Staying Positive 24/7

 increases the conflict

 we feel over it,

subsequent negative

 reactions we have to its

 dark presence.

In other words, the more

we don’t

want to feel something

the more

accelerated becomes

 our suffering over it!

 or any attack upon oneself,

 is nothing more than one’s

 own unconscious

 imperfection trying, in vain, to keep

 itself out of sight.

food of the enemy of freedom.

 anything;it knows and

 sees the secret unity in

 all it beholds.  

Light doesn’t fear shadows;

it gently transforms

them into open space.

 of patience, compassion,

and the quiet, but unshakable

 strength for which

we all aspire — is only found

 growing along that uphill

 path called “humility.”

openourselves up to the

words of the wise, welcoming their

 counsel; but

whenever some painful trial

comes knocking at

 our door — bringing with it

 the possibility of real-time

wisdom that nothing else can

provide — we slam shut

the door of our heart and mind,

wanting no words with it!

 well and always will be.

 one who serves it at least once,

but usually twice. The first payoff

 — and the

 most valuable — is the realization

that “walls” are

 immaterial apart from the

 resistance that lends them

 their temporary substance.

The second payment

 comes on the other side of the “wall”…

 where

achievement proves the value of

sustained effort.

to rescue you, or to

 otherwise deliver you to

 some new

 delight deceives

you twice. First, that it has the

power to lift you above

what’s dragging you down;

and secondly,

 more significantly, that

there is a “you” that

needs being saved from some

 dire straight, or that

 can be actually be enlarged by

 changing circumstance.

 answer to acall seeded into

creation for the soul to

return home to its uncreated

Source.

 person to pushyou into an anxious

state of mind… is like letting thehorse

you’re about to ride convince

you to wear the saddle!

unconscious sufferinginherent

 in anger, blame, or bitterness is, 

itself, a part of – in league with –

 these same

 negative states. And that’s 

what we have to see

if we ever want to be free of

whatever it is (within us)

that has “good reasons” for

tearing itself apart.

 had any real power to grant

you true liberty – a way

to make you content,

then – for all you’ve given to

yourself – shouldn’t

you be happy and free by now?

Part 2:

Asking God to help you —

 without first doing the

 interior work of seeing and

admitting the truth of

yourself to yourself — is like

sending someone else

 to church or temple for you

 to pray for your transfiguration.

change you know you must

make in your own life — an action you

must take that will likely lessen

 your dependency

 upon them, and perhaps drive

 them to make

 changes in their habitual choices

 — is like hoping

 that a snowman looks forward

to a spring thaw.

 any of us ever do wrong to another,

 blame someone else for our

sorrow,forget

to be thankful for what we have, or go

through our

 entire day without remembering

 our God…and

that’s because we have forgotten –

 once again —

our own interior wretchedness.

one withwhat is holy –

 is like standing in the surf as it washes the

 shoreline and wishing that you could

 be nearer to the ocean.

 fastestway to go nowhere!      

mindless,but never more so

than when a mind– blinded by desire – runs after what it

 wants without any

awareness of its action.

Part 2:

Desire is in bondage to itself, but the

Spirit of man is indomitable! Awaken

the sleeping soul to its unseen captivity,

 and nothing in the world can stop its revolt

and ultimate liberation.

paradox thatbefore one can ever

 hope to be dressed forthe marriage

 divine, one must first see

how unsuited he or she is to know such a Love.  

Part 2:

Desires serve the awakening one,

 while one who sleeps…serves desire.

 is like getting caught in a sudden 

rainstorm… and then jumping into a

river to keep

your shoes from getting wet.

 to be gained from

losing a fight, than there is in winning it.

Show me someone who only enters into

 battles he’s sure can be won, and I will

show you that person who has all but

forsaken the possibility of ever knowing

 his own soul.

 statesis the dark creation of a level of

 self thatbelieves its conflict with life can be

 reconciled through resistance.

 moreovercome your quiet awareness

 of themthan do raindrops have the power to wash

 away

 the sky through which they pour.

your “tomorrow” can be any different –

better or brighter thantoday – as long as

 all you do is fantasize about it.

Real self-change requires the conscious

sacrifice of the self whose hopes lie in

things dreamed.

 own sense of emptiness, we will never know

 the true nature of fulfillment.

hurts alittle less whenever we can

 remember this strange (but true) spiritual fact:

 many of God’s greatest gifts seem, at first,

 unbearable to receive.

 from the tyranny of the past and fearof the future.

any perfection that “proves” its

value by punishing him for his

 imperfections.

– the one action that stands the test ofpassing time —

is the interior work we do that

allows God to accomplish His task in our soul.

onmost of their lives in their ceaseless

rushnot to miss out on what they’ve imagined l

ife has to offer…once they become who

 they’ve imagined they should be.

should doonly one thing at a time –

whether putting on a pair of socks,

 picking up a pencil, or pouring

yourself a cup of tea: The only way it’s possible

 to do more than one thing at a time is to have

 surrendered your attention to a divided nature

that believes just getting things done

 is the same as doing things well.

in the here and now, a fact of life that

 guaranteesone thing: unless we do the inner work to be

 aware of ourselves in the present moment…

yesterday will be our tomorrow.

of refusing torecognize that when

it comes to anyone oranything

that sets you off…seer and

 the seen are one and the same.

negativestates only rule and

stain our lives as they do because of how

 distanced we’ve become

 from the immense and divine

 mystery of our own True Nature.

the unkind action of another towards

you is like looking into a badly fractured

 mirror… and then blaming yourself

 for the shattered image you see therein.

whatever you’ve imagined you

want to attain in this world. But there is a world

beyond anything we can imagine;

 (it is) an intelligent presence, a “place” of

powers and principles whose self-obliterating

touch can no more be prepared for than can a

 mountain pine prepare for a lighting bolt.

..or a newly opened spring flower its first

 taste of the morning sun.

without one’s awareness of the same.      

whomever you may find it, is always 

a result of effort… never by accident.

anger, are the offspring of one dark

state…a frustrated desire that would rather

set fire to the object, person, or condition

seen as being at fault, than turn around

and see itself for what it is in reality:

 the unseen source of its own suffering.

 pain is a natural response to

 encountering anunwanted

 moment, but the true –

and secret – source of this pain is an

 unseen conflict inherent in our present

level of consciousness itself; the truth is

that the “self” that suffers this pain is

revealed by unwanted conditions –

 not created by them.

 little to do with being able to

 give ourselves whateverwe want,

but rather with being free

of the part of us that’s forever wanting

 something better and new in order to

 feel new and better about itself.

 starts to become real for us as we

 awaken to see that in hurting others; we have also

 hurt ourselves and–that whenever

 we hurt ourselves–others suffer.

e false gods is the one who

 condemnsyou for being you.

between always being in a rush…

and how important it makes you feel to always

be going somewhere in a hurry…

and you’ve made first contact with

the power you need to slow down

and take command of your own life.

 but in our work to stay in the midst of

 it when other parts of us want to run away.

that perfection is not in time, but

 rather is the action of what is Timeless upon

time and all of its creations.

thave to imagine or struggle to keep 

alive — and that is what you authentically love.

 never farther away from us thanwhat

 each present moment reveals to us;

for in truth “purity of heart” is inseparable

from our willingness to see that things are

the way they are because of the way we are.

 goes only where gravity and accident allow.

The same law holds true for any sense of “self”

set off by a mechanical reaction;

 momentum carries it along until it

crashes into someone or something

that it then blames for being in the way.

is evidence of an “account past due.” 

Understood properly, such pain reveals

where we are holding on to parts of ourselves

that cost us more to maintain than

 they are worth.

anymore than reliving some old regret 

has the power to change your present

 nature. Struggle with yourself; reaching

 takes disturbing the one who rests; yet,

 as surely as a seedling breaks out of her

earthly tomb, so will you realize the

world above you…once you commit

 to do the interior work needed

 to attain it.

that God gives you– for its

darkness or light, pleasure or pain

– is so that comes the day when,

within you, is awakened the wisdom

and will to give it all back to Him.

fullof self-created gratification,

 we shouldnever forget that hidden in the shadow

 of all passing pleasures dwells their

 unseen opposite, some form of sorrow

that — sooner or later — must visit the

 unwary soul. Yet… for our striving to

remember this inescapable fact of life,

born in us is this bright new

understanding: lasting joy is found

 only in the realization of our

True Self.

 the future behind you, but only as you

 are willing to see that unless

 you do the interior work to awaken

now…your past awaits

you just ahead.

isn’t the ability to imaginea limitless life,

 but rather to become

 aware of the fact that all dreams are

part of the finite world.

than does the rising sun burden the spring

 flowers that wait to bathe in its nourishing light.      

and the principle coin with which

this payment is made is…the sacrifice of self.

with how others see you…and be

 true to yourself at the same time.

 thinks nothing could be more

 fascinating than telling you all

 about himself.

 from any form of fear, it is only fear

 that you protect. Only fear can

 make you into what you don’t want to be.