Love and Illusion
The sun rises and unveils a brilliant blue and cloudless sky...
The crisp coolness of an early June morning takes my breath away,,,
Two cardinals sit on my deck bistro chairs facing each other and I imagine they are chatting happily...
It is as if all is well with the world, but I know that it is not...
And yet, all is impregnated with the Presence of the Divine... I KNOW it - as all mystics know and feel this in their bones. Thus, I have never - and could never question or doubt what I feel is more real in my life than most things...
I walk and pray and pray and walk - open to the insights and messages I receive from my guides on the Other Side of the Veil...
They come every time - because I invoke their presence and ask for their guidance. In the words of Yogananda I beseech them to:
I reflect on the state of the world, the divisiveness, the hatred and violence and I am told that it is all illusion.
The Vedantic teachings of Hinduism reveal how much of what we see and believe is illusion. I see all that is happening right now, as a veritable clash of illusions. A favored prayer for many on this planet is a simple reminder of the need for objective clarity and insight:
The Talmud also teaches:
There are as many versions of reality as there are people. There are as many perspectives too.
Today Christians celebrate Pentecost which ends the Easter season, and is both a call to conversion and transformation, something that is desperately needed on our planet right now...
I reflect on the life of Isabel of Castille, whose biography I have been immersed in. Though she accomplished much, her mistakes were just as grand. Her own zeal and quest for religious unity, led to the Inquisition and banishing Jews and Muslims from her kingdom with devastating consequences for so many. No one is perfect and our best intentions can often have unintended disastrous effects.
I reflect on my own world and era - where political parties and nations demonize each other - not realizing that they are not totally perfect or can offer a complete solution to the world's problems. I see friends and family members divided... We forget that we are one and that we belong to each other...
History teaches many lessons we have not yet learned. The lessons of history seem no longer respected and "fake news" has become an epithet bandied around rather loosely. And I wonder - how are we to survive our times and divisiveness?
I believe two things will aid us:
First, the realization that nothing is really new under the sun. Divisiveness has always been with us to varying degrees. What I know is that these are opportunities for us to grow - to shed our one sidedness and to be willing to compromise. We can choose to raise our vibration or not. The only way forward, is ultimately through the challenges we are given. All life is a lesson. We either learn them now - or will have to later. There is no other alternative...
Secondly, we can choose to be the Light - and to be Love - and to shine love. The more light we embody and reflect - the more difference we can make. We cannot fight evil or hatred or terrorism singlehandedly - but we can put love wherever it is needed. As Mother Teresa of Calcutta wisely noted:
This is the challenge that will make things different:
The ancient yogic teachings affirmed it. And quantum physics confirms it.
We can make a difference. We have to begin now - before it is too late to save ourselves and this planet.
The crisp coolness of an early June morning takes my breath away,,,
Two cardinals sit on my deck bistro chairs facing each other and I imagine they are chatting happily...
It is as if all is well with the world, but I know that it is not...
And yet, all is impregnated with the Presence of the Divine... I KNOW it - as all mystics know and feel this in their bones. Thus, I have never - and could never question or doubt what I feel is more real in my life than most things...
I walk and pray and pray and walk - open to the insights and messages I receive from my guides on the Other Side of the Veil...
They come every time - because I invoke their presence and ask for their guidance. In the words of Yogananda I beseech them to:
"Lead me from ignorance to wisdom,
From restlessness to peace,
And from desire to contentment."
I reflect on the state of the world, the divisiveness, the hatred and violence and I am told that it is all illusion.
The Vedantic teachings of Hinduism reveal how much of what we see and believe is illusion. I see all that is happening right now, as a veritable clash of illusions. A favored prayer for many on this planet is a simple reminder of the need for objective clarity and insight:
"Lead me from the unreal to the real,
Lead me from darkness to light, and
Lead me from death to immortality,"
~ Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.3.28
The Talmud also teaches:
"We do not see things as they are -
We see them as WE Are."
There are as many versions of reality as there are people. There are as many perspectives too.
Today Christians celebrate Pentecost which ends the Easter season, and is both a call to conversion and transformation, something that is desperately needed on our planet right now...
I reflect on the life of Isabel of Castille, whose biography I have been immersed in. Though she accomplished much, her mistakes were just as grand. Her own zeal and quest for religious unity, led to the Inquisition and banishing Jews and Muslims from her kingdom with devastating consequences for so many. No one is perfect and our best intentions can often have unintended disastrous effects.
I reflect on my own world and era - where political parties and nations demonize each other - not realizing that they are not totally perfect or can offer a complete solution to the world's problems. I see friends and family members divided... We forget that we are one and that we belong to each other...
History teaches many lessons we have not yet learned. The lessons of history seem no longer respected and "fake news" has become an epithet bandied around rather loosely. And I wonder - how are we to survive our times and divisiveness?
I believe two things will aid us:
First, the realization that nothing is really new under the sun. Divisiveness has always been with us to varying degrees. What I know is that these are opportunities for us to grow - to shed our one sidedness and to be willing to compromise. We can choose to raise our vibration or not. The only way forward, is ultimately through the challenges we are given. All life is a lesson. We either learn them now - or will have to later. There is no other alternative...
Secondly, we can choose to be the Light - and to be Love - and to shine love. The more light we embody and reflect - the more difference we can make. We cannot fight evil or hatred or terrorism singlehandedly - but we can put love wherever it is needed. As Mother Teresa of Calcutta wisely noted:
"We cannot always do great things,
but we can always do small things with great love."
This is the challenge that will make things different:
Replace every angry word with love.
Replace every negative thought with love.
Replace every violent inclination with love.
Stop. Listen to your heart.
Every hateful thing that leaves it -
reverberates for eternity.
There is no erasing it.
There is no calling it back -
Once the Word is spoken.
The ancient yogic teachings affirmed it. And quantum physics confirms it.
We can make a difference. We have to begin now - before it is too late to save ourselves and this planet.
"We are the ones we have been waiting for!"
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