The Messenger - Inner Peace

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Thursday, 21 August 2008

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Inner Peace

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Written by Ross Bishop

When you have total
awareness, you just
do what needs to be
done. You don’t
have to think
about it.

Finding inner peace can be difficult. We meditate, do yoga, read books, go to workshops, hang affirmations on our refrigerators and yet we remain troubled. What are we missing? Are we not doing it right? That is how it feels much of the time.

Years ago I learned about spirituality through Zen meditation. I sat morning and evening, religiously (pardon the pun), seven days a week, twice a day. I got calm, my breathing deepened and the world slowed down as I began to focus on what was really important in life. My friends noticed the changes occurring in me. I touched a place of inner peace and calm I had no idea even existed.

Bliss? Hardly. It scared the hell out of me! I had to quit for a while. I had never known that level of openness and feeling that vulnerable––it shook me to my core. It would be some time before I had the courage to go that deeply or feel that vulnerable again. Fortunately, the experience planted something so deep and powerful in me that it could not be ignore. I had to pursue it. So here I am, 30 years later, eternally grateful for an experience that literally scared the daylights out of me. But the fear I experienced then is the same fear that keeps most people from finding inner peace today.

In order for the transformation to the God Space to occur, the self must surrender to the vastness that is the universe. This presents the ego with its greatest fear: the loss of self. The ego, based in your beliefs, stands in opposition to the God Space. It seeks completely different ends.

Beliefs and the ego function through the creation of difference. “You are this, I am that.” “You are attractive, I am overweight” ––that sort of thing. Being able to separate, even though it means putting ourselves down, gives us a sense of control and the illusion of safety. If I am different from you, then I can separate from you and pull up my drawbridge if I get into trouble. It gives me a way to hide.

Where the ego operates through separation, the God Space operates through unity and harmony. In the God Space there is nothing to restrict the flow of information or energy. There is no separation. There are no beliefs and no values. There is no good or bad, things just are. There is only compassion, which is our natural state. Therefore there can be no fear, for there is nothing to fear. Fear can only live in the shadow that is the unknown.

In the God Space there is no thinking, for there is nothing to think about! When you have total awareness, you just do what needs to be done. You don’t have to think about it. This concept can be difficult for Westerners to accept because we are heavily conditioned to depend on our thinking and logic. We have been taught this is one of man’s greatest attributes.

In waking reality, the mind controls everything. In the God Space it controls nothing and the ego ceases to function because it is irrelevant! It is the threat of losing these defenses that frightens us. We are asked to give up that which we think has given us shelter from the hurts and bruises of life. It is a lot like asking an ostrich to give up the sand it hides its head in. To an outsider, the ostrich’s behavior makes little sense, but to the ostrich, that sand is pretty important.

There is also an incredible irony here. In giving up the small self, one gains a vast, intimate knowledge and connection with the rest of the universe. The wonderful thing about the God Space is there is no risk. The outcome is guaranteed before you even make the commitment!

“But what if I won’t be able to do it?” the ego says. “I’m afraid I won’t measure up.” We fear our petition to be loved will be rejected and we will be left standing naked in the awful truth that we are lacking. This is a fascinating part of the process of transformation. Even though almost every human fears failing “the test,” it is impossible for us to fail! We are a part of the God Consciousness and the outcome is pre-ordained.

Spiritual dilemmas can only have one outcome. There is only one destination, one Truth. No matter what circuitous route you take, you must eventually come to know the truth about who and what you are. That is the perfection of the process, and it applies to individuals, families, and nations. You can resist and make life more difficult than is necessary. I did for years! (This was also a vital part of my healing process.) You may feel unworthy, but there is no way you can be unworthy. That truth must win out. There is simply nowhere else for you to go!

Life is not about becoming something different than you are. Life is finding out it is safe to let go of the protective beliefs you cling to, that are not you. When you take the risk to let go of your beliefs, you stand closer to the God Space.

You are already the magnificent being you are “becoming.” The evolution is not in you; it is in your consciousness. The change is a change of perspective as you surrender to the truth that God has always been in control. What shifts is the way you see things. Your “learning,” the comprehension you will gain, is the crux of the transformational process called enlightenment.

The knowledge of how to come home has been with us for thousands of years. When it comes to things like being loving or living your life, you “know” what you need to do, because that comes naturally from the God Space. So, where do you begin? As with all spiritual concepts, the answer is easy to understand but more difficult to practice:

LOVE EVERYTHING

It means just what it says. Good, bad, indifferent––love it. Beautiful, ugly, joyful, sad, and even painful – love it. [1] That may sound crazy, but it is what living from the God Space means. Everything that happens occurs for a purpose, even though we often do not understand what that purpose is. “Loving Everything,” means finding the faith to trust in God’s process. The path you have taken will eventually require you to love everything anyway, so you might as well get on with it.

You are being twisted and pulled into a new form, and no one likes doing that. But when you resist the process, it makes life much more difficult. Recognize this process will ultimately lead to your enlightenment. Besides in the meantime, living nearer to the God Space makes daily life incredibly more joyous and peaceful. And while you are learning to love everything, remember the most important part of Loving Everything––is loving yourself!

[1] Gay Hendricks has taught this concept for years and I am grateful to him for the idea.

Copyright©2007 Blue Lotus Press
Reprinted with permission Blue Lotus Press. Visit Ross Bishop at: www.RossBishop.com

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