that has to be kept in check must a...
The next time (and every time) you catch some negative thought or feeling that says, "I am anxious," "I am scared," "I am mad," or "I am in so much pain" -- the first thing to do is to come wide awake to yourself. By taking the following inner action, you can deliberately snap yourself out of that dark dream that is trying to weave itself into your identity. Rather than allowing yourself to...
Only God knows why a flower can remain tightly wrapped up as a bud for its entire life, never opening, so that in a way it never fulfills the purpose of its existence. In the same way, only God knows why a human being can spend an entire lifetime closed off from his or her higher possibilities. But if for some reason that individual, regardless of age, has the "impossible" impulse to open in s...
We are always measuring ourselves in an attempt to confirm to ourselves that our lives have value. It is a fact that no creation is more or less valuable than anything else that is created. Is the tree more valuable than the ground from out of which it grows? No, in fact it is impossible to separate the tree from the ground. In one respect, all things are created equal, which means that all th...
You can have consciousness of life. The difference between just living and being aware of the fact that you are real life is so immense that it cannot even be compared. You have to be willing to know that you are alive, as opposed to just thinking about being alive. If you want to know about real life, you have to be willing to be alive, with everything that it entails. Presently we do not tr...
To be able to touch and appreciate what is new, we are created to open up and, as needed, to let go of whatever is no longer useful... especially when it comes to our need to release those old feelings and worn out thoughts that first clog up, and then compromise, our hearts and minds. These tiresome states of ourselves have become "stuck" within us because we haven't learned how to release th...
Even though we do not know we are doing it, most of our time is spent in the futile activity of trying to free ourselves from pain. The pain can take many different forms--the cutting remark someone just said, a sudden memory of a time when you "failed", or the thought of what you have to do today. There seems to be a legion of pains, but the source of every pain is one thing. The pain is prod...
It is never the event or the condition that holds us captive, but it's the way we think toward it that creates our sense of captivity. Help yourself to the keys of self liberation hidden in these next ten insights. Take the time you need to let each concentrated idea sink into your heart and mind. The truths you are about to meet are actually alive. If you embrace their healing presence, t...
It is impossible to change the relationship that you have with the world around you without changing the relationship that you have in yourself, with yourself. This is the secret teaching of the ages, including being the root of Christ's teaching, as it directly relates to the necessity of a new mind. Our task, if we want to be free human beings -- if we want a life in which we no longer...
Growing is natural. Our bodies grow by themselves. Our psychologies change as well, mirroring the growth of our physical body. And as we grow physiologically, a psychology is necessary to adapt to the desires of our growing physical bodies. We tend to equate growing physically with psychological, spiritual growth. But what really takes place is, with the passage of time, our psychologies simpl...