How often have we heard someone say, "You don't know just how tough a time I've had" or "If you only knew what I had to go through..." (like walking 5 miles to school every day through the snow, uphill both ways or enduring the boss/coworker/neighbor/illness/accident from hell). Whenever I hear comments like those, I immediately ask myself why so many people wear their misery like it's a crown of glory. The obvious answer is because they're attached to it. But, I also know that every one of those people would flatly, even vehemently deny that they're attached to their misery. They'd give anything to get rid of it. So, what are they really attached to? Why do they choose to experience misery as a way of life?
They're attached to the drama of it. It's being in the midst of drama that allows people to feel that they're on center stage and the world is focused on them. It's the drama that gives meaning to existence. It's the drama that ego creates as a poor substitute for lack of joy. It's being in the middle of a drama that gives people the false sense that they can change the script - that ego has the power to change the beliefs of others or the outcome of circumstances. Ego tells us that life without drama would be boring. There would be nothing to overcome. There would be no challenges, struggles, or triumphs. Life would become meaningless. The peace of spirituality offers nothing but dull routine. So, people cling to their dramas. Drama is the only thing that makes them feel alive.
For those who love the drama, ego offers the following guarantee: As long as you believe that other people and external conditions are responsible for your happiness, or any condition of being, you will never live life; you will only be victimized by it. Even if you change the script, it is still just a script. No matter how adept you become at manifesting your dreams or fulfilling your wants, they are still external conditions that you rely on for your sense of well-being and your validation of self. You will never experience the freedom of being who you truly are; you will only experience what it is like to be held hostage by a false reality. If ego is the false self, what other than a false reality does it have to project or protect?
Ego knows nothing greater than itself and, therefore, views everything as a potential threat to it. Spirit knows that everything is part of the All and views everything as an opportunity for growth, joy, and expression of Divine Love. What's an easy way to tell the difference? You'd think the answer would be obvious, but for those people so caught up in the voice of ego that it's the only thing they hear, ego will tell them ANYTHING they want want to hear just to keep them dependent on listening to ego's voice (sort of like a politician and campaign promises). After all, ego's sole reason for existence is to validate its existence. It will use any means to do so. Like God, ego wears many faces. Regardless of the mask it wears, it's still holding you hostage. What ego never wants you to realize is that the gun it is pointing at you is loaded with blanks. The hostage situation that you find yourself in, is by your own creation and belief system. The only power that anything external holds is the power you give it.
So, how can we tell the difference between promises of great happiness and boundless joy; of excitement for life and a passion for living; of an honest existence and living in truth; of denying our materialistic wants and having a desire for all things? There are tremendous differences in all of these. I follow a simple axiom: If it isn't Divine Love, it's ego. Period.
But, what is Divine Love? Perhaps it is easier to define what Divine Love isn't rather than what it is. Contrary to everything I've been taught, I have come to know that Divine Love is NOT an emotion. Love, as humanity understands it, is so often predicated on validation. "I love you. I hope you love me." "I love you in spite of what you do or believe." "I'll love you if you'll love me." "I'll love you when you show me how much you love me." "I love you because you fulfill my expectations." This isn't love. It's commodity trading. This kind of love (emotional love) still holds us hostage because we are validating something external to ourselves as having greater value than our inner sense of being-ness. Ego interprets this as saying, "I love myself more than I love anything else." "I don't care how others feel about me because I only love myself." "I'm so wonderful that I can love others regardless of what they do or who they are." In our efforts to overcome ego, we deny its voice and end up refusing to love ourselves at all.
Although emotions (especially the emotion of love) can serve as a bridge between thought (intellect) and spirit, emotions are as tied to ego as thought is. We see something, we instantly form a judgment (even unconsciously), and from this judgment we create an emotional response which, in turn, validates our judgment, which instantly feeds our emotion(s) (and on, and on) all in the mere blink of an eye. Observe yourself and this process the next time you walk through an art gallery or watch a kitten playing or witness an act of violence or blatant discourtesy. Whenever experiencing any intense anger, whether it's toward a family member, friend, co-worker, or even a stranger, what is your first internal reaction? Is it to withhold love or affection or approval? This precise feeling is a trigger to help you see that your "love" is the commodity of emotion - to be traded, awarded, or withheld. This feeling is also the trigger of ego's gun that it's using to hold you hostage to a false reality.
I have come to experience Divine Love as the essence of existence. It's what bonds (without binding) all things as ONE. It is neither good nor bad, great or small, exuberant or subtle. It just IS. It is the core of all energies. It is eternal, lasting fully through this instant of now.
Once again, the voice of ego rises and says, "Does this mean that we're supposed to live our lives without judgment - without caring about crime or war or man's inhumanity to man? Does this mean that we have carte blanche to be sociopaths or self-serving hedonists?" No it does not. But, ego, in its endless quest to validate itself and hold you hostage, will misinterpret the voice of spirit. Ego will warp its own false reality. It will confuse feeling "bad" with being "wrong" and will confuse feeling "good" with being "right." It will hold us hostage to the script (drama) that we create in our quest for happiness which the ego has convinced us is the same thing as doing the "right" thing. And, if anything goes "wrong" in our drama, we can always blame someone (including ourselves) because, certainly we, as children of God, wouldn't consciously create anything to cause harm or negativity. Spirituality is smarter than ego. Right?
Spirituality has nothing to do with intelligence, or with "outsmarting" ego. Being spiritual has nothing to do with how well you can manifest financial security or a stable life or better health. Being spiritual is about maintaining inner peace and expressing Divine Love regardless of what our finances, life, or health are like. We are humans. We live in a material world. We deal with it in the manner that best facilitates our human life while at the same time, promotes our spiritual growth. If this means quitting a job or divorcing a spouse or moving to a different location when your job, marriage, or home no longer serves your growth, then do so. If this means celebrating your promotion or getting married or redecorating your home, do that too. But, take care that you do it to serve spiritual growth, not to "feel good" or make yourself "happy."
Happiness is just one of the many weapons in ego's arsenal. Its biggest (or greatest) is the weapon of fear. Since fear is the root of ALL negativity, one could say that ego's only weapon is fear - but it's a big one. Fear isn't limited to survival. Fear is prevalent in all phases of life. "What if I lose my job? What if I do something that makes me look stupid (to the people who are important to me)? What if my idea isn't accepted (by the people I want to impress)? What if my boss catches me goofing off? What if I make a mistake? What if someone makes me feel ashamed or guilty or rejected or abandoned (when I need their love to make me happy)? What if I have an accident? What if I'm late for my appointment? What if I ruin the pot roast for my guests? What if the doctor says I have an incurable disease?" Fear is so pervasive that it can be said to rule our lives. We cope with our fears by avoiding whatever makes us afraid. We obey the law because we're afraid of being fined or arrested. We file our taxes because we're afraid of the IRS. We show up to those jobs we hate because we're afraid of being fired. We placate our spouses/friends/family members because we're afraid of their scorn. We follow God's commandments because we're afraid of going to hell. Ask yourself if your relationship with your boss/job/family/friends/God is a true relationship or a hostage situation.
They're attached to the drama of it. It's being in the midst of drama that allows people to feel that they're on center stage and the world is focused on them. It's the drama that gives meaning to existence. It's the drama that ego creates as a poor substitute for lack of joy. It's being in the middle of a drama that gives people the false sense that they can change the script - that ego has the power to change the beliefs of others or the outcome of circumstances. Ego tells us that life without drama would be boring. There would be nothing to overcome. There would be no challenges, struggles, or triumphs. Life would become meaningless. The peace of spirituality offers nothing but dull routine. So, people cling to their dramas. Drama is the only thing that makes them feel alive.
For those who love the drama, ego offers the following guarantee: As long as you believe that other people and external conditions are responsible for your happiness, or any condition of being, you will never live life; you will only be victimized by it. Even if you change the script, it is still just a script. No matter how adept you become at manifesting your dreams or fulfilling your wants, they are still external conditions that you rely on for your sense of well-being and your validation of self. You will never experience the freedom of being who you truly are; you will only experience what it is like to be held hostage by a false reality. If ego is the false self, what other than a false reality does it have to project or protect?
Ego knows nothing greater than itself and, therefore, views everything as a potential threat to it. Spirit knows that everything is part of the All and views everything as an opportunity for growth, joy, and expression of Divine Love. What's an easy way to tell the difference? You'd think the answer would be obvious, but for those people so caught up in the voice of ego that it's the only thing they hear, ego will tell them ANYTHING they want want to hear just to keep them dependent on listening to ego's voice (sort of like a politician and campaign promises). After all, ego's sole reason for existence is to validate its existence. It will use any means to do so. Like God, ego wears many faces. Regardless of the mask it wears, it's still holding you hostage. What ego never wants you to realize is that the gun it is pointing at you is loaded with blanks. The hostage situation that you find yourself in, is by your own creation and belief system. The only power that anything external holds is the power you give it.
So, how can we tell the difference between promises of great happiness and boundless joy; of excitement for life and a passion for living; of an honest existence and living in truth; of denying our materialistic wants and having a desire for all things? There are tremendous differences in all of these. I follow a simple axiom: If it isn't Divine Love, it's ego. Period.
But, what is Divine Love? Perhaps it is easier to define what Divine Love isn't rather than what it is. Contrary to everything I've been taught, I have come to know that Divine Love is NOT an emotion. Love, as humanity understands it, is so often predicated on validation. "I love you. I hope you love me." "I love you in spite of what you do or believe." "I'll love you if you'll love me." "I'll love you when you show me how much you love me." "I love you because you fulfill my expectations." This isn't love. It's commodity trading. This kind of love (emotional love) still holds us hostage because we are validating something external to ourselves as having greater value than our inner sense of being-ness. Ego interprets this as saying, "I love myself more than I love anything else." "I don't care how others feel about me because I only love myself." "I'm so wonderful that I can love others regardless of what they do or who they are." In our efforts to overcome ego, we deny its voice and end up refusing to love ourselves at all.
Although emotions (especially the emotion of love) can serve as a bridge between thought (intellect) and spirit, emotions are as tied to ego as thought is. We see something, we instantly form a judgment (even unconsciously), and from this judgment we create an emotional response which, in turn, validates our judgment, which instantly feeds our emotion(s) (and on, and on) all in the mere blink of an eye. Observe yourself and this process the next time you walk through an art gallery or watch a kitten playing or witness an act of violence or blatant discourtesy. Whenever experiencing any intense anger, whether it's toward a family member, friend, co-worker, or even a stranger, what is your first internal reaction? Is it to withhold love or affection or approval? This precise feeling is a trigger to help you see that your "love" is the commodity of emotion - to be traded, awarded, or withheld. This feeling is also the trigger of ego's gun that it's using to hold you hostage to a false reality.
I have come to experience Divine Love as the essence of existence. It's what bonds (without binding) all things as ONE. It is neither good nor bad, great or small, exuberant or subtle. It just IS. It is the core of all energies. It is eternal, lasting fully through this instant of now.
Once again, the voice of ego rises and says, "Does this mean that we're supposed to live our lives without judgment - without caring about crime or war or man's inhumanity to man? Does this mean that we have carte blanche to be sociopaths or self-serving hedonists?" No it does not. But, ego, in its endless quest to validate itself and hold you hostage, will misinterpret the voice of spirit. Ego will warp its own false reality. It will confuse feeling "bad" with being "wrong" and will confuse feeling "good" with being "right." It will hold us hostage to the script (drama) that we create in our quest for happiness which the ego has convinced us is the same thing as doing the "right" thing. And, if anything goes "wrong" in our drama, we can always blame someone (including ourselves) because, certainly we, as children of God, wouldn't consciously create anything to cause harm or negativity. Spirituality is smarter than ego. Right?
Spirituality has nothing to do with intelligence, or with "outsmarting" ego. Being spiritual has nothing to do with how well you can manifest financial security or a stable life or better health. Being spiritual is about maintaining inner peace and expressing Divine Love regardless of what our finances, life, or health are like. We are humans. We live in a material world. We deal with it in the manner that best facilitates our human life while at the same time, promotes our spiritual growth. If this means quitting a job or divorcing a spouse or moving to a different location when your job, marriage, or home no longer serves your growth, then do so. If this means celebrating your promotion or getting married or redecorating your home, do that too. But, take care that you do it to serve spiritual growth, not to "feel good" or make yourself "happy."
Happiness is just one of the many weapons in ego's arsenal. Its biggest (or greatest) is the weapon of fear. Since fear is the root of ALL negativity, one could say that ego's only weapon is fear - but it's a big one. Fear isn't limited to survival. Fear is prevalent in all phases of life. "What if I lose my job? What if I do something that makes me look stupid (to the people who are important to me)? What if my idea isn't accepted (by the people I want to impress)? What if my boss catches me goofing off? What if I make a mistake? What if someone makes me feel ashamed or guilty or rejected or abandoned (when I need their love to make me happy)? What if I have an accident? What if I'm late for my appointment? What if I ruin the pot roast for my guests? What if the doctor says I have an incurable disease?" Fear is so pervasive that it can be said to rule our lives. We cope with our fears by avoiding whatever makes us afraid. We obey the law because we're afraid of being fined or arrested. We file our taxes because we're afraid of the IRS. We show up to those jobs we hate because we're afraid of being fired. We placate our spouses/friends/family members because we're afraid of their scorn. We follow God's commandments because we're afraid of going to hell. Ask yourself if your relationship with your boss/job/family/friends/God is a true relationship or a hostage situation.
The energies of fear are the quickest and most assured way of blocking the flow of the energies of Divine Love. Why else does ego LOVE fear? How else can it hold you not only hostage, but enslaved to its insanity? So, how do you combat that fear? How do you escape the hostage situation? With every event in your life - EVERY event (major, minor, or seemingly meaningless), ask yourself, "How can this serve my spiritual growth?" In this, you will find acceptance for all things. Acceptance doesn't mean having to "like" something or even settle for what's handed to you. The first is faking reality. The second is victim-hood. Acceptance is finding opportunity for growth and for allowing the energies of Divine Love to flow.
When you find your center in inner peace, ego no longer has power over you (the power that your intellect and emotions gave it in the first place - the power that ego gave itself). It can no longer hold you hostage.
(c) 12/12/2008
When you find your center in inner peace, ego no longer has power over you (the power that your intellect and emotions gave it in the first place - the power that ego gave itself). It can no longer hold you hostage.
(c) 12/12/2008
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