I am Therefore I am

Forgiveness

2009-03-24T14:16:00.002-05:00

When I have done radio interviews, one of the questions that keeps coming up is about forgiveness. Have I forgiven my mother for what she did to me? I reply to this with another question. At what level do you want to look at forgiveness? As I have risen to a higher perspective, my view of forgiveness has evolved. When I was going through the early years of therapy, there was a period that I cut off contact with her for about a year. I was angry with her for what she did, and then I came to a certain level of acceptance and forgiveness. This is the typical reaction of the world --- forgiveness follows anger. But there is a false premise underlying this scenario, for it assumes that someone is forgiving something which is true. We do this because this what we are taught by the world's religions that this is what we are supposed to do.

When you forgive something that you believe truly happened, then you always feel uncomfortable about it. There is always that small thought which reminds you of the offense committed by that person, even when you think that you have forgiven them. And that uneasiness is the way that it should be, because if they have truly wronged you, attacked you, etc. then how can you forgive this. But this is the perspective that we use when we see through eyes of separation, when we see bodies. Bodies that are separate from you are capable of attacking you. When I moved to a higher perspective and I began to see through eyes of Oneness, this lower perspective of forgiveness passed away. We are One, and this is your dream of separation. You are the writer, the actor, the director, and the producer of everything that happens to you. There is nothing random, and every one of your encounters, regardless of how minor, is pulled to you, by you, on purpose. Everything! You probably believe that only some of the things that happen to you are fated, but it is all or nothing, otherwise the universe would be chaos. This was not an understanding I gained overnight; it evolved until I knew that there was nothing random. What a beautiful model of how the body of God works!

Since there is nothing random and you are pulling every encounter and every circumstance to you, there must be a purpose. You are not doing this to yourself so that you will suffer. You are doing this to grow in perspective and to remember God. So when someone wrongs you, whether it be minor, like a mean comment, or whether it be major, like the rape of a loved one, you are pulling this to you. Now, I can see the thoughts flying through your head that says this guy is crazy --- I would never choose to have my sister raped. And I will say at the level of your personality or egoic mind, you would not choose that. But when we move to a higher perspective, we realize that we have been seeing and judging through that egoic mind and that nothing happens outside the Will of God. Only the Will of God exists, because God is One. Only God exists. There is no choice which is made that is independent of another. In the Oneness we don't see separate bodies that can attack or wrong us. Those that appear in a body and are part of your dream are really God in disguise doing a hell of an acting job so that you can evolve in perspective. With you/God (one and the same) doing these wrongs to you, what is there to forgive? These acts or wrongs did not happen in the way that you think they did. At the reality of Love, which is the only true reality, they really didn't happen at all.

What is the difference between Jesus and Hitler

2009-03-13T13:17:00.002-05:00

Nothing. They were both just actors in a play. They were both divine, regardless of their actions. If you see a difference, you are using your own (unique only to you) belief system to cast judgment on what is good and bad. Can you utilize discernment instead of judgment? Judgment is based on a system of good and bad. It is based on a belief in sin. But sin does not exist. God is expressing through each of us, and we are inseparable from His perfection. If you have a hard time with this, then know that you are judging yourself and that you see yourself as sinful. Few people feel this at the foundation that holds this belief. It is too painful, too scary. As opposed to judgment, discernment sees actions not as bad and good but rather as choices that we would decide not to make. I would choose not to do the same actions as Hitler, but I know that he was an expression and manifestation of God, as am I. And I am one with him. So if I see his actions as sinful, I am seeing myself as sinful. When you no longer see Hitler as a body, separate from you, that performed horrific acts, you will see through eyes of unity. And when you see through eyes of unity, you no longer judge his actions as anything other than what an actor might do in a play. See how this all ties in together?

Of course, there was one important "difference" between Jesus and Hitler. They differed in their recognition. We exist on a continuum (no separation). In his recognition Jesus was at one end of the continuum, and Hitler was at the other. At a personality or worldly level, Hitler thought that was all he consisted of. He did not recognize his divinity at all. Otherwise, he would not have committed those acts. Jesus fully recognized his divinity. He saw his personality/worldly mind as a very small part of him, and he saw that this personality would pass away when this segment of the dream ended for him, leaving only his true essence. So opposite ends of the continuum. But when we look at the continuum, we realize that it must be a circle, because there is no separation. If it is a circle, when you put the two ends of the continuum together, Jesus and Hitler are right next to each other. Very interesting. In essence, this tells you to not be fooled by appearances, nor should we take anything as hard and fast or black and white. In God, everything blends to grey.

Are You Afraid Of Losing Your Job Or Your House?

2009-03-06T14:18:00.002-06:00

Well, obviously you are not alone. It is understandable in these times to have such fears. But are these fears serving you? What exactly is in your control?

I want to make a distinction. You think that earning money, keeping your job, etc. are in your control, but they are not in your control in the way you think, thus they are not really in your control. Or better yet, you are affecting what happens (having control) in a negative way. If you are out of work, you believe that you can get a new job through effort --- putting out large numbers of resumes, furthering your education to make you more attractive to employers, etc. If you are competing against many others out of work, which is increasingly the case these days, you may believe that it is hard to impossible to get any decent job. But neither of these beliefs is real. They are beliefs which are based on this illusory world. They are based only on appearances, just as who you think you are is based on a false belief in your ego/personality as real. What is Real is not based on anything as fleeting as appearances. Because you create your reality through thought, as your fear increases, you effectively ask God and the Universe to bring you more of the same (less money, job loss). This puts you in a deadly downward spiral as what you fear most becomes manifested.

You think that having money and a house will keep you safe. Basically, you believe in the appearance of separation and the body as who you are. Your Source is unlimited, but in order to tap in to that Source, which is the Kingdom of God, you must withdraw your belief in separation. When you do that, you know with complete certainty that God will provide all of your needs. You need only to open to the abundance that surrounds you and of which you are a part. There could be unemployment of 50%, but if you know that as a part of God you have available to you all of His peace, joy, and abundance, you will be fine. And I don't mean fine as in just being at peace with everything. I also mean finding a job, your perfect job, when everything arounds you looks bleak. That is true control. That is manipulating the system - LOL! Now is the time for you to come to the knowing that He is present with you at all times and that fear is not real. For the majority will not come to that understanding, and as their fear grows, you have the opportunity, through contrast, to open an incredible world. You have the opportunity to take an evolutionary leap in your remembrance.

Looking Outside Yourself

2009-02-23T14:13:00.002-06:00

Why do we constantly look to others to save us? President Obama has a great Light in and around him, and people are placing their hopes on him. But they are also placing their heavy expectations. They expect that he will solve all of their problems in quick fashion. But there are several problems with this outlook. First, purely from a worldly perspective, these problems were not created overnight. But more importantly, we need to look at these problems from a higher perspective, not a worldly one. Albert Einstein said that you can't solve a problem in the same field of consciousness in which the problem was created. So you can't solve this economic crisis by throwing more money at the situation or by trying to fix the problem. This "problem" is a spiritual issue. Everything is a spiritual issue, not what it appears --- an economic problem, a racial problem, etc. This turmoil we are encountering now is collectively, as the One, what we have decided our course of action to be.

So if you, as part of the One, have decided this to be the course of action, then you have personal responsibility for what is happening. Don't cast the blame on anyone else, and don't look to anyone else, including the President to fix the problem. It is not fixable until you see it from a different perspective, until you no longer see it as a problem that you, as a body, are encountering. Because you are not a body! Looking to the government to fix this is no different than looking to a pastor or priest or rabbi to teach you about God or to be your intermediary to God. You give your power away when you do this. You believe that you are small, separate, and sinful, and you would never think that you could talk to God directly. Heaven forbid you entertain the thought that you are One with God. But you are. The answers to this crisis --- the answers to everything lie within you.

The Spiritual Search and Enlightenment

2009-02-06T11:50:00.002-06:00

There may be a number of people who read this post and get angry. And that is good! Because when you have a reaction to something, it is an invitation to explore why you have the reaction and ultimately, to drop the false belief that has created the reaction. If you see yourself on a search for enlightenment, whatever form that may be (and we will come back to that), then you are trying to run toward something. Which means that you are running AWAY from something else. You are running away from your present life, how you see yourself, your concept of perfection, your concept of God, etc. Anytime we run away from something we are seeing with eyes of Duality, not Unity. God is All, so when you search for something different, you put one thing as better or more preferable than another. This gives the impression of a split that cannot occur, for God is One, God is All, and you are part of that Oneness. You are part of that perfection. So when we see differences, we see from a split mind --- that doesn't really exist. It is this split mind which undertakes the search for something better, because this split mind, knowing at some level that it is not real, has to constantly reinforce itself.

So enlightenment is not something separate from you. If you are All as part of God, you must already possess this thing which you search for. But possess is not the right word. You ARE this thing which you search for. So it is just a recognition you need to make. There is and can be no change. Now, there are many ways that you can fool yourself by not recognizing the search that you are on. Because if you keep searching and keep fooling yourself, you will never have to "face the music." You believe that facing the music will be very hard, painful, and punishing by God as He sees your "sins." But none of this is true. Yes, there may be a little angst as you release false beliefs, but there is joy, love, perfection, and wholeness on the other side. This is what you already are --- it is just a matter of recognition. So what are you searching for? Even if it is not enlightenment, maybe it is a good companion, a better career. It can be any number of things. Don't be fooled by the form in which you search. Searching for something like a companion or job is no different than searching for enlightenment. Now people will say that living in the world means that you have a job, a spouse, etc., and sometimes we change jobs, get married. This is true, but take a close look at your search. Are you dissatisfied with your current situation, for this is eyes of Duality. Change that comes as part of the River of Life means that you recognize the perfection as you are but you are open to change within that perfection. It is a subtle but important difference.

Did Jesus Die For Our Sins?

2009-01-25T11:33:00.002-06:00

If you have read my last post about sin, then you probably think you know my answer. But I may surprise you on this one. This is one of those deals where our belief system determines the answer, and since our belief system is different than others, plus we change our beliefs constantly, then the answer is not Truth. Only the changeless (God) is Truth. So the answer to the question of this post is "true" for everyone where they are at. Plus it is more muddled than that.

Jesus died for our sins to show us that sin never existed. If you are a person who believes in the standard Christian theology that you were born in sin, then by Jesus' act he took your sins away from you. And in a sense he did that, although you are not taking the same path to the answer. Jesus was crucified because those who condemned him to death projected their sins on to him, in their belief system only. He was such a bright light that they were afraid of the light shining upon them and revealing their sins to God. Since they were under a belief system of sin, they also believed in separation from God and from each other, and they believed in the body as real. Thus by destruction of Jesus' body and his death, the sins which they had projected on to him were destroyed. In the several centuries after his death, early Christian theologians operated under the same belief system as those who had sent Jesus to his death, but they certainly did not understand the psychology of projection, thus they came to the logical conclusion that their sins had been "taken away" (not projected) by his sacrifice. And until someone begins to break through the belief in separation, they will continue to see it that way.

So back to the original question. But first that brings up another question that has to be answered. Jesus knew that these people were projecting their sins on to him and that they believed in the destruction of these sins through the death of his body. But he also knew that sin and separation do not exist, thus his crucifier's line of thinking was illusory. Why did he permit himself to be crucified? He could have "blinked" out of there at any time --- you know, gone to the live the sweet life somewhere on Earth or just left his body to return to the heart of God. He stayed, because he knew that "sin" would be "gone" either way someone interpreted his death. Only through his death could he show that sin never existed. Some people would come to this understanding by never starting with the belief that they were born in sin. Others would believe in sin initially and still have the final conclusion that they were sinless; they would just come in a different route to get there. They would see the falsity of their belief system from a different viewpoint, as they would first have to come to an understanding that they have projected their sins on to others and the world. Sin was not taken away in the way which they thought, as they came to see that it only existed in their own belief system.

By either way you could "say" that Jesus died for our sins. As you become more aware of who you truly are, you understand that we can never die, that you can destroy the body in this dream only. And you understand that sin does not exist, that at its worst it could be described as error. So Jesus was a savior to the world, for he illuminated many unique paths to God.

To Sin or not to Sin

2009-01-16T09:28:00.002-06:00

Are we sinless, or are we sinful? Everyone wants to say that we are both, but that is impossible. Can you be partially pregnant? So if you believe that you can both, you have been fooling yourself. There are actions, thoughts, experiences, relationships --- whatever it is --- that you don't want to give up. You hold on to them because they define you. You can not imagine yourself as completely guiltless. You have known the victim role for so long that you would not know how to live without it. It scares you, just as God scares you. You don't even want to acknowledge your particular "sins", because to do so would mean that God will see them. And you fear punishment by Him for these "sins". So you tell yourself that you have some good (sinless) qualities, because somehow in your mind, that balances the "sins". It makes you feel better at the surface, while at a deep level, you hope that God's punishment will not be forthcoming because there are some "good" qualities within you. But as shown at the start of this blog, you are either completely sinful or completely sinless. There is no in between. How will you choose to see yourself?

You have no secrets from God, because God is All, and God expresses through you. So let's first drop the idea that you can hide anything from God. But that is not really the point here; it is only an intermediate step. Since God expresses through you and God is All, if you are completely sinful, God is as well. If you try to tell me that God is sinless and you are sinful, then you are still looking through eyes of separation, not unity. So is God sinful? You know the answer to that. God is Love. It is all Love, and we are one with that Love. Only sinlessness exists, and you are completely sinless. BY YOUR EXISTENCE! There is nothing you have to do, or be, or say to be sinless. If we asked one thousand people what a sin was, we would get one thousand answers. Sin is arbitrary. It varies from person to person as your belief system, which is created through your own experiences, varies. Anything that is arbitrary is not of God, as He is changeless. You are part of and One with that eternal changlessness. One of the funny parts to this is that God, because He is changeless, is not aware of illusion. He cannot be aware of something that is not of Him. So He is not aware of these crazy ideas of sin that each of us have. Each of us goes through this crazy process of worrying about and feeling guilty about our sins, as well as trying to avoid punishment, and He knows nothing of this. THIS IS ALL HAPPENING IN YOUR OWN MIND. Your "sins" and your beliefs around them are solely unique to you. We spend so much wasted energy on something that falls away once we withdraw belief from it. When we withdraw belief, we laugh at all of the mind games we played on ourself, and we see our sinlessness shining through for all eternity.

This is Your Dream

2009-01-13T16:45:00.002-06:00

When spiritual teachers say that we live in a dream, what does that mean? Maybe you understand that intellectually, but what happens when you experience that? It means that you see nothing outside of yourself. You create your complete world. Everything that happens to you is drawn to you by your own choice. So you say, how about the "bad" things that happen to me. Well, I can only remind you that there is no good and bad. There is only the One expressing through everything. Good and bad is a by product of your own perspective, of your own rose colored glasses. Good and bad implies differences, and there are no differences in the One. There is only the appearance of differences. So why do you draw those people or events to you that appear negative? We draw those negative people or events to us to help us see from a higher perspective. That higher perspective is seeing that there is only the One, that it is all Love. We draw the negative as a contrast to the positive until we no longer see these events as negative. Eventually we see that this is our dream alone. By that, I mean that we see only ourself in the dream. And at the same time we see ourself, we see God, for they are one and the same. God is within you and also appears outside of you in everything. It is only you and Him, because as you tap in to and you become one with the Mind of God, and especially the Mind of the one Son, that is all that exists. We are both God and His Son, and as part of the Sonship, you draw experiences to you that remind you of this and of your Father's Love. The vast majority of people are not conscious of this, but they are still making choices at the deepest level to create a remembrance within them. So as you walk the world, it appears to you that it is only you and God. Other people are Him. He surrounds you with remembrances and His Love. Your ego or personality mind can not fathom this, because you want to ask how this can be the case for me and no one else. How can everything be perfectly aligned for me to give me what I need? What about mass events involving many people with different purposes or outcomes? How can so many different purposes be served at once? But everyone (every One) is having their own dream of separation and remembrance. So while they have their own, they are also serving as God in yours. You could describe it as one large dream of separation with many individual dreams within it. It is "possible," because it is all happening in the Mind of God. It is all thought. Just as you can think thoughts that go in a million different directions, our lives go in an infinite number of ways as we make choices, even the simplest of choices. So you exist in all these different dreams at once, living many "realities."

Heaven is Acceptance

2008-12-18T08:20:00.002-06:00

We make things so difficult when they are so simple. It is not your actions, your thoughts, your feelings, or your experiences that are important. It is your judgement of those things that cuts you off from God. Accept things exactly as they are. You are an expression of God, and with that comes perfection. You are perfect as you are. You need to change nothing about yourself.

Nor do you need to change anything about the world or about someone else. I can hear you saying right now --- "Well look at the world. Look at how screwed up it." Yes, I would say that the world looks pretty screwed up right now. But looking and being are two separate things. When your child puts on a vampire costume at Halloween, are they a vampire? You can not, no matter how hard you wish it or try, change the fact that only Love exists. You can wish it so hard that you believe it, but your belief doesn't change the unalterable. So the appearance of the world being screwed up is just that an appearance. And you don't change the world. You change how you see the world. That starts by how you see yourself.

If you apply a judgement system of good and bad to yourself, you project that out to others and the world, seeing them as good and bad. But as I have discussed many times before (and it is worth repeating as many times as necessary --- definitely for myself,) you look at the world through your own set of rose colored glasses that are based on your own unique past experiences and your future expectations. We never live in the one holy moment and see things as they really are. Your set of glasses is completely unique to you, and it is not reality. Truth, reality, Love, God --- that is unchangeable. Anything that changes is part of this play we appear to live in and is fleeting.

How do we change the world? Change how you see yourself, and that will change how you see the world as you no longer project your unique set of beliefs (glasses) to the world. Accepting yourself exactly as you are in each moment --- whether you are feeling joy, sadness, anger, guilt --- whether you are having thoughts or desires to wring someone's neck or thoughts you consider dirty --- whether you have committed an action you see as horrible ---- accepting yourself leads to Heaven. Stop judging yourself. This is what cuts you off from God.

Step back, take a look at your judgment system of good and bad, and know that it is not real, it is not you. There are not degrees of perfection; it is either perfect or it is not. But can you even define perfection? What would the perfect person look like, say, or do? We think there are degrees of perfection, because we apply a system of good and bad, a system of degrees, when looking at things. There is no good and bad. It is what is. I AM.

Call on His Love

2008-11-13T14:25:00.004-06:00

I have written about a lot of subjects in my book and on this blog, but if there is one thing that you come away with, please know that God Loves you. He cherishes you. You complete Him, and you are His Beloved. These hard times, which are only now starting, are not a punishment for you. God does not punish. He expresses through you. Why would He punish Himself. As this dream, as this appearance gets harder and harder, you can always return to His Love inside of you. In fact, if you do not turn toward that Love, your body will not make it through this aspect of the dream. He can help you; He can take all your problems away by showing what is Real. He waits in infinite patience just to Love, to Love YOU. It is your choice. It is never too late, because turning back to Him means you leave this time based illusion and you return to the one eternal moment of your creation. You are me --- we are One. Let us do this together. His Love is the most simple, yet sweet and holy blessing, one that is beyond your imagination or comprehension. Let us return to Him and His Love.

Forgiveness Offers Everything You Want

2008-10-19T09:29:00.003-05:00

We are in turbulent times. The appearance of the world is worsening. For those who do not recognize any part of their spiritual awakening, fear and anger will continue to rise within them, and they will feel very lost. Those of us who are conscious of our awakening have the blessing of seeing from a much higher perspective, but that doesn't mean that it is any easier for us. Many of us have done our "work" for a long time. When the fear and anger arises within us, we tend to judge it, like we are doing something wrong. Like we have fallen back or fallen off our spiritual path. We can never fall off our spiritual path, because only God exists, thus there is nothing that is not spiritual. There is really not a path. I have written about forgiveness before, and in these times, forgiveness becomes very important. Most people have the wrong concept of forgiveness. They believe that you have to forgive, to overlook, something that is true. But forgiveness really means that we first see that the appearance of everything is a dream, thus there is nothing to forgive. No attack or hurt was done to you. It happened only in the illusion. When we judge ourselves for our anger and fear, we project this out to others as judgment of them, their actions, their words, their appearance. If we forgive them these "sins," then we see from the perspective that this is all a dream. We see that none of these "sins" occurred. Then a miracle occurs. We forgive ourselves. We also see that we never sinned. Offering forgiveness "works" for two reasons. When we offer forgiveness to someone else, a group, or the world, we offer it to ourself, because we are One. And we can only offer forgiveness if we have forgiveness to give. By offering something, we acknowledge that we already have it. Doesn't God work beautifully?

Will One Good Person Stand up and Tell Us the Truth?

2008-10-09T20:52:00.003-05:00

Is there a Christ among us? Is there anyone who will lead us out of this morass, someone who will be a moral and spiritual compass for those who are asleep? Is there anyone whom we can trust, as a clear vessel of God with pure intent, to administer this world as we come to a remembrance that the world is only a dream? The only way out of this financial, economic, and moral upheaval is to know that this world is a dream. With that knowing comes the remembrance of your Oneness with God, and all fear passes away. Fear is only present if you believe this dream is real. Those that will lead us out of the dream are those who are authentic. They are completely honest with themselves and those around them. We are still in the old system. Our politicians, those who are looked to for leadership, still believe that they can not tell the truth in order to be elected. I am not asking our presidential candidates to tell us this is a dream, because their level of awareness may not be at this point. They are exactly where they need to be. But I am asking them to be honest, to stand up and admit that our old systems are crumbling and that they do not know what the new will look like. I am asking them to admit that there may be great pain in this transition, and I am asking them to take personal responsibility. I am asking them, as well as all those in a leadership position, to not put the problem off on someone else. Each of us has responsibility for the way the world is, for even in this dream we are part of a larger collective, and individually and collectively we have made choices which have turned our face from God. These choices are not being talked about. Our turning from God is not being discussed. In this crisis, which will only worsen, everyone wants to blame someone else --- the government, the bankers, those who incur high debt. Where is the personal responsibility? The blame and victimhood must stop, for that keeps us from recognizing who we really are. The self interest must stop, because we are One. Each of us is responsible for salvation, for the ending of the dream. Each of must make the choice to stop being a victim. As important, each of us must no longer look to a person, a group, or the government to bail us out. Really, when we do this, we are looking for our salvation from something outside of ourself. Looking for and expecting the government to take care of your problems is no different than looking to a priest to help you talk to God. They are both diversions or reasons not to turn inward and find God within. Our politicians believe they must tell people what they want to hear to get elected. But the old is crumbling, and new ways, authentic ways, God centered ways, will be the only ways that work in elections, in business, in religion, in life. When people see that their beliefs rest on a foundation of sand, that no one or no thing in this world can assuage their fear and make them feel safe, then maybe they will truly listen for the first time. At that point they will be told what they need to hear instead of what they had previously wanted to hear. Is there a Christ among us? There are many Christs among us. You need look no further than yourself.

How Have We Arrived Here?

2008-09-22T19:57:00.003-05:00

As a followup to my last post, it is helpful to see how we have arrived at this point in the dream. Collectively, as the one Son of God, we have turned our face from Him, from our own true nature. As the pain of Longing has intensified, we have tried to fill this pain by numerous means. One of my previous posts mentioned how addicted we are to sugar, and this addiction is a feeble and failing attempt to replace the sweetness of His Love. In addition to sugar, we have tried to fill that infinite hole of Longing with drugs and alcohol, Internet addiction, workaholism, etc. And one addiction that most of us share is the addiction to materialism. As we acquire more and more, we become increasingly frustrated and despondent as money and material goods do not fill that hole, so we try to acquire more money in a futile effort. Pity the super rich person who has everything that could be acquired and still feels that hole, for they realize that the search for more had no meaning. For them this is either a time of awakening or suicidal despair. Money has nothing to do with the Longing, which is filled only through your relationship and Love with God. You can be reach or poor and find your true joy in Him. So here we are in this illusion, which is now crumbling. We are here because everyone wanted more, more money, more houses, more goods. Because they were so disconnected from themselves and God, they made decisions out of fear. They took risks and did things that were part of the herd mentality, because everyone else was doing these things. When you do not know your Oneness, you move with the herd, just like a bunch of gazelles running wild out of fear as they are chased by lions. They thought that they were safe as part of the herd, but this is just another illusion. Your safety comes from your recognition of your relationship with God. Now the house of cards is falling, because it never had any support. Nothing based on fear has support --- it is an illusion, it is not real. But if you continue to believe in this house of cards as real, the fear is just beginning for you. It is no accident that you are here in this dream at this appointed time. This is the time of your awakening, the time that you have chosen. What do you choose to do at this holy time?

The Foundations of the World Are Crumbling

2008-09-18T12:14:00.002-05:00

Because this world is illusory, it rests on a foundation of sand. This foundation has shown signs of cracks for a number of years, but now we are at the beginning where the whole structure will be coming down. The financial panic has only just begun, and it will spread in to everything, like a spark in an overgrown forest. What is overgrown here is our false beliefs about who we are. Everyone thinks this is a financial problem, but few see the spiritual underpinnings. It is spiritual, because everything is spiritual, everything is God. Collectively we have agreed to this forthcoming hurricane in order to help us remember who we really are. Whether it had to come to this is a moot point, for we are here. Individually and collectively we have manifested this scenario within the dream so that we will receive a "shock" to our memory. If you think this world is real, you will become increasingly fearful as these events unfold. But it does not have to be this way. Use these events as a contrast to show you what is Real, to show you that you are One with God and that you never separated from Him. This world, this dream, is a manifestation of our belief in separation. Because we believe that we sinned, we also believe that we should be punished. And in some respects, what we have called forth with the upcoming hurricane is our punishment. We believe that we should suffer to atone for our sins against God. But you see how one illusion --- the belief that we are separate --- leads to another illusion that we should be punished. And it leads to the belief that this world is real, which leads to great fear. You can depart from this dream of fear anytime you choose when you see yourself as One with God. When you do this, the world is no longer real and you no longer have fear over the events that are unfolding.

Shoulds

2008-09-03T10:22:00.002-05:00

Haven't all of us done certain actions because we felt like we should? Where does this belief that we have to do something come from inside of us? It comes from a false self, a self that is constantly looking for affirmation that it even exists. When we do something because we feel that we should, it is as if we are earning points. We are being a "good" boy or girl, meeting expectations of others. Just as we believed as a child that we had to do certain things and meet the expectations of our parents, we carry that belief over in how we deal with God. We believe in a system of reward and punishment, that somehow we have to "earn" our place in the grand scheme of things. We believe that we have to earn God's grace. There are no shoulds. That is a false belief that you carry. God requires nothing of us, for if he did, He would be requiring something of Himself. We are fulfilling our role perfectly by being an expression of Him. And we do things out of joy, not out of obligation.

Isn't That Interesting

2008-08-25T13:58:00.003-05:00

We spend so much time and energy getting caught up in our dramas. Somebody hurts our feelings, or we lose our job, or the dog dies, and we experience all of these ups and downs as if we are a boxer getting beaten to a pulp. Our mind stays on constant go mode, like it is mental masturbation. We think about what has happened, and we have regrets, joys, anger, etc., or we think about what will happen, and we have the same as above. We never live in the present moment observing. What if we observed these fears or this anger and just said to ourself, " Oh isn't that interesting." It would take us to a totally different perspective. It would take some of the fear away from the fear, or some of the anger out of the anger. Because a lot of our angst is our judgment of the fear, or our fear of the fear. We can see the fear for what it really is, just another energy arising within us. Oh isn't that interesting.

We Have Equal Parts in Salvation

2008-08-19T10:07:00.002-05:00

When we see only through eyes of separation, we see differences. The world takes an appearance through contrast, through the appearance of differences. But if we believe these differences are what truly exists, then we are not seeing God, and hence ourself, as One. There is only One of us awakening to ourself. When we meet another expression of God, we remember. We see ourself in that other expression, and that brings us back to a recognition and remembrance of our true self. The appearance of differences is a tool that helps us to do that. Each of us, as the One, has agreed to appear in this dream and fill a certain role. We are each a piece of an infinite puzzle. If you see yourself on a spiritual path, and you feel that you are somehow better, special, or different, then you are seeing through eyes of separation. No part is better or worse than another. No one has more to contribute to the awakening than someone else. Our salvation depends on all pieces of the puzzle going in to place. Those who care nothing for spirituality or God have as important a part as everyone else. When you think that being spiritual is better than not being spiritual, you are applying your belief system, which is based on illusory good and bad, and which is not real. Those who are not "spiritual," these expressions of God, have chosen to do their part in salvation in another form. If you are spiritual, this is just a form that passes away. Each of us has a very important function. We are all God. In fact, the person who is not caught up in being spiritual may have a very profound insight to share with you if you will only listen. They are not sharing their divinity from an ego standpoint, so they may be a clearer vessel than someone who sees themselves as spiritual.

Getting Hurt

2008-08-15T14:21:00.002-05:00

Most people are afraid of getting hurt. That is why so many people invest so much in their relationships with animals. We have 3 dogs and a cat, and I love them as part of the family, but my greatest personal growth has come from not running away from human relationships. That is where the true manna can be found. As opposed to an animal, people can hurt you. They will hurt your feelings, your sense of self worth, and your ability to love. By their words and their actions they will make you feel small. For me, because I had significant childhood issues I was dealing with, a comment could throw me back in to feeling like I was little and powerless. When you feel powerless as an adult, you either become withdrawn and depressed, or you become angry. Throughout my twenties and in to my thirties, I did both at different times. As I worked through those issues and became more of an adult emotionally, I was no longer frozen in emotional time as a kid and no longer reacting from that state. My self worth came from a knowing that I am perfect as I am and no changes are needed. I no longer saw the world through rose colored glasses of past experiences. When you live more and more in the wholeness, you recognize your holiness, and in that holiness God is found. So when you unwind all of the false beliefs you have about yourself, what you discover is God within. If you get hurt easily and you have reacted to this by putting up an emotional wall, you are cutting yourself off from Love. You think that you are "protecting" yourself, but in reality you are damming the flow. Ironically, the way to not get hurt is by getting hurt. When you allow yourself to feel everything, when you allow yourself to be in relationships where someone you love might hurt you or leave you, you learn how to deal with and grow from those hurts. What happens is that you learn to rely on yourself, not in the sense of being like Rambo, but in the sense of being your own nurturer, your own comforter. And you learn to rely on God, who is always there for you. Then when you enter in to a relationship, you can love fully, without expectation of what the other person will give to you or do. All the love they give you becomes a gift for which you are very grateful. If they leave you, will it hurt? Probably, but you now have the ability to comfort and fully love yourself. It is a great thing when equally you can love being by yourself or being with people. That is an authentic and fully open person.

The New Garden of Eden

2008-08-10T17:01:00.002-05:00

God wants us to love him by our own choice. He does not require anything. As His love is freely given to us, he is completed when that Love is freely given back to Him. No expectations. In order to know Himself, Herself, as Love, God desired that we would have the appearance of choice in order to turn away and then back to Him. I say appearance, because we can never be separate from God. But in order for God to have an experience of Himself, the appearance of separation was necessary. So when Adam desired the knowledge from The Tree of Life in order to make his own choices, God did not intervene. This was a necessary part of the journey. As subsequent choices were made by us, most with the appearance of turning ourselves away from God, God was saddened but not angry. For a God of Love does not get angry at the subject of His Love. God knew, that in order for us to have an appreciation of His Love, we needed to experience what it was like to feel absent from that Love. Instead of committing a "sin," the act in the Garden was necessary. So in this journey of many eternities, as we have "moved" farther away from His Love, the longing to return to who we are in Oneness calls us back. The "farther" we get away from it, the stronger the pull to return. And when we return, we are coming back fully of our own free will. It is drawing closer in time to experience the true Garden of Eden. This is a place where we have the knowledge that we can make choices, and we choose to stay fully present in the recognition of our Oneness and Love with God. All of our choices are made from a space of His Love. We are truly Cocreators in this new Garden of Eden. There is no appearance of separation between Heaven and Earth, and we live in paradise, experiencing ourself as Love.

What is Right

2008-08-04T13:46:00.002-05:00

I have mentioned in this blog that my fourteen year old son is very spiritual and he asks me deep questions. The other day he went to a Baptist church with one of his friends, and the preacher gave one of those sermons that are heavy in judgment, making my son angry. When he got home, he asked me how do we know that what we believe is right. I explained that there is only the appearance of right and wrong in this experience. Each of us has different beliefs based on our past experiences and future expectations. We see life through our own unique rose colored glasses. and even what we see as right and wrong can change in the next moment. Truth is not variable. It is self evident. What underlies all of these belief systems is what is Real, what is changeless. My book, my words, and this blog are not Truth. They are symbols which may or may not point us to the Divine. God is not about symbols or perception, because these change. If someone can find benefit in my words/symbology which can point them to their divine nature, then that is great. Everyone who listens to this judgmental Baptist preacher is also being led to the Divine, because all roads lead to God. God is All. These roads may appear to take a person away from God, but their path just may be a little longer. Or someone listening to this preacher may learn from contrast. They may learn about Love through the appearance of non Love (the judgment.) There are an infinite number of ways this can happen, and everyone, including me and this preacher, are exactly where they need to be. Maybe this preacher, this manifestation of God, decided to come to know God in this experience by being a piece of the puzzle that appears to be negative. What a sacrifice he is making for others. Remember, we are all One, and we are doing this together. In this experience, in appearance only, the difference between the preacher and me is that I know that God can be reached in innumerable ways, traditions, religions. And I know that what I am speaking about is not ultimate Truth, because words and symbols are still part of the illusion.

Next time you encounter someone with heavy judgment, hear them out. If you judge them, you are falling in the same trap and illusion they are in. Remember that this person is also on a path of remembrance and recognition to their true Divine nature, just like you are. Ask yourself the question, why have they been brought to me.

Guilt and Our Partner

2008-07-30T15:35:00.002-05:00

As a follow up to my last post, I want to comment on guilt within those close relationships. Guilt is usually present when there is friction between you and that person close to you. You feel like you are not doing it right or you are not doing enough, especially when that person expresses their anger toward you or their dissatisfaction with a situation that you can supposedly control. It doesn't matter whether their anger is justified, because that is only their perception, and that is an illusion. What matters is that the guilt is arising to be dealt with. Remember, everything that arises is a teacher for you in order for you to recognize who you truly are. Guilt is no exception. It is a gift of Love to show you that you are also Love. Guilt goes back to the beginning of time. It arose with fear when we first believed that we had separated from God. This "original" guilt calls out to be healed as it appears everywhere --- in our relationships, in our religions. Because our fear of facing this guilt, we have collectively created a belief that guilt is beneficial. We believe that guilt will alter our future thoughts or actions. So the cycle goes something like this. We feel separate from God because of our belief in separation. This feeling of separation leads us to judge our thoughts and actions, because we do not know our Oneness and we think that how we perceive the world is reality (we are also in the future and not in the present moment.) When we judge these thoughts and actions as bad instead of seeing them as neutral, we look to guilt to "save" us. Guilt is our Savior. We accept ourselves as guilty, thus we hope to preempt the punishment that we believe is coming. In our relationship with God, we judged ourselves as guilty instead of waiting for God's true judgment on His Son, that being that we are completely sinless. So in our relationships with others, we play out what happened with God. We, not the other person, decide whether we are guilty. They may or may not think that we are guilty, and it is all an illusion anyway, because both their judgment and our judgment is based on perception, not reality. So we decide to go ahead and punish ourselves, and in doing so we "love" the guilt for taking care of our "sins" and for teaching us, in a so gentle way, how not to do the same action or have the same thought the next time. Of course, we do the same thing again, and we look to guilt to save us another time. Only when we go to the root of the guilt and to the illusory belief behind it can we break the cycle. And when guilt no longer arises in you, then guess what does --- GOD!

Our Partner Is A Gift

2008-07-26T14:47:00.003-05:00

The person who is closest to you is the one who can teach you the most. When I say closest, I don't necessarily mean our spouse or closest friend. It can also be someone who you have to interact with on a frequent basis but whom you would not consider a friend. Closeness means irritation. They may or not be in our physical space, like a spouse, but they are definitely in our mental space, as we think about them frequently. They can be someone halfway around the world, or they can be someone who we have not seen in years but for whom we hold a lot of anger. There are a lot of possibilities. Because they are so "close," we see a reflection of ourselves in them. Those qualities we like and those we do not like about ourself are projected on to them. This relationship is usually two sided, but it may be one sided, like someone who you have not seen in years. This person is a mirror in to our soul. They hold the key to your salvation if you will only see the gift they offer to you. You may see God in most situations and in most people, but when you encounter this person that you can not forgive, then you are holding back on seeing God fully within yourself. The times when you hate or cannot forgive this person is when you see them as separate, thus during these times you are seeing yourself as separate. They are in your life because of Love. As Love, you have called that person, you have called those anger and unforgiving thoughts to you, so that you can heal the idea of separation within yourself and see yourself as you truly are, as Love. This person or these thoughts are constantly bothering you because they are calling out to be healed, and until this false belief in separation is finally dropped, the aggravation/thoughts will continue. What do you do with a pattern that keeps repeating itself? Try another way of reacting to it. My wife and I have been through much of what I have described. We were like two rough diamonds which were used to polish each other. There have been many times when I was mad at her, and my mind came up with all of this "proof" that I was right. But my mind/ego wanted to continue the conflict, because that is how it survives. I could choose to either be right or happy, and I always chose, sometimes after extended periods, to be happy. I always saw her and her actions as a gift which helped me to better see myself as Love. As I did that, my recognition and remembrance of my Oneness and Love with God flourished.

Suggested action: Next time you have an "attack" thought related to someone close to you, like your spouse or a close friend, take a step back and witness that you are having this thought. The same action can be used if you are having anger thoughts at someone who you knew in the past. When you witness the thought, at that moment you can choose to take a different course, to have a different reaction. Choose to see the person and their actions as a gift of Love. Choose to see that you are bringing this to yourself, because we are One. Be ready for the peace this non reaction brings to you!

In The World But Not Of It

2008-07-23T13:28:00.003-05:00

There is so much static in this world that hides what is truly there, what is truly inside of you. We are bombarded with the "world." Everywhere we turn there is a television that is blaring. The Internet tells us what is happening that exact moment. All of this is false. It takes you away from yourself. All of this static adds to the workings of your mind. It keeps the mind twirling with thought and covers the thoughts that you have with God. For your Self is part of the Mind of God. And that is what you need to keep in perspective. When you see a deep lake which has a surface that is whipped by waves, you can find complete stillness at the bottom of the lake. Underneath the static of the world, which is only a false appearance, you find complete stillness. For there can truly be no change to the body of God. But we can live in the world but not be of it. We can participate in the activities and duties while knowing that inner stillness and peace. We can know what is false and what is Real.

Suggested action: For a week turn off the computer, television and radio. Try to take a long walk alone in the woods every one of those days and listen to the wind and the trees speaking to you, for this is the language of God. Isolate yourself as much as possible, but only for this week. The static will die down and there will be some type of opening. God, the peace, the stillness, is talking to you in very moment, but now you will be attempting to listen, and your little bit of willingness is all that is needed to make the heavens sing.

Creation

2008-07-17T19:26:00.002-05:00

We are coming back today from a family vacation on the Big island of Hawaii. The power of creation rings through loud and clear on this island. The volcano is very active, and there is a lot of lava flowing above ground. We went to see where the lava meets the ocean, and the lava is coming out of a lava tube and shooting up to 1000 feet in the sky. Nature's fireworks. When the lava enters the ocean, there is a huge cloud of steam and gas which goes up for miles. Two powerful forces coming together at the same time to help us remember who we are, for you can't look upon this show and not feel an awe for God. Creation starts with you. Just as the lava bubbles up from deep within the Earth, creative forces and change come from deep within you. Just like the lava, there is no way to stop this creation, this constant change which is happening inside of you. Many of us try to not feel this change by numbing it through any number of ways, but just like the lava, the change is always coming up to be vented, recognized, and honored. Since God is Love, Creation within this human experience happens through the emotions. We were created out of Love, so that God, as Love, could have an experience (loving as in a verb) of Himself, of Herself. The lava meets the water, just as the creation within us meets our ocean of emotions. We have to be emotionally stable and fully express our emotions for us to be carried along on the River of Creation (the River of lava.) Creation's purpose is the expression and expansion of Love. Love, like water and like the lava, always seeks the lowest point in order to have all of Creation, to have all of you and everyone, be washed with the redemptive and forgiving waters of Love. God is Stillness, but Creation is never stagnant. It is always seeking to expand and further complete Itself. This is well represented in the physical, as the islands created long ago by these volcanoes slowly submerge under the Pacific plate, only to be reborn in a newer state many years later as they are again brought back up as magma. Just like the caterpillar becomes liquid goo before it is reborn as a butterfly. So all land on the Earth renews itself, just as our physical bodies are in a constant state of renewal and repair. But one day these bodies return to dust and will be turned back in to the elements that will make for another day of Creation. That is why you cannot see yourself as a body. The body is only a physical tool of Creation. A tool for Love to know Herself in a more expansive way.

Suggested action: Take a look at some pictures on the Internet of the flowing lava and where it meets the ocean. Feel the power of Creation, and know that this power is inside of you, is you. If you know that you are One with this power, then you know that you are One with God.

Conflict

2008-07-04T14:36:00.002-05:00

We all have to deal with conflict. It is presented to us to help us better see who we are, to help us see that we are Love. When conflict is present, we can choose to either stay in it or to not stay in it. It is that simple, just like everything on this journey. You either choose God or you choose the world. When we choose to stay in conflict, we are on the surface of a lake which is thrashed by hurricane winds, but if we choose to not be in conflict, we move to the perfect Stillness at the bottom of the lake. Your best "opportunities" to grow from conflict are usually presented by someone close to you like a spouse or a child. Be grateful for these gifts that they give you to better see yourself as you truly are. That is why I say in my book that there is little growth if you isolate yourself. That doesn't only mean someone who goes to India or lives in a cave. If you surf the web for hours, watch television all the time, stay away from people, etc. There are innumerable ways people sabotage their own growth. My relationship with my wife has certainly been one where there was friction at times. We were like two rough diamonds being used to polish each other. As you grow in your remembrance and recognition of your Oneness with God, you choose conflict less and less. The part of you who still wants conflict has an increasingly smaller role to play, although when it wants to reassert itself, it can come back out with a vengeance. After you have had no conflict for a while, it shoots out unexpectedly, and you ask yourself where did that come from. It is so far to the opposite extreme to what you now know yourself. At some point you cannot fathom conflict any more. Not only is it the opposite of your true Self, but you can no longer handle hurting someone, which is always the case if they are arguing with you. If you are both part of the conflict, you are both in the illusion, and you are both forgetting who you really are. If you believe that you can be attacked, you also labor under the false belief that you can be harmed. Under this insane thought system, your only response would be to attack back. You believe that your strength lies in defensiveness, not defenselessness. But if you are centered in your Love for God, you realize that this is all an illusion. You can never be attacked, nor can you be harmed. Thus you do not attack back. If you are asked to follow through on a crazy request, you go ahead with it. If you try to fight it or argue about it, you are falling in to the same illusory space as the person who asked you to do it. In fact, if you are centered in God, you do not "see" the request as crazy. Your view is one from the bottom of the lake.

Suggested action: The next time you feel yourself getting angry and wanting to argue with someone, simply ask yourself if this is what you want to do. Remember that you are reinforcing one of two paths. One path leads to peace and joy, and the other keeps you on the surface of the lake. You may "win" the argument, but at what cost to your peace. And what part of you --- the false self or the Real Self --- are you asking to lead your life.