I have recently spent a few days away in the North of England with my sister and during the train journey home I felt moved to look at the words of the Lord's Prayer in a new light. In the past I had always seen the prayer as contrasting two different states of Heaven and Earth, drawing a clear boundary between God (in Heaven) and those of us here on Earth. I also tended to think of the words as asking "Please do this for us" as though to ask for forgiveness where it is not deserved.
As I opened up to the possibility of hearing the message in a different way I found another way of listening to the words. This new way of looking at the message left me with a great feeling of connection. Suddenly I felt the power of affirming this message at the start of every day.
Our Father
Who art in heaven
Hallowed be thy name
Thy Will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven
Give us this day our daily bread
And forgive us our trespasses
As we forgive those who trespass against us
And deliver us from evil
For thine is the Kingdom
The power and the glory
Forever and ever
Amen.
Our Source
From which Truth extends
All Glory is yours
In Vision we see Truth everywhere
Seeking only to accept Your gifts freely given
In this moment we see that all errors in perception affect not what is true,
Just as the misperceptions of others affect not our identity in Christ
Today we ask the Holy Spirit to alert us to the presence of temptation
As we acknowledge that we no longer want our misperceptions
For all that is true and real comes from You
Thus has it been ever, and will it always be
Amen.
Love
The origin of All
Be praised
May your light shine where we thought we wanted it not
For the law of Love is all powerful, there is nowhere it cannot reach
It is not our will to turn away from Love
Attack in any form is a call for Love, being unaware of Your presence
Your Voice speaks only of Love
Reminding us to look within
For there we find Home
Place of Eternal peace
Amen.
Safety
Absence of fear
Is our natural state
To be revealed
When we remember to ask anew
You give the meaning to all actions
Ours and those of others
Without exceptions
We are Safe in Your care
United in Your Embrace
Never to be parted
Amen.
22 February 2007
14 February 2007
Look again
At work today I feel very restless and reach for the book Living with Grace by Beca Lewis which I happen to have in my bag. As I read the next couple of pages forward from where I am in the book I come across a list of questions and feel prompted to answer them according to how I feel in exactly that moment without stopping to censor the thoughts.
Who am I today?
An employee at V&G, a bookkeeper.
What am I thinking?
I want to do a good job. I want to be interested in what I am doing. I want to get something out of what I am doing here. I want to be fully occupied during my time here. I want things to be better- more ordered, sorted out, as a result of my work here. I want a sense of satisfaction from getting things done during the day.
What am I feeling?
Perhaps I am wasting my employers money by going through this process. Nervous about taking time from work to answer these questions. I should just get on with it. I feel restless.
At this moment I become aware once more that I have a choice regarding purpose and the restlessness would seek to obscure that choice. Once again the Holy Spirit whispers of simplicity and I see that I do not need to go on answering the questions in the book. I can simply make a clear statement of purpose in the present moment. I then typed the following:
Today I choose to focus on Reality. I place my awareness on the Truth of Beauty and Love in the highest sense of which I am able to conceive. I know beyond doubt that Beauty is real. I choose to focus on the possibility that this beauty can be extended, and that by holding it in mind I allow for its extension. My willingness is all that the Holy Spirit needs and so today I gladly offer it that His Might may be joined with it and magnify the Truth.
Amen.
Later on in the afternoon I realised that I was being given another opportunity to look at some unquestioned beliefs when I experienced a surge of anger.
The company I work for has two food outlets and an offsite kitchen. My office is in the cafe but most days I also visit the sandwich bar to pick up post etc. Today I opened the post from the sandwich bar to find that we had been sent a catalogue from a company we already order from but who don’t realise that the sandwich bar and restaurant are the same company. The temptation is to think that something has gone ‘wrong’- they’ve sent a catalogue to s/one who doesn’t need it, they’re trying to get us to sign up not realising that we already have. This feeds into the idea that waste is possible, it’s a waste for them to send us a catalogue when we already use them as our supplier.
At this moment it occurs to me to go over to the bookcase where we keep all the catalogues and check for this one. I know that at one point we did infact have two copies of this catalogue as we had one delivered to our offsite kitchen as well as the cafe. When I check on the shelf I find that we don’t have either catalogue in the office at the moment.
I now feel able to call them up & tell them we are the same company without having to hold onto the concept of waste in my mind. Waste is s/one trying to give s/one s/thing that s/he doesn’t want or need. A waste of effort/resources. But if IT- separation, all things of this space/time perception are unreal then there can be no waste. It comes back to responsibility and authority again. If I accept the premise that responsible people make sure that there is no waste of resources then we are tied to being people and being judged on the basis of our actions. If I accept that the only real authority is the Source of true creation- Love, then judgement is not mine to use. Love shines equally upon all that is true and in its light all that is untrue merely disappears. If I am willing to let go of my need to judge and see myself as a responsible person then there is more room for the light to enter and illuminate my actions.
The anger at having received a ‘superfluous’ catalogue dissipates. I just want to let them know that we are one company so that they are not unaware of this fact. Where before I would have started by saying “You’ve sent us a catalogue and we don’t need one because we ALREADY get our fish from you so it’s pointless sending us another one.” Or at least with the tone implied by that statement. Now I want to say “Just wanted to let you know that these two places are the same company so we are already choosing to buy our fish from you! All the orders are placed from the café so you needn’t send anything to the sandwich bar address.” In the middle of writing that I realised that this is the very same fish company mentioned in my last post, the ones who use Peace of Mind printed on their invoices! Ha ha ha.
***** ***** ***** ***** *****
Writing this post this evening I remember an ongoing saga with another company who constantly send a magazine to us that no-one in the building reads. It is called OOH, which stands for Out Of Home magazine. I always thought it was funny that this magazine had such a strange name for a bakery publication but it never occured to me to consider the name in the light of ACIM terminology. I cannot begin to tell you how many times I have railed against this publication!!! I have emailed them, called them, written to them, sent the magazine back to them, everything I could think of to tell them to PLEASE stop sending us the magazine as no-one reads it and it's a waste to send it to us. There was often a piece of paper in with the magazine giving a reduced rate for subscription. Not only were we not subscribing in the first place it seemed IMPOSSIBLE to stop receiving the magazine. Perhaps we could pay them NOT to send it to us! All seemed to go quiet for a while and it appeared that perhaps we were off the list but then at the beginning of February it came again.
In the light of the experience i had today with the fish catalogue I can see this situation differently. It's kind of like the invoice with Peace of Mind written on it. If everything is a symbol then the title of this publication OutOfHome can be looked at with another meaning. Today it speaks to me of where I appear to find myself- out of the kingdom, in a place where communication is difficult and there are many different people (me v the people sending the magazine for example) holding different intentions. Today thinking of this magazine reminds me that being OutOfHome is necessarily an uncomfortable position to be in because it is to feel distanced from the truth. And yet, the Holy Spirit is my constant companion and reminds me that anything unlike home is simply an illusion, a mirage. Every time I think of this magazine I have the opportunity to remind myself of Home in all its glory. To remember that I am asleep at Home, I have not left my Fathers house. What a great symbol!
I am blessed every day to be given so many opportunities to look at mistaken beliefs and to choose the Holy Spirits purpose in all encounters.
Amen
Who am I today?
An employee at V&G, a bookkeeper.
What am I thinking?
I want to do a good job. I want to be interested in what I am doing. I want to get something out of what I am doing here. I want to be fully occupied during my time here. I want things to be better- more ordered, sorted out, as a result of my work here. I want a sense of satisfaction from getting things done during the day.
What am I feeling?
Perhaps I am wasting my employers money by going through this process. Nervous about taking time from work to answer these questions. I should just get on with it. I feel restless.
At this moment I become aware once more that I have a choice regarding purpose and the restlessness would seek to obscure that choice. Once again the Holy Spirit whispers of simplicity and I see that I do not need to go on answering the questions in the book. I can simply make a clear statement of purpose in the present moment. I then typed the following:
Today I choose to focus on Reality. I place my awareness on the Truth of Beauty and Love in the highest sense of which I am able to conceive. I know beyond doubt that Beauty is real. I choose to focus on the possibility that this beauty can be extended, and that by holding it in mind I allow for its extension. My willingness is all that the Holy Spirit needs and so today I gladly offer it that His Might may be joined with it and magnify the Truth.
Amen.
Later on in the afternoon I realised that I was being given another opportunity to look at some unquestioned beliefs when I experienced a surge of anger.
The company I work for has two food outlets and an offsite kitchen. My office is in the cafe but most days I also visit the sandwich bar to pick up post etc. Today I opened the post from the sandwich bar to find that we had been sent a catalogue from a company we already order from but who don’t realise that the sandwich bar and restaurant are the same company. The temptation is to think that something has gone ‘wrong’- they’ve sent a catalogue to s/one who doesn’t need it, they’re trying to get us to sign up not realising that we already have. This feeds into the idea that waste is possible, it’s a waste for them to send us a catalogue when we already use them as our supplier.
At this moment it occurs to me to go over to the bookcase where we keep all the catalogues and check for this one. I know that at one point we did infact have two copies of this catalogue as we had one delivered to our offsite kitchen as well as the cafe. When I check on the shelf I find that we don’t have either catalogue in the office at the moment.
I now feel able to call them up & tell them we are the same company without having to hold onto the concept of waste in my mind. Waste is s/one trying to give s/one s/thing that s/he doesn’t want or need. A waste of effort/resources. But if IT- separation, all things of this space/time perception are unreal then there can be no waste. It comes back to responsibility and authority again. If I accept the premise that responsible people make sure that there is no waste of resources then we are tied to being people and being judged on the basis of our actions. If I accept that the only real authority is the Source of true creation- Love, then judgement is not mine to use. Love shines equally upon all that is true and in its light all that is untrue merely disappears. If I am willing to let go of my need to judge and see myself as a responsible person then there is more room for the light to enter and illuminate my actions.
The anger at having received a ‘superfluous’ catalogue dissipates. I just want to let them know that we are one company so that they are not unaware of this fact. Where before I would have started by saying “You’ve sent us a catalogue and we don’t need one because we ALREADY get our fish from you so it’s pointless sending us another one.” Or at least with the tone implied by that statement. Now I want to say “Just wanted to let you know that these two places are the same company so we are already choosing to buy our fish from you! All the orders are placed from the café so you needn’t send anything to the sandwich bar address.” In the middle of writing that I realised that this is the very same fish company mentioned in my last post, the ones who use Peace of Mind printed on their invoices! Ha ha ha.
***** ***** ***** ***** *****
Writing this post this evening I remember an ongoing saga with another company who constantly send a magazine to us that no-one in the building reads. It is called OOH, which stands for Out Of Home magazine. I always thought it was funny that this magazine had such a strange name for a bakery publication but it never occured to me to consider the name in the light of ACIM terminology. I cannot begin to tell you how many times I have railed against this publication!!! I have emailed them, called them, written to them, sent the magazine back to them, everything I could think of to tell them to PLEASE stop sending us the magazine as no-one reads it and it's a waste to send it to us. There was often a piece of paper in with the magazine giving a reduced rate for subscription. Not only were we not subscribing in the first place it seemed IMPOSSIBLE to stop receiving the magazine. Perhaps we could pay them NOT to send it to us! All seemed to go quiet for a while and it appeared that perhaps we were off the list but then at the beginning of February it came again.
In the light of the experience i had today with the fish catalogue I can see this situation differently. It's kind of like the invoice with Peace of Mind written on it. If everything is a symbol then the title of this publication OutOfHome can be looked at with another meaning. Today it speaks to me of where I appear to find myself- out of the kingdom, in a place where communication is difficult and there are many different people (me v the people sending the magazine for example) holding different intentions. Today thinking of this magazine reminds me that being OutOfHome is necessarily an uncomfortable position to be in because it is to feel distanced from the truth. And yet, the Holy Spirit is my constant companion and reminds me that anything unlike home is simply an illusion, a mirage. Every time I think of this magazine I have the opportunity to remind myself of Home in all its glory. To remember that I am asleep at Home, I have not left my Fathers house. What a great symbol!
I am blessed every day to be given so many opportunities to look at mistaken beliefs and to choose the Holy Spirits purpose in all encounters.
Amen
12 February 2007
The Guiltless Learner
As we finished doing the washing up after breakfast this morning my housemate said “Ah, now I can guiltlessly carry on with the rest of the day.” This struck me as an unusual statement to come from her lips and as such resounded strongly within me. It brought to mind the concept of the guiltless learner from ACIM. Cycling into work the words guiltless learner bounced around in my thoughts bringing the sense that this phrase would illuminate my day.
At work I ‘caught’ myself spending time distractedly reading a business magazine when opening the morning post and was tempted to feel guilty upon realising the distraction. Aha, a guiltless learner doesn’t feel guilty! It is not a matter of right and wrong (I was wrong to spend time reading the magazine) but rather how I would choose to perceive things. Guilt is a choice! This is not something I realise when the guilt goes unquestioned. Unless I am watching my thoughts I seem to be acting responsibly by reprehending myself for allowing the distraction. "When I am 'at work' I ought to be working not reading a magazine" etc, goes the argument for separation! Until I question the validity of the guilt I have no idea that I am making a choice and that there is another way of perceiving the situation.
Having looked at the situation more clearly I notice that the subject of guilt is closely tied in with identity. When I experience guilt I am clearly identifying myself as the body, the employee, the individual entity who creates her own identity- good/bad depending on how responsibly she acts. When willingness to see things another way is held in mind then the door to truth stands open, nothing is left to come between truth and experience.
My identity is never in question it is not changed by the fact that I experienced being distracted. My identity is safe in Christ. The Source from which I was created extends only that which is like itself. God, Love, Truth would never create a reflection capable of making the need for guilt real. The temptation is to believe that I NEED to feel guilty, that it is the natural outcome of being a responsible person who makes mistakes. The alternative view depends on my being willing to let go of a self-created identity, and to rest in the identity given me by my Creator.
As I defined myself according to the qualities outlined in ACIM I felt a sense of peace. I am as God created me. Innocence is my natural state. In that moment I chose as my purpose the opportunity to learn from the Holy Spirit, allowing the Voice for God to speak of my true identity. I chose mind-watching; allowing all thoughts to be and simply letting go of those which are not true.
Later on in the afternoon I was sorting through the newly received invoices in order to file them and I noticed that the seafood company we use print PEACE OF MIND in huge letters across their invoices. My initial reaction was to think- how crazy that a seafood company use the words peace of mind as a logo! What has peace of mind got to do with a supplier of fish?? How can they hijack the concept of peace and use it to support a monetary commercial business? etc etc
Ooooh, another chance for the guiltless learner to step forward. Who am I, infact, to decide where and when the Holy Spirit is able to communicate? Those thoughts did not arise from my identity in Christ but from the darkness where separation is a fact. There are assumptions there about all kinds of things!!
As I noticed a list of assumptions and judgements the thought came to me "All that happened was an attempt to deny the light." For a moment I had been tempted to try and identify all the errors in my thinking but the Holy Spirit spoke clearly of the fact that simplicity is all powerful. All those thoughts which rushed in were simply a way of keeping peace stuck as a concept rather than an experience- and thus at a distance. As soon I saw the situation with clarity there was another choice available. A joyous lesson- the Holy Spirit can reach me even in the seemingly murky world of invoices!! I am in constant communication with the Holy Spirit if I allow the possibility.
In the afternoon there is a perceived sense of tiredness. I don’t want to be here doing this. That is basically what this tiredness is tied to- a thought that there is somewhere else I would rather be. I have noticed it as a recurring theme when at the desk. I am reminded of the book that I read last night- The Thing about Jane Spring. This was a great lesson from the Holy Spirit concerning purpose. Change the purpose and everything else changes as a result. What would have seemed impossible or quite out of character becomes natural, easy, enjoyable. Reading the book emphasised for me how behaviour can be changed in a moment if there is a strong and clear sense of purpose. The fact that in the book the story seems to be about a woman trying to make a man fall in love with her is immaterial. There was a clear message from the Holy Spirit.
The message applied to this moment means that there is a possibility for a complete turnaround in perception if the purpose is changed. I could experience this moment in a completely new way if I allow the purpose to be different. It seems related to the purpose of the body. Would I use the body as a means to an end? Is the function of the body to bring me pleasure with its opposite of pain? By locating the body in a different part of space/time would I thus give myself the opportunity to discover happiness where previously it was lacking? Am I (who??) in a position to know what will bring me happiness? When I begin to question it there is a clear sense that I have no idea on what basis I am deciding that to be located bodily in a different location would somehow bring a release of this apparent tiredness.
The Holy Spirit can reach into every moment, every location, every situation, every event, every interaction, every conversation, every object, every perception, every space, every gap. Nowhere is excluded. I am open to the presence of the Holy Spirit in this moment.
At work I ‘caught’ myself spending time distractedly reading a business magazine when opening the morning post and was tempted to feel guilty upon realising the distraction. Aha, a guiltless learner doesn’t feel guilty! It is not a matter of right and wrong (I was wrong to spend time reading the magazine) but rather how I would choose to perceive things. Guilt is a choice! This is not something I realise when the guilt goes unquestioned. Unless I am watching my thoughts I seem to be acting responsibly by reprehending myself for allowing the distraction. "When I am 'at work' I ought to be working not reading a magazine" etc, goes the argument for separation! Until I question the validity of the guilt I have no idea that I am making a choice and that there is another way of perceiving the situation.
Having looked at the situation more clearly I notice that the subject of guilt is closely tied in with identity. When I experience guilt I am clearly identifying myself as the body, the employee, the individual entity who creates her own identity- good/bad depending on how responsibly she acts. When willingness to see things another way is held in mind then the door to truth stands open, nothing is left to come between truth and experience.
My identity is never in question it is not changed by the fact that I experienced being distracted. My identity is safe in Christ. The Source from which I was created extends only that which is like itself. God, Love, Truth would never create a reflection capable of making the need for guilt real. The temptation is to believe that I NEED to feel guilty, that it is the natural outcome of being a responsible person who makes mistakes. The alternative view depends on my being willing to let go of a self-created identity, and to rest in the identity given me by my Creator.
As I defined myself according to the qualities outlined in ACIM I felt a sense of peace. I am as God created me. Innocence is my natural state. In that moment I chose as my purpose the opportunity to learn from the Holy Spirit, allowing the Voice for God to speak of my true identity. I chose mind-watching; allowing all thoughts to be and simply letting go of those which are not true.
Later on in the afternoon I was sorting through the newly received invoices in order to file them and I noticed that the seafood company we use print PEACE OF MIND in huge letters across their invoices. My initial reaction was to think- how crazy that a seafood company use the words peace of mind as a logo! What has peace of mind got to do with a supplier of fish?? How can they hijack the concept of peace and use it to support a monetary commercial business? etc etc
Ooooh, another chance for the guiltless learner to step forward. Who am I, infact, to decide where and when the Holy Spirit is able to communicate? Those thoughts did not arise from my identity in Christ but from the darkness where separation is a fact. There are assumptions there about all kinds of things!!
As I noticed a list of assumptions and judgements the thought came to me "All that happened was an attempt to deny the light." For a moment I had been tempted to try and identify all the errors in my thinking but the Holy Spirit spoke clearly of the fact that simplicity is all powerful. All those thoughts which rushed in were simply a way of keeping peace stuck as a concept rather than an experience- and thus at a distance. As soon I saw the situation with clarity there was another choice available. A joyous lesson- the Holy Spirit can reach me even in the seemingly murky world of invoices!! I am in constant communication with the Holy Spirit if I allow the possibility.
In the afternoon there is a perceived sense of tiredness. I don’t want to be here doing this. That is basically what this tiredness is tied to- a thought that there is somewhere else I would rather be. I have noticed it as a recurring theme when at the desk. I am reminded of the book that I read last night- The Thing about Jane Spring. This was a great lesson from the Holy Spirit concerning purpose. Change the purpose and everything else changes as a result. What would have seemed impossible or quite out of character becomes natural, easy, enjoyable. Reading the book emphasised for me how behaviour can be changed in a moment if there is a strong and clear sense of purpose. The fact that in the book the story seems to be about a woman trying to make a man fall in love with her is immaterial. There was a clear message from the Holy Spirit.
The message applied to this moment means that there is a possibility for a complete turnaround in perception if the purpose is changed. I could experience this moment in a completely new way if I allow the purpose to be different. It seems related to the purpose of the body. Would I use the body as a means to an end? Is the function of the body to bring me pleasure with its opposite of pain? By locating the body in a different part of space/time would I thus give myself the opportunity to discover happiness where previously it was lacking? Am I (who??) in a position to know what will bring me happiness? When I begin to question it there is a clear sense that I have no idea on what basis I am deciding that to be located bodily in a different location would somehow bring a release of this apparent tiredness.
The Holy Spirit can reach into every moment, every location, every situation, every event, every interaction, every conversation, every object, every perception, every space, every gap. Nowhere is excluded. I am open to the presence of the Holy Spirit in this moment.
7 February 2007
looking at wealth in a new light
Surfing the web yesterday I found myself looking at the word wealth and being given the opportunity to question anew what this word symbolises...
What qualities does the word wealth suggest to me if there is a willingness to hear anew?
unlimited
expansive
all encompassing
without end
present now
overflowing
abundant
joyous
True wealth is the experience of being held in Love's embrace.
Those who recognise true wealth see that ALL is given to ALL, there can be no wants in Truth.
Wealth is a statment of the truth about the inheritance given me by the Source from which I was brought forth.
Wealth is simply a word, a symbol that can be used to point the mind in a certain direction.
The word wealth is not often used in my vocabulary so it's very interesting for me to have the opportunity to look at this word afresh! At first glance the word seems to be tied in very closely with the idea of money. I have never been interested in the idea of being 'wealthy/rich' thinking of money instead as something which can be used to provide for basic needs of shelter/food/clothing. Wealth to me denoted a desire to have more than necessary for the basic needs of life.
Ooooh, many assumptions going on here!
By rejecting the idea of wealth I accepted the idea of limitation; it's better to limit oneself only to what is necessary. I was holding onto the idea that excess is possible and something to be avoided. In holding these thoughts limitation was labelled as a virtue! Wealth as excess became the standard. Some have more while others have less, the trick is to make sure that you have only as much as you need. What a struggle- where is the borderline between having enough and having more than you need? When I look at it like this it really makes no sense. I am attempting to order reality- in the terminology of ACIM. I always have more than I need because I never have absolutely £0 in the bank. I am always anticipating the next thing I need to pay for- rent, food, bills. But in any one moment I have an excess of money for that exact moment. I never go into debt but I am always anticipating the costs coming in the future.
The point of this exercise is not to berate myself for having an excess but simply to point out that the reasoning is completely flawed. If I can truly see that judgement is impossible then it is gone. It was never revealed to me before how judgement was operating so openly in this arena. I have ALWAYS been operating under this unseen premise- how very very interesting. Those around me have often been surprised at my ability to 'live' off a frugal sum of money and even manage to save some. Well, it's easy when you feel a sense of justification in your actions- I am doing the right thing. Making sure I am not prone to excess. I can be satisfied that I am not one of those who...doesn't care about those who have less, thinks that money is the be all and end all, wants more and more, thinks that having money equates with happiness, is basically WRONG about the value of money. Ha ha ha. It is a glorious thing to uncover the ranting of the ego as to be open is to heal. If I am truly honest about the thoughts spinning around it is EASY to see how ridiculous they are. Echoing the words of Edward De Bono "I am right. You are wrong." A classic example of the split mind desperate to maintain the illusion that separation could offer Oneness anything that it might want. It is only when I am afraid to reveal these thoughts that they appear to have any real substance. My fear lends them a weight which they do not carry without it.
In this mind then, wealth was used as a symbol to justify limitation. It was used to bring shade to it's apparent opposite- frugality. Acceptance of opposites creates the basis for judgement and this must lead to separation. Having accepted the premise that wealth is to be avoided I see myself as separate from those who appear to desire wealth. In my perception we become completely unlike one another, and never the twain shall meet.
Except that I would open the door. I desire Vision. I am willing to uncover what has been hidden. I have asked for help in this and so help is at hand.
Having been given the opportunity to re-examine this symbol I am able to choose a new definition based on the interpretation of wealth as non-material. Limitation is not a virtue, I was not created out of limitation I was created as a reflection and extension of Love. Love would not put limits on its expression. Wealth is my right because of Who I Am, offspring of Love and that new identity is SHARED with ALL! How can this joyous news fail to bring me peace.
I would like to acknowledge the help I have received and mention Beca Lewis as her words drew me onto this point. THANK YOU Beca.
Blessings Abound!
What qualities does the word wealth suggest to me if there is a willingness to hear anew?
unlimited
expansive
all encompassing
without end
present now
overflowing
abundant
joyous
True wealth is the experience of being held in Love's embrace.
Those who recognise true wealth see that ALL is given to ALL, there can be no wants in Truth.
Wealth is a statment of the truth about the inheritance given me by the Source from which I was brought forth.
Wealth is simply a word, a symbol that can be used to point the mind in a certain direction.
The word wealth is not often used in my vocabulary so it's very interesting for me to have the opportunity to look at this word afresh! At first glance the word seems to be tied in very closely with the idea of money. I have never been interested in the idea of being 'wealthy/rich' thinking of money instead as something which can be used to provide for basic needs of shelter/food/clothing. Wealth to me denoted a desire to have more than necessary for the basic needs of life.
Ooooh, many assumptions going on here!
By rejecting the idea of wealth I accepted the idea of limitation; it's better to limit oneself only to what is necessary. I was holding onto the idea that excess is possible and something to be avoided. In holding these thoughts limitation was labelled as a virtue! Wealth as excess became the standard. Some have more while others have less, the trick is to make sure that you have only as much as you need. What a struggle- where is the borderline between having enough and having more than you need? When I look at it like this it really makes no sense. I am attempting to order reality- in the terminology of ACIM. I always have more than I need because I never have absolutely £0 in the bank. I am always anticipating the next thing I need to pay for- rent, food, bills. But in any one moment I have an excess of money for that exact moment. I never go into debt but I am always anticipating the costs coming in the future.
The point of this exercise is not to berate myself for having an excess but simply to point out that the reasoning is completely flawed. If I can truly see that judgement is impossible then it is gone. It was never revealed to me before how judgement was operating so openly in this arena. I have ALWAYS been operating under this unseen premise- how very very interesting. Those around me have often been surprised at my ability to 'live' off a frugal sum of money and even manage to save some. Well, it's easy when you feel a sense of justification in your actions- I am doing the right thing. Making sure I am not prone to excess. I can be satisfied that I am not one of those who...doesn't care about those who have less, thinks that money is the be all and end all, wants more and more, thinks that having money equates with happiness, is basically WRONG about the value of money. Ha ha ha. It is a glorious thing to uncover the ranting of the ego as to be open is to heal. If I am truly honest about the thoughts spinning around it is EASY to see how ridiculous they are. Echoing the words of Edward De Bono "I am right. You are wrong." A classic example of the split mind desperate to maintain the illusion that separation could offer Oneness anything that it might want. It is only when I am afraid to reveal these thoughts that they appear to have any real substance. My fear lends them a weight which they do not carry without it.
In this mind then, wealth was used as a symbol to justify limitation. It was used to bring shade to it's apparent opposite- frugality. Acceptance of opposites creates the basis for judgement and this must lead to separation. Having accepted the premise that wealth is to be avoided I see myself as separate from those who appear to desire wealth. In my perception we become completely unlike one another, and never the twain shall meet.
Except that I would open the door. I desire Vision. I am willing to uncover what has been hidden. I have asked for help in this and so help is at hand.
Having been given the opportunity to re-examine this symbol I am able to choose a new definition based on the interpretation of wealth as non-material. Limitation is not a virtue, I was not created out of limitation I was created as a reflection and extension of Love. Love would not put limits on its expression. Wealth is my right because of Who I Am, offspring of Love and that new identity is SHARED with ALL! How can this joyous news fail to bring me peace.
I would like to acknowledge the help I have received and mention Beca Lewis as her words drew me onto this point. THANK YOU Beca.
Blessings Abound!
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