ACTIVELY DOING SPIRITUAL WORK

Dearest & Nearest,

When you are actively doing spiritual work—which doesn't mean just sitting in meditation once a day—it means ACTIVELY DOING SPIRITUAL WORK—then your life truly becomes permeated with spirituality, like the scent of roses or lilacs permeate the air where they grow. Then spirituality can permeate even your dreams. Even in your dreams your spiritual work towards freedom can continue.

For example, I woke from a dream the other morning. In this dream there was pain—someone was in great emotional pain—and I could feel it. And I was telling him that it was because he was focusing upon these painful thoughts. And that over here, if he just shifts his focus, is a beautiful pure white shining flower.

I can still see that flower now. It was shimmering and radiant with light.

I told him—if you just shift your focus to this flower, the pain will go away. Nothing can touch this flower—which is the radiance of your true being—not all the pain and darkness of the world. You must only shift your focus.

Isn't this a wonderful spiritual teaching. And it all came in a dream.

with love and devotion, as always...

So sweetly pure and innocent this bunny sat quietly while I took it's picture, knowing I meant it no harm.

A Dream

Sitting at my laptop thinking about what to write this early morning...I've been awake since 4am...I fell asleep for a moment and had this brief dream. In the dream, I am the "me" and also witnessing everything from a larger perspective. I see myself walking on a path in a dark green forest. I turn to see a huge cat following me, a mountain lion maybe. The cat leaps forward to chase me, and I remain still and give myself this advice: "It's better not to run." And then I wake up.

It's better not to run. Sometimes this is true. We need to know when to run from danger and when to stand still in the face of danger. In order to know what to do we must listen to that still small voice within...this means taking time to listen...it means knowing our self...as Shakespeare counseled, to thine own self be true...

We cannot be true to our own self unless we know ourself. Otherwise, we may end up being true to someone's else's idea of who we should be. We may be easily led away from our true self, easily influenced by opinions that are not in keeping with our real nature.

As Proverbs 4:5-9 advises, Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.

Understanding ourself, our  true nature, brings the greatest wisdom. Overall, it is better that we not run from anything that arises within us--that we face and seek to understand our inner world. 

Photo by Gary Cook

sleeping while awake

"Most people, about five minutes after they get up in the morning, begin to identify with negative emotions - i.e. they identify with their habitual personal reactions to life. They do not observe what happens to them simply because they have no self-observation. They let themselves go. They do not remember themselves. They do not hold themselves together internally. In other words, they instantly fall asleep on rising. They pass the day in attracting to themselves situations and things that would not come to them if they remembered themselves. Half an hour in the morning can make a great difference all day long. You can all see for yourselves what it means to be under the Law of Accident and the Law of Destiny or Fate." ~ Maurice Nicoll.

Awake or Asleep?

Well, it is 4 am in Germany, and I have been awake since 3 am, while the rest of the world (at least on this side of the ocean) sleeps. On the other side of the ocean, people are awake in the sunlight. Wherever we are, we should strive to wake up. To do this, we must first realize that we are asleep -- that we live our lives unaware and unconscious. You can't wake up until you realize you are asleep.

WHALE DREAM

Last night I had the most beautiful dream. It was so real and vivid that it is still with me, all the colors, scents, and feelings, like a beautiful vision. I was in the center of the ocean. The colors are still with me, so bright, turquoise blue and green. The whales swam to me, to greet me, very close, to where I was sitting on a small island, just big enough for me. A huge black glistening whale swam near me, so close I could have reached out to touch him. He had  so much power, I was in awe and a bit of trepidation, but he was gentle. Then there were turquoise green whales. So many kinds of whales. The whales could speak to me. They came with a message. They wanted humans to stop harming the ocean and their home. 

This experience reminds me of this angel writing I once did: "The angels of oceans are great devas, serene and tranquil. The love to chant the name of God. They know the language of all sea animals and fish. These angels possess such stillness of heart that you can hear it if you go to the ocean and listen carefully. The angels of the ocean have a deeply intuitive relationship with whales, dolphins, manatees, octopi and all conscious sea life. Intelligent sea creatures experience the presence of angels in a way that humanity is vastly unaware of. When human beings savage the oceans, the angels draw even closer to the great sea animals and do their best to comfort them and calm the fish and fauna that inhabit the ocean."