Thank God for the writers and artists, the musicians, and sages.

 

Because you're not what I would have you be, I blind myself to who, in truth, you are. ―Madeleine L'Engle

And when we do this ― we blind ourselves to who, in Truth, we are. What we do to others, we do to ourselves.

Madeleine L'Engle was a wonderful writer of children's books, books for adults, and poetry. Her book, A Wrinkle in Time, was one of the first books I read as a child which began to wake me up to Reality ― to what I knew in my heart was true. Thank God for the writers and artists, the musicians and sages. 

The very first book from my young childhood, which showed me what I knew deep inside, was one I have also written a lesson about ― Miss Hickory, by Carolyn Sherwin Bailey. It revealed to me that we all have hard hickory nut heads. We must begin the spiritual journey to melt into the softness of our heart ― which is the only true strength.

The 3rd book from childhood that I also I fell in love with was, The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnettt, published in 1911. This book was also about the spiritual journey, of growing from darkness to light.

We must all grow from darknessc― our negative thoughts, feelings, and actions ― to the Light of Truth. 

I AM

I am enough. I have enough. There is enough. 

 

 

Photo from Lilly Summer

 

 

 

 

Money! Honey! (From Lesson 66)

How do you handle your money? Do you have a savings account? Are you saving for your old age? Do you have a special fund you could live on if you suddenly were without an income? Do you keep track of your money? Do you know where your money goes each month? Do you earn enough for your needs? Do you spend more than you earn? Do you rely upon someone else to support you? Do you work hard and earn very little? Are you a workaholic? Is money your god?

Are you greedy with money? Extravagant? Generous? Foolish? Do you think carefully before making a big purchase? Are you gullible when a salesperson comes along trying to sell you something?

Do you fret and worry about money? Do you envy people with more money? Do you think you are superior to people with less money? Do you think you are inferior to people with more money? Do you associate money with fear? Are you in debt? Are you a borrower?

The better you handle your money, the happier you will be. Some people have a great deal of money, but don’t handle it well, and this brings friction into their lives. Some people don’t have much money but they handle what they have very well. They live below their means. They do not covet what they cannot have. They are content with what their money can buy.

The Lotus Flower

Love is stronger than fear.
Light is brighter than darkness.
Truth endures when all else fades.

When you worry excessively about the future, you are holding hands with darkness. You have already forgotten the purity and innocence of the present moment. You have forgotten that all the mud in the world cannot touch the pure lotus blossom of your true nature. You have forgotten that the thicker and deeper the mud, the more beautiful the lotus blooms. 

The lotus is a flower
that grows in the mud
the thicker and deeper the mud
the more beautiful the lotus blooms.

 

Change

"It is very difficult to change---and no change is possible as long as life and imagination are the source of meaning for you." ~Maurice Nicoll

Success

“Creating a life that reflects your values and satisfies your soul is a rare achievement. In a culture that relentlessly promotes avarice and excess as the good life, a person happy doing his own work is usually considered an eccentric, if not a subversive. 

Ambition is only understood if it’s to rise to the top of some imaginary ladder of success. Someone who takes an undemanding job because it affords him the time to pursue other interests and activities is considered a flake. A person who abandons a career in order to stay home and raise children is considered not to be living up to his potential — as if a job title and salary are the sole measure of human worth. 

You’ll be told in a hundred ways, some subtle and some not, to keep climbing, and never be satisfied with where you are, who you are, and what you’re doing. There are a million ways to sell yourself out, and I guarantee you’ll hear about them. To invent your own life’s meaning is not easy, but it’s still allowed, and I think you’ll be happier for the trouble." -Bill Watterson, creator of Calvin & Hobbs 

© Universal Press Syndicate

You yOu YoU YOU yoU YOu you

http://www.theclearandsimpleway.com/

The Clear and Simple Way School Messages
The false you is the ego you, which is lack, loss, fear and limitation, which is unhappiness

The question is, is there a you to be happy? Who is this you? Who defines happiness for this you? Is it the false you that is composed of thoughts and  beliefs you have received from other people who were also living from a false you? Do you really want to live by those definitions? And does it ever end? Do you ever reach lasting happiness, or do you need yet another desire fulfilled, another sensation?

What if you give up the idea that you are happy? Or even unhappy? Why not just see where you are? Where you really are. Right now. This moment. Why not see where your definitions of happiness are coming from?

Why not refuse to be defined at all? Why not find out what it is like to live freely, without limiting definitions? Why not find out who this ‘you’ that you call happy or unhappy really is? Perhaps there is a deeper you; a truer you, a you without you. No you. No definition. Infinite. Constantly creative. Limitless.  Happy beyond all definition. Perhaps this is so—stay here—find out for yourself. 

Messages  on my Website:
http://www.theclearandsimpleway.com/monthlymessage.htm
©2016 Judith Ann Parsons aka Indira 

Happiness

The false you is the ego you, which is lack, loss, fear and limitation, which is unhappiness

Everyone wants to be happy. If you are not happy, tell yourself the truth about this. Telling the truth is the only hope you have of being happy. Give up the idea that you are already happy. If you were honestly living in the happiness of your true nature, your seeking on earth would be over. Is it over? At least ask yourself some questions about your ideas of happiness. Ask yourself if you are happy because. If you are happy because of something, then you can also become unhappy because that thing changes or goes away. If you are happy because your children are doing well in school, you can become unhappy when they are not doing well in school.

It is fine to express happiness when your children do well in school, but no matter how well your children do, they are not here to build up your sense of self. You are not more or less, no matter what your children do. You are you. Complete, whole and perfect, independent of any cause. At least, the real you is. The false you is another story. The false you is a story. It is an unreal story, a fantasy, but not a happy fantasy.
p.s. this is my mom's cat, Baby, who left her body recently for her next journey. God Speed, Baby!

Steve Jobs’ Last Words -

Steve Jobs’ Last Words

 

I reached the pinnacle of success in the business world. In others’ eyes, my life is an epitome of success.

However, aside from work, I have little joy. In the end, wealth is only a fact of life that I am accustomed to.

At this moment, lying on the sick bed and recalling my whole life, I realize that all the recognition and wealth that I took so much pride in, have paled and become meaningless in the face of impending death.

In the darkness, I look at the green lights from the life supporting machines and hear the humming mechanical sounds, I can feel the breath of god of death drawing closer…

Now I know, when we have accumulated sufficient wealth to last our lifetime, we should pursue other matters that are unrelated to wealth… Should be something that is more important:

Perhaps relationships, perhaps art, perhaps a dream from younger days ...
Non-stop pursuing of wealth will only turn a person into a twisted being, just like me.

God gave us the senses to let us feel the love in everyone’s heart, not the illusions brought about by wealth. 

The wealth I have won in my life I cannot bring with me. What I can bring is only the memories precipitated by love. That’s the true riches which will follow you, accompany you, giving you strength and light to go on.

Love can travel a thousand miles. Life has no limit. Go where you want to go. Reach the height you want to reach. It is all in your heart and in your hands.
What is the most expensive bed in the world? - "Sick bed" …

You can employ someone to drive the car for you, make money for you but you cannot have someone to bear the sickness for you. Material things lost can be found. But there is one thing that can never be found when it is lost – "Life".

When a person goes into the operating room, he will realize that there is one book that he has yet to finish reading – "Book of Healthy Life".

Whichever stage in life we are at right now, with time, we will face the day when the curtain comes down.

Treasure Love for your family, love for your spouse, love for your friends...

Treat yourself well. Cherish others.

wisdom

Your divine nature is always divine. You are that divinity. You are that Light. You are. It is your lower nature that causes all your problems. This is the nature of ego. Ego is not your true nature. It is a fraud masquerading as your true self. Don't believe it--don't believe in it. Not for one minute.

Kierkegaard was a wise man

Email to client...

Dear Students, Today I am posting an email I sent to one of my female clients, who has just separated from her husband. I have changed identifying information, to respect confidentiality. I think by reading it, you can learn a great deal. I have kept the words to her soft, so they can be heard. She is not a student, so she does not have the same level of understanding that students achieve over time, but she is a very long term client. Here is the email:

Dearest -----

You have made the physical separation from your husband, now you must make the psychological separation, which can only happen inside you. For so long you have defined yourself in relation to your husband. Over time, that became a definition that was painful to you, and you sought to remove yourself from that pain.

Stay clear that the ego will seek to continue to keep you in pain. That is what ego does. Ego is a pain machine.

Watch the issues of boundaries. Instead of constantly saying that he is overstepping your boundaries, simply, clearly state what you want. To yourself. To him. I’d just leave out the word boundaries, if you can.

Boundaries can be an offensive and defensive word. You needed to use it when you were making your move and getting stronger. Now you can just be an adult and clearly state - "This is what I want. This is what I choose. This is what I am doing. I do not want that. I do not choose that. Not right now, please. Maybe later. NO. Yes."

These are all good statements for you to consider.  You can just say, no. You can say, not now. You can say, no, thank you. You can say, I don’t want to. You can say, Can you please tell me what you mean, because I don’t understand. You can say, yes. You can say, I need time to think about that. You can say, I can’t answer that right now. You can say, I am feeling uncomfortable and need to be with my own energy right now, so I can deal with my feelings.

These are good “I” statements. You will find your own, the more you turn within.

“I” statements will help you go within to find out what you are feeling and thinking. “I” statements tend to be less combative, less offensive, less defensive, less confusing.

Keep in mind, you both love your children. So far your husband has been supportive of your move, providing  for you financially. Do your best to stay with what is, not go into fear. Fear is the greatest weapon of control. Don’t forget that.

People say all kinds of things when they feel attacked and afraid. Do your best not to give power to what people say when they are feeling defensive, afraid, attacked. Try to just see. Really see. Do your best not to react.

Right now, today, everything is okay. Now you have a chance to look at the pain that is within you. When your husband was always there, it was easy to see that your pain was caused by your interaction with him. When he is not there, you have the beautiful opportunity to advance spiritually by taking full responsibility for your own pain — seeing it.

As the angels say, “what you are not aware of controls you. When you become aware of something, it begins to lose control over you.”

The problem is where the pain is. This is a universal truth.

This is a beautiful time for you, an opportunity for expansion and freedom.

I trust that you and your husband will be able to work everything out in a way that serves both of you and your family. Old patterns are being broken. Ego will resist that. Be patient, loving, and kind with yourselves and each other as you work to overcome the feelings of fear, pain, and limitation. You can do it! There is no enemy.

What is beautiful to remember is that even as human beings fight against each other, each of you has an angel who holds you in the light. Angels always work together. When you can attune to your angel, you are attuning to the angel of everyone. This is because angels serve only God’s will, and so angels exist in harmony, even while we exist in conflict.

Love,
Indira

HAPPINESS AMONG THE STARS

Dear Students,

Some of you may have heard the recent news about the very famous, beautiful, and wealthy movie star whose husband was unfaithful and now they are going through a divorce. Without her handsome young husband, this actress is losing control, doing drugs, and generally destroying her life. 

Happiness

What blocks happiness?

Today I received a payment from a student who always pays her tuition on time, without even a word from me. This was a very happy payment because she included a note that said, "I think the payments to you are the happiest ones!" I felt happy reading her words, grateful for her gratitude, but also because I know she is paying attention to her everyday life. She knows when payments are due. She is taking responsibility for her life, which is part of our spiritual path. Thank you, dear student! She also said the Open Classroom is her favorite place to visit early mornings! 

I also like coming to Your Open Classroom, especially when I find new messages. And her words make me want to write even more here, since I know there is an early morning visitor stopping by. So if you see more of me here, you can thank her. Gratitude is healing both to give and receive! And thank you to all of you who show up here and participate when you have the time. Speaking of happiness. Do you know one of the biggest blocks to happiness?