Negative States

One reason why negative states sneak in so easily to steal our peace is that we have been conditioned to believe in their right to punish us.

We frequently feel ourselves to be under the power of things. We feel we are the victims of an unfair social system, economic upheavals, painful relationships -- even a lawn chair that won't unfold right. We fight these conditions, feeling ourselves to be under their "dark" influence. The fact is, however, these events do not exist as negative events except for our perception of them. The only...

Fear is, and has always been, nothing but a self-limiting reaction that we cling to in the darkness of our present life-level, having mistaken it for a shield of self-protection. But no wrong reaction can keep you captive once you begin to see it for what it is. You can prove this powerful principle to yourself anytime you want. Just dare to proceed even while being afraid. But remember, your...

Though we often find ourselves feeling so, in truth... there is no such thing as being powerless. We see how a person who resists life -- who hates or fears unwanted changes -- becomes the instrument of a power that effectively renders him powerless to do anything but struggle. But we've seen the converse as well: the one who realizes that the only power negative states have is to create the i...

Actualizing our spiritual right to live without the frustration of fearful limitations is not a question of achieving something new; it begins with choosing to end a relationship with that which has never been true.

Meekly submitting to any negative emotion in the hopes it will run its course and leave us alone just invites it to subjugate us again.

Human beings suffer from a kind of spiritual amnesia produced by having assumed a false identity without knowing it. How is that possible? This temporary false self feels real. There's no mistake about that! It is animated and driven along by the flood of reactions we have as we run around seeking fulfillment. But the fact that this lower nature is driven doesn't mean it is alive. A bulldoze...

We have the capacity to stop making ourselves powerless by waking up to having put ourselves where our powers are stolen from us.

Every time we accept a negative state we compromise ourselves and increase the level of conflict for ourselves and everyone we meet.

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...

Here is a particularly vital idea for those of us who are tired of finding ourselves a surprised victim of our own actions: in this world of ours response is request. We can slightly enlarge this idea by restating it this way: the way you respond to life is also a request you make to it. See how the next few examples prove this important discovery: Someone walks...

When we are dominated by any negativity, be it some consuming fear or heated anger, we may think we are in command of ourselves as we rush to judgment or lash out at the world, but a simple question reveals another reality. Who, in his or her right mind, purposely sets themselves on fire? The answer is obvious. No one deliberately defeats one's own best self-interests. This much we all realize...