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Enlightening articles by Guy Finley on a wide range of topics address practical life issues and deepen your spiritual understanding.
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Enlightening articles by Guy Finley on a wide range of topics address practical life issues and deepen your spiritual understanding.
Short but powerful quotes by Guy Finley will inspire you throughout your day.
Heartfelt inner-life questions from people around the world, and Guy’s enlightening answers, will shed light on your own issues.
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Be encouraged by hearing fellow members share their experiences and discoveries as they bring higher ideas into their daily lives.
The Life of Learning singers and instrumentalists perform beautiful music that will inspire and uplift you.
Join us for exclusive live broadcasts of select Guy Finley talks.
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Shop eCoursesGF: It always seems that in the face of any crisis, the best and the worst of humanity is revealed for all to see. On one hand, there are thousands who suddenly become aware (perhaps for the first time) of the pain and loss others feel and, foregoing personal interest, dive into the challenging waters of self-sacrifice and other charitable works of selflessness.
At the same time, these crises -- especially those of a larger scale -- seem to draw out, from under their darkened rocks, bugs in human form. These sub-species systematically prey upon the confused and desperate people who are dragged along in the wake of tragedy. Of these depraved souls that profit from the suffering of others we will speak no more. Cosmic Justice always prevails.
Let us turn our attention to how each of us may, every day, help to lift, heal, and brighten the world we share -- so that through our individual spiritual efforts we do the work that first transforms our lives and then the life of the world itself. Is there such a Work? Is there a way to ensure Peace in us and therefore upon earth? Is this vision attainable? The answer is yes!
Every journey of genuine self-discovery and inner change must begin somewhere. Ours begins with a truth in question form:
Did you know you have the power to change the whole world? That within you dwells a Cosmic Character capable of transforming dark influences -- along with their destructive forces -- into healing energies that exist not only to serve what is Timeless and Good within us, but to enlarge these powers as well?
Make no mistake: Within each of us is everything that we (and the world) need to transfigure and transcend the dark shadows of fear, greed, and hatred. And when these secret seeds of conflict are dead and gone, what negative forces are left that can goad humanity into war?
Perhaps you are wondering, what is this great power that can change the world, that is entrusted to each of us, but that so few have realized in a meaningful way? Here is the answer that I ask you to consider very carefully:
Each of us is created to be the Light of the world. Let me amplify this truth: We may each become the Light of the world, and when Light is present, what can remain hidden? How can any unseen darkness prevail if its presence is known before it begins its punishing action? Just think of such a power and the freedom from fear it promises. Yet, permit me a needful word of caution:
We must take care neither to let our doubts discount this truth, nor to assume its possession by us as a foregone conclusion; such assumptions always lead to defeat and heartache. The truth is that this positive power is but potential in us up to this point. If it were already actualized (in us), then negative states would not be able to dominate us; their evil effects would be non-events.
So our first step is to awaken to our actual spiritual condition, not accepting this finding as a limitation, but seeing it as an invitation to transcend our current consciousness.
Even to suspect it possible that we, as individuals, can work to "positize" the world, ending its pain of being in the dark by becoming instruments of the Light should be all we need to start us on the journey of making it so. And let it be known that to actualize what we can intuitively visualize is the spiritual journey. Physical examples abound to prove this possibility.
For instance, once our mind suspected the potential of sunlight to generate solar power, we learned to turn the energy of the sun into our helpful and healthful servant -- the difference being now that we need to realize and utilize the living Light within us. Once we master this inner power, then what possible power can darkness hold over us? Thats right, none!
Now the only question remaining before us is how do we awaken this living Light within us? What is required of us to realize this power of Powers that is able to transform ones soul and the soul of the world as well?
Before we close our chat tonight, I will prove this God-given potential to claim this living Light within us. We will discover how to help ourselves bring this Light to bear in our day-to-day lives.
What do you feel like discussing tonight? What have you been working on within yourself and how can we use this time together to grow in new understanding?
jaywman: My experience confirms your remarks. The deeper the realization of my impoverished spiritual condition, the more willingness there is to do whatever is needed. I wonder if you might say a few words about overcoming self-centeredness. It seems to be the root of the spiritual malady.
GF: It is one of those truly extraordinary spiritual discoveries as one begins to recognize that the very selfishness that possesses him is not what fulfills him for all of its appetites and promises, but actually punishes him. All forms of self-centeredness are the invisible sufferings connected to unseen opposites within us, as no opposite can cancel itself. Therefore, the cycle of suffering keeps going.
rousseau: I am studying in Fairfield, Iowa at the Maharishi University of Management. Your remarks here echo the founding principles of this school, and the subject matter we study. Since September 11th there have been many more people (around 2000) who are meditating together Transcendental Meditation to strengthen the effects of this positive light you speak of. It is very encouraging to be a part of it.
GF: Anything that any of us can do within ourselves (first) to remember that this life is first an interior one and then an exterior one will help raise the consciousness of the collective Soul. This is difficult to do in dark times, but never more valuable than when things seem darkest. The smallest Light remembered is greater than the oldest darkness in place.
Marie: What do you mean by saying we have an immortal soul?
GF: What seems like a simple question is quite complex and can only be answered in terms of understanding levels of scale. However, you can derive some of the answer you search for by reading the closing comments in tonights chat in which I point to the existence of something immortal that we may all not only know, but come to have become us.
Ok: Controlling and identifying thought is one thing, but the reality in wishing, wanting, and trying to succeed in this world is another. Should we not give all of this any energy for the peace of mind within ourselves to succeed in this world?
GF: Everything depends upon what a person sees and feels as being the nature of "success." Experience proves that everything we have accomplished in the world, in time, eventually proves itself insufficient to our hopes for contentment and peace. Vernon Howard said "It is wise to seek immortality as time defeats all other ambitions."
ADB: You mention in The Intimate Enemy not to deny fear or to fight it or to agree with it. You stated that Vernon Howard said to "walk through fear." Can you elaborate in practical terms how to do this, say, in a business meeting where Im asked to speak to the group impromptu?
GF: First, think of this idea: The way out is through. Now add to that the understanding that you cant make fear go away by not wanting to be afraid. You end your relationship with fear by recognizing the only hold it has over you are the negative images it projects in your mind about things to come. See these things and walk through them. Dont be afraid to fail and youll succeed in being free of fear.
ADB: What do you mean by "walk through fear"? I need this explained more practically and explanatorily. Perhaps an analogy would help.
GF: It means to do what you dont want to do in the moment you dont want to do it. And you do this not for the purpose of succeeding, but for the purpose of seeing. If you will attempt to act through your fear, instead of letting your fear act through you, you will find out things about it (and yourself) that will cause you to want to learn more.
ADB: Should I join Toastmasters (which I fear) in order to confront fear head-on?
GF: Anything you will do deliberately for the sake of stepping through a fear will not fail to help you become free of that fear. You cant go wrong trying to learn what is within.
ADB: Remember the Roadrunner/Coyote cartoons where the coyote all of a sudden realizes he ran off the cliff, is running on air, and then falls with this new awareness? I sense that when I speak to people and become "aware" of my surroundings that my fear just escalates. Can you please shed light on this happening?
GF: It isnt that your fear escalates, but that you are suddenly aware of a fear that has always been attending you in all such moments. The sense of falling is a "special effect" that fear throws on the screen of your mind for the purpose of getting you to re-identify with it in order to pull you back into its dark world. Never mind the fear of falling. Find out that who you really are cant fall.
Faust: "Pain" is good in the Light! Your advice has enabled me to make some serious changes in my attitudes of late. The darkness literally melts in the light of Truth. Alas, its taken a long time to reach this new level. So how does one maintain the necessary "awareness" to remain in the Light at all times?
GF: If you were walking through a dense jungle filled with dangerous beasts, would you need to struggle to maintain the necessary awareness? No, of course not. So it is with our inner life. As we awaken to realize that within us there are many, many "Is," most of whom wish to compromise us for the sake of the sense of self they extract, then we will have no problems staying awake.
RandyS: I am interested in learning more about the programs you are working on that target this work to children.
GF: Every day I see this as a more important task for this Work to approach. Next year we will build our second building and hopefully begin our first attempt at a school for younger children. In the meantime, stay in touch and watch for signs of activity. The principal program right now is called Project INDIVIDUAL VOICE. "Voice" stands for : Vanquish Our Invisible Common Enemy.
JohnF: Im wondering if silence is an expression of awareness, or if they are somehow the same thing. What is their relationship?
GF: Awareness, true awareness, contains all things within it, and this includes what we think of as silence. But to add to this, it might be said that real Silence is the atmosphere that attends awareness -- and that together nothing can enter into their Field undetected.
Ron: Having had some experiences of Inner Peace or heartwarming connections in my life does not seem to provide the motivation or inspiration for me to make this a top priority in my life now. Is it just a matter of being ready and willing, or am I simply making excuses for being fearful instead of acting on Faith?
GF: Youve heard the expression "To everything there is a season." This holds true in all of our lives, especially as it concerns our continuing spiritual development. Having said this though, I have found that the clearer we see the real condition of ourselves, the more we want to stand in the spiritual sun. It is this light coupled with our wish for it that ripens our soul and releases our spirit.
Patient: I punish myself by what I believe other people are thinking about me. Sometimes this comes on in short, intense bursts that are over before I see them coming -- other times its more chronic. While I can see this problem, it doesnt help me stop living my life in this fear. How can I stop this?
GF: The only way any of us can truly bring an end to unconscious behavior that punishes us in our unawareness is through new efforts to be conscious and to bring awareness to bear within us upon the parts of us that are defeating us. Dont try to make this problem go away. Instead, become more conscious of this internal conflict and self-compromise. This willingness will open the doors of Freedom.
poi: How does esoteric thinking say we should deal with criminals? Should they be tried and jailed?
GF: It is not an exaggeration to say that walking around in human bodies are creatures that are intent upon the destruction of both the body they inhabit as well as the collective soul of humankind. They are darkness incorporated, literally. These creatures cannot be redeemed. This difficulty is one of the most confusing issues surrounding society. There is no simple answer, but they should not be amongst us.
poi: If they should not be among us, should they be jailed, or worse, put to death?
GF: Human beings, whatever their nature, should not be permitted common social considerations if it is impossible for them to be even commonly courteous and civil.
jaybird: How does the concept of "oneness" with all humanity, which these esoteric principles teach as being a reality, apply to these creatures who should not be amongst us? Are we all "one" with them? If so, what is our proper attitude towards them? Youve recently stressed that hate is not the answer, so what should we feel towards them?
GF: This only seems confusing because popular notions twist the idea of "oneness." We each have in us all that any have, but lets liken inner darkness to a dark, burning fire. When we see such a flame in self - or in others - we know not to get too near or we might well be burned. There is no judgment in this.
dropee: Are you at a point where no negative states get in?
GF: No negative state "gets in" without being recognized in its entrance and shown the way out.
David: Whenever I send out an SOS (Save Our Ship), I get back another SOS (Same Old Story). Is this because: 1) Im transmitting on the wrong frequency, 2) Im receiving on the wrong frequency, 3) the transmitted message is faulty, or 4) the received message is faulty? How do I tune to the right frequencies and/or formulate the proper messages?
GF: Everything depends upon our gradual discovery of what really constitutes "our ship." A big part your awakening is the realization that all of our life we have been identified with what is not really ourselves, but a cleverly constructed structure of mental and emotional "stuff." Find out more about the ship called yourself and then find out if you want that rescued.
jebodiah: Ive recently became involved with a women who is beautiful inside and out. Everything seems natural, trusting, and great - something Ive always hoped for. Although physically attracted, I have absolutely no lustful/aggressive desires one would normally have. Does this mean that its true love or that I just dont connect with her that way? Perhaps Im troubled subconsciously about her just leaving a ten-year marriage?
GF: What we all have to ask ourselves is why do we believe that the torrent (and torment) of questions that passes through our mind somehow is legitimate and requires our attention and answer? Are you happy? Does it feel good? Leave it alone if you are content, and learn to live alone without your thoughts constantly turning everything upside down to fit some preconceived image.
doc: Please talk about excesses -- I mean vicious excesses such as drinking a case of beer, eating a half gallon of ice cream, working out for two hours. Thanks for your help.
GF: Most compulsive behavior has its root (originally) in the fear of being alone and taking part unconsciously in the nature that would rather have something to hate itself about than not exist at all. Clearly, excesses are destructive. Find out what is pushing you and then simply learn to step out of the way like a toreador sidesteps a bull. This will be hard the first time, but once you see the nature of this compulsive nature, its over.
JohnF: I need to see clearly how Im meeting life from my past, but I cant seem to remember the specific past events that have so profoundly shaped me. Youve said that I dont need to. Then how?
GF: It isnt the forms in us from whatever source that shape us, but rather the forces that sustain these forms. We dont need to see, in fact, actually cant, what is called "the past." What we can see and change through higher awareness is our relationship with these forces that formed both past forms and are presently shaping our present life. Work hard to watch yourself.
Len: Everybody thinks Im cuckoo because Im 46 and I still enjoy reading Charlie Brown books. Should I listen to them? Yes, I still get a kick out of these books!
GF: Have a good time. As a rule, that drives people crazy.
alex: I have a six-year-old son and I try to stay awake as best I can in raising him. I also (when time and opportunity presents itself) try to teach him about Gods presence and how He wants us to always do the Good. But we dont go to a church of any kind (anymore). Is there anything of reference I can use to teach him better than I am doing now?
GF: I would say your son is more fortunate than most. The real church is within each of us, as is the Living Light that sustains and nourishes this Timeless presence. There is no better teaching than ones willingness to explore Gods Life personally and to share this journey with the ones we love.
Sunshine: I find that I catch myself daydreaming often. I know it only gives me momentary enjoyment. But when I come awake to it, the daydream ends. I feel that I am stopping them. Should I just let them be there? It seems very difficult to daydream when I am conscious. I would rather not spend most of my life in this state. Please help.
GF: Just last night, I gave a talk on the very subject of daydreaming and the secret defeat hidden within these "sweet" moments of spiritual sleep. I highly recommend this talk. It will clarify, confirm, and strengthen your sense that these daydreams that take you over are not only self-compromising, but are actually stealing from you the chance to have a Real Life. Contact Chris through the Foundations e-mail address on the Home Page.
doc: Per your suggestion, I have asked myself a thousand times, "What is it in me I can learn about myself in this situation?" I do not get any direction despite my frequent requests.
GF: Stop trying to think your way out and begin to watch yourself. It isnt that one receives a direction to go in as much as one begins to see the nature that has misdirected them in the moment. Catching what deceives us and experiencing the shock of having found ourselves so misguided is the beginning of realizing a Real Guidance that "goes before us to make the crooked places straight."
Fern: Please comment on "Remembering." Why is it so important to spiritual self-development?
GF: Self-observation and self-remembering are the two real wings on the bird called Realization of God. First we must learn to come awake to ourselves and see the actuality of our interior state. In this same moment, if we have done that, we are reminded and encouraged (through our discovery) of our need for God in our lives. Self-remembering is the act of knowing that "I am" but that this being belongs to God.
JohnF: If someone is acting like a jerk, then just noticing that is a judgment, no? Is refraining from judgment, in this case, to simply refuse to feel superior?
GF: Noticing that someone is a nut is not judgment. Judgment is when one sits in their mind as something superior to what they observe. And as far as refraining from judgment, it isnt a question of resisting the sense of superiority, but of experiencing the sense of separation and pain that attends all states of self-righteousness.
BNevrgivup: Turning to these truths or the real path to freedom requires moving furniture in our life, changing the environment. This is difficult to overcome and take action on when it involves leaving life-long relationships!
GF: Theres no doubt about the difficulty you experience as you begin realizing you have a broader responsibility to this life than just trying to make yourself happy. But this difficulty is mandatory because no hardship exists for us that isnt the expression of something initially hardened in us that we didnt see take place. Stay the course. Remember the Light and God. It will melt what is hard as surely as what sun does to ice.
doc: I got excited this afternoon thinking about your chat tonight. You provide guidance that I sorely need. I do not want to treat you like God, but I dont feel a close relationship with God.
GF: It is always a good thing for you to want to increase your relationship with the Truth. If you will stay the course, your gradual discoveries will not only reveal the need for a relationship with God, but you will see that you have always had this same relationship, only didnt know it.
BNevrgivup: When is your next retreat at your center in Oregon?
GF: Our next special retreat at the Foundation in Oregon will be in June of next year. We are expanding it to take place over the period of a week so that more people might join us. I also would mention that every weekend now there are three meetings -- one Friday night, Saturday afternoon, and Sunday morning. Do come for a visit when you can.
Faust: Your talk "Realize Liberation in Obedience to Light" is a masterpiece of Truth, and its had a very positive impact on me. So what "me" did your talk affect? Is it my essential self? Is it my "me mind"? Im just wondering where your powerful teaching landed within my mental/spiritual framework.
GF: If there is within you from hearing these principles in the talk youve mentioned, a kind of resonating that is at once stirring and at the same time has with it a certain sense of suffering, then, yes, the talk fell on your Essence.
jebodiah: I once read a statement from a psychologist saying, "the sickness of a obsessive compulsion has nothing to do with the disease being obsessed over." Although very sensible, how could one see through the disease that is very real and limiting physical human means?
GF: Your attention is on the wrong thing. Imagine a man in a black mask at your front door with a bag on his back. He points down the street and says "There goes the thief." Its the same thing with all compulsive behaviors: The self that is obsessed points to what it says has it captive when it is this very self, this nature, that needs to be apprehended through awareness.
Roy: There is much talk now about changing the dark condition of the world through prayer. Can we really have an external effect on these conditions? Or is this darkness not removed by the changes we can make in ourselves, one by one?
GF: All real change in this world is only made by individuals. It is when a number of individuals stand together, whether for the purposes of the Light and the greater presence of Gods Life, or the darkness and the despair that comes with it, that change takes place. Be sure and read my closing comments tonight.
Sunshine: I was out walking today, feeling pretty good. Slowly depression started coming over me. I could see it starting and thought this is how every day is. Then it just came over me that I have a choice. I do not have to live this way. There is a way out. Thank you for all your books and tapes. They are making a real difference in my life.
GF: Yes, yes, yes! Isnt it really a miracle when in any moment of our lives we see for the first time perhaps that the choices darkness gives us as being the only ones are indeed the only ones we need to see through? Keep going. I promise brighter days are ahead if you will just persist.
Ok: I find ease in not listening to my thoughts and focusing on reality and staying positive, however is it not true we have no control over the surroundings made up for us to follow in this world, therefore our direction of whether we succeed or not may be in the hands of the system and others itself?
GF: No. Absolutely not. There is nothing in the universe that has the right to rule a human being who has placed his or her life into the hands of God. Said another way, when we are one with Reality, how can Reality ever be a problem?
poi: Vernon Howard said, "I am responsible for realizing that only God has to be responsible for my life." Is this a bit of a cop-out? If not, then what was he talking about?
GF: What Mr. Howard means is that once we truly understand that as we presently are we do not understand our pain, then we gradually begin to let it go and turn it over to God. This is our responsibility to see through. Once we do this, then God is responsible. And if youll do this, you will see the truth of this natural unfolding of the Soul.
tjc: Vernon Howard seems to make sense. Ive listened to him because you quote him. But he is a bit militant about depression, with kind of a "pull you up by your bootstraps" approach. He says that all depression is self-inflicted. Do you agree?
GF: The real issue is not in assessing where "cause" may fall, but rather in ones responsibility towards whatever effect is manifested. Keep in mind that all depression ultimately -- even born of chemical imbalance -- has its roots in the working of the mind and its relationship with spirit.
JohnF: If I could stop thinking completely, would I still receive "impressions" that are on a deeper level than thought as I know it?
GF: Absolutely. Thought is pretty much like the surface of a pond: The self that knows itself through this reflection is Narcissus. Beneath the surface, beneath thought, rests a nature that knows what it does without thinking, but through direct perception of the waters that it not only dwells in but that is actually its nature.
Fern: You said in a recent chat that the Kingdom of Heaven may not be taken by force. The Bible says, "The Kingdom of Heaven suffers violence and the violent take it by force." What did you mean and what do you think the Bible means?
GF: They are not in contradiction with each other, these two statements of the Bibles and mine. For one example, a fakir or someone who severely disciplines their body may indeed reach certain levels of "Heaven" or immortal being. The catch is, these individuals are immortal vegetables with neither understanding nor heart nor even Real Will. They have won nothing through their violence.
Faust: I would like to add a similar question to the one Fern just asked. You told me specifically that "The Kingdom of Heaven cannot be taken by force" when I described for you the psychological technique of looking straight into your own eyes (in a mirror). Its designed to be a transcending experience into greater self-knowledge, but it is also very frightening because you literally begin to fear "something." Why is that?
GF: We must each somehow begin to recognize the difference between what negative imagination of itself produces in us and what these negative images are that capture us. There is no real purpose to imagining anything in ones spiritual journey. St. Paul said, "Our hope must be for things unseen, not things seen."
ADB: If you saw it, would you agree that the concept behind the movie "The Matrix" is rather amazing/disturbing? Would you say that the idea behind the real life hidden beyond the mind as portrayed in this movie is a fairly accurate analogy, and once we fully awaken that we can expect the same level of omnibus enlightening?
GF: Some movies do indeed cast "hints" out into the mainstream consciousness. I would only add that while these stories, as compelling as they are, momentarily heighten ones sense of their situation, there is no substitute for simply being awake at a table in a restaurant or across from your spouse. Everything we need to know to want to awaken is right before us at all times.
JJ: Lately I have been feeling as though many things in my life are a distraction -- almost everything if not all things. This has led me to question my commitment to this work and if I am truly "taking up my cross." Part of me realizes this is just another tactic of the false self, but in my heart I know at some point I will have to forsake all others if I want a truly God-inspired life. Any comments?
GF: Follow your Heart. Refuse to fear for yourself as long as your aim and intention is to awaken and have a God-centered life. It is a little-known Truth that one who is sincere in his or her wish for a Real Life cannot make a mistake even though there will be a trail of tears and error.
jebodiah: One recent day at work, every little annoying thing that usually happens at different times all happened at once - almost all day! No exaggeration. Was this done on purpose by these unseen forces? Do you know? Happily, I didnt move in any of their directions!
GF: Everything moves in cycles, and to this there are no exceptions. There may be certain concurrent currents that seem to conspire, but it is all under invisible laws that are not necessarily in a conspiracy. Thank God for your day!
JohnF: Just before I submit to the temptation to get negative, its as though that temptation is actively "poking me along to embrace it. I wish I could hear the voice of Truth/Sanity just as clearly.
GF: When you hear in you the negative states whose presence hurts you, you are in the presence of "sanity" else you would never be aware of the difference between yourself, your wish for Truth, and the darkness that wishes to interfere with your aim.
Lenny: You mentioned once something about hesitation being born out of the fear of something happening in the future. That pretty much describes me. Part of me even hesitates to ask this question, for fear Ill do it wrong, or blow my one chance to ask you. Ridiculous, arent I?
GF: No, not at all. Dont allow wrong parts of you to be hard on you. We all must take the step towards Freedom from the ground we are on in the present. The key is, take the steps, one-by-one, all the way out, and Home.
jebodiah: Is it possible to know so much about being conscience that normal pleasantries seem like nothing? All emotions just dont "do it" for me anymore. I feel like Im around people and situations that will never pursue light.
GF: It is not a question of "knowing" - but of being. And as we do grow in being, what pleases us does change.
Tony: Please comment on the Cycle of Life. Why do problems repeat themselves in our lives, society, the world?
GF: Vernon Howard used to tell his students: "until one learns the lesson in the pain, the pain will return."
ventureguy: I have learned of another way to see through a fear when it arises in my awareness. I tell myself that the fear is just False Evidence Appearing Real (FEAR) and then I am able to let the fear pass right through me and not identify with it.
GF: Fine. Anything you can use to help you remember to see a negative state instead of identifying with it is a good tool.
Faust: When we really see ourselves in the Light of our strengths and weaknesses, how do we go about presenting ourselves as sacrifices unto God without the shame, without the pride, yet with full child-like submission?
GF: When we do see ourselves, there is nothing else we can do - given we wish a truly God-centered life.
JohnF: Some say that the physical death of Jesus is not to be taken literally, but it seems to me that physical death was imperative to demonstrating Life beyond materiality. Im not sure the question is even relevant to our growth. Any thoughts?
GF: There is absolutely no value in speculation of this sort. Do your inner work and find out personally the truth of this Great story.
James1: Could you speak about "approach avoidance." I know it is one of those nouveau phrases, but it seems to describe how I greet anything new. Was I so identified in the past that Im weary now?
GF: If by approach avoidance you mean do what one does not want to do, this is classical and true spiritual advice. Only by consciously testing the unwanted does one find out that these things and moments are figments of negative imagination.
alex: When I hear something that is the Truth, I can feel and sense that absolutely, but when Im alone in contemplation, or pondering a problem, is God present in thought at all? If I get an inspiring thought, how do I know its source? ("The kingdom of heaven lies in the space between two thoughts.") I think Im getting a little mixed up, but Im just tired of acting on what sounds good but turns out to be wrong or a waste of time.
GF: Dont bring thought into trying to clarify the confusion it makes when it wants to "know." Thinking cannot know the Truth you seek. Stick with developing your intuition, and consciously lending your awareness to such moments. What you need to see will be shown to you and you will know the truth of it only in these moments.
jebodiah: Why do some people talk about God as a state of mind as opposed to a real supreme being? God is not a thought, would you agree?
GF: What isnt God?
David: My computer runs the Windows ME (Millenium Edition) operating system. My head just runs the ME (My Edition) operating system. I see that ME makes an unhappy me, yet I continue to execute its commands. Do I: 1) struggle against ME, 2) replace ME, 3) uninstall ME with no replacement, or 4) incrementally re-program ME?
GF: Continue to realize with greater and greater clarity the inherent limitations and compromises you face each time ME loads. Do this work of watching without justifying, and ME will crash. God will install His Intelligence!
Ok: The force within us seems to come from the force from around us, is this not so?
GF: When one gets quiet enough, there is found no real "place" that one could call within or without.
JohnF: What is something useful to remember for overcoming the fear of pain that attends seeing things about myself that are "less than flattering"?
GF: All truths serve Truth.
jebodiah: What would you recommend as the next step or level to one who has accomplished staying awake, not being chaotic in thought, waiting and watching, etc.? Dropping everything for Gods life i.e., career, relationships, money, etc.?
GF: When one has achieved what you ask, God reveals the next step unerringly.
jaybird: In your book The Secret Way Of Wonder, you say that the reason we feel so empty so often is because we keep on doing empty things. Quite true. However, there are many "empty" things that cleverly masquerade as meaningful things. Can you give any insight as to how we might better detect these subtle imposters that waste our energies and keep us spiritually asleep?
GF: Good question. Start with this: As a rule, the self that wants to add something (whatever) to itself to free itself of feeling empty is really just filling itself with the sensation of wanting. Dont answer the need of this empty self and you will soon see the end of its empty demands and promises.
James1: Could you speak of "turning the other cheek"? This request is made in the context of recent events. Revenge is not the answer, but there are practical things that should be done to limit the damage/hurt by others. Are we not to "have faith in Allah, but tie up our camels"?
GF: Each must attend to the "incidents" in life from the best understanding of themselves as possible. To thine own self be true, the saying goes. Follow the dictates of your heart. Leave others to their own.
rebos: I am in a 12-step program for sobriety. I am progressing on the road of recovery. God consciousness and the spiritual feelings that I once had seem to be gone and Im trying to get them back. Pre-printed prayers are not me, although I say them. Meditation is also hard for me. How can I get back into the frame of Mind, God and Spirit?
GF: Find a teacher or teaching that stirs your heart (even a little). Then - as best you can - immerse yourself in that Work. The small flame in you has not died, it just needs room and a breeze.
James1: In a previous talk, you spoke of us as beings "asking for the circumstances we find ourselves in -- even a child who dies a horrible death." Could you explain this further? I guess I am really asking for proof
GF: The universe does not -- as Albert Einstein said so eloquently -- "play dice" (with us)
MikeD: I find that my "knowing," that is my esoteric discoveries, are difficult to put into words. I know, but when I try to verbalize to my spouse, my characterizations are so pedestrian. Is part of mastery being able to explain it
GF: As you grow in Spirit be assured that Spirit will increasingly be able to make Itself known through you. Christs own disciples were fearful of their "pedestrian" communication skills, and he told them that in the hour (needed) they would be given what to say. This is True.
DebbiE: My husband worked in the World Trade Center and lost many colleagues. Is it true that the identification with them is what creates much of his suffering? He gets angry if I try to suggest ways not to suffer as though he is supposed to do that. He says he cant get away from it because pictures of victims are all over NYC. Offering something higher seems, from his viewpoint, to be uncompassionate
GF: Your assessment is correct. You will have to leave him alone for the time being, taking care to be supportive but without compromising Truth as you now understand it. Perhaps in time he will weary of (now) his self-inflicted sufferings. This would be the compassionate thing to do.
jaywman: I occasionally experience a change of consciousness wherein I am suddenly able to have a greater than usual awareness of myself and my environment. It is like standing beside a stream and watching it flow by. These experiences are brief -- just a minute of two -- but while they last I feel quite free. In your experience, is it profitable to actively pursue these states? What are their values relative to Awakening
GF: God gifts us as it pleases Him. What pleases Him is our pleasure in Him, and not so much His gifts. Try to drop this desire of wanting "more" in favor of being more awake to your need for His Life.
GF: Before we say goodnight, I do want to give you my remaining notes on what we have to do to become the Light of the world.
Now, here is the Way in which it is possible for each of us -- wherever we are and regardless of our circumstances -- to be the Light of the world: We must cease to be an unconscious part of its darkness.
Please dont discount this idea. I assure you it applies to all of us. In fact, if we ever react negatively to someone who implies that we might have some unseen relationship with what is dark and destructive, we need only to come awake and aware of ourselves for the proof of this spiritual assertion. Shakespeare said it best: "Methinks thou dost protest too much."
Neither is this true idea of "dont be a part of the darkness" too esoteric to be meaningful. This statement is packed with palpable power. What we need is the key that turns this knowledge into the wisdom of spiritual experience. To do this we will gather some special insights whose collective understanding will both prove to us -- and show us how -- we can be the Light of the world.
First, a few questions to set the stage of discovery: Is there any light anywhere in the universe that isnt a part of all the light in the universe? To quietly ponder this idea will prove it to you. Indeed, The light "here" is the light "there" and is, in fact, the light everywhere. Quantum physics now corroborates this truth, and reveals the indivisible unity of light.
Along the same lines, heres the next question in our inquiry: Is there darkness anywhere in the universe that is not a part of the darkness everywhere in the universe?
For instance, is the dark hatred or fear that consumes a soul in Britain different in nature from the dark state one suffers somewhere in Brazil -- even though the two be thousands of miles apart? The answer is "no"; one darkness is all darkness.
Now (and I urge you to really spend some time wondering about this), if we bring any light into any darkness anywhere, is not darkness everywhere made less? Mustnt even the littlest bit of light added to even the greatest darkness leave that same darkness not so impenetrable? The answer has to be a brilliant "yes!"
Are you beginning to see what we are empowered to do? The earth we live upon, indeed the whole universe, may be changed in its fundamental makeup should we only realize that by agreeing to be the light we may negate the effect of darkness in our reality. But lets not get too far ahead of ourselves. First the vision; then comes the inner Work such a transformation requires of us.
What is required of us to cease being a part of the darkness and become, instead, the light of the world? Heres what we have been leading up to: We must stop incorporating dark forces. What does this mean, to "incorporate" the darkness? It means, literally, to embody negative states, to give these conflicted forces a form.
What I am attempting to show you through these insights and the lessons they reveal is that without us to lend these negative energies a three-dimensional vehicle, they have neither place nor arena to manifest their separatist sufferings. So now we must ask, how do we give these dark forces a body? How is such a state of self possible? You be the judge of the evidence.
Has your mouth ever spoken out in a dark or critical rage? Have your eyes ever looked harshly upon someone and judged him in anger? Whose mind hasnt schemed for secretly self-serving purposes? Hasnt your heart ever been the harbor for some dark resentment? Havent our hands reached out in fear, or our feet raced anxiously to rid ourselves of some stressful worry? The point is clear.
If we will dare to consider the evidence within us, we cant help but see the fact that we have all been unconsciously compromised by a darkness that comes into us and uses us for its dark ends. Well, now we have the light at hand to bring an end to this unseen, unseemly relationship.
We must no longer agree to do the dark will that wants us to be its person. We must want, and put first, the will of what is Light and right for ourselves and everyone else around us. This means we must wake up, come aware, and see what kind of being it is that we express in the moment - and right then and there, dare to defy and drop any dark state that wants its expression through us.
This higher willingness to drop dark states, coupled with our new awareness that nothing real can stop us from working at this, is the first stirring of the living Light that already dwells within us. But we must give our lives to this Light if we wish for it to become our own. This sacrifice of self is the wish of the Light since time began.
One last thought: If we will make it our intention to bring this Light into every corner of ourselves, and not flinch when what is dark reveals it has made a home for itself therein, then we and our world will soon be filled with Light. This is Truths promise. Make its fulfillment your Aim.
Our time has come to close the chat. We will meet again on Thursday, November the first. Until then, remember what we have uncovered here together. Be the Light. Refuse to be the dark. Remember yourself and God at all times and the battle is won.
Guy's Monthly Chatroom Classroom - October 2001
Posted by Guy Finley in 459 Galice Road, Merlin, OR 97532 on , and updated on .
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