the way we see....

Is what we see always what we see?

A man or a dog running through the snow

(& little pups in the trees)

Rising above Despair

Stately Evergreens in my front yard

Dearest & Nearest,

Do you celebrate Valentine's Day in your country, or is it only a USA holiday? Normally, I post a special lesson here on February 14th. This year, time got away from me. So I will publish that lesson today, in another post. 

Some of you may know that I am caring for my 91 year old mother. And I help out my brother who has a disabling illness.

My mother, Arloween Mae, lives alone and takes care of her daily needs. She can still drive, though only under certain conditions and does so rarely. Here in NYS the winter has been harsh and she cannot go out alone in the snow and ice.

I do her shopping and paperwork, pick up her medications at the pharmacy, drive her to doctor's appointments, take out her trash, do her laundry, and whatever else she cannot do on her own. This all requires a great deal of time and energy, often in the freezing cold. 

I recently had to drive her to Pennsylvania, where we had to spend the night because she needed a procedure which took two days. I do not enjoy motels, but there we were. And the next morning, when we had to rise before dawn to go to the hospital, its was frigid and icy.

The point is, my 'time' is more limited these days. 

Life changes, doesn't it? This is what we can count on. And no matter how 'enlightened' we may become, there are still the daily tasks of living. The human body is still subject to cold and heat, accidents and illnesses. We still get worrisome mail we must deal with. There are still spam calls and spam emails. Wars and taxes. Rent or house payments to make. Loneliness and discouragement. Fear and hope.

Right now, as I write, all is peaceful. The golden sun is rising over the hills. The huge evergreens in my front yard are stately and beautiful. The snow is melting and the grass re-appearing. The laundry is in the washer. My cat is sleeping. And I am here in the peace with you. Well, actually I am here in peace with myself, since I am writing this here alone.

Remember I have written that angels are meant to do most of their work unseen by human eyes? Which is also true of the work I do...most of my angel work is done alone, in silence, then sent into the silence. Perhaps you read it; perhaps not. And if you read it, perhaps you receive and imbibe its message; perhaps not.

Anyway, since I began writing this, the sun has risen completely and the morning is in full swing—I stopped to let the cat out, hang laundry, complete other tasks. And soon I must add up numbers and fill out forms for my mother. 

The point of this message is that we must not despair because the ordinary events life continue. Despair not because the body grows older. Because a love affair ends. Because a friend deserts or betrays you. Because the tax office demands more money. Because your body becomes ill. Because your body is hurt in an accident. Because life seems overwhelming at times. Despair not.

And if you do despair, do your best to observe the despair. There is no need to try to stop it. Despair arises so long as it is within you to arise. The good news, the angelic news, is that you are not the despair, nor is the despair you. 

You can use the only real power a human being has—the power to SEE. To Observe. Even a blind person person has this power, because we are referring to a power beyond physical sight.

SEE despair when it arises. Learn from it. The false power that despair assumes is the power to take you over, overwhelm you, paralyze you with hopelessness and depression. Fatigue you. Turn all into blackness. As if you are drowning in it.

I have never almost drowned, but those who have say that at some point there is total peace—an acceptance that one is drowning. But these are stories from those who have survived drowning. 

My mother nearly drowned as a child. She says she saw her life go by in little glass boxes. Of course, she was only a child, so she didn't have much life to go by. Then, her brother, who was in the boat, grabbed her by her hair and pulled her out. So she never reached the point of seeing the Light or coming into peace. 

She never saw the Light, and so she was only left with the wonder of the little boxes—and a terrible fear of water. She never went into the water again. Still, what she most remembers is the wonder of little boxes.

When despair arises, even when you feel are you drowning in it—in the cold water of darkness—you have the power to SEE. Just as my mother, even while drowning, still, somehow, had the power to SEE—to see the little boxes which contained her life—going by.

She was seeing memories, actually, contained within her brain. Who was SEEING — even in the midst of drowning? 

YOU have the power to SEE. No matter how deep your despair may seem.

Please keep in mind: 

"I have the power to SEE no matter how deep my despair may seem."

"I am not the little boxes of memories."

"I am not the despair; nor is the despair me."

"The power of SEEING is stronger than any negative emotion."

"The power of SEEING is stronger than any negative thought."

When you truly See—you Understand. With understanding comes peace. We fear only that which we do not understand. Only that which we do not understand has the false power to control us.

Seeing without rose-colored glasses

You are on a joyful path—joyful because you are moving from unconsciousness to consciousness. It takes courage and wisdom to look at yourself—really look—without the rose-colored glasses—without blaming anyone else for what you see—without projecting your flaws and weaknesses onto other people—without denying your light—without negating your beauty—without playing the role of victim—without playing the role of aggressor—without pretenses—without disguises. Just looking. Seeing what is and what is not. This is the way to compassion. This is the path to the heart. The path to the heart is blocked by the dark clouds of unawareness—by what you are afraid to see—the tiny slivers that hide in your unconscious.    

Seeing with your Heart

Helen Keller, who had eyes that could not see and ears that could not hear, said, “The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt within the heart.”

What might it be like to really see—with the heart? Perhaps the sense of separation would vanish. Perhaps you would be completely safe and serene in the Oneness of things. Perhaps you would be wiser and saner. Perhaps you would see better than ever before!

Even if you were without judgment, you would not be without discrimination. Discrimination is necessary so you do not try to tie a snake around a box. Seeing things as they are, not as you think they are, allows for more acute discrimination.

Seeing

Observe an object, for instance, a candle. See the candle. See what is seeing the candle. Drop away the candle. What is left is that you are seeing or observing what is seeing the candle. In other words, you are aware of being aware. This is true self- remembering or self-awareness avoiding the trap of illusory self-remembering.”  -Sri Madhava Ashish

"There is such a way, open to all, on every level, in every walk of life. Everybody is aware of himself. The deepening and broadening of self-awareness is the royal way. Call it mindfulness, or witnessing, or just attention - it is for all. None is unripe for it and none can fail. But of course, you must not be merely alert. Your mindfulness must include the mind also. Witnessing is primarily awareness of consciousness and its movements." -Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj