Driving Out the Darkness; Driving Out the Hate

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that.  Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that." - Martin Luther King, Jr.

"...be at peace with God..."

"Go placidly amid the noise and the haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible without surrender, be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly, and listen to others, even the dull and ignorant; they too have their story. Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love – for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment is it perennial as the grass. Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth. Nurture strength of spirit to shield you from misfortune. But do not distress yourself with imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness. Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should. Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be, and whatever your labours and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul. With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world."   - Max Ehrmann

Meditation, Ritual and Favorite Practice

 I love getting into that place where I can dim the lights, burn some incense, and sit in silence. 

No electronics.  No interruptions.  No background noise, save what comes through the open window.

 It is in this space that I feel the most grounded.  Once my body and mind are stilled, I simply rest in the presence of Spirit.  Space and time cease to exist; Everything becomes light.  I carry no burdens.  I simply allow myself to be.

These are moments of experiencing the Divine and I become a receptacle of complete, unconditional love and full serenity.

After being in this state of 'oneness' (it could be 20 minutes or 2 hours) I may do a meditation as compelled.  Sometimes, I'll do a chakra clearing meditation.  Other times I may do a color meditation, where I pick the color that corresponds to one of the chakra centers and visualize a cloud of that color opening, filling and expanding that specific chakra center.

One of my favorite meditations is what i call the "Expanding Heart" meditation.  While connected to Source, I imagine my heart expanding.  As I visualize it expanding, I silently say "My heart is expanding and I carry (someone's name) in my heart."  I might switch it around a little and say "My heart is expanding and I have room in my heart for (someone's name.)"  I do this for the people currently in my life, being sure to include those that are or have been special to me, as well as those with whom I have experienced difficulty.  I visualize that person entering my expanded heart, and I send them love.

This is an amazing meditation after encountering unpleasant people throughout the day, or after a challenging drive home.  It allows me to clear any negative emotions I may harbor in my unconscious, and it allows me to open and expand my heart chakra.  It also allows me to feel very connected to the people who have a meaningful place in my life.

I have just begun using this meditation to include those whom are personally unknown to me, but may encounter my spirit through writing or third party conversations.  Yes, I have room in my heart for you, and I send you love.

If you struggle with difficult people, I recommend trying this meditation.  I've experienced some amazing healing of family relationships after doing this meditation.  I have also encountered sensing physical illness in others while practicing this meditation.  When sensing physical illness or emotional pain in others during this meditation, I take the time to do some remote energy work in addition to sending them love. The results can be miraculous. 

You Were Born to Fly

Keeping In Touch With Our Own Humanity

Sometimes I feel like I'm really in the flow of Spirit, where everything is going along smoothly, and I'm in a state of bliss all the time.  When this happens, I am amazed at how easy it is to write because the words come from a higher power.  I tend to write a lot when I'm in this state of being.

Other times it seems as if I go into spiritual hibernation. I shut out the world as much as one can while going on with living their daily life which includes going to work, walking the dogs and running the kind of errands one has to do to survive.  I still meditate and do some other daily spiritual practices, but it feels much more difficult to "get into" the flow.

It took me a while to realize that I can never really leave the flow, and even when I feel like life is not flowing smoothly, I am always in the midst of the Divine.  Spirit is eternal and ever flowing through us.

There are times I am just more aware of the divine spirit within me, just as there are times I am more aware of my humanity.  Being more aware of one side does not negate the presence, power and influence of the other.  We are both divine and human.  That is the nature of our duality.  We are spiritual beings having a human experience, but we are also human beings having a spiritual experience.

As much as I enjoy living on the spiritual mountain top, I also treasure living in the valleys because doing so allows me to stay grounded and to appreciate the mountain top so much more.  This reminds me of the phrase my parents used to say: "He's so heavenly minded that he's no earthly good."

I believe one of our purposes in this lifetime is to to be of earthly good.  We did not choose to come into this time and space just for our own sake.  We are here in this moment and time to assist in bringing a higher consciousness to all humanity.  We cannot remain so long with our head in the clouds that we are of no earthly good.  To do so would to deny our greater purpose.

Being aware of the divine is sublime, being aware of humanity keeps us humble.  We can only share our light with others by keeping in touch with our own humanity.