In this answer to a viewer's question, "letting go" author Guy Finley talks about what we need to understand when faced with any challenging moment that seems to lead to negativity: No condition creates conflict in our consciousness... Our consciousness is conflicted, and the condition reveals it.

Can you think of a way in which you regularly sabotage yourself? You sabotage yourself when "something" in you acts against yourself. Now, for most of us, we have a passing understanding of an idea like that because we recognize that we don't want to hurt ourselves. We don't want to hurt others. We don't want to be a burden to this planet. We don't want to do a lot of the things we do.

Regardless of the assertion of any fearful state that seeks to convince you otherwise (using its painful presence within you as "proof" that the prison you're locked within will stand until the end of time), apply this one great truth: That fear must break down if it doesn't succeed in breaking down your willingness to test its reality. How do you conduct such a test?...

In this life, we have one of two choices when it comes to painful events, past or present. We can either go on hating and fearing what we think life has done to us (or others), and let these negative reactions create our experience for us... or we can learn to use these same dark reactions to free ourselves from them. But just wanting to learn the truth isn't enough...

In this response to a viewer's question, Guy talks about how mere intellectual knowledge of spiritual principles is not the same as acting on and applying those same principles in the midst of your own life.

In this question and answer session, Guy talks about how we must stop relying on intellectual concepts and instead start doing the actual work of seeing ourselves as we are.

"Do you know why you want freedom? To know why you want freedom, you must know what you want freedom from. And most of us do not know that idea of 'freedom from' -- other than when we're in a bad relationship. What you want is freedom from pain. You want freedom from fear. Freedom from self-doubt. Freedom from feeling inadequate. Freedom from being alone...."

Any true self-aware state must include the presence of a humility that tempers the temptation inherent in all forms of self-evaluation; otherwise, what we might call self-awakening is really just a form of secret self-admiration.

The root of our suffering isn't because of outer conditions but because of a misunderstanding of our existence and its purpose. Everything in nature that suffers does so for a purpose and cause greater than the individual creatures, while human suffering serves the self that creates it so it can be glorified.

Since what others may do to us is not in our power to change, we need only concern ourselves with what we do to ourselves, for this is in our power.

Seldom do we know a greater need for making a fresh start than in those mind-numbing moments when we find ourselves feeling thrown for a loss. These feelings of loss often leave an unconscious, invisible residue of fear which tends to taint every area of our lives with distasteful timidity, born of the neurotic suspicion that in some way, life is conspiring to take something away from us. Bu...

In this video clip, Life of Learning Founder and Director Guy Finley tells us that the only thing we're captive of is not understanding who and what we are and why we are on this planet. The full replay of this class is available in Life of Learning Foundation's Online Wisdom School, GuyFinleyNow.org, where you can join other true aspirants from around the world as we work to invite higher und...