spiritual4u

The Library Of Spiritual Science

No matter what kind of limitations we live with or create, the labeling of these as failure diminishes the intrinsic respect that needs to be given not just to the outcome of our efforts to improve ourselves and change our lives, but also to the ways in which we strive to overcome what stands in the way. The process of overcoming limitation is a spiritual practice in itself, worthy of respect and dignity, worthy of being viewed as an essential part of the journey toward greater wholeness.

Many people judge themselves because they are not further along on a spiritual path or because they have emotional residues of the past that they carry with them that cannot yet be put down. Often, there is a part of the self that refuses to let go, and a part that wants to embrace the new. This state of tension between the two must be considered not only as a handicap, but also as a productive arena in which a new balance and equilibrium is being worked out within the self that will produce a different assessment of what that self needs. Such a re-balancing cannot be hurried. It has to happen in its own way and in its own time, for this is the nature of purification - the bringing of all limitation and darkness to the light - and of healing, the eradication of symptoms and patterns of behavior that do not represent who we are and who we wish to be.

What needs to be remembered is that ‘failure’ is not the opposite of success. Rather, the opposite of success is indifference. For indifference places one on a road of unconsciousness where the striving to reach toward a new and for the moment unattainable goal does not matter. It is not given importance. And so there is a kind of retreat into the comfortable and the familiar, rather than a movement forward toward a goal that is just beyond reach. If the goal is just beyond reach and we are trying with all our might to reach toward it, then success lies in the process, in the reaching itself, in the integrity with which body, heart and mind are joining to pursue an aim that is wanted by all three.

In relation to spiritual growth, we cannot judge progress along a spiritual path by the amount that yet remains to be accomplished. For we have no way of knowing how many lifetimes have been spent preparing us for the one particular challenge that we must meet today, a challenge that though it looks easy, is actually quite hard and represents a significant step in the maturing of our soul’s expression upon the earth. Certainly, we cannot know how far along we are on a spiritual path based on how far along someone else is. The reason is quite simple: it is that the person whom we observe as being able to accomplish things that we cannot may have significant difficulties in other areas that we know nothing about. Because they are invisible, we assume that they are not there. This is never the case. Every being at every level of development is overcoming something and moving forward toward something in a movement from level to level of spiritual truth and light. There is no other path of growth within the universe than this. It is not given. It is attained. And it is not attained by virtue of a simple mental decision to attain it. It is attained through the experience of the soul as it grows in the soul-qualities that are necessary for movement to the next level.

What are the levels of transition from failure to success? They are the levels which constitute the maximum amount of freedom from limitation in a particular area. This doesn’t mean that success look like a particular outcome according to the world’s standards. It means that success represents the outcome of being true to oneself; the outcome of being free to become exactly who we are and to express as exactly who we are in our deepest self. Success that looks like the same in the world’s eyes has more to do with popularity and less with truth. What is currently popular in a culture or society is awarded a label of success. In the next moment, the next year, the next generation, or the next phase of spiritual evolution, it will no longer be considered success. But the expression and expansion of the truth of who we are will always be a measure of success because it is a measure of truth, and this truth can only move from freedom to greater freedom, from light to greater light.

Spiritual purification is not an intellectual process, but one that is initiated by the creative power of light - the very force of Creation that was manifested at the beginning of time and that furthers Divine intention throughout time.

Spiritual light travels across all dimensions of reality, both physical and non-physical, affecting one's body as well as one's consciousness. This is particularly true for those who are already more light-filled and more sensitive to energies. But it is also true for those who are less sensitive.

While some people, today, are making a deliberate effort to purify, there are many more for whom this development is taking place without conscious intention, due to the intensification of spiritual light on the Earth. As those aspects of consciousness that are not aligned with light are uprooted from body, mind, and emotions, they begin releasing into awareness, bringing new understandings and experiences on all levels of being. Some of these experiences are uplifting, some difficult to sustain. The process of clarifying and releasing on all levels, based on the action of light, allows the soul greater access to the outer personality-self, and forms the foundation and fundamental process of purification.

Light is also the Intelligence of God, conveying truth, love, and inspiration to the consciousness of mankind. Its purpose, to reveal a new vision and awareness of sacred reality to humanity so that mankind can live in direct and conscious relationship with the Source of life.

Though the purification process follows certain general principles, it is unique to each individual and can be entered into with different degrees of depth and commitment. Though it is meant to touch every level of human experience, its particular focus will be determined by the areas in need of healing in individuals.

For example, some may experience spontaneously arising intuitions of dietary changes that are needed to promote health. Unlike intellectual knowledge, these can come suddenly into consciousness, without prior intention or study in this area. Behind such intuition lies the intelligence of light and of the soul, conveying to the psyche which foods will promote greater healing and growth and which will not. Also, on a physical level, unusual symptoms may occur for a period of time that are undiagnoseable, caused by the movement of energy that is rearranging and opening pathways within the body.

In other instances, attention to mental process may become a central focus of purification, with greater light illuminating tendencies of mind that may be disturbing but that nevertheless influence behavior. Here, the striving toward separation from unwanted mental influences, and movement toward positive states of mind, become central to the purification process.

Emotional purification is a significant area of healing for most people, and as an effort is made to engage with this level and to become more conscious and responsible for the emotional energies one carries, undesirable ways of feeling and perceiving that may have seemed intractable in the past can finally be set free.

In the most basic sense, purification has to do with purity - with the aspiration toward cleansing the body, mind, and emotions of all that is separated from God's light and love. This cleansing results in a return to one's spiritual roots and identity. As the process unfolds, it deepens the desire to place one's spiritual life in the center of life, and to allow the rest of life to be shaped around this.

The level of commitment to the purification process grows as authentic experiences of spiritual reality take place, and also as the heart opens to greater truth. When these two developments are present in a powerful way, commitment can happen simply and with an absence of conflict. When they are less present, fear or resistance may be experienced by that part of the self that wishes to continue with habits that do not serve the wholeness of one's being. Such fear can gradually be absorbed by light as one continues with the process. However, it can also cause a turning away if one feels unready to deal with underlying issues.

In the end, the depth of purification will be determined both by light-conditions on the Earth which accelerate and deepen the process, and by the nature of the soul and the degree to which it has begun to communicate with the outer self.

As light increases on the Earth, the tendencies of mankind will naturally gravitate toward the development of a spiritual life, one in which the desire for the sacred arises spontaneously from one's heart, and in which nothing that is physical is separated from one's spiritual identity and core. In this way, all of life will become sanctified, and mankind will finally be able to open doors of perception and knowledge that have long remained closed to ordinary human experience.

What does the Bahá'í Faith see as the purpose of human existence? What is the true nature of human beings and what role does religion play in our spiritual development? What is "good" and what is "evil" ? What are man's responsibilities to God and what is the spiritual meaning of life?

Many people live their lives without ever reflecting on life itself or its meaning for them. Their lives may be full of activities. They may marry, have children, run a business, or become scientists or musicians, without ever obtaining any degree of understanding of why they do these things. Their lives have no overall purpose to give meaning to separate events, and they may have no clear idea of their own nature or identity, of who they really are.

Bahá'u'lláh taught that only true religion can give purpose to human existence. If there were no Creator, if humans were simply chance products of a thermodynamic system, as many in the world today assert, there would be no purpose in life. Each individual human being would represent the temporary material existence of a conscious animal trying to move through his or her brief life with as much pleasure and as little pain and suffering as possible.

It is only in relation to the Creator, and the purpose which that Creator has fixed for His creatures, that human existence has any meaning. Bahá'u'lláh described God's purpose for man in the following way:

The purpose of God in creating man hath been, and will ever be, to enable him to know his Creator and to attain His Presence. To this most excellent aim, this supreme objective, all the heavenly Books and the divinely-revealed and weighty Scriptures unequivocally bear witness.

Life should be seen as an eternal process of joyous spiritual discovery and growth: in the beginning stages of earthly life, the individual undergoes a period of training and education which, if it is successful, gives him or her the basic intellectual and spiritual tools necessary for continued growth. When individuals attain physical maturity in adulthood, they become responsible for their further progress, which now depends entirely on the efforts they themselves make. Through the daily struggles of material existence, people gradually deepen their understanding of the spiritual principles underlying reality, and this understanding enables them to relate more effectively to themselves, to others, and to God. After physical death, the individual continues to grow and develop in the spiritual world, which is greater than the physical world, just as the physical world is greater than the world we inhabit while in our mother's womb.

This last statement is based on the Bahá'í concept of the soul and of life after physical death . According to the Bahá'í teachings, the true nature of human beings is spiritual. Beyond the physical body, each human being has a rational soul, created by God. This soul is a nonmaterial entity, which does not depend on the body. Rather, the body serves as its vehicle in the physical world. The soul of an individual comes into being at the moment the physical body is conceived and continues to exist after the death of the physical body. The soul (also called the spirit) of the individual is the seat or locus of his or her personality, self, and consciousness.

The evolution or development of the soul and its capacities is the basic purpose of human existence. This evolution is towards God and its motive force is knowledge of God and love for Him. As we learn about God, our love for Him increases; and this, in turn, enables us to attain a closer communion with our Creator. Also, as we draw closer to God, our character becomes more refined and our actions reflect more and more the attributes and qualities of God.

Bahá'u'lláh taught that this potential to reflect the attributes of God is the soul's essential reality. It is the meaning of human beings being created "in the image of God." The divine qualities are not external to the soul. They are latent within it, just as the color, the fragrance, and the vitality of a flower are latent within the seed. They need only to be developed. In the words of Bahá'u'lláh:

Upon the inmost reality of each and every created thing He [God] hath shed the light of one of His names, and made it a recipient of the glory of one of His attributes. Upon the reality of man, however, He hath focused the radiance of all His names and attributes, and made it a mirror of His own self. Alone of all created things man hath been singled out for so great a favour, so enduring a bounty.

The Bahá'í writings refer to the gradual evolution or development of the individual soul as "spiritual progress." Spiritual progress means acquiring the capacity to act in conformity with the Will of God and to express the attributes and spirit of God in one's dealings with one's self and with other human beings. Bahá'u'lláh teaches that the only true and enduring happiness for human beings lies in the pursuit of spiritual development.

A person who has become aware of his or her spiritual nature and who consciously strives to progress spiritually is called a "seeker" by Bahá'u'lláh. Bahá'u'lláh described some of the qualities of the true seeker:

That seeker must, at all times, put his trust in God, must renounce the peoples of the earth, must detach himself from the world of dust, and cleave unto Him Who is the Lord of Lords. He must never seek to exalt himself above any one, must wash away from the tablet of his heart every trace of pride and vain-glory, must cling unto patience and resignation, observe silence and refrain from idle talk. For the tongue is a smoldering fire, and excess of speech a deadly poison. Material fire consumeth the body, whereas the fire of the tongue devoureth both heart and soul. The force of the former lasteth but for a time, whilst the effects of the latter endureth a century. That seeker should, also, regard backbiting as grievous error, and keep himself aloof from its dominion, inasmuch as backbiting quencheth the light of the heart, and extinguisheth the life of the soul. He should be content with little, and be freed from all inordinate desire. He should treasure the companionship of them that have renounced the world, and regard avoidance of boastful and worldly people a precious benefit. At the dawn of every day he should commune with God, and with all his soul, persevere in the quest of his Beloved.... He should not wish for others that which he doth not wish for himself, nor promise that which he doth not fulfill.... He should forgive the sinful, and never despise his low estate, for none knoweth what his own end shall be. How often hath a sinner attained, at the hour of death, to the essence of faith, and quaffing the immortal draught, hath taken his flight unto the Concourse on high! And how often hath a devout believer, at the hour of his soul's ascension, been so changed as to fall into the nethermost fire!

Our purpose in revealing these convincing and weighty utterances is to impress upon the seeker that he should regard all else beside God as transient, and count all things save Him, Who is the Object of all adoration, as utter nothingness.

These are among the attributes of the exalted, and constitute the hallmark of the spiritually- minded.... When the detached wayfarer and sincere seeker hath fulfilled these essential conditions, then and only then can he be called a true seeker.

Bahá'u'lláh explained that the fundamental, spiritual role of religion is to enable people to achieve a true understanding of their own nature and of God's will and purpose for them. The spiritual teachings sent down by God through the Messengers or Manifestations of God serve to guide us to a proper comprehension of the spiritual dynamics of life. These principles enable us to understand the laws of existence. Moreover, the very efforts we must make to conform to the teachings of the Manifestations serve to develop our spiritual capacities. For example, when one makes an effort to rid oneself of prejudice and superstition in response to the teachings of Bahá'u'lláh, the result is an increased knowledge of and love for other human beings, and this, in turn, helps the individual to live life more effectively.

Bahá'u'lláh stressed that, without the coming of the Manifestations and their revelation of God's laws and teachings, we would not be able to grow and develop spiritually. The spiritual meaning of life would remain hidden from us, even if we made great efforts to discover it. This is why revealed religion is seen by Bahá'ís as the necessary key to successful spiritual living.

Speaking of the Manifestations, and Their influence on human spiritual development, Bahá'u'lláh said:

Through the Teachings of the Day Star of Truth [i.e. the Manifestation] every man will advance and develop until he attaineth the station at which he can manifest all the potential forces with which his inmost true self hath been endowed. It is for this very purpose that in every age and dispensation, the Prophets of God and His chosen Ones have appeared amongst men, and have evinced such power as is born of God and such might, as only the Eternal can reveal.

Since religion has a social dimension, Bahá'ís feel that prolonged withdrawal from the world and from contact with society and one's fellow human beings is usually not necessary or helpful to spiritual growth (although a temporary withdrawal from time to time may be legitimate and healthy). Because we are social beings, our greatest progress is made through living in association with others. Indeed, close association with others in the spirit of loving service and cooperation is essential to the process of spiritual growth.

Bahá'u'lláh related God's purpose for us to the two aspects of religion, the spiritual and the social:

God's purpose in sending His Prophets unto men is twofold. The first is to liberate the children of men from the darkness of ignorance, and guide them to the light of true understanding. The second is to ensure the peace and tranquillity of mankind, and provide all the means by which they can be established.

In other words, humankind's social development, if properly carried out, should be a collective expression of our spiritual development. All human beings, Bahá'u'lláh states, "have been created to carry forward an ever-advancing civilization. The Almighty beareth Me witness: To act like the beasts of the field is unworthy of man. Those virtues that befit his dignity are forbearance, mercy, compassion and loving-kindness towards all the peoples and kindreds of the earth."

In summary, the spiritual reason for our life on earth is to provide us with a training ground; our life is a period of growth during which we focus on the development of our innate spiritual and intellectual capacities. Because these capacities are faculties of our immortal soul, they are eternal, and we must make great efforts to develop them. But such efforts are worthwhile, since the soul is the only part of us which endures. Whatever promotes our spiritual development is good, and whatever hinders it is bad.

In 1985 I returned from a period of five years living in India and began to train to become a psychotherapist. This training gradually confirmed for me that our western psychopathology was sufficiently complex to require quite sophisticated understanding for its potential healing. It also confirmed my growing sense, through many years of connection to Buddhist centres, primarily in Europe and India, that many of us attempting to practice Buddhism often fail to address some of our key emotional difficulties. We may be genuinely trying to do so, but do not seem to shift some of our fundamental emotional wounds.

When I eventually began to work as a psychotherapist, frequently those who contacted me wished to enter therapy because their personal problems were blocking the integration of Buddhist practice. Most wished to look at emotional issues they felt were deeply rooted in their childhood and which were difficult to unravel. Many felt the complexity of their problems were not resolved by their meditation practices or by the doctrinal views that tended to be generalised approaches to how to deal with the mind and emotions.

What emerged in these therapeutic encounters was something that reinforced a concern that had been growing for several years - it is surprisingly easy for us to distort and colour our spiritual understanding by our own individual psychopathology. I use the term ‘spiritual pathology’ to refer to the way in which our emotional wounds and beliefs have the power to influence, shape and distort the way we practice and view our spiritual path. Of particular importance is that we are often blind to this side of our nature, as these wounds live in the unconscious as our shadow.

Although the term shadow comes from Jung and not Buddhism, its recognition is nevertheless crucial to Buddhist practice. If we do not do so we will remain blind to not only our failings but also to many aspects of our nature that lie unconscious and yet influence our life. The shadow, far from being something to be suppressed, contains much of the manure out of which we grow. Failure to face the shadow will have one significant consequence namely that we will tend to distort our spirituality by our shadow’s particular pathology and, because the shadow is our blind spot, we will be relatively unaware that it does so.

For the most part our shadow is held in the dark by denial and a wish to maintain status quo. It may be, however, that our emotional patterns are deeply rooted and form the very core of our identity. They may be so inaccessible to consciousness it is virtually impossible to take responsibility for them. They may equally be formed through a survival necessity that requires much understanding before we can willingly change. Our lack of awareness makes it extremely difficult to see what we are doing. If we were to wear coloured sun glasses all the time we would eventually become used to the tint they give to the world and no longer realise that all colours were distorted. So too our lack of awareness of the shadow blinds us to the ways in which we construct and distort our spiritual beliefs. Sadly when we do this we are living an illusion and using our spirituality to validate our own pathology.

Working as a therapist has brought to light many ways in which this occurs. For example a woman, whose approach to Buddhist practice had a strong puritanical edge, led her to fear almost compulsively any so called negative behaviour. She constantly monitored her actions of body, speech and mind so as to live as purely and correctly as she could. In principle this may have accorded with certain teachings she received on “thought training”, but the psychological place this compulsion came from in herself turned it into a constant re-wounding of her sense of self worth. She was never good enough, and she had to bury her real sense of herself. Another example was a woman who would continually sacrifice herself to look after others. On the surface this looked like a genuine compassionate selflessness. Her inner experience was however of a deep despair that she was only acceptable if she always gave herself up to others needs. Far from being a way of practice that brought her joy and peace of mind it was simply deepening her depth of despair and self-loathing. Her self-sacrifice was a form of self-abuse.

Individually we have personal responsibility for our spiritual distortions and self-deceptions and must at some point address the consequences of our actions. An example of an individual's capacity to turn pathology into a religion was extremely painful for me when I was younger. I was in a relationship with a woman who made friends with a man who was an experienced practitioner of Tibetan Buddhism. He was very charismatic and lived with his wife and two children, having turned his home into a kind of Buddhist centre. He was an enthusiastic follower of the Indian saint Padmasambava, who brought the Dharma to Tibet and who had two consorts one called Mandarava and the other Yeshe Tsogyal. My partner went to study with this man who had offered to be her teacher. She was very attracted to his rather theatrical charisma and gladly took up his offer. She went to stay with him and over a period of time started to learn more of his practice.

It was on her return from one of her visits to him that I learned that part of the nature of her stay with him was that she would also be his lover. He had convinced his wife that this was important because the relationship he had with my girl friend was so special it was a deeply spiritual experience. Although it was painful for his wife, she agreed that part of the time he would sleep with my partner and part with her. When I began to ask my girl friend what was going on she told me that I should accept it as part of her practice in the same way that Padmasambava had two consorts. They both tried to tell me that I could never understand the spiritual heights to which they would go in their sexual relationship and that it was so pure there could not be any fault in it. My problems, they insisted, were because I was so attached and that I should really let her go to this higher love. I was told that she saw him as her guru and as such she must be with him, irrespective of the pain it caused his wife or myself, after all pain comes through attachment.

At some later point the man, who was increasingly presenting himself as a so-called Lama, wearing exotic robes and the regalia of a yogi, came to visit us. I was shocked and hurt one day when he came to me and said that he was going to sleep with my girlfriend and that I should allow it as it was good for my practice of generosity. If I should object it would show that my practice of Bodhicitta, the aspiration to always work for the welfare of others, was hopeless. I was sufficiently young, naive and feeble to take all this seriously and found I had no grounds to question the validity of what he was saying. Whatever pain I was in was entirely because of my attachment. He tried to convince me it was best for my practice and that his love of my partner was so pure and what they were doing was right.

I tell this story because it is typical of the kind of delusion we can conjure around our self-beliefs sufficient to create the conviction that we are entirely right in what we are doing. The grandiosity, for example, of this man made him utterly blind to the delusion he was caught in and the consequence of his actions. I was somewhat intrigued several years later when the same man came to me devastated because the woman had left him for another man. He wanted someone to talk to in his distress, and was surprisingly apologetic for the way he had treated me. I did not find it easy to contain my sense of vindication.

It was Freud and later Erick Fromm who spoke of ‘neurosis as a private form of religion’ and that the power of religious movements and cults is that they give a collective validation to our personal neurosis. There can be little doubt that for many people the spiritual or religious culture they inhabit or generate around them reflects the nature of personal pathology. This is particularly evident when we consider the power charismatic cults have to lead their members to perform extreme and often self-destructive acts in the name of their beliefs. The mass suicide of cult members at Wako in the USA and the gassing of the Tokyo subway by the OM cult in Japan are perhaps the most prominent recent examples.

When faced with the degree of alienation many experience in modern life, a religion or cult that offers some kind of refuge in a higher spiritual authority is very seductive. If we grow up with a sense of alienation, insecurity, worthlessness or powerlessness, turning to a god or a guru and religious movement that offers security or salvation can be very comforting for a while. Unfortunately all too often there are those who are willing to exploit the weaknesses and vulnerabilities of others in the name of spirituality. The fanaticism expressed by religious fundamentalists and terrorists is a terrifying outcome of individual fears and insecurities being swept up in collective hysteria under the guise of religion.

One could equally say therefore that the spiritual institutions and belief systems we create for ourselves are often a rationalisation of our personal neurosis. This is not to say that spirituality per se is always an expression of pathology but that unfortunately our inner neurosis is often more powerful and less known to ourselves than we realise. Indeed it can be so strong that even the most clear sighted and authentic spiritual traditions can become subsumed under its domain. We can turn Buddhism into a reflection of our personal confusion and distort its essential principles. We can so easily place a veneer of spirituality over our personal neurosis and fail to recognise how our Buddhist life is flavoured by its pervasion. We can easily rationalise away our personal distortions and justify them to the point where we convince both ourselves and others of their validity.

An example of this occurred during a discussion on the Buddhist view of reincarnation. One of the participants fiercely held the view that the principles of Buddhism could be practised without any need to believe in reincarnation. In principle he was right. What was particularly noticeable, however, was the emotional ferocity of his beliefs. His argument was very convincing, but behind it there was the level of emotional charge that seemed to be more significant. It was as though the rigidity of his belief was a defence against something very threatening. When asked how he might feel if he were to consider that reincarnation were true, he admitted it would be very frightening. It was clear that his rationalisation was a means to avoid having to deal with strong feelings of fear around death and whatever may happen thereafter.

Spiritual pathology is therefore both a collective and individual phenomenon. Individually we may be drawn to collective circumstances that unconsciously collude with our pathology. Collectively we may create institutions that have deeply rooted and extremely unhealthy pathology, which has become normalised so that we cannot see the extent of this malaise. It would be tempting to suggest that the existence of patriarchal religious traditions is a vivid example. The unquestioned power and authority of patriarchal figures and institutions even within Buddhism is a manifestation of such pathology validated for the maintenance of tradition and semi-political/spiritual power.

When we look at the institutions created around spiritual teachers often the underlying emotional culture echoes pathology of the dysfunctional family, which, to outsiders, can be glaringly apparent. The idealisation of teachers combined with disciple rivalry, jealousy and vying for favour reflect strongly the psychological roots in parent-child dynamics. These may only become critical when some event occurs that causes disciples to actually question the nature of a teacher’s role in the collective culture. This can be seen most strikingly when a teacher in some way abuses his or her position, at which point the underlying pathology often explodes the collective myth.

Collectively therefore hidden pathology leads to cultural malaise that can be sustained for long periods until some process shakes its foundations. The cracks that then begin to appear in the veneer of health are often unable to be plastered over without a collective purge. Whether this purge leads to health or merely scapegoating is dependent upon the willingness of the community to address its shadow. Sometimes the disintegration of what has sustained a spiritual community does not enable it to survive. It could be said, however, that this is the healthiest thing that can happen, as there is ultimately little benefit in spiritual institutions that are founded on some fundamental delusion.

Spiritual pathology has many faces and unfortunately some of these have become glaringly evident in recent years. No religion is immune to this shadowy tendency, and it would seem the potential for us to engender collective prejudice, hypocrisy even sectarian hatred in the name of religion seems limitless. It seems to be a tragic fact of life that when we scratch the surface of religious movements we find beneath all kinds of pathology that have been hidden.

The institutions of Buddhism are unfortunately not immune to these failings and individually we are also part of this problem. Unless we are willing to face the reality of our disposition to distort our spirituality into a shape that suits our personal pathology we can so easily perpetuate delusion in the guise of spirituality. It would be wrong to cling to the idea that Buddhism has some immunity to this tendency because it does not. Buddhism is as reliant on the individual’s integrity to look at themselves, face the shadow and take responsibility for it as any other religion.

We can, however, live with integrity so long as we seek to uncover our emotional blind spots and challenge assumed beliefs and accepted practices. We can trust the integrity of spiritual communities so long as we search for the places where we have created institutions that have become corrupted by narrow-mindedness and dogmatism or simply havens that collude with our pathology. We can begin to trust our spiritual guides so long as we are willing to challenge teachers who have become inflated by power or blind to their fallibility; and so long as we wake up to self-deception. Anything less is surely to break the very heart of the Buddha’s search for truth.

Excerpt from the book “Stargate of the Heart” by Patricia Diane Cota-Robles It is an immutable natural Law that in order for us to be capable of Loving any other part of life- any person, place, condition or thing-WE MUST FIRST LOVE OURSELVES. In my perception, the overwhelming, underlying factor in the failures, challenges and painful experience we are enduring is a deep-seated, ingrained belief of unworthiness and low self-esteem. Most of us on many levels do not feel valuable or deserving of the joy of life. We may intellectually desire it, but deep inside we don’t really believe we will ever experience it.

It is time for us to release these distorted beliefs, these lies about ourselves that we have fabricated. These erroneous beliefs prevent us from reaching our highest potential and block our natural God-given heritage of happiness, prosperity, health, loving relationships, fulfilling jobs and abounding joy.
When we lift up in consciousness into the Realms of Illumined Truth, we perceive with greater clarity just how these distorted belief systems about ourselves were formed. There are several factors involved, and as we understand them, we will willingly and gladly let go of our negative self images and accept our true reality as Sons and Daughters of God.

Our life, at any given moment, is a reflection of our behavior patterns: our thoughts, words, actions, feelings and beliefs. We are always a sum total of everything we have ever experienced since our inception. As we sojourn through life’s challenges, we accumulate a variety of emotions and feelings. Each of us has, at one time or another, undergone the gamut of emotions from bliss to despair. When these emotions are named-happiness, love, comfort, joy or anger, pain, humiliation, rejection, etc., we often recall the incident and the person whom we consider responsible for evoking such feelings. We can easily remember because the occurrence is recorded clearly in our Etheric Body where it continually pulsates at a subconscious level.

Our Etheric Body is one of the most important, but probably the least understood, of our four lower bodies. It is known as the “seat of all memory,” and all of our experiences are recorded within the etheric substance of this vehicle. The Etheric Body is an energy field that interpenetrates every cell and organ of our Physical Body, and it extends a little beyond our body’s perimeter. It is comprised of various chemical ethers, and the radiance of this vehicle is often referred to as the aura. Every thought, word, action or feeling we send forth passes through the Etheric Body on an electromagnetic current of energy very similar to a television or radio wave. The frequency of vibration of each current of energy is recorded in the very sensitive chemical ethers of this vehicle.

The records and memories of everything we have ever experienced resonate at a subconscious level in our Etheric Body, and as we sojourn through life, our day-to-day activities periodically activate these memories and bring them to the surface of our conscious mind. It is important that we clearly understand this process because it will reveal to us how our previous experiences and attitudes keep interjecting themselves into our present life situations. This confuses the present issue and keeps us stuck in the past, which prevents us from moving forward.

As an example, when we are born, we are very self-centered, and from our perception as an infant, we believe the World revolves around us. Babies are like little sponges, and they absorb everything that is going on in their environment. They are constantly forming opinions about what the World is like, according to the way they are treated. If they are Loved and nurtured, they observe the World to be safe and friendly. If babies are abused and neglected, they observe the World to be hostile and cruel. Each day children go through a multitude of emotions and feelings, and each and every one of these feelings is recorded in the Etheric Body.

As this process continues day after day, the accumulated experiences begin to form a pattern. For instance, if a child is continually abused, s/he will interpret that experience according to his/her wisdom and understanding at the time of the incident. From a child’s frame of mind, adults appear “all knowing” and rather God-like. Consequently, if an adult is abusing the child, the child will think that there must be something very wrong with him/herself. S/he believes that s/he is bad, no good, worthless. These feelings are very painful, and they leave a powerful vibration of worthlessness in the child’s Etheric Body.

As the abused child continues his/her journey through life, s/he may experience other situations that s/he interprets as rejection, failure or an indication of his/her lack of value as a Human Being. As these feelings pass through his/her Etheric Body, they amplify the vibrations of worthlessness recorded there and gradually, day in and day out, as these destructive, distorted beliefs build in momentum, the child starts forming a sense of identity and begins accepting these erroneous concepts as Truth. This self- destructive belief of worthlessness becomes an ingrained pattern, and the child then begins to behave in a manner that will confirm his/her belief system.

Whatever we believe about ourselves at a deep inner level, we will continually manifest in our lives. If we believe we are worthless, no matter what opportunities are presented to us in the way of successful education, Loving relationships, fulfilling jobs, etc., we will find a way to sabotage ourselves and fail, because to succeed would be in conflict with who we believe we are. Once we accept an identity, regardless of how distorted it may be, we hold on to it for dear life because the fear of finding out who we really are is too great.

If we will each think back as far as we can remember and just observe, in a detached manner, the number of times we didn’t feel good about ourselves, we can easily see how our low self-esteem was formed. Even children raised in fairly harmonious family situations have all kinds of distorted programming because children don’t always interpret situations accurately. We all have records of past hurt, resentment, anger, fear, jealousy, doubt, pain and sadness. We have memories of things that made us feel bad about ourselves, not valuable, unimportant-experiences that robbed us of our dignity, our self- respect, our self-esteem. As we reflect over our pasts, it is easy for us to see that we all have extensive misqualified feelings and thoughts recorded in our etheric memories. Now, as adults, we can review our pasts, and with greater awareness, perceive the error of our childhood perceptions. We can intellectualize that our abuser was wrong or that the situation did not mean we were bad or worthless, but that mental activity doesn’t do anything to change the vibrations or the patterns and beliefs recorded in our Etheric Bodies.

Therefore, through sheer mindforce, we can convince ourselves for awhile that we are “okay,” but as soon as a difficult circumstance challenges our confidence, those old records are activated, and our failure consciousness of unworthiness is catapulted forth onto the present situation. We thus travel through life dragging the excess baggage of our pasts with us. We hold onto the distorted belief patterns of who we think we are and proceed to magnetize people and situations into our lives who will confirm for us our beliefs that we are not valuable or worthy. This vicious circle has been a normal mode of operation for literally centuries. It is a behavior pattern that must now cease.

In order for us to be truly FREE to fulfill our Divine Plans, our purpose and reason for Being, we must Transmute our distorted concepts and accept the reality of our God Selves. In Truth, all feelings of low self-esteem, unworthiness, failure, loneliness, rejection, etc., are nothing more than separation from God. When we lift up and reunite with our God Selves, all feelings of unworthiness drop away. Low self-esteem cannot be sustained in the Presence of God’s abundant Light.

Our relationships are mirror reflections of our consciousness. Whether they are wonderful or destructive or a combination of both, at any given moment, they are reflecting what we are sending out through our thoughts, words, actions, feelings and beliefs. I know this is one of the most difficult concepts to accept, but as we learn more about the complexity of our Beings, we begin to clearly perceive the Truth of that statement.

We live, move and breathe within an electromagnetic forcefield of energy. Daily, this forcefield is created and sustained by our thoughts, attitudes, emotions, actions, frame of mind, beliefs, etc. All four of our lower bodies contribute to this forcefield that surrounds us: physical, etheric, mental and emotional. This electromagnetic forcefield is just as the name implies-MAGNETIC. Consequently, it magnetizes energy to itself that is vibrating at the same frequency.

Every single person on the Planet is evolving within his/her own self-created electromagnetic forcefield. Once we understand this reality, it makes it easier for us to recognize how our relationships reflect our consciousness. For example, if we are suffering from ingrained beliefs of low self-esteem and unworthiness, those distorted vibrations will fill our forcefield and magnetize to us other people whose forcefields are also vibrating with low self-esteem and unworthiness. When our forcefield enters the forcefield of the other person, the discordant vibrations are amplified for both of us. This makes us very uncomfortable, and we begin to feel that we don’t like each other. We may even argue or attack the other person verbally.

If we are feeling good about ourselves and our forcefield is filled with Love, we will magnetize to ourselves someone who is also content with who they are. As we enter each other’s forcefield, these positive feelings are amplified, and we feel very comfortable with each other.

Now, in these two examples, I have greatly simplified the process, but that is the essence of what occurs.

We must realize that every person on the Planet has myriad frequencies pulsating in their forcefield from all of their Earthly experiences. Therefore, our relationships are very complex. Sometimes the same person can amplify within us positive and negative frequencies at the same time, thus creating a Love-hate relationship.

The advantage of having this knowledge is that we can now use our relationships as wonderful tools and opportunities for growth. By observing how we feel about the people in our lives, we can determine what we are feeling about ourselves. Often we are oblivious to our true feelings. Because life has been so painful, we have numbed ourselves as a means of survival. But now, with greater insight, we can observe every facet of our relationships and know that the way we feel about each person is reflecting some aspect of ourselves.

When someone “pushes our buttons,” it means they are amplifying a frequency in our own energy field that we are not comfortable with. If we didn’t have that particular frequency in our forcefield, they could not “push our buttons.” I know this is difficult to accept, because when someone is a source of irritation for us, the last thing we want to see is any comparison to ourselves in their behavior. But, the only reason people affect us in an adverse way is because, at some level, we are buying into what they are saying or doing. At some level we are believing them even if we are fighting tooth and nail to deny it. If we really didn’t believe what they were saying, it wouldn’t have the same effect on us.

With this wisdom, we can evaluate all of our relationships: parents, spouses, children, relatives, friends, lovers, co-workers, employers, associates, casual relationships and all of Humanity. We can observe where we are buying into destructive beliefs and where we are giving our power away. Then, we can Transmute our electromagnetic forcefield by reprogramming our self- concepts and self-images. As we recognize and accept our true God Reality and release all negative beliefs about ourselves, we will see our feelings and attitudes toward our relationships changing miraculously. When our forcefield is filled only with Love, our relationships will reflect that LOVE.

People truly treat us and perceive us the way we perceive ourselves. If we don’t like the way people are treating us, we need only to Love ourselves more, and our relationships will be transformed. Experiment with this Truth, and you will create for yourself the Loving relationships you have been desiring.

Naturally, this doesn’t mean that every single person we come in contact with will automatically express only Love and Light with every thought and word, but it does mean that we will stop giving our power away to people. When we Love and respect ourselves, they will no longer have the ability to affect us in an adverse way simply because we will no longer buy into their behavior or take it personally. We don’t have control over the things people say or do, but we have absolute control over how we choose to let their words and actions affect us. When we allow people the space to be who they are without allowing them to affect us adversely, we will have truly accomplished the goal of taking our power back. We will Love ourselves and amplify the Love in the other person. Hence, they will be lifted up out of their negative feelings to a degree, and gradually, they will begin to believe they are valuable also. This will improve our relationships all the way around.

Occasionally, we may be in a relationship that is abusive or violent. Sometimes we have such a low opinion of ourselves that we magnetize someone into our lives who will “punish” us in a way we subconsciously feel we deserve to be punished. This is not an uncommon pattern in people who were abused as children. Needless to say, anyone who abuses another person, either physically, mentally or emotionally is not Loving or respecting him/herself. People who are so severely programmed may not be able to start Loving themselves just by experiencing our Love. As we begin to Love ourselves, however, we will extricate ourselves from abusive situations. We will no longer tolerate violence or abuse of any kind.

Sometimes, the fear of leaving a relationship is greater than the fear of abuse, but I promise you, when you begin Loving yourself, you will magnetize such wonderful people into your life that you will gladly let go of destructive relationships.

I am a counselor, and one of the things I have people do to begin Loving themselves more is to write a list of all of the wonderful qualities they possess. Sometimes people feel so bad about themselves, they cannot come up with even one positive trait. In that case I have them look at all of the people they Love and admire and list the qualities they appreciate in those people. The reality is that our relationships are mirror reflections of ourselves. Consequently, for us to even recognize and appreciate particular wonderful qualities in other people means, at some level, those qualities resonate as Truth within us, regardless of how oblivious we may be to them.

The only reason we believe we are stupid or worthless or failures is because we affirmed those lies to ourselves over and over again throughout our lifetime. Now, to reprogram ourselves, we must begin daily affirming the TRUTH.

It is time now to take that exercise a step further and reach into an even higher level of our potential. Instead of just listing the things we Love and respect about ourselves or writing down the things we Love and respect in other people, we need to tap our limitless God Selves. Before beginning your list, quiet yourself and take time to feel centered and connected with your Heart. Feel the Love of God flowing through the Stargate of your Heart and say to yourself, “If I have no limitations-no time and space limitations, no family limitations, no financial limitations, etc., and I could instantly be the most positive, whole, complete, successful, prosperous, effective Loving Human Being on Earth, who would I be, and what would I do?” Then begin writing down the thoughts that flow into your mind. Write them in the present tense beginning each statement with I AM. Don’t feel self-centered or conceited. Don’t censure or edit your thoughts; just allow the creative ideas to surge forth. Let go of any nagging thoughts of self-ridicule or self-doubt, and let the vision you are experiencing register in your feelings.

There is an expression that states, “What the mind can conceive, the person can achieve,” but the Truth is that the most glorious, perfect person you can possibly imagine being in this moment is going to barely scratch the surface of who you really are and who you are capable of becoming. This list will serve as the blueprint and the beginning thoughtform for the “new you.” This will be the new program, the new belief system and the new sense of identity you will start emulating, but it is just the beginning. As you focus on this wonderful vision of yourself, it will grow and evolve.

Remember, whatever you put your attention and energy into, you bring into form. Whoever you believe you are, you become. Our thoughts are creative. so, what you are actually doing is creating a new program that you will put into the computer of your brain to reprogram your old patterns of unworthiness and low self-esteem. Your brain really is your computer system and you know the expression in computer talk, “garbage in, garbage out.” Well, that is exactly what you have been doing. Now, it’s time to remove the old floppy disc with the eroneous program on it, and replace it with a wonderful new floppy disc program. You need to focus on your list everyday, and affirm the Truth of your vision with deep feeling. You need to let go of all disbelief, and ask your God Self to Transmute all resistance, all interference, all blocks, all doubts that are, in any way, preventing you from manifesting the vision of the “new you.” As this vision begins to register in your feelngs as a true identity, you will act out of this new sense of identity, and you will actually become your vision.

In the beginning, your vision will just feel like empty words. You’ll hear the voice of your lower human ego saying, “Who do you think you’re kidding?” But, continue to repeat the affirmations everyday anyway. You must “fake it till you make it.” Remember, the only reason you have low self-esteem is because you, or other people in your life, affirmed that you were worthless over and over again until it finally began to register as Truth, and you eventually accepted that lie as a sense of identity. Now you are doing the opposite. You are going to be affirming the TRUTH of your innate value as a Son or Daughter of God with limitless potential, and day-by-day this identity will begin registering as real.

To accelerate the process of removing the old negative program, you must utilize the gift of the precious Violet Flame of Limitless Transmutation. Constantly ask your God Presence to blaze the Violet Fire in, through and around every thought, word, action or feeling you have ever experienced that is in any way preventing you from becoming the reality of your new image. Ask that the cause, core, effect, record and memory of low self-esteem be instantly Transmuted into Light. And, begin to accept and know the Truth of who you are.

The following is an example to give you an idea of what your list might include, but every person is unique, and only your God Presence can reveal to you your perfect vision and blueprint, so be sure and make your own list.

I AM recognizing who I AM, and I Love and respect myself.
I AM continually manifesting wonderful, Loving relationships in my life.
I AM expressing Limitless Physical Perfection, slim, firm, flawless form, Eternal Youth, Vibrant Health, Radiant Beauty, perfect eating and drinking habits.
I AM Divine respect for my four lower bodies: physical, etheric, mental and emotional.
I AM Loving every aspect of myself, including my sexuality.
I AM in a fulfilling, creative and financially rewarding job.
I AM open and receptive to God’s Limitless flow of Abundance.
I AM an exponent and example of Divine Family Life, including my place in the family of
Humanity.

I AM expressing my highest potential as a daughter/son; wife/husband; mother/father;
grandmother/grandfather; sister/brother; woman/man; friend; relative; co-worker; Human Being; Earth steward; Lightworker; teacher; example; wayshower and integrator of Heaven and Earth, Angels and Elementals.

I AM Divine Happiness, Humor, Laughter, Joy and Fun.
I AM Divine Confidence, Self-Esteem, Trust, Integrity, Honesty, Truth, Reverence for all Life, Acceptance, Tolerance and Inner Knowing.
I AM Divine thoughts, words, actions and feelings.
I AM Divine Illumination, perfect speech, communication, listening, writing and learning.
I AM Transfiguration, Limitless Transmutation, Hope, Ascension and every other conceivable Divine Quality of God.
I AM the perfect manifestation of my Divine Plan and the Divine Plan of Beloved Mother Earth and all Creation.
I AM in constant communication with the Realms of Eternal Truth and the Divine Heart and Mind of God.
I AM permanently manifesting, in my daily, tangible life, the perfection of Heaven on Earth.
I AM an exponent of Divine Government, human rights, animal rights, Mother Earth’s rights and Liberation and Freedom.
I AM perpetually held in the embrace of God’s invincible Protection, and with every breath I take, I AM expanding the borders of the Kingdom of my Father-Mother God.

Learning to Love yourself is a process that will require every bit of your patience, acceptance and tolerance. It will require the full power of your attention and your constant thoughts and feelings. You cannot change a lifetime, probably hundreds of lifetimes of believing you are worthless, into recognizing you are actually a Divine Being with limitless potential, by just affirming the positive vision of the “new you” for five minutes a day.

We are such creatures of habit that if we aren’t consciously focusing on what we want to manifest in our lives and monitoring our thoughts and feelings constantly, in no time, we will fall back into the dysfunctional patterns of self-flagellation. Obviously, if you affirm your value and self-worth for five minutes a day and then beat yourself up for the rest of the day, you’re not going to succeed in changing your self-image. Remember, “The price of freedom is eternal vigilance.” You must consistently, throughout the day, monitor your thoughts and ask yourself, “What am I thinking and feeling about myself now?...and how about now?...and how about now?” If you aren’t feeling good about yourself, you need to immediately correct the situation. Say to yourself, “No, that is an old erroneous thought pattern, and it is no longer who I AM. I AM a valuable, Lovable person.” Then, think of the list you have written of the “new you,” and begin affirming it with deep feeling.

Keep the list in your pocket, if you want to, or just take one statement on the list and affirm it over and over again until it starts to feel true. Then, affirm the next statement, then the next. Sometimes, it helps to visualize yourself walking through Golden Doors, and as the doors close behind you, envision all of the old patterns of low self-esteem are left behind the door. When an old negative thought or feeling pops up, just consciously put it on the other side of the door, in your mind’s eye, and flood it with Violet Fire. Affirm that this is part of the past and no longer appropriate for you to think about or feel. Look at what is coming up, and ask yourself, “What do I want to be expressing in my life instead of this old negative belief about myself?” Then focus on what you want to be expressing instead of what you don’t want to be expressing.

Initially, this process feels very uncomfortable. It feels self-obsessive and self-centered. It may even feel egotistical. Normally, people are so use to telling themselves they are worthless that sometimes it even feels like self- deception. But, even in the face of all of this resistance, you must continue the exercises in spite of how uncomfortable you feel. Often, the discomfort is generated by the lower human ego, which is fear-based. This fragmented aspect of your personality has thrived on your misery and doesn’t want to let go of its control. It is actually throwing a temper tantrum to prevent your God Presence from taking full control of your vehicles because it thinks it is going to die if that happens. You must Transmute your human ego with the Violet Flame, and flood it with Love so it will feel safe enough to let go and be Transformed.

The next step in learning to Love yourself is taking care of yourself. This change in your behavior will feel even more foreign than the positive affirmations. This step means you actually have to ask yourself in every situation, “What is the highest good for me?” That thought normally sends shock waves through people. Imagine the audacity of thinking of yourself first. Doesn’t that totally conflict with everything you have ever been taught? Well, it conflicts with everything we have all been taught, and that is why we are so co-dependent and dysfunctional.

The important thing to understand about this step is that you are lifting up in consciousness, and you are transcending your lower human ego. Consequently, when you ask, “Is this the highest good for me?”, you must ask this question to your God Presence and not your human ego. Your human ego is self-obsessive and operates strictly to gratify your physical senses. It is also based in fear, so when it responds to that question, the answer will always be selfish, greedy and usually at the expense of everybody else. In other words, the “dog- eat-dog,” “looking out for number one” syndrome. But, when you ask your God Presence that question, that aspect of your Being is always functioning on all levels with regard to the highest good for all concerned.

Your God Presence is always prompting you forward to your highest potential, and It clearly knows that this must be accomplished with reverence for all life. It will never be true that if you fulfill your highest good, other people or other lifeforms will be hurt in the process. Your Divine Plan just doesn’t conflict like that. This means that if you are truly doing what is the highest good for you in a particular situation, IT WILL ALSO BE THE HIGHEST GOOD FOR EVERYONE ELSE INVOLVED, even if they don’t perceive it that way. It will never be the case that if you are fulfilling your Divine Plan, it is preventing someone else from fulfilling their Divine Plan. When there seems to be a real conflict, then you must realize that someone’s human ego is involved and not their God Presence.

Another thing you must understand in this step is that you are not helping anyone by being a martyr and sacrificing what is right for you just to make someone else happy. Even if you are giving them what they want, if you have had to sacrifice what is right for you in the process, it is not going to be for their highest good. When people make these self-sacrifices, it is because they want to be Loved and approved of; they also want to be accepted. The problem is that you are actually invalidating yourself and negating your value as a Human Being when you make decisions to try and be what everybody else wants you to be, instead of who you are.

For one thing, it is impossible to fulfill everybody’s expectations, so you are always disappointing someone. When you try to be what everybody else wants you to be, you become so confused you totally lose touch with who you are and what you are supposed to be doing to fulfill your Divine Plan on Earth. This is really a tragedy that consistently holds you in bondage.

When you are not accomplishing your Divine Purpose and reason for Being, no matter what you do, you never feel fulfilled. You will always feel like something is missing in your life, and you experience dissatisfaction with everything you attempt. This, once again, leads into failure consciousness and low self-esteem. Then the vicious circle begins all over again.

Now, to relieve your fears that you are being selfish to think of yourself first, I want to assure you that your God Presence is the most Loving, caring, understanding, compassionate Being you could ever imagine. When this aspect of yourself is making the decisions of what is the highest good for you in a situation, you will be receiving ideas on ways to Love, heal, help, benefit and nurture the people involved that you never dreamed of before. The difference is, your actions will also result in Loving, healing, benefiting and nurturing yourself in the process. When this transformation in your behavior pattern occurs, you will move out of the “poor me” consciousness. Then, instead of feeling victimized, you will experience the joy and wonder of really being a positive, effective person.

The next step in developing self-Love is learning to nurture and pamper yourself EVERYDAY. When you take the time to really take care of yourself, you transmit the message to the computer of your conscious mind that you are valuable. I know that life is hectic, and people usually use that as the excuse for not taking time to pamper themselves, but you need to recognize that is a cop-out, and you must create a new belief system. Affirm to yourself daily, “I have all the time I need to accomplish whatever I need to do today, including taking quality time to Love and nurture myself.” I assure you that there is not another “job” that you have to do that is more important or more beneficial than learning to Love yourself. Every single thing existing in your life is reflecting how you feel about you-this includes your relationships, your job, your finances, your health, your state of mind, your Spirituality-everything. Learning to Love yourself is the most critical and urgent factor in transforming your life. Remember, your life is just reflecting your consciousness. When you go about trying to change the situations in your life without changing your self-image and the way you feel about yourself, it is like trying to change the reflection in the mirror without changing the object that is causing the reflection. It is a futile effort.

Many times the thought of nurturing and pampering oneself is so foreign to people that they can’t even imagine what to do. Just begin by asking yourself, “What would make me feel really good right now? A walk in nature? Reading a good book? Taking a bubble bath? Relaxing with a warm cup of tea? Having a massage? Eating something healthy? Meditating? Taking a nap? Playing a game? Making Love? Sharing time with someone I Love? Praying? Communicating with a special friend? Writing my innermost thoughts? Doing my affirmations? Listening to an uplifting tape? Listening to music? Playing music? Interacting in a really fun way with my family?”, etc.

The important part of this step is that whatever you choose to nurture yourself must genuinely be for you, not just doing what other people want you to do. When you are taking time for the special nurturing and pampering of yourself, consciously acknowledge to yourself that this is what you are doing. Say to yourself, “I AM doing this for me because I Love myself, and I AM worth it. I AM filling myself up with Love and tenderness. This fills me with joy and a sense of fulfillment and happiness.”

The exciting thing about the new awareness that is pouring forth from the Realms of Illumined Truth is that you don’t have to understand it all fully. You don’t have to totally accept it or even believe it. All you have to do is experiment with it, and put forth the required effort to change your negative habits. If you do, you will prove it to yourself beyond a shadow of a doubt. This process of transformation is scientific and accurate to the letter. If you genuinely Love yourself, you will value yourself enough to feel worthy of Loving relationships, prosperity, health, happiness, joy, peace and all of the other gifts that you have been blocking and denying yourself through your low self-esteem. Then, you will feel safe enough to open the Stargate of your Heart and allow God’s limitless flow of abundance to pour into your life. You will know and accept, “All that my Father-Mother God has is mine.

"The ego is a jealous god, and it wants its interests served. It does not want to admit the reality of any dimensions except those within which it feels comfortable and can understand. It was meant to be an aid but it has been allowed to become a tyrant. Even so, it is much more resilient and eager to learn than is generally supposed. It is not natively as rigid as it seems. Its curiosity can be of great value."

Seth asks "Why is it so difficult for you to learn what freedom is? ...I ask you, how far do you think a flower would get if in the morning it turned its face toward the sky and said, "I demand the sun. And now I need rain. So I demand it. And I demand bees to come and take my pollen. I demand, therefore that the sun shall shine for a certain number of hours, and that the rain shall pour for a certain number of hours... and that the bees come - bees A,B, C, D, and E, for I shall accept no other bees to come. I demand that discipline operate, and that the soil shall follow my command. But I do not allow the soil any spontaneity of its own. And I do not allow the sun any spontaneity of its own. And I do not agree that the sun knows what it is doing. I demand that all these things follow my ideas of discipline.?

"And who, I ask you, would listen? For in the miraculous spontaneity of the sun, there is discipline that utterly escapes you, and a knowledge beyond any that we know. And in the spontaneous playing of the bees from flower to flower, there is a discipline beyond any that you know, and laws that follow their own knowledge, and joy that is beyond command. For true discipline, you see, is found only in spontaneity. Spontaneity knows its own order."

"In the spontaneous working of your nervous system, what do we find? We see here the head of "the Dean" that rests upon his shoulders, and the intellect that demands discipline. And yet all of this rests upon the spontaneous workings of the inner self, and the nervous system of which the intellect knows little. And without that spontaneous discipline, there would be no ego to sit upon the shoulders and demand discipline... "

"You are like children with a game, and you think that the game is played by everyone. Physical life is not the rule. Identity and consciousness existed long before your earth was formed. You suppose that any personality must appear in physical terms. Consciousness is the force behind matter, and it forms many other realities besides the physical one. It is, again, your own viewpoint that is presently so limited that it seems to you that physical reality is the rule and mode of existence."

"The source and power of your present consciousness has never been physical, and where I am, many are not even aware that such a physical system exists. The physical system is an illusion, but you must accept it and from your viewpoint try to understand the realities that exist beyond it." "You cannot objectify the inner portions of your own identity, and therefore you do not perceive them. So much of your energy is used in the physical productions that you cannot afford to perceive any reality but your own. Like children playing with blocks, you focus your attention on the physical blocks. The physical blocks appear very real to you when you dwell within their perspective. Other shapes and forms that you could perceive, you do not. Even in explaining other realities, I must use the words and shapes or you would not understand me."

"The human race is a stage through which various forms of consciousness travel... Yours is a training system for emerging consciousness. Before you can be allowed into systems of reality that are more extensive and open, you must first learn to handle energy and see through physical materialization, the concrete result of thought and emotion.

Tolerance - is the power of endurance. It is the willingness to listen and treat gently with the difference of others. It is to be broadminded and to show respect to other people’s opinions, actions and freedom of worship. It is the capacity to endure pain or hardship. Tolerance makes enemies into friends and enables one to bless those who are defamatory.

Mankind is generally opposed to change and is fearful of uncertainty. But all around there is evidence of continuous change. Old giving way to new and new growing into old. Change is inevitable. How can tolerance help? If the situations are under your control, then you have to flow with the situations and manage the change. If you don't, change will still occur and you will become obsolete and then be angry and full of hate. If the situations are not under your control then the best option is to offer best wishes to its success. In both situations you have to manage change with tolerance. If the change does not satisfy your expectations, then endurance and patience will bring comfort and preserve your self respect until you can find another opportunity. Respect for change, mercy and compassion are values that support tolerance.

You may not always agree with a decision taken but you ought to exercise collective responsibility and tolerance. This encourages unity and strength. Governments, churches and the armed forces are replete with such examples. If one soldier defies authority, then that army is as strong as the weakest link. Exercising tolerance should always be for the greater good, but you have to remember that the fruits of tolerance are sometimes long in coming. Obedience embraces tolerance to respect and comply with authority.

Tolerance is nurtured by love. In this context, it means to bestow the sweet fruit of love and good wishes even when confronted with difficulties, negativity and ill feeling. To develop the virtue of tolerance, one must practice love and self restraint constantly. You have to be merciful on the self as well as on others. You have to be familiar with the law of cause and effect and the inevitability of change. You must be a detached lover and observer and must develop and experience self respect and the virtues of humility. No matter how angry other people make you, no matter how much they defame and insult you, be tolerant, loving and speak sweetly but little. Does this not remind you of the parable to turn the next cheek when slapped on the other?

A quality necessary to exercise tolerance is endurance. It demonstrates patience with unlimited elasticity and total control of the senses. Tolerance cannot be quantified for there is no room for failure. Failure should be considered as experience to delayed success. Tolerance means to endure all difficulties with love and humility. Each person has his own personality and qualities. If you always remember this, then the power of tolerance becomes easy to inculcate and demonstrate. The Supreme is tolerance personified. He has tolerated so much defamation and blasphemy yet He is merciful, loving and offers salvation to all his children.

An intolerant person is an angry person. This anger feeds the ego and reinforces arrogance. Anger is the wall of sorrow one must remove to enter the sphere of happiness. In every field, one must replace anger with tolerance, otherwise by losing patience, one is devoid of a sense of justice, equanimity and reason. One then loses mental equilibrium and then the health deteriorates resulting in new problems. If you constantly smile when an angry person defames you and there is no sign of wilting on your face, or in your thoughts, then this is called the power of tolerance.

An essential characteristic of both nobility and royalty is tolerance. It is the excellence of mind and character. You have to be immovable and unshakable when difficulties present themselves. As a matter of fact, you have to capitalize on obstacles and convert them into opportunities. Stability of the mind can change all negatives into positives as the rose tree transforms the nutrients of manure into sweet smelling fragrance.

The tolerant person is always cheerful in any situation. Such a person is free from upsets, sadness, depression, worry, pain, confusion, pique, loneliness and boredom. Tolerance enables the self to grow and blossom even in unfavourable conditions and to overcome all obstacles. Tolerance builds bridges across the chasms of human misunderstanding. With this virtue pain can be transcended and old wounds allowed to heal. Smile and the world smiles with you; cry and you cry alone. Tolerance is the sign of a cheerful mind.

It is important to minimize or eradicate idle or wasteful thoughts and your tolerance level will increase a million-fold. Waste thoughts breeds negativity, hate, enmity and anger that leads to depression and related illnesses. If you are envious of a situation or jealous of someone, only you know the extent of the hurt created. No one can help you but yourself. Do not have any created desires or expectations that is outside of your control. This is called management of your thoughts which is the initial step in checking your words, thoughts actions and relationships.

How does one develop the true virtue of tolerance? Have constant practice of soul consciousness. Develop a merciful vision by experiencing the Supreme love deeply, and having mercy on the self. Understand the philosophy of Karma ( Law of reciprocity, the law of action and reaction, and the knowledge of the Creator and the Creation (law of destiny)). Be loving and detached. Develop and experience the value of self-respect. Imbibe the virtue of humility. Maintain stability in times of crisis. Then empower the self with the virtue of tolerance. Tolerance is more divine than intellectual.

The quest for a more rich, fulfilled life must start from where you are. To rush to heights you are not ready for will only cause a fall to a level that is more uncomfortable than the one you are on now. How can you reach higher than your arm will allow you? How can you climb the ladder if you keep skipping a rung. One step at a time will take you to your goals, your dreams, to your truth.

Those on a spiritual quest, a search for inner truth and meaning, may feel a need to go beyond their awareness and therefore, rush what is to be learned. You cannot learn what you are not aware of. To clear your way means, in part, to clear away the issues and emotions and beliefs that keep you from experiencing the true happiness and peace that is truly yours and within you at all times. When hard times hit you, you may retreat, withdraw, thinking and believing that you are not as far along your evolutionary quest as you had thought. You may feel that you are taking a step backwards and not progressing at all. In reality, these lessons come forth, to show you what is stopping or blocking you so that you may go on with your quest, and growth. How can you go beyond what you cannot see? How can you let go of what you do not know you are holding on to? This can be as simple as a belief of no self worth, but in the reality of your time and space can seem like devastation.

Let us look at relationships. You are striving for that wonderful connection of the physical, spiritual, and mental, but you find you are still alone. All your relationships seem to end in despair. They start out hopeful and filled with excitement, but end with a feeling of loss and rejection. You may feel like the victim, or you may think, I pull in the wrong people all the time. There are no victims, we draw to us what we believe we deserve, and what we need to learn at the time. Some may say this is karmic, and in a sense it is, but not from the standpoint of "I did you wrong" and now it is payback time. It is karmic in love, for that being came to show you what you believe about yourself. The person who hurts us the most, is the one who loves you so very deeply, that they agreed to "play" out this scenario with you, as a gift for your growth. When the outside world does not "give" us what we need, the only place to go is within. To seek out the answers we so desperately need, want and yearn for. This is the only place where we will find truth, and peace, the only place where the true unconditional love exists. How can we expect unconditional love from one that does not unconditionally love themselves? How can we expect to be taken care of by another that cannot find peace and balance within themselves? Everyone is searching, but the only true love and safety of wholeness and completeness is from within ourselves. And this starts with but a small step of where you are. For when the outside becomes too harsh, and our outer reality falls apart, then we are on the path to finding our true connection, our true love, within ourselves.

We have a choice at this point. We can feel the victim, or we can truly learn that we create our own reality, and become the Co-creators of our life, with the power to manifest what we know we deserve. For truly, that is what we do, we create the reality that we believe we deserve. If we believe we are "stupid", or "fat" or not "good enough" to love, then that is what we will attract. We have within us all the resources we need to learn where our truths lie, and what needs to be cleared to create the reality we so longingly desire. Some or most of our beliefs are so deep, so sub-consciously buried, that we need a powerful event to bring them to the forefront to be looked at and cleared. If we don't see it as such, and take on the victim role, then that pattern will be repeated until we see the "light". How many patterns repeat themselves in your life, how many changes are needed to create the life you so desire? The answers lie within you. And only within you, for you are the creator, you are the power behind all that happens to you. With this knowledge you are the one who can uncover the truths and clear the "false" beliefs to set your path in the direction you so deeply yearn for.

Is this path an easy path? At times it may seem as the most difficult one to follow. Is it one that you chose for this lifetime? Only you know the answer. We are all here with a mission, and what is more wondrous than finding your unique inner truth, your inner unconditional love, your inner peace. Once on that path, all else in your life will follow. For once you clear the blocks, issues and beliefs that keep you from happiness, you will find that the happiness, love and peace naturally are drawn to you. For that is the energy that is coming from you and this will only attract like energy to you. The path becomes clear and any roadblocks along the way are easy to recognize and pass through. For as you learn more and more about your inner truth and perspective, the easier it is to see why you drew the experience to you, and you begin to recognize it for the gift it is.

But you must begin from where you are. Allow yourself to feel the grief, the pain, and allow it to show you where you are coming from. From this point, you may find within yourself the forgiveness that is needed to move on. Forgiveness, in the sense of letting go, and freeing you from the experience and patterns that brought this occurrence to you.

One step at a time, one experience at a time, one lesson at a time. Step by step we learn more about ourselves and the lives we have created. Step by step we can learn to honor and love all that is drawn to us. I believe the key is patience and forgiveness, for if we didn't have these experience we could not learn, although it may feel far from that at the time.

Finding inner core issues and beliefs, and the energy they attract takes time and love and patience. At times, the journey may seem hard and too difficult, but the rewards at the end of the tunnel are freedom, love and peace, to name a few. And the knowledge that the experience has brought, and the drama and pain that came with it are needed no longer. This is the beginning to the end of painful patterns or cycles in our life, that are released forever. For the "lesson" is learned and the inner truth can shine through. Clearing the way to more learning and understanding, and the lighter, clearer life you truly do deserve.

There is an awakeness that comes from a clear mind, unobscured by wandering thoughts and preoccupations, and there is an awakeness that comes from a clear heart, willing to engage with life as gift and as an ever-unfolding revelation of the purpose of Creation.

Such an awakened heart cannot respond indifferently to life because it sees the outstretched hand of the Creator at every turn and in every particle of experience. It cannot turn away from feeling, no matter what feelings may occur, because it perceives emotional depth as the great gift of individualized consciousness. This gift stirs the response of individualized life to the Source of life as it displays Itself in all living things.

To be awake and present is to take responsibility for noticing - for maintaining an intimate connection between the self that IS, and the rest of the world that IS. It is to know that within the domain of this relationship lies a profound revelation of the Source of all within every gesture, every interaction, and every experience that takes place. It is to perceive the sacred in every moment.

In today's overscheduled world, being continuously busy is sometimes a necessity but often a choice based on the drive for outer success, wealth, and the symbols of what is often taken to be a 'life worth living'. Being busy, as opposed to having time 'on one's hands', is perceived by many as a testimony to a life that has merit, purpose, and meaning.

By contrast, idle hands - hands that remain receptive rather than active in relation to time, suggest that time is being wasted - that one could do more, achieve more, accomplish more. No matter if these hands are connected with one's heart and with the heart of the world. For many, it is only the visible 'doing' of things that creates a sense of security and lets us know that time has meaning. The existence of a space of silence in which awareness can broaden is often not considered a gain. Nor is simply being here, responsive to the very air we breathe, considered a virtue.

Is it any wonder, then, that we, as a collective humanity, have forgotten the sacred art of being present, that we have placed 'noticing' on the back burner of experiential values. And what would we notice if we took the time to do so?

In order to answer this question, it is helpful to sit in one place, breathing quietly, eyes somewhat unfocused, listening, seeing, sensing. Though one can do this profitably in a bare room, it is easier, at first, to sit in an environment where there is just a little movement present. Now, close the eyes and pay attention to the other senses. Feel the comforting fabric of surrounding life as if it were an envelope or cocoon, gently cradling one's essential self. Notice everything without discrimination, without opinion. Try to feel the intimacy of connection with what IS.

Spending time for a few minutes each day being awake and noticing is a good way to begin the practice of being present. It is a good way to begin to expand one's idea of what constitutes a meaningful life. And yet more than this is needed if one is to truly embrace what IS, and to be 'present in the present'. What is needed is the greater opening of the heart to the one Self that exists within all.

This perception of Unity and Oneness has an opportunity to grow at any moment in which we interact with another soul. It is nourished by an absence of judgment and by a willingness to be open to the deeper levels of who that other might be. Such openness comes from a state of innocence and of childlike grace. It comes from knowing that the 'other' is part of the same 'ALL THAT IS' as oneself, therefore of one Heart, one Breath, one Life.

The gift of being present as it applies to relationships is that it brings love to every interaction, no matter how small or insignificant. It brings the Divine into every perception, no matter how ordinary. And it brings gratitude into each moment as it unfolds.

As a sense of being present deepens and one's capacity to 'notice' flowers, the deep richness of life and of love can be found everywhere and separation nowhere. In this state, one senses only the One who lives within all. One feels the Essence within every other. Here, consciousness can only affirm the greater life of which it is a part:

I Am and You Are. We are both of the stars and of the dust of the earth. We are both of the rocks and of the sandy shores. We are water and we are sky; we are earth, and we are air. We are the Breath that life breathes through Itself, in a single and continuous song of Creation. To truly be present, we need to be available to the moment with our whole self. This requires not only an act of attention but also an act of integration so that we are drawing upon all parts of ourselves to 'be with' another.

When we think in terms of roles in life, we split ourselves up into parts - a father role, a mother role, a teacher role, a student role - we are not our whole self. Many times, we feel the pressure of social expectations which cause us to believe that we must remain within these roles. However, true expression, intimacy, learning, and healing for ourselves and others cannot come from separating ourselves into parts. It can only come from being touched and touching others in the deepest possible way so that our presence with them, even for a moment, makes a difference.

To step out of a role is not an easy thing but it is a simple one. We need to think of ourselves as souls, here to serve the purposes of love and healing for the earth and for ourselves. To see love as the primary purpose that we bring to all situations, no matter how rule-bound or role-bound they may be, is to strive within each one to make of it a moment of meaning.

Sometimes the access route is through the eyes of another. When we look in another's eyes, we see and are seen. And what we see depends very much upon whether we are operating out of fear or out of love. If we are operating out of fear, we may see judgment, distance, or coolness in another. If we are operating out of love, we will see the beauty of the soul of another. This cannot help but be true, for each human being is a soul, come to the earth with gifts of great beauty. And so if we look with the eyes of love, we will see the soul of love in return.

Often, courage is needed to remain in a place of integrity and wholeness when others around us are not. Often, we must remind ourselves of the purpose for doing so - the purpose for remaining true to ourselves at all times. This purpose has a deep spiritual taproot. It is the root of our knowing that we are unique in all the universe and that the space we occupy cannot be filled by anyone else.

To be true to ourselves, it is often helpful to breathe with awareness - to breathe, and to feel the life of God filling us so that we become an extension of all that is pure and holy and loving. If we are not connected to this greater life, we are more vulnerable to the imagined or real shortcomings that we may feel on the level of the personality. If we are connected, there are no longer shortcomings, there is just love to be shared in all situations, all of the time.

The recognition of the greater Life that is expressing within the physical is the key that unlocks the door to being present. For this greater life flows through us and through all else. It is the ground of our being and the reason we were created. We are expressions of the One, manifesting in an utterly unique and irreplaceable way. Being faithful to that understanding means that we must be ourselves as an expression of honoring the gift of life. When we hold this in mind and heart, we can learn to lead a seamless life, one in which we are, at each moment, fully present, fully alive, and fully ourselves.

If you are looking for more happiness, you must read and understand this article. As what I’ve written in the sub-headline, happiness begins with how you define happy.

When it comes to the topic of happiness, there are many schools of thoughts. Forget about all the things you’ve learnt about happiness and just try to understand and practice what I’m going to tell you. I may sound a bit egoistic but this is indeed the true way to achieve the happiness that you desire!

The secret of achieving true happiness is to set an “easy to reach” definition that define your happiness.

That’s it. That’s all you need to remember about how to be happy. This is not a bull-shit method that I thought of. It is a method that I’ve learnt from a seminar that cost me thousands of dollars! This method is easy, but it is indeed THE METHOD!

Here’s what you need to do step by step…..

Step 1: Ask yourself how you define happy in various aspect including career, relationship, wealth, health etc.

For example, you may define happy as: “I’m happy if I can have breakfast together with my wife everyday”. However, due to work, it is not possible for you to do that, so you are not happy. That’s where step 2 comes in…..

Step 2: Set an “easy to reach” definition for the way you define happy.

For example, instead of having breakfast everyday, define happy as “having a meal with my wife at least 3 times a week.” This definition is more reachable because a meal can be breakfast, dinner or lunch and 3 times a week is definitely more achievable that everyday.

If you start redefining your definition of happiness in every aspect of your life, soon you will realize that you are a happy person!

Some of you may criticize this method and say, “Hey, you are simply lowering your own standard, that’s the thinking of a loser!”

Come on, I learnt this method in a seminar that was supposed to teach me how to make millions of dollars! So this method is definitely not for the losers! This is the method used by millionaires and many other successful people.

Recently, I have one question from a member of my Mind Power Circle. The question is: “I’m a happy person, but I want to achieve a lot of things like confidence in being around with people etc. If I try to achieve these other things like confidence, it will affect the happiness I’m trying to achieve. How can I involve these things into my goals and yet be happy at the same time?”

It took me a while to understand his question. (Note: I’ve tried to rephrase his question to make it easier for you to understand). Finally, I realize that he has a conflict between goal setting and happiness.

Setting an “easy to reach” definition for the way you define happy is different from setting a goal. Setting an easy definition for happiness is so that you can easily achieve it and thus make you happy. It also lets you appreciate the good that you are having now. If you understand the working of the universe, you will know that all these will actually help you to achieve your goals faster because success breeds success and gratification is one of the keys to achieving your goals.

A happy person achieves his goal much faster than someone who worries.

The problem experienced by the member above is his goal is adding pressure on him, such that it makes him unhappy. That’s because he has defined his happiness as his goal! If he does that, he will NEVER be happy because goal is meant to be achieved, yet happy is a state of achievement. Can you see these two things are totally opposite to each other?

You can never achieve something you have not achieved! So how can you be happy?

If he wants to achieve his goal of being confident in meeting people, he can define happy as “talking to 1 stranger a week”, but he sets his goal as talking to 3 strangers a week. If he defines his happiness and his goal that way, he will be happy if he talk to 1 stranger and very happy if he talks to 2 and extremely happy if he talks to 3!

In retrospect, happiness begins with how you define happy. DO NOT mix up your definition of happiness with the definition of your goal.