LOVE ITSELF

An Excerpt from Byron Katie's: "I Need Your Love - Is That True?"

"Love is what you are already. Love doesn't seek anything. It's already complete. It doesn't want, doesn't need, has no shoulds. It already has everything it wants, it already is everything it wants, just the way it wants it. So when I hear people say that they love someone and want to be loved in return, I know they're not talking about love. They're talking about something else.

Sometimes you may seem to trade love for the stressful thought appearing in the moment. It's a little trip out into illusion. Seeking love is how you lose the awareness of love. But you can only lose the awareness of it, not the state. That's immovable. When you investigate your stressful thinking and your mind becomes clear, love pours into your life, and there's nothing you can do about it. Love joins everything without condition. It doesn't avoid the nightmare; it looks forward to it and then inquires. There is no way to join except to get free of your belief that you want something from your partner. That's true joining. It's like "Bingo! You just won the lottery!"

If I want something from my partner, I simply ask. If he says no and I have a problem with that, I need to take a look at my thinking. Because I already have everything. We all do. That's how I can sit here so comfortably. I don't want anything from you that you don't want to give. I don't even want your freedom if you don't. I don't even want your peace"....

"Love wouldn't deny a breath. It wouldn't deny a grain of sand or a speck of dust. It is totally in love with itself, and it delights in acknowledging itself through its own presence, in every way, without limit. It embraces it all, everything from the murderer and the rapist to the saint to the dog and cat. Love is so vast within itself that it will burn you up. It's so vast that there's nothing you can do with it. All you can do is be it."

A Realization is Not Enough

In the video below, Mooji talks about "no mind". He explains that it's not enough to have and experience of pure clarity. A realization cannot be kept until it is lived. It has to be tested. He discusses the process very well.....

You have to go beyond this hold of identity.

Who would you be without THAT thought?

WhenByron Katie asks the fourth question, "Who would you be without that thought?", many people answer with a possible outcome such as, 'I would be happy' or 'I would be calm and without stress.' However, if you take time to just sit in the question, and let yourself be immersed in it as you would a Zen koan, you will find yourself immersed in spaciousness. That spaciousness is what Candice O'Denver refers to as "Clarity" in the video below. I found this video on the website: http://www.greatfreedom.org/index.html where you may download the pdf file for the book: Clarity in Everyday Life

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Introduction to Clarity - 9.07.10 from Balanced View Candice on Vimeo.

How does this work when you are in the midst of reacting to a painful thought? What can you do when you are in the midst of arguing with what is presenting itself to you? Here are a couple of paragraphs from the book Clarity in Everyday Life (p.119-121) that answers these questions.

"When afflictive states come up, it can be very difficult to recognize the natural ease of our own being, because everything in us is screaming, "No,no, this feels too awful. It can't possibly be part of clarity!" That's the most important time of all to JUST RELAX.

When we relax more and more, we begin to see that all the points of view that appear within the pure view of awareness are our allies instead of our foes. When these appearances appear, we recognize the inherent clarity of awareness. It could be that al of our lives we have been afraid of the afflictive states, but through the clarity of awareness we are now able to see them as old friends. Affictive states are a great support for relying on clarity; however, if we continue to exclude them as if they didn't belong in clarity, then we will be returning to them again and again.

If, for instance, we have a pain in the body and we're focused only on that pain, then that is all we'll see. But if we relax body and mind completely, then we can see this pain that is appearing is nothing other than an appearance of super-intelligence and flawless knowing. If we absolutely insist that we have a pain and it is our pain, then that's the only information we will have, and we won't be able to see it for what it truly is. But one thing is for sure about experiencing pain: it motivates us to look for relief from the pain. This is why afflictive states are our greatest friends. Without them we might never be moved to discover our ultimate nature.

When we get familiar with our ultimate nature, we just feel better all the time. There is no other way to say it; it's not a mysterious or esoteric matter. Our true nature doesn't belong to any kind of category, institution, philosophy or religion. It has never been owned by any country or by any person. We can either get familiar with it--or not. When we do get familiar with it, then we pass completely beyond cause and effect.

We see that all these appearances really are allies, and we have NEVER been at their whim. It's all in what we take them to be. If we take them to be a monster, they will be. If we think we are ruled by them, then we will be. The more we know ourselves as we truly are, the more we see that we really are not affected by the labels we have used to describe everything.

....When the afflictive states arise with great vehemence, we have the choice to either go into them and be ruled by them or to know ourselves as clarity. It we have difficulty in seeing that the afflictive states are nothing other than pure clarity, then that is a good time to seek support. We should go to people who have integrated their own negative points of view, because these are the only people who can truly help us."

and from p.122...

Let's say that something happens that has caused us to get very angry in the past. The real breakthrough of true clarity comes when we're right in the middle of the anger, and we really get it--firsthand and right away--that everything is included in clarity. When we can face anger or any other afflictive emotion squarely, exactly as it is, allowing naked seeing from within, that releases tremendous energy to be able to really see things for what they are."

The Incredible Grace of the Oneness Blessing

The Oneness Blessing is a transfer of energy which initiates journey into higher states of consciousness and triggers one's spiritual evolution. The blessing is passed on by a Facilitator that who was specially trained by monks at the Oneness University in southern India. this laying on of hands over the crown chakra works

to quiet the parietal lobes which are responsible for the feeling of being "separate". It also opens the frontal lobe which allows us to feel bliss and communion with the Divine. In addition to shifting the physical brain, the blessing also gently moves into the heart and causes it to flower. Recipients of the blessing report experiencing higher states of awareness and greater connection with God.

One of the lovely things about the Blessing is that little by little some space begins to happen between a thought and your reaction to that thought. This little gap gradually gets bigger and one day you notice you are experiencing your world from a calm, balanced place of a peaceful heart!

There is a beautiful chant that we sing just before we pass on this blessing to others. It is called the Moola Mantra. Just listening to this chant is very healing because its vibration is so high. It is sung in the sanscrit language and it means:

We honor the Divine Compassionate God

We honor the God Within

We honor the feminine aspect of the Divine

and We honor the masculine aspect of the Divine. And to all these aspects we bow and give homage that we may realize the Divinity Within.

The End of Suffering

Have you ever found yourself struggling with stressful thoughts that keep coming at you like a ping pong ball? You may have tried meditation, yoga, prayer, or even eliminated caffeine in the hopes of quieting your mind. If you are still searching for relief, read on. There is an amazing process being taught all over the world today: The Work of Byron Katie. This simple method of self-inquiry was birthed onto the planet with the awakening of Byron Katie, a spiritual innovator of our time. Katie, as she likes to be called, has written several books, but is most famous for Loving What Is. She travels all over the globe and has helped thousands of people to eliminate stress from their lives by questioning their thoughts. Katie says “when you believe your thoughts you suffer and when you question them, you don’t suffer… there is no other choice.”

Back in the late 70’s Katie plummeted into a deep depression, raging at her family and conducting any necessary business from her bedroom. After almost 10 years of this suffering, she checked herself into a halfway house in LA and slept on the floor next to the bed, she had so much self-loathing. One morning in February 86, she woke up without any concepts of who or what she was. “There was no me,” she said. In place of all that darkness and gloom was pure joy and the realization that the only suffering on the planet was simply confusion and resulted from believing ones’ thoughts.

How does the work ‘work’? You begin by noticing when you have an uncomfortable feeling. It could be very slight or radically painful. Then you locate the thought you are believing in the moment. For example: My boss thinks I’m stupid. You write this on paper. (Katie says, "All war belongs on paper!") Next, you ask yourself the four questions and give yourself the space to go into your heart and let the answer find you. This is contemplative meditation.

1. Is it true?

2. Can you absolutely know it’s true?

3. How do you react when you believe this thought?

4. Who would you be without this thought?

Be gentle with yourself and question the thought lovingly, like you would treat a little child. The last step is called the “turnaround”. This is where you write down the opposite of your original thought: My boss thinks I’m smart. Another one is: I think my boss is stupid. Notice that the mind would prefer to be right rather than happy, so it may take some searching to find a genuine example! Be honest with yourself… you have nothing to lose but your suffering! A third opposite would be: I think I’m stupid. How often do you think the same thing your boss is thinking? Could it be you are in agreement? This is unity…. this is the end of war. Practice the work and become the peace you wish to see in the world!

Self Inquiry: The Way to Self-Realization

What is self inquiry?It is a process of questioning that can help you to uncover the hidden assumptions and concepts that are running your life. Of course we want to live in the new paradigm, a world of caring, loving people who act from the perspective that we are all One. However, often we are not aware that some of the concepts we hold onto actually keep us hostage in the old paradigm!

Let's take an example of a popular belief-- "Life is unfair". When we assume this statement is true, we are putting ourselves in a victim role. What's more, 'victims' and 'new paradigm' are mutually exclusive groups. Inquiry is a way to find out what is really true!

So just ask yourself, "Is this true? Is life unfair?" and maybe you will reel off five reasons why you believe it's unfair. But can you absolutely know that life is unfair? Think about it... if you look at the big picture, how could you possibly know what is fair? Could it be that what appears to be unfair to me could be fair to someone else? The next question is, "What happens when you believe life is unfair?" How do you treat people... how do you react? If you are honest with yourself, you will find that when you believe this statement, you experience nothing but stress and suffering. What if you didn't believe this? For a moment, suspend your belief and just see who you would be if you didn't believe it.

When people meditate, they close their eyes and sit without thoughts. Inquiry is a wonderful form of meditation. Sit and close your eyes and ask yourself who you would be without the thought that life is unfair. You could sit in this for a long time...

Who would you BE without your story?

I love this question. It is also the title for the Byron Katie's popular book! Check it out on www.thework.com.

There Is No "Way" to Peace... Peace is the Way!

It's an exciting time to be on the planet! Did you know that right now we have the most amazing tools available to "wake up" from the illusion of suffering? This blog is all about sharing those tools with you so you can experience the new paradigm: heaven on earth!

I use several tools in my healing practice: Reiki, Crystal Healing, Deeksha (Oneness Energy Transfer), and the Work of Byron Katie. Each one of these modalities comes under the heading of "Vibrational Healing". This simply means that

healing happens as a result of moving into a higher level of consciousness. When you believe you are struggling with a problem, you are in a certain level of consciousness. By applying vibrational tools, you can move up to a higher level of consciousness where that "problem" is no longer seen in the same way. It can be perceived as a gift... or maybe even a door to a new opportunity! The really amazing thing is that the problem seemed to disappear, when in fact, it just went back to the nothingness out of which it was created!

Today on the planet, it feels like everything is speeded up... everyone is in a hurry to get "there". My teacher Byron Katie says, "If you want to go faster, then slow down!" She shares one of the most effective ways of getting to the core of our most painful issues. Her process is called The Work and can be applied to any problem! As a graduate of The School for the Work, and an ordained minister in the Alliance of Divine Love, I am confident that I can assist anyone who is searching for relief. The only requirement is that they be willing to open their mind!

Counselling sessions are offered Monday thru Saturday and are approximately 1 to 1 & 1/2 hours long. A single session is $75.- and a package of 6 sessions is $425. You may call for an appointment 512-448-2374 or you may email me at squirrelady@gmail.com.

Thanks to the gracious people at Cottage Garden Threads for the lovely photo of the dandelions!

Here's their link: http://cottagegardenthreads.typepad.com/cottage-garden-threads/2010/10/sneaky-peak-dandelion.html