Spiritual Reality, Material Illusion

 "Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one." ~ Albert Einstein

 

When we speak of "reality", actual reality, we are essentially engaging in our relationship with truth.  An entire world can embrace utter illusion, but that doesn't change our personal relationship with truth.

"Reality" is far too often silently prefaced with the word "material".  

That's the assumption.  

That's the illusion. 

Those of us who have objectively witnessed and studied things that cannot be explained by the illusion of "material reality" know the truth goes deeper.  A materialist might say (and this is a hypothesis that fits for materialists) any evidence of a "non-material" reality must necessarily be evidence we are living in a material simulation.  Materialism is assumed, without question, and nothing else.  The simulation hypothesis contains the convenient aspect of necessarily negating verification of ANY observation.  After all, if you are living in a simulation, how can you objectively observe and verify anything?  Anything at all?  Thus it implicitly discourages the honest exploration of reality.  It's only a hypothesis, nothing more, and it arises out of materialism.

We spend a lot of time evading exploration.  We lack the courage to consider our paradigm may be collapsing.  We even deny that paradigms have regularly collapsed, those things we assumed were true.  No doubt we would dwell on intentional evasion even more intently should observation defy our presumed constructs.

Why is spiritual reality important?  Does spirituality exist because we can observe it?  Could it even be a part of a "material illusion" if it didn't have a foundation as a "concept"?  Spiritual Reality is such a profound discovery, even to observe it is to create it.  Love is at its Center.

How tragic it is to see just how much we have sacrificed at the altar of materialism.  We also sacrifice our authenticity daily.  We pretend the Real doesn't exist to "fit in", even when we know better.  We allow everyone and everything around us to pretend it doesn't exist as well, without question.  We even immerse our children in learning about what we know is a material illusion.  And then we are surprised when spirituality is mocked - and silenced.  

We participate in the silence.  We even silently participate in the mockery.  We appear to accept it.  And so we propagate it.  We project an illusion.  And we do know better.

This isn't going to work anymore.  The material world we live in is hanging in the balance.  The materialistic paradigm appears to be nearing its final gasp. 

This is an excellent day to share some videos demonstrating what happens when materialism fails - all of our centuries of "development" have brought us to this.  I hardly have room to share them all, but I will trust my inclination.  We aren't learning enough about this, lately.  We were schooled in it well long ago.  

 This particular scene was widely viewed on "network television" in 1983.

An astonishing number of people watched The Day After.  Back then, we would have "network television events" that reached a lot of people, and people surely paid attention to this one.  It depicted just one place, but people understood it was bigger than that - the counter-attack was referenced as well, but not shown. (See War Games, below, for a demonstration - RE: "mutually assured destruction", aka "MAD".). 

I was actually more moved at the time by the quieter movie Testament, as it better demonstrated the "slow motion" personal poignancy in intensely tragic ways.  It reminds me in a way of how a family member returning rather recently from a trip described the bottles of water people still leave as an offering in Nagasaki (because people who survived could find no water to drink).

Another 1983 movie was quite popular (and considered "lighter" entertainment).  WarGames even included AI in the equation.  This is a pivotal point in the film ("Spoiler Alert"), but worth viewing.

 

 

We had a lot to think about back then - at least back then, we were given something to think about, and thinking about it was considered totally OK.  Talking about how we felt about it was fine, too.

 

Here is one particular way we saw the future (from a film made in 1984, though the story is older).  2010 seemed far away (yet very close).  This series also happened to famously (or infamously) contain AI, though it's not relevant to the following scene.  Other things are.

 

 

 

Things have "progressed" since the early 1980's, materially.  How have we progressed spiritually?  Whatever has brought us to this insane level of material ignorance (and denial) - and it's taken centuries of it - I can tell you one thing - it isn't worth it.  

 

It will never be worth it.   It was just as "mad" then, as it is now.  

Is Spirituality itself capable of "winning"?  Hint: Spirituality is capable of ANYTHING.  It is, after all, about mutually assured survival (aka LOVE).  

Omnipresent.  Unconditional.  And even beyond our imaginations.  Sometimes we can glimpse it.

That's Reality.  It's no illusion.

("Spoiler Alert", below.)

It's time to be open and honest about how more and more of us truly feel about it.  

Why not today?

 

Nature photo by Susan Larison Danz.

A Spontaneous Return

 “It's a funny thing about comin' home. Looks the same, smells the same, feels the same. You'll realize what's changed is you.” ~ F. Scott Fitzgerald

 

I hadn't really intended to return here today, though I must admit I had thought about it, recently.  How I will return is yet to be seen.  What I know is I'm here.  I kind of stumbled into it, while doing some online "housekeeping".  And so...here I am.

Have I changed?  We are always changing.  

 

My voice has not been silent.

 

There will be no more "daily writing exercises" here - my writing doesn't work that way.  I write when I write, and when I do write daily, it is not an exercise.

Given the continuing (and increasingly) unsettled state of the world, we don't always need to respond to it immediately, as if on demand.  That's what went wrong with this blog.  I started to feel like I was setting up an expectation to "write on demand", on the world's schedule, not mine, and worse yet, in alignment with whatever the "expectation of the day" happened to be.  That sort of an "exercise" does not lend itself either to authenticity or free exploration - or for that matter, to deep and honest reflection.  You will not find me echoing here "the thought of the day", whatever that happens to be, like an artificial flock of parrots. (Do uncaged parrots flock?  I really couldn't tell you.)

The blog looks the same.  It's a kind of a home.  The quote I chose for today isn't necessarily one I entirely agree with.  Usually "home", when you've been absent, does indeed change.  Some things may feel the same, but many things will be different.  And if we are noticing, we will find we too are changing.  That part of the quote is much more true.  And when we are changing, we may actually notice even "old things" in new ways - in fact, that is what we can expect, if we are noticing.

 

It feels good to return.  I may even be back tomorrow.

 

Nature photo by Susan Larison Danz.

Spiritual Courage

 "Re-examine all you have been told.  Dismiss what insults your soul." ~ Walt Whitman

While taking a break from writing in this blog, I have still been doing plenty of reflecting.  This is not the first time I have emphasized just how important it is to embrace and value our Spiritual paths - and yes, derive Courage from them - Spiritual Courage.  Every day, it becomes more important.

The irony of it all is Spirituality itself - actual Reality - is far stronger than anything that denies its existence.  One of the great tragedies of our times, and of Humanity's current situation, is our lack of Spiritual honesty and development.  Had we been expansive enough to open ourselves up, we would be in a far different place.  Thankfully, there's still time.

To hear more about this topic, several recent broadcasts of The Frontier Beyond Fear have had a great deal to say, including today's episode Love and Miracles.  Visit the entire archive here:  The Frontier Beyond Fear - you can also Follow the program on various syndicates.  I may not be writing as much here, lately, but I've had plenty to say . . .

 

 

 

 

 

Window Well Daffodil Photo by Susan Larison Danz.

 

Authenticity, Again

"Surrendering your authenticity to be heard is ironically the path to silencing your voice." ~ Susan Larison Danz

When we're aware of it, we tend to revisit it, again and again and again.  And as we learn and grow and go deeper, it goes deeper, too.  

Authenticity. 

It meets us where we are, if we allow it - or perhaps we meet it in the middle - or sometimes we miss it entirely, and even intentionally.

And that's the problem.

We yearn for what this is.  We seek it.  And if we are fortunate, at least we get a handle on it within our own heads (and hearts).

But that doesn't mean we can adequately share it, should we choose to, even when we want to.

And when we can't, sometimes skimming the surface just isn't enough.

Is this enough?  Here?  Actually, yes.  In this moment, yes.  That's not always true.  But sometimes, yes.  

Authenticity is a journey.

 

Reflection photo by Susan Larison Danz. 

Honesty and Fear

 "I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality." ~ Martin Luther King, Jr. 

  

Listen live to The Frontier Beyond Fear Blog Talk Radio program Saturday at 1 PM PDT/4 PM EDT:  Honesty and Fear  (The program will be available at the same link afterwards, too).

How is being fearful related to honesty?  How can fear not only impact what people share with us, but how we accept the information, and how we share things ourselves?  How can we be more discerning by becoming more aware of our own relationship with fear? 

What is the distinction between discretion and dishonest omission?  We can still be discreet and authentic, in appropriate circumstances.  How can we honor this in others and in ourselves? 

How can we come to understand that all paths to authenticity are essentially a lifelong journey?  We can realize we are imperfect, even while increasing our conscious intent to be authentic and empathic. 

Greater awareness can help us, in every way, as well as respect for ourselves and one another.  This also leads to more courage, which can help us immensely. 

When we are intimidated or disabled by fear, we are unable to see things with clarity.  This can often lead to harmful or hasty choices, for ourselves and our societies. 

What is a better path forward?  How can we discover it?  Host Susan Larison Danz reflects on these important topics.  It is very likely she will also introduce another passage from history or literature as a part of the exploration.

The Frontier Beyond Fear is in its 11th year, with over 400 episodes.

 

Forest Path photo by Susan Larison Danz.

Enabling Trust

"You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you can not fool all of the people all of the time.” ~ Abraham Lincoln

It's surprisingly simple.  What enables Trust?  Honesty.  When honesty and transparency are missing, trust is missing, too.  

All forms of authenticity require a journey, and even being honest about that helps to enable trust.

Life is often confusing, especially in times like these.  Open vulnerability, including admitting mistakes, is all a part of the journey to trust.  And forgiveness.  Which leads to even greater trust.

We need more of this, not less.

Spring Tree photo by Susan Larison Danz.

Coincidentally....

"The most important things are the hardest to say." ~ Stephen King

Oddly related to what I had to say yesterday about free expression, I had an experience today, and in a respectful and compassionate, yet relatively open and honest way, which I hope is a "glitch", in which some private messages in a conversation on a social media platform mysteriously vanished.  It's been several years since this particular platform has been "glitchy" in that way, and so I wondered.

I do hope it is simply a random glitch.  And even if it is, do you see how we have all become more sensitive to such things?  And why?

And so it is I'm here again, writing.   And will find more ways, not less.

 

Letting it Be

"Before the truth can set you free, you must free the truth." ~ Susan Larison Danz

It has become clear to me that these nightly writing exercises just aren't always  unfolding as deeply or as authentically as I would like, and so I very likely will not write here every night (it's difficult to predict), and that's OK - as I'll be looking for new ways to write, too.

If you want to know my honest opinion, when it comes to open expression, the kind that encourages respect for multiple empathic perspectives (and yes, there is more than one), yet goes to deep and honest places, we are struggling mightily in our world right now.  And I'm not quite sure what will change that, but it requires deeper work and not perfunctory exercises. 

So I'm going to reflect on how to go about that work, and I'll be here when so inspired.  If that is tomorrow, great!  If not, I'll trust in that.  I'm not going to force work that skims the shallows or dances elusively around the point, as that is not what I'm about, and it's deeply unsatisfying. 

We have deep and honest work to do.  Many of us.  Those who so choose.  That much is clear. 

Until next time . . . (that may be tomorrow - we will see!).  I know I'll be here Friday to let you know about Saturday's weekly radio program at 1 PM PDT.  The work continues.  More soon . . .

 

Ripples photo by Susan Larison Danz. 

Out of Control

"Fear may speak volumes when amplified, but Love controls the dial." ~ Susan Larison Danz

What happens when fear runs rampant?  Whether it is impacting an individual or a society, or both, it leads to skewed choices.  Because that's what fear does.  It skews things.  It distorts.  It leads to aberrations in "controlling" behaviors, which are even contagious.  Soon disrespect, dishonesty, egos on parade and plenty of nastiness results, and some of the worst examples in history show the extremes. 

This is what fear does.  It skews and disrupts.

What is the antidote?

Compassion.  Mutual Respect.  Honesty and Transparency.  Respecting personal boundaries and choices, the hallmark of enlightened spiritual paths (and societies) - and Unconditional Love. 

Too much control is actually out of control.  That's the irony of it.  That's what results from fear running rampant.  And no, it's not aligned with Spirituality, either.  How could it be?

 

Window Well photo by Susan Larison Danz.

 

 

 

Trust and Fear

"It is remarkable how easily and insensibly we fall into a particular route, and make a beaten track for ourselves." ~ Henry David Thoreau

Listen to today's program on The Frontier Beyond Fear broadcast:  Trust and Fear: Navigating with Wisdom

I honestly explore how Spirituality can provide us with the Trust and Wisdom we need to make solid choices when confronting fear. Not only will we make better choices going forward, we will be comfortable with those choices. If you feel discomfort with a choice, it's time to look at it more deeply.

 

Whether on this day, you are celebrating the first day of Spring or of Autumn, today is an excellent day to consult your inner compass. We make imperfect choices all the time, as this is human, but being mindful of our unhealthy relationship with fear can make all the difference.

 

We also listen to wisdom from Henry David Thoreau's Walden, some deeply profound words to guide us on our paths forward. 

Blossoms by the Bridge photo by Susan Larison Danz.

 

 

Reclamation

“Lock up your libraries if you like; but there is no gate, no lock, no bolt that you can set upon the freedom of my mind.” ~ Virginia Woolf

It dawned on me, though I knew it, looking back on just a year ago, that open authenticity is fading.  And we must not allow it.  It's a struggle to retrieve it.  That's how strong what this is has become.  We must do it a step at a time, as I'm doing now. 

Questioning is no longer in style.

And yet we question.  Clearly.

And that's the right direction.  It is really pretty shocking that it is the trend to question questioning.  History has taught us many times that is never, ever a good direction.  Question it.  Boldly.  As we must.

Go deeper.  And look.  And reclaim the choices that were always yours to claim. 

Choose.

Yes, you!

Choose.

Daily.

Freely.

You'll know the way.  Even when you don't. 

Spirituality teaches us that we are here to make free choices.  Several different versions of it say exactly that.  Wisdom isn't handed to us, and certainly not thrust upon us.  We must seek it.  And find it.  Anyone, and I mean anyone, who would intimidate anyone else regarding their own freedom to seek truth and wisdom is not someone who really cares much about truth and wisdom (or about you, or anyone else, or about much of anything of much use for Humanity). 

Care about truth and wisdom for yourself.  Care about it.  Seek it.  I'm speaking to myself as much as to you, though I've managed pretty well so far, quietly.  The more you find it, the more you can choose accordingly, and live your own life (no, though others would love to live it for you, that's never the right way).  Choose.  Freely.

The materialists* claim they own the planet.  They do not.  They only see things dimly because you need the Light to see.  It's really that simple.  Just because they shout the loudest doesn't make them right.  

If Spirituality calls to you (and it calls to everyone, one way or another, because of who we are and why we're here), it's up to you to open the door - crack it open if you must - push it open just a little - that's all it really takes - because what is waiting on the other side was always there to greet you.  It's an astonishing way forward.  But it begins with a choice.

I have reflected many times on Open and closed Universes, which I learned about in astrophysics class many years ago.  Truthfully, materialistically, none of the Universe varieties are particularly hopeful or attractive.  An open Universe expands and expands and expands (materialistically, that is) and eventually grows cold and dark.  A closed Universe collapses back to a singularity, eventually.  And then there is that theory about the Universes that bounce (they can't decide whether to be open or closed).  It all sounds pretty harsh, really, but we are looking at it materialistically.

I heard a story in passing today, and I only heard it partially, and I still haven't had a chance to look it up - about some black hole that has been discovered racing around the galaxy - either ours or somewhere else, I'm really not sure - but now we know black holes can be in rapid motion (seriously, yes).  

Face it.  If you believe strictly in materialism, reality is really pretty randomly terrifying.  Now we need to worry about (apparently) racing black holes.  Some years ago, it was mini black holes, or clandestine neutrinos, or any number of other things (I've already mentioned Carrington events, and near-earth objects).  I hear talk about pole shifts more and more lately.  Truthfully, compared to all of these bigger, giant things, even earthquakes and large volcanoes, the climate is rather small, though yes, that is talked about as well.  

But what we really need to be caring more about is who we choose to be, what we choose to seek, and just how open we choose to be.  That's what's going to change the planet.  (And when it comes to Universes, I prefer the Multiverse - it has a lot more to it.)

How did I come to write this in this moment?  Well, for one, I have a deadline every evening.  I was watching the first 25 minutes or so of The Hours, a movie I have not seen (I've kind of avoided it, for some reason, as I expect it to be very somber and serious, though I've known it is an excellent film - perhaps because it has a lot of gravity) - and there is a writer near the beginning who is talking about writing.  He talks of his regrets regarding not actually writing about things as they are.  Which is difficult, of course, as it requires raw authenticity.  And this feeling that there is never enough time to write enough (he is running out of time, within this story).  And this is quite a serious story, at the beginning (and no doubt, later), and in a number of serious ways.  I'll pick up watching where I left off, perhaps tonight, or perhaps tomorrow.  

But in this moment, now, I am writing.  Seeking genuine truth and wisdom helps us make wise choices (clearly).  And the choices are here for the claiming - when we claim them.  It's a necessary thing.  To know.

*A "materialist" is a person who adheres strictly to a mechanistic view of reality and generally insists on everyone adhering to exploring "truth" in this way.  Materialism arose as an over-reaction to oppressive non-materialistic world views many years ago.

Shadow in the Forest photo by Susan Larison Danz.

 

Awareness

"Awareness is all about restoring your freedom to choose what you want instead of what your past imposes on you." ~ Deepak Chopra 

Lately, I have come to have a greater appreciation of this term "Awareness".  Often when I have used the term "Consciousness", or especially "Expanded Consciousness", I really mean Awareness.  

The more advanced a society is, the more it values Awareness.  Awareness has nothing to do with industrial or technological advancement.  A society could live in a pristine forest on some distant planet and be more Aware than any of us here. 

Awareness also implies honesty.  There can be differing perceptions of a topic, but when a society is intent on honestly exploring truth, and honestly conveying it, Awareness is treasured. 

To advance as a civilization, we cannot do it without valuing expanding Awareness.  It's really that simple.  Anything less will go the opposite direction.  

 

Discernment

 "The rarest thing in the world, next to a spirit of discernment, are diamonds and pearls." ~ Jean de La Bruyère

 

Listen to today's episode on The Frontier Beyond Fear broadcast here:  Discernment

 

 

Spring Forest photo by Susan Larison Danz. 

 

 

 

Being Honest with Yourself

"...to thine own self be true..." ~ William Shakespeare

This may seem to be a very simple - and even obvious - thing to say, but it's one of the most fundamental aspects of how discernment relates to inner growth and peace. 

When we are discerning and pay attention, when we are honest with ourselves about how we view things and how we feel (including when we're unsure), it makes a world of difference.  Honor the process.

 

 

Reflection photo by Susan Larison Danz. 

Integrity

"I cannot and will not cut my conscience to fit this year's fashions." ~ Lillian Hellman

There are many challenges to integrity, these days.  Those who breathlessly claim to have it, egoically (and obviously do not) versus those who have the humility just to do their best.  Aim for the latter and you can never go astray.  

Honesty, integrity, truth - these are things you FEEL, and very deeply.  Feel it and know.

 

 

Reflected Golden Sky photo by Susan Larison Danz.

Leaving the Shallows

"They muddy the water, to make it seem deep." ~ Friedrich Nietzsche

Far too often, we find ourselves being led to the shallows these days.  And there is a difference between taking a break from the heavier lifting and dwelling in the shallows.  

Once you leave the shallows, it's actually quite difficult to return and ignore what more exists.  You've seen the deep and clear water.  It can't be unseen.  Clarity is like that.  It persists when you discover it.

 

 

 

 Reflections photo by Susan Larison Danz.

Honesty and the Heart

"Keep your heart clear

And transparent, 

And you will never be bound." 

~ Ryokan Taigu

Honesty seems to be very "topical" these days.  Several days ago, I wrote here at length about The Elusive Art of Discernment.  

But here's the deal.

Truth has a way of feeling right with your heart.  It may be a process of discovery and thought, but once you settle on whatever it is, you feel a peace in your Spirit.  Truth may often be in some way uncomfortable or "inconvenient" within the seemingly finite space of this world, but you will still have that sense of inner peace.  The search eases.  You feel it.  And the peace expands, the deeper you go.  

In the course of our lives, we undoubtedly all have experienced at times that feeling of being entangled, that feeling that something we're thinking or attempting to believe is "amiss" - but the truth really does set us free.  Once we feel this, the gratitude from "knowing" and realizing we're finally finding clarity is a gift in itself.  When we feel free in our hearts, we are free.  Nothing can take that away, once it happens.

 

Heart on the Trail Photo by Susan Larison Danz

Daring to Look

 “And Lot's wife, of course, was told not to look back where all those people and their homes had been. But she did look back, and I love her for that, because it was so human. So she was turned into a pillar of salt. So it goes.” ~ Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.

 

We are often told not to "look".  We are told this is "better" and "for our own good."  But we actually do need to look, and we need to do it more often.

My dinner is cooking (again).  The Planets just started on Classical radio.  Once again, that is perfect.  This part, the first part, reminds me of Rome.  Now, there's a place and a time to look back to.  

Rome rose.  And Rome fell.  

Dare we look?

The piece is very discordant in this particular part, highly forceful and dramatic.  

Now it's becoming more mysterious, and more open.  

That's Spirituality.  That's Beauty.

Do we notice it?

We want to better understand how the darkness originates.  It's unhealthy to deny it.

But far too often, there are those who will tell us not to look for the Light.  "It isn't there," they say, "so don't bother."  

But when you look for it, let me tell you, you will find it.  

Dare to look.

 

 

Sunset photo by Susan Larison Danz

A Pilot Light that Never Dims

"You Will KNOW The Truth" ~ Eileen Caddy

A little while ago, I shared a post on Facebook, from the Findhorn Foundation.  For those of you not on Facebook, I'm going to repeat what it is it had to say.  It appeared with a photo of a diamond-shaped view through a rustic sort of a door, to the countryside, perhaps looking out upon beautiful Findhorn itself.  And in this moment now, I am realizing there were windmills, which is a little "wink" from the Universe (you'll see in a moment below).  There were many windmills in Kansas, where the wind always tended to blow, in the many years I spent there.

"Guidance from Eileen Caddy

You Will KNOW The Truth

When something is revealed to you from deep within, you need no confirmation or proof that it is the Truth. You can stick by it even if it means you stand completely alone. It is that inner knowing that counts; it is that inner revelation which you can hold on to. The things of the Spirit have to be understood by the Spirit; they cannot be dissected and analysed with a human's mind. This is where you have to be absolutely steadfast and unshakable and know without a shadow of doubt that what has been revealed to you from within is of the Truth and not fantasy. No one can help you over this; it has to be an inner knowing, an absolute certainty which is unshakable. If you find even the slightest doubt creeping in about the authenticity of what has been revealed or given to you, be on your guard. Again I say to you, you need no confirmation from the outer, you will KNOW the truth, whether it is from Me, and will find an inner peace in knowing."


At first I posted the photo, and the words.  I posted it without questioning.  I did feel it is possible to KNOW.  And quite honestly, upon reflection, I still do.  That's the inner peace.  Perhaps I'm still processing this.  As I posted earlier on Facebook, it's our minds that tend to analyze, our minds that tend to get in the way of the Knowing, the space of the Heart.  It's our minds that tend to take our inner peace away.  That inner peace is our Pilot Light.  It resides in the space of the Heart.  

Here is what I wrote earlier on Facebook, as I reflected upon the Findhorn post:


"This is a far more intricate teaching than it appears. We don't necessarily "know" on the surface, or that can seem to be the case. Because the mind tends to get in the way of the space of the Heart. It might take our entire lives (and beyond) to learn how to listen with the Heart and not the mind, to hear with100% clarity. Perhaps we never do completely, in this vulnerable human form, as long as we have minds, as they tend to question Hearts. 

But deep down, yes, there are some things we tend to Know, if we really choose to listen. When I was a child, I knew there couldn't possibly be a hell in the afterlife, even if I heard any number of messages otherwise. The fears injected by those voices seemed like my own inner doubt, but deep down, at the deepest Heart-based level, it was simply obvious: No Loving God could possibly create Hell. It's a "no-brainer" - literally! The Heart knows what Love actually Is. And what it is not.

When we listen for the path of the Heart, our minds do tend to doubt, because the path of the Heart asks us to be coeur-ageous, and our minds tend to get in the way. It is much like "Field of Dreams", and the signs are there to en-coeur-age us. Signs are utterly essential because they quiet the mind. They are the tools of Synchronicity. They are the Magic itself, revealed.

A rather unusual wind came up yesterday. Around the same time, my hot water heater failed. It failed just a bit at a time, over several hours, until we noticed all the water was lukewarm. The pilot light had gone out, but I didn't know it yet, or even when I did, I thought something might be "broken". My mind tended to panic. My mind tended to worry I'd need to buy a new hot water heater for $1000. It was just the pilot light, but it didn't relight itself. It took a conscious intervention to get the hot water going again. Deep down, beyond the mind, I had a feeling my hot water heater was fine, and it was.

So don't worry so much about doubting. Worrying about doubting is simply the mind worrying about doubting. And we are human beings. The way of the Heart will come to you again and again and again. Sometimes it's not "the way" the mind envisions. In fact, usually it's not. It is generally beyond the mind's ability to conceive. It is conceived of the Heart. And it is Magical. The Universe's Pilot Light can never, ever fail. And that also happens to be why there could never be a Hell...."

Inner Peace.  The Knowing.  It's not exactly intricate.  The mind tends to make it that way.  It's really very simple.  God is simply Love.  And so are We.  I heard a piece of that in my childhood too...

"I'm OK, You're OK"

"The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation." ~ Henry David Thoreau

When I was a young child, this book tended to be laying around the house.  A popular bestseller by a psychiatrist in the early 70's, I remember staring at the cover several times, pondering the title, my young mind not able to get a handle on it, yet wondering what it meant. 

The title came to mind this morning as I was reflecting on what we often tell each other in this very loose spiritual community where I tend to hang out.  "I'm OK, You're OK."  Repeat after me.  It begins to feel familiar.

Here we go again.  I felt much the same way hanging around Fundamentalists, where the mantra was actually "I'm Not OK, You're Not OK" (well, that is, until you obtain the secret formula to flip the magic switch to "OK").  Hmmmm, then again, they aren't only ones who claim to have a switch.

We feel there must be a rule, some kind of rule, there just HAS to be a rule, like a rigid "Law of Attraction" (explained and understood in a myriad of disparate ways) - because if there isn't some magic formula, some magic switch to "OK", then that's really very terrifying, isn't it, almost as terrifying (though really not nearly) as Fundamentalist heaven and hell.

During my forum days, one of my most popular (and controversial) posts was essentially based on the question "How can you be happy in heaven while others are suffering in hell?"  It was directed towards evangelicals because it was my contention that there was no way anyone could truly be happy in heaven, not if they loved anyone in hell.  I rephrased it much more strongly the first time I posted it:  "If hell exists, everyone is going there," triggering quite the evangelical firestorm in response.  I'm wasn't afraid of a firestorm, not if I spoke my truth.

I have observed an unhealthy trend in some circles I travel.  People are far too often feeling restrained from saying when things are not going so OK.  Because if you say it too strongly, that might make it worse, your words and thoughts betraying you in the process.

Or in the worst of mental mind traps, maybe if you DO say you aren't fully experiencing "OK" at the moment, people will determine you are not walking the walk in some way, not thinking the right thoughts, as you supposedly are required to be OK if you are following the rules.  And before we know it, as much as we might resist, we are quietly judging others and ourselves, litmus tests in hand, just like the Fundamentalists, with ideals impossibly out of reach.  The thought police on overdrive, that's basically what happens.  So let's all watch our language, get out the brooms and the rugs, sweep in unison together, repeat, repeat, repeat and repeat again...and just say we're ALL OK.

And sadly, any chance of actually being real with one another (or with ourselves) is swept away in the process.  To be human is to experience both OK and Not OK and everything in between.  That's why we are here.

In my mental house, I'm putting away the rugs and the brooms.  I invite you to do the same, if you dare, or at least attempt to leave them at the door if you come to visit.

Do I believe in co-creation?  Actually, yes, as it makes sense if we are aspects of an omnipresent God.  Does it always make sense?  Is there some magic switch?  If I say "I do believe, I do believe, I do believe" enough, will fairies magically appear?  Perhaps.  Sometimes.  I'm really not sure when.

Do I believe dwelling on the negative can do us harm?  Of course it can, if it becomes an obsession, but masking what we feel can harm us just as much.

If I can't say if things are going not so OK to a dear friend, if all that comes out next on both our parts are the brooms, the rugs and the mantras, then something is very NOT OK with that.  And I'm left to walk the path alone, the page my only friend.  

Most of all, I believe in Unconditional Love, which generally transcends all the "rules".  Aspects of God, I sense we willingly come here to create certain lessons for ourselves, that's the closest I can come, because every time I have a challenge (like this time now), I come away with a lesson, forever changed - the more powerful the challenge, the more powerful the lesson.  And especially the compassion and empathy for others (and for myself too). 

Might I ask a favor?  (And by the way, I'm listening to my own advice too...)  The next time a friend tries to tell you things really aren't so OK, allow that person to BE REAL (and if you are the person doing the telling, if in a space of trust, allow YOURSELF to be real and say what is upon your heart).  Listen, dear friends.  Reflect.  Empathize.  And of course, offer encouragement and advice if you can.  See both the "OK" and "Not OK" (and everything in between) - and within yourself too while you're at it.  Share yourself openly in response if you dare.  And maybe, just maybe, you will both manage to be real, a gift well beyond the words.

Compassion.  Empathy.  Love.  Yes, it has much to do with that.  Those are the words I choose to focus upon as I begin a New Day.