Truth

Because Aspyre emailed it to me and she quite (most) often knows how I think and because it is appropriate to be posted here, and now.

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn't serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We are born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us, it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."
--Nelson Mandela

Not a new message, of course not. One expressed continuously through out time and cross-culturally -- from tibet to china to richard bach to others.

And it is interesting to me how often such sentiments are espoused, touted even, and yet at the same time not really believed. And even more interesting to me that fear of this sort is almost always hidden away in the rationalization of some sort of humility. The rationalization that to be humble in such a way is somehow most holy. Were I a god, you can well imagine that were would be much smiting of those with such fears; the insult -- the sheer lack of gratitude -- made manifest in the name of humility would result in a rain of holy terror (most likely in the form of dictionaries hailing down from the great beyond) of monstrous proportions.

And perhaps a word or two would sink in and people would realize that humility based on fear misunderstands the word humility entirely and that the lack of pride can never come from a lack of courage and a glorification of worthlessness or lack is the worst sort of pride of all.

And then, with those not squashed flat a la Wily E. Coyote, we'd continue on our merry way challenging each other to further greatness. (Because, yes, of course, if I were a god I'd most certainly be one of the ancient go around amongst mortals, carousing with serving wenches and drinking plenty of ale sorts.)

::kisses:: to Aspyre who is well on her way to learning that wisdom lends itself to loneliness. Or would, were loneliness a concept that could exist within wisdom. ;)

On a child's smile at breakfast.

Children love to give and if they begin to not give, that is a reflection of the attitudes they see in adults. How often, I wonder, do adults practice generosity, and yet practice it conditionally. How often is there an expectation of "receiving back" from a person to whom we gave. How much energy is squandered in becoming angry or resentful if that same person, under our unspoken expectations, doesn't reciprocate. How much do adults radiate their own fears of lack and of scarcity and the Ego's need to possess and to hold. And how little, I wonder, do people fail to realize how much this defeats the spirit of giving.

It is so easy for children to trust in the natural flow of energy, and to practice generosity with no strings attached. They live, as part of their being, the purest form of giving. They seem to have no need to 'remember' that what you send out will always come back you. They live so free of the stress created by giving conditionally (because giving such always leaves one waiting with an invisible balance sheet to receive one's 'due') and just seem to accept on an innate level that giving unconditionally creates and generates abundance.

When we give freely, it is because we trust that there is always an unlimited supply.

I believe that being aware of how much we are always supported by the universe is one of the keys to abundance and generosity. Consciously remember the times you've received support from expected and unexpected sources. Remember anyone who has helped you when you've needed it most, and bless all situations that come into your life for the lessons and gifts they bring you.

And I believe this holds true for Receiving as well as for Giving. Because again, unlike children, adults tend to receive with such a lack of graciousness. Perhaps out of pride, and the belief that we do not need help, or charity or support. How simple it is to realize that these are all just ego reactions and that they are completely unnecessary if you are able to see that the giver is never the giver and that the receiver is never the receiver. Both are stand ins for Spirit.

Remember that all things given and received emanate from generosity and from gratitude. Giving is an act of gratitude. Receiving is an act of gratitude. And any person at any age must feel grateful in order to show gratitude. However overwhelmed one may be by other activities and thoughts and concerns, it is important to be aware that life is a gift. And from that gratitude extends all others.

The seeker sculpts his own image.

To actualize something is to bring it into being, following its natural laws for existing as a separate entity.

The gift of life can be made more vital if we commit to developing its full potentials. But always I think it important to guard against egocentricity. The goal should not be to make yourself the ruler of the universe but to serve as a vehicle for source energies. This is the task, I believe, which gives all your outer accomplishments spiritual value. If you do not develop your deeper self as part of the process, what have you?

All creation is the release of energy blocked elsewhere. It is important to always look toward making real the most valuable potential possible in your life right now.

Perspective on Eternal Spirit

Each time we look in a mirror, we choose the lens through which we view ourselves. We choose which aspects of ourselves - of our bodies and of our beings - we focus our attention on. Sometimes we take in our whole figure, or more often, we see ourselves as a collection of individual parts, some of which we classify as "good" and others as "bad" in the moment. Most often, I think, we compare ourselves to an ideal image we hold in our mind. And I think many people spend time wondering if others see us the same way we see ourselves, if they make the same classifications and hold the same judgments.

A young child looks at the world through fresh eyes, seeing, taking it all in, but not judging. As we grow and learn about our world, we develop our own associations. We absorb the notions of beauty, success, strength, accomplishment, failure, and the like which are held by the culture in which we are raised and we internalize the remarks of parents, friends, and even strangers. All of these elements color our view of ourselves.

I think that often people forget that others view us through the filter of their *own* experiences. They bring their own associations to bear on what they see. And I think people also often forget that others also pick up the images each of us projects outward. Those little mental snapshots we take when we look at ourselves in the mirror become part of our energy field and part of our self-definition. Interestingly, we can change others' view of us simply by shifting the images we hold of ourselves.

The next time you look in the mirror, challenge yourself to see yourself anew. Be like a young child and, for a moment, suspend your judgments. Release the very human need to classify and label. Instead, see yourself with an open mind. Ask the universe to send you a higher, truer vision of yourself, then get quiet. If you're lucky, you may just catch a glimpse of the eternal you, the you that exists in spirit.