Category Archives: Spirituality

A House Divided Against Itself Cannot Stand

Posted on by
Reply

Sometimes good people do bad things.  I am reminded of an incident where I was in a lane that was merging with the neighboring lane.  Apparently the person next to me didn’t like something I did.  They followed me, got in the lane next to me and threw a beverage at my vehicle.  (Found later to be root beer on closer inspection.)

I was quite shocked and wondered if they would have done the same thing if I was standing in front of them on a sidewalk.  Sometimes I experience the same flash of frustration demonstrated by that person.  I used to not be able to control my actions, but now I have learned to “not throw root beer” at people’s cars.  Still I notice negative emotions as they arise.

I can become angry, jealous, competitive, and fearful.  On a scale of one to ten, most of my mental afflictions are in the one to three range these days and easily managed.  The key to changing negative emotions is to change the thoughts behind them.  Whenever we are having a negative emotion it is because we are focused on something that is not true.  Sometimes there is a temptation to try to change the circumstances outside ourselves, but all true change and peace comes from within.

I had been contemplating a little bit of negativity in my life that seems to keep cropping up.  I was wondering what to do about that.  The I Ching suggested I focus on the energy of creation.  This seemed sensible.  If I put my energy into creating positivity then there won’t be any room left for anything negative.

The next day I went to church and heard a similar message.  Some people accused Jesus of being Satan when he demonstrated power over casting out negativity (demons).  He replied that “a house divided against itself cannot stand” (Matthew 12:25).

The implications of the statement are profound.    Indeed, Abraham Lincoln used it in a famous speech before he became president to state that the Union could not stand half free and half slave and the division would naturally cease.  For me it means that if I continue to devote myself to finding peace than everything that is not peace will fall away.  Further, it supports the idea that everyone will become enlightened since the illusion of duality will eventually be exposed.

 

Makia

Posted on by
2

The traditional spirituality of the Hawaiians is full of high truths.  As I was practicing my Tai Chi this morning the concept of makia came to mind.  Makia refers to the principle that “energy flows where attention goes”.  And there I was doing Tai Chi while part of my mind was thinking on the future (i.e. what makia means and writing a post about it).  My goal is to keep myself in the present, because the present is all we actually have.  Despite the fine workings of science, we do not have any evidence that there is a past or a future.

Yesterday, as I was at work doing massage in a room called makia, I found my mind was drawn to thoughts of the future.  I was planning a six week retreat for this summer.  That thinking was very pleasant, but I wanted to be totally in the moment.  The moment was actually not as pleasant.  Unpleasant judgements about my client and their body were arising.  For some people the distraction would have been a welcome blessing, but I have a commitment to not avoid or evade the unpleasant arisings in my life.  They are all part of what is.  I wanted energy to be flowing for my client, not into the void called “future”.

Keeping makia in mind, I brought my focus back to my hands and occupied my mind with ho’oponopono.  I did not force the judgements away, but simply let them arise.  I know that they are not me.  I am not the judge any more than I am the witness.

Read more about Hawaiian spiritual principles in my earlier post.

Saying “Yes” to the “Big Money”

Posted on by
Reply

I took a workshop on nonviolent communication once and as I was standing at the snack table a woman commented on how she couldn’t eat a specific food because she was allergic.  A second woman asked her if she wanted to get rid of the allergy and offered to do it.  The first woman didn’t say yes or no.

I don’t have any allergies, but I was intrigued why the woman wouldn’t jump at the chance to get rid of an allergy.  I imagined that she didn’t trust the other woman and/or didn’t believe that she could just get rid of an allergy standing there in the middle of a class.  I wondered about how the second woman could get rid of allergies, but I didn’t ask.  Later, when I began to study ThetaHealing, I suspected the woman might have been a ThetaHealer, because “pulling” allergies is easy to do and works most of the time.

Today I am thinking about how we say “no” to offers and why.

I am reminded of another story.  I heard this at a big speaker event for a 12 step fellowships.  A woman talked about how she used to pray to God for the addict boyfriend she wanted to keep.  Over and over she would ask for that relationship to work.  Now, she realizes that she was begging God to give her a penny when God had a $100 in his hand he was trying to offer her.  Her conclusion:  Often we only ask for a penny when we could have a $100.

When I first found out about enlightenment I was thrilled.  Someone had figured out how to end suffering, sickness, aging and death.  And it wasn’t just some unknown person, it was the Buddha.  Even I had heard of him.  And so it seemed credible to me.  As soon as I heard about it I was ready.  I signed up for it.  No hesitation.

Yet, other people are not instantly thrilled.  I am flabbergasted.  Why wouldn’t someone embrace this path immediately?  Well, perhaps, like that woman with the allergy, they simply don’t trust the teachings and/or they doubt it is even possible.  Or maybe they are going after something they think will bring them more satisfaction (the penny) instead of accepting what is unimaginable (the $100).

I know that twenty years ago, I couldn’t even imagine the level of contentment, competence, and peace I feel today.  Twenty years ago I was not grounded and centered.  Even the change in the past three years has been mind-boggling.  And still I am completely different from what “I” will be when enlightened.  Indeed, I cannot imagine and do not even care to speculate what that will be like.  I’ve talked about this before in the post on What’s Left After the Unveiling.  I am glad that I’ve chosen over and over again to not settle for the penny and to be open to saying yes to unlimited possibilities.