Special Peace and Democracy Vigil for Zimbabwe
Hello!
What follows is a suggested Special Peace and Democracy Vigil for Zimbabwe, coinciding with the presidential elections to be held there next Saturday.
You will also find below a special letter entitled "The Conflict Between China and Tibet: A Conflict Between Materialism and Spirituality." There will be more updates on the developing situation in Tibet in the coming Meditation Focus #184: Learning and Applying the Principles of Love to be issued next Saturday night.
Finally, you will also find an invitation to Meditate/Pray for Fair & Honest U.S. 2008 Elections, as well as a complementary document entitled "Building The Foundation for Our Spiritual Beliefs" which is offered for your consideration.
Jean Hudon
Focus Group Facilitator
http://www.earthrainbownetwork.com/FocusArchives/home.htm
This material is archived at http://www.earthrainbownetwork.com/FocusArchives/Zimbabwe2008.htm
SPECIAL PEACE AND DEMOCRACY VIGIL FOR ZIMBABWE
Please keep in mind the situation in Zimbabwe whenever you meditate between now and March 29 so that democracy and sanity prevail there as well...
Suspense and fear in Zimbabwe (March 25, 2008)
http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/03/25/africa/zimbabwe.php
(...) Election time has again come to Zimbabwe - expectant days of hope and suspense, but also of fear, with the lining up at the polls customarily preceded by a campaign of state-supported intimidation and skullduggery. Voters go to the polls Saturday, with President Robert Mugabe, the iconic leader of a nation enduring catastrophic hardship, trying to retain the power he has held for 28 years. Here in Harare, there is the usual speculation about the political winds. In what provinces is the president's party strong? Where is it weak? But the more frequent conjecture involves the mechanics of an outcome that is presumed to be rigged. Even if Mugabe only gets one vote, the tabulated results are in the box and he has won," said Andrew Moyse, who coordinates a project that monitors coverage in the Zimbabwean news media.Echoing the sentiment, Noel Kututwa, the chairman of a coalition of civic groups dedicated to honest elections, said, "We will not have a free and fair election. There is desperation for change. But in the end I can't say that Mugabe won't win, because he probably will." The 84-year-old president - a hero of the liberation struggle and one of the last of Africa's ruthlessly autocratic "big men" - is often imputed here with mythic cunning. Certainly, great advantages have accrued to his incumbency. The state controls radio, television and the only daily newspaper, with the reporting of events reliably biased toward Mugabe, extolling his courage and generosity while depicting his opponents as little more than footmen for the British, who were once Zimbabwe's colonial masters.In a country suffering rampant hunger, the government bolsters its standing by giving out subsidized food, routinely favoring, critics allege, members of Mugabe's party, the Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front. In a country enduring epic inflation of more than 100,000 percent, the campaigning president has been able to bestow tractors and plows to village chiefs whose gratitude is expected to be a reciprocal harvest of votes. CLIP
Zimbabwe government intimidates opponents: report (March 19, 2008) http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080319/wl_nm/zimbabwe_election_dc_1
HARARE (Reuters) - President Robert Mugabe's supporters have used violence to intimidate opponents in the run-up to next week's Zimbabwe election, undermining chances of a fair poll, Human Rights Watch said on Wednesday. Mugabe faces the strongest challenge to his 28-year rule in presidential, parliamentary and municipal elections on March 29 because of defections by senior ruling ZANU-PF party officials and a deepening economic crisis. "As in previous elections, local government authorities, ZANU-PF supporters, and security forces including the police and central intelligence, are the main perpetrators of the violations ...," the U.S.-based rights group said in a report released in Johannesburg. Opposition groups have accused Mugabe, who has ruled since independence from Britain in 1980, of rigging previous elections, allegations he denies."Despite some improvements on paper to the election regulations, Zimbabweans aren't free to vote for the candidates of their choice," said Georgette Gagnon, Human Rights Watch's Africa director. "While there are four candidates running for president and many political parties involved, the election process itself is skewed." Mugabe hopes to fend off challenges from long-time rival Morgan Tsvangirai, leader of the biggest faction of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), and former finance minister Simba Makoni, who was expelled from ZANU-PF. Statements by two senior security officials that they would not accept an opposition victory have generated controversy in a largely peaceful campaign ahead of the election. Zimbabweans are suffering from the world's highest inflation rate -- officially put at over 100,000 percent -- and chronic shortages of food, fuel and foreign currency. The government has used state-subsidized food and farming equipment as a tool to gain political advantage, Human Rights Watch said, adding that the report was researched over seven weeks on visits to Zimbabwe's 10 provinces. Prices of some basic goods, including the staple maize meal, bread, cooking oil and soap, have risen by up to 300 percent since the start of this month. CLIP --
Here is below some more info on this from Craig (tryhypnosis@yahoo.com) who wrote: "Mugabe is still murdering his own people, destroying homes, destroying the country and the economy and this letter serves to highlight this issue. A lot of our friends have been murdered by Mugabe and his henchman. The world sits idly by watching and does nothing because Britain and America know they can bribe Mugabe with money for the countries natural resources like the platinum mines etc in Zim. Natural resources: coal, chromium ore, asbestos, gold, nickel, copper, iron ore, vanadium, lithium, tin, platinum group metals.
"Robert MUGABE, has been the country's only ruler (as president since 1987) and has dominated the country's political system since independence. His chaotic land redistribution campaign, which began in 2000, caused an exodus of white farmers, crippled the economy, and ushered in widespread shortages of basic commodities. Ignoring international condemnation, MUGABE rigged the 2002 presidential election to ensure his reelection. The ruling ZANU-PF party used fraud and intimidation to win a two-thirds majority in the March 2005 parliamentary election, allowing it to amend the constitution at will and recreate the Senate, which had been abolished in the late 1980s. In April 2005, Harare embarked on Operation Restore Order, ostensibly an urban rationalization program, which resulted in the destruction of the homes or businesses of 700,000 mostly poor supporters of the opposition, according to UN estimates. President Mugabe in June 2007 instituted price controls on all basic commodities causing panic buying and leaving store shelves empty for months. In October 2007, Constitutional Amendment 18 came into effect allowing for harmonized presidential and parliamentary elections, shortening the length of the presidential term to five years, and moving up the date for parliamentary elections. General elections are expected in March 2008."
Economy - overview: The government of Zimbabwe faces a wide variety of difficult economic problems as it struggles with an unsustainable fiscal deficit, an overvalued official exchange rate, hyperinflation, and bare store shelves. Its 1998-2002 involvement in the war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo drained hundreds of millions of dollars from the economy. The government's land reform program, characterized by chaos and violence, has badly damaged the commercial farming sector, the traditional source of exports and foreign exchange and the provider of 400,000 jobs, turning Zimbabwe into a net importer of food products. Badly needed support from the IMF has been suspended because of the government's arrears on past loans and the government's unwillingness to enact reforms that would stabilize the economy. The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe routinely prints money to fund the budget deficit, causing the official annual inflation rate to rise from 32% in 1998, to 133% in 2004, 585% in 2005, passed 1000% in 2006, and 26,000% in November 2007. Private sector estimates of inflation in 2007 are well above 100,000%. Meanwhile, the official exchange rate fell from approximately 1 (revalued) Zimbabwean dollar per US dollar in 2003 to 30,000 per US dollar in 2007.
Much more on the situation in Zimbabwe on the eve of these crucial elections through
http://news.search.yahoo.com/news/search?p=Zimbabwe+elections&c=
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COMPLEMENTARY MATERIAL FOR THE SPECIAL PEACE VIGIL FOR TIBET
Please note that the current Special Peace Vigil For Tibet will continue in the coming weeks. There will be more updates on the developing situation there in the coming Meditation Focus #184: Learning and Applying the Principles of Love to be issued next Saturday night. Here is in the meantime a special letter offering a unique Chinese perspective on this issue that may be of interest to many.
The Conflict Between China and Tibet: A Conflict Between Materialism and Spirituality
China, with the largest population in the world, is one of the countries that suffer the most from the negative effects of materialism. Tibetans, a small group of mere 5 million people are the guardians for one of the most precious spiritual traditions of humanity. Their conflict, when stripped away of the racial and political layers, is the ultimate conflict between materialism and spirituality. The Tibetan's suffering symbolizes the suffering of the soul of the entire human race. In order to resolve the conflict between China and Tibet, we have to resolve the conflict between materialism and spirituality inside the human consciousness. I firmly believe that infinite love and compassion are the only solutions to this conflict. This article attempts to explain to Western people why it is difficult for mainland China to embrace Tibetan culture and what we can do to help.
My Own Experiences
I was born and raised in China. I left the country at in my early twenties and have lived in US for more than a decade. I have gone through a miraculous journey from being brain-washed by the Chinese government to becoming supporters of Dalai Lama and the Tibetan people. While I was a little girl growing up in China in the 70s, I was told that Dalai Lama is a militant who wants to separate China. The Chinese government has deliberately painted His Holiness as a devil through state-controlled media. The government is also very masterful at blocking all other sources of information so the people have no choice but being brainwashed. Back then I knew nothing about the love and compassion His Holiness stands for and the atrocity done to the Tibetan people during the China's invasion in the 50s. I had lived under this lie for 20 some years and never doubted the validity of it. As a result, when I first came to U.S., I felt offended by the supporters of Dalai Lama because I thought these Westerners were helping the Tibetans to separate my country! I know that the majority of my Chinese friends from mainland China still think this way, even those who have lived in US for a long time. After all, it is no easy matter to reverse a notion that one believes to be true for most part of one's life. For these Chinese, I have an absolute compassion because their ignorance and indifference are causing a great deal of negative karma onto themselves!
Fortunately, I was blessed to find out the truth for myself. First I was drawn to Tibetan culture and Buddhism, and the precious teachings of His Holiness. Eventually, I saw the outright lies and malicious personal attacks made towards His Holiness. I have completely accepted him in my heart and made it as my personal commitment that I will work on spreading the light of truth to those who are blinded.
China is a land which has given me my flesh and blood. Tibet is a land which give birth to the spiritual tradition that feeds my soul. Watching these two lands being engulfed in the flame of hatred and violence is like watching a war between my two most loved ones. This pain has motivated me to write this article because I could not be at peace if I did not do something about this.
China and Materialism
The majority of mainland Chinese feel indifferent or even hostile towards Tibetans and their culture. The racial issue is only the superficial problem. I think the root cause lies in that China is undergoing such a tremendous spiritual crisis and its group consciousness is simply in direct opposition with the spirituality that Tibetans embrace.
As a member who grew up with that group consciousness and who still have many families members and friends in mainland China, I have first-handed experience on what it means to the 1.3 billion people who live under this huge spiritual void. Materialism rushed into China at the end of the Cultural Revolution. During the Culture Revolution, millions of Chinese intellectuals were persecuted, tortured or even murdered. Anything religious and spiritual was stripped away from the Chinese culture. In my opinion, this was a reaction towards the one hundred years of colonization, war and devastation China had suffered since the mid-ninetieth century when Western powers invaded China. The pride the Chinese had for their long, spiritually-oriented culture has been ruthless crushed by the guns and canons brought in by the West. Thousands of years of history with numerous spiritual achievements had only made the Chinese defenseless in the face of the invading power. The whole nation was in deep humiliation and people took great shame on the spiritual components of their culture. Their rationale is that had their forefathers put more energies in advancing science and technologies, they would not have suffered this much. As Communists started the Cultural Revolution, they conveniently rode on this group mentality and thoroughly purged spiritualism from the Chinese consciousness as spirituality posed as great threat to their authorities.
Materialism came in China right after the trauma of the Cultural Revolution and infected the group consciousness in no time. The way materialism was developed in the West has relatively been well balanced by the spiritual undercurrents that were never completely wiped out. Take gardening as an example: with a healthy flower bed in place, it is harder for weeds to spread. But imagine how fast the weeds can spread in a deserted yard… The negative sides of materialism have really culminated in China and moral corruption has taken over the mainstream group consciousness.
As a result, a lot of those Chinese who have power, money and status have been completely severed from the base of their souls. They simply do not have the capacity to believe anything that is good and pure. To them, love and compassion are a total joke. When I traveled back to China, I could literally hear the cries of all the souls that were lost in the selfish and ruthless pursuits of money, fame and ego. Under such circumstances, ordinary Chinese have grown extremely guarded and cynical, especially towards anything done in the name of “love and compassion”, since they have been cheated so many times. If one were to tell them the truth about His Holiness's teaching, they would ask, “Oh yes, we've heard about this before. Now, tell me, what does he really wants? What is the hidden agenda?” For those rare individuals who show genuine love and compassion, more than often they are treated with mockery and scorn; and they can count on being taken advantage of by the “smarter” people.
Take a very personal example: my parents are very ordinary Chinese. They are kind and gentle and would never hurt anyone. When they were young, they were passionate about Communism because they believed that communists strive for the common goods of the humanity (another expression of love and compassion!) When half their life was over, they came to the sad realization that they have been fooled all along and the best part of their life was ruined by a corrupted government who only cares about the benefit of a special class. How are they supposed to believe in love and compassion again? When I tried to explain to them the Dalai Lama's teaching, they simply did not have the capacity to accept it; it is too good to be true! In fact, they grow extremely worried for me because since I am still a Chinese citizen, if the government finds out that I support the Tibetans, I could be arrested next time I go back to China.
Tibetans are not the only group of people being oppressed in mainland China. Roughly about 20% of the Chinese population are labor workers who struggle at the very bottom of the society. It is very common for them to work for 70 hours a week, with minimal wage which barely sustains their families, without any insurance and benefits. Many of them can only take 1 day of vacation per month and work under extremely hazardous conditions without any insurance. They have no voice and no representatives in the society. You rarely hear about these stories in the Western media coverage either. For these labor workers, love and compassion are something only happening in fairy tales, which they are too busy to read anyway.
Mainland Chinese have suffered from the political oppression for so long that they succumbed to fear to a point that they almost become numb. I'd like to point out that not only the Chinese government perpetrates violence on Tibetan people, but also commits the same kind of violence on their own people, even today. To any person who dares to challenge the government's authority, he or she, sometime even his/her entire family, is treated with suffocating oppression and prosecution. Even when Chinese live oversea, they still are subjected to this terror (which happens to a much lesser extent to Chinese from Hongkong and that certainly does not apply to Taiwanese). I myself am willing to take this risk because of my strong faith and love for what His Holiness stands for. But for most of my fellow Chinese who do not see the truth or have such strong faith, I have no right to ask them to take such a great risk.
There are 1.3 billion Chinese today. I always find it unfathomable to think that one fifth of the Earth's population is living under fear and suppression, without much freedom of speech and religion. What huge amount of negative energies that is generating to the Earth and to us!
I'd like to point out that materialism is not just China's problem. We people in the West are also part of this problem because we are consciously or unconsciously feeding the materialism every day. Even if communists' suppression on Tibetans miraculously disappeared tomorrow, Tibetan culture is still greatly endangered in the face of global materialism. In fact, the direct conflict between China and Tibet, in some way, has helped to direct the global focus on this issue. Otherwise, Tibetan culture could have been silently butchered and packaged into consumer goods and sold to hordes of tourists just like Buddhism has been in Thailand.
Hope
What I just described was what happened to the mainstream mentality in China, which is just an extreme version of the universal conflicts between materialism and spirituality occurring globally. However, I do see glimpses of hopes in China whenever I traveled back. Inside China, slowly a small fraction of people has realized that materialism is leading them nowhere and started looking for spiritual directions, which includes Tibetan Buddhism. I personally know quite a number of Chinese people who do feel compassion towards the Tibetans living in poverty and who go out of their way to help them. In a very small town in Southwest China that is hidden deep in the Eastern Himalaya, a small school has been built with the collaboration of Chinese volunteers and Tibetan villagers to preserve the local cultures and provide education and a better livelihood to children in poverty. In the backdrop of the stark realities, stories like these can be found all over China. It is a very small number of incidents. But imagine what it is like when you are the only one who decides to do something good and tens and thousands of people you then tell you that you are a fool… What extraordinary courage and strength it takes for those individuals to rise up and act out of their heart! It is through my interaction with these rare individuals that I see tremendous hope!
What can we do?
As the conflict between China and Tibet is escalating right now, it is a difficult time for all of us who feel compassionate towards the suffering of both Tibetan and Chinese. Some of us feel powerless and despair. But I don't. I have infinite faith that the Truth will prevail and what His Holiness and the Tibetan people stand for will succeed. The recent conflict only shows to me how much the Chinese government fears the power His Holiness carries. It is only after the darkest moment of the night that lights will come!
What can we do to help? First and foremost, we have to get away from this mentality of looking for a solution that offers instant gratification (which is a direct product of materialism). There is simply no quick and easy fix and this will for sure be an endurance test!
But there are solutions, which all boil down to spreading love and compassion as fast as we can, to as many people as we can, and as long as we can. There are several points specific to the situation in China.
First, we have to start from where we are, right here and right now, in our communities in the West. China is still struggling from the wound of humiliation in the last 100 years. It is desperately hungry for acceptance by the rest of the world. As a result, Chinese always look upon the West for directions in cultural, economical and social movement. If the Western nations establish examples of love and true compassion, China will naturally follow. If we allow our politicians in the West to wage wars and invade other countries, how can we expect the Chinese government to listen to our advice and stop violence?
Also we have to help the Chinese realize the tremendous practical value of love and compassion. We cannot, on one hand, demand cheap consumer goods to fill the shelves of our XXX-marts, and on the other hand, ask them show to love and compassion at their own costs. We need to use economic leverages to encourage them to act from love.
Secondly, we need to build bridges between China and the West and reach out to the people and the poor. In my opinion, it is good to engage the government in dialogue, but I wouldn't count on that to lead to a solution. The Chinese government officials are a group of people who are greatly separated from the fundamental aspects of humanity. Their minds are taken over by the hunger of power and the fear of truth. There is little point trying to reason with them. You can try overpowering and intimidating them; but where does that leads us to?
We have to build channels and bridges to empower the Chinese people so that the government can be changed from inside out and bottom up. A central rule in the non-violence approach to conflict is to look for common grounds between the two parties in conflict. We do not agree with Chinese government's policy, but we all want to improve the lives for the people who are struggling in poverty, even the Chinese government officials (for the sake of their political future)! We need to build more channels for that to happen. After all, love and compassion are what His Holiness stands for. If we spread love and compassion to the Chinese, we are essentially spreading the lights of His Holiness, right? When spirituality comes back to mainland China, when the faith in goodness and love is restored in people's heart, Chinese will naturally accept and embrace the beauty of Tibetan culture and people.
Thirdly, I suggest that we think beyond this three-dimensional reality and start adopting new working paradigms that directly involves energies at higher dimensions. The Newtonian mechanical view of world and reality is too inadequate in serving us in today's age. There is a wealth of scientific research out there to prove this in the fields of physics, psychology, sociology and medicine. We need to enter the quantum ages and embrace the ultimate merging between science and spirituality and celebrate the marriage between materialism and spirituality!
If we want to bring peace to this Earth which is engulfed in the war between materialism and spirituality, we have to learn to use the tools provided by spirituality. We know very well how to use modern technologies to serve our goals. What about actively developing and using “spiritual technologies” in order to transform the people and the societies at a much deeper level and in more powerful ways? Let us start meditating and praying, undertake a disciplined spiritual practice, transform ourselves into energy centers that emit lots and lots of lights, so that we may transform our families, so they in turn go on and transform other people at the city, state, and country levels, and eventually the 1.3 billion Chinese. Find the healer inside of you and send healing energies to your surroundings, to those who are suffering, to the Chinese, the government officials whose souls are burning with selfish desires and who desperately need healing, and to Mother Earth. Don't be afraid to develop your intuitive skills and use them. May your heart direct your brain; not the other way around. In this regard, the Tibetans are experts and the Tibetan traditions host a wealth of information. Again, I can attest from my own experience. Professionally, I am a scientist with a very strong analytical background. In recent years, I've learned a great deal about my own intuition and healing powers, and I'm constantly amazed at the powers and potential locked inside our very own consciousness. As a result, my life has been totally transformed. It is also because of this that I remain infinitely optimistic about humanity's future on Earth.
One may say, even if these suggestions work, it will take several lifetimes of efforts and we will never live long enough to see the results. Yes, that is right. We have to see beyond just our generation and we are here to plant the seeds. We may not be able to witness the seeds break out the soil in this lifetime, but we have to let go of our attachments to specific outcomes manifested in our lifetime, and learn to thoroughly enjoy the work itself and every moment of our lives. The work cannot be done in this lifetime? No problem, I know I want to be born again to continue this work; this is what reincarnation is meant for!
The Skylark
To hide my true identity, I use the penname, Skylark. I do like to hear from you and discuss with you! Please send any feedbacks, comments, suggestions to TheSingingLark@gmail.com
Skylark is a very common bird in China. It often rockets up from the ground and bursts into extravagant songs of joy while hovering in the sky.
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From: Gus Makreas (gmakreas@sanbrunocable.com)
Date: 23 Mar 2008
Subject: Meditate/Pray for Fair & Honest U.S. 2008 Elections
Hello To All People Interested In the U.S. 2008 Elections,
This is a friendly invitation to join your fellow Earthlings in prayer, meditation, visualization, ritual, etc....for 10 minutes every Sunday...so that the United States of America can experience fair, tamper-proof elections and elections results that truly and accurately represent the will of the American people.
Even if you are not a citizen of the U.S.A., these elections will affect your country in some way. Your thoughts and prayers are very welcome and needed.
Regardless of which candidates you support, it is imperative that the Highest Good of All Concerned be the result in all elections that take place from now until November 4, 2008.
No matter where you are or what time of day (every Sunday) is free for you, please pause for ten minutes and join in heart and thought with all of us who want to see the power of choosing our representatives flow *back* to the American people, from the place it has been diverted by corporate, monied interests, and from the manipulations of power brokers who have succeeded in recent years in altering election outcomes in many ways and in many places.
You are invited to use the simple format below, or to maybe use its high points and adopt a format of your own.
Let's build a national and international movement of honest and caring people who understand that our combined focus on the Highest Good of All, expressed through these American elections, is a worthwhile and lofty goal. Our weekly activity will build a spiritual reservoir of energy that will achieve the election of men and women who are honest, courageous, inclusive in their heart of all points of view, and who will do the bidding of the American people.
I welcome you to pass this request along far and wide to your networks. It is for everyone's benefit, not for a particular party or candidate.
It is certain some of you will have suggestions, additions, deletions to the format below. Time and energy will not allow me to modify and keep modifying words, ideas, and phrases, etc. That is why I encourage you to take the initiative and adapt it yourselves or leave the words alone if they suffice. I just ask that as you do to keep an inclusive, loving spirit that desires the Highest Good of All Concerned as it asks for fair, honest American elections from now through November 4, 2008 and beyond!
I thank you. The Soul of America thanks you. Planet Earth thanks you.
Looking forward to hearing from you, dear friends...
In the Spirit of Peace,
Love,
Kosta Makreas San Bruno, CA gmakreas@sanbrunocable.com
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AMERICAN ELECTIONS 2008 SUPPORT MEDITATION/PRAYER
10 Minutes. Every Sunday.
1. GET COMFORTABLE in whatever way you are used to doing.
2. VISUALIZE as best you can the other participants across the country and the world sitting with you in a circle and connected heart-to-heart and Spirit-to-Spirit.
3. VISUALIZE the American Electorate and the Election Process as best you can.
4. FEEL Love and Light and spiritual Power circulating through all voters and through all elections.
5. REQUEST THE AID of the Great Spirit (or whatever term you use) to:
a. PROTECT all local, regional, state, and national elections from tampering. b. INSURE that the will of the American electorate be directly expressed in every election. c. INSURE that men and women who seek the Highest Good of All Concerned are elected.
6. RECITE (silently or aloud):
"May the hearts and minds of those in power be turned to the good of the Earth and its people, or may they be removed from power immediately and permanently."
7. VISUALIZE an immediate and overwhelming positive response to your request for aid.
8. GIVE THANKS.
This is the 'core' of the meditation/prayer. You can engage in it more than 10 minutes; you can add other prayers, mantras, thoughts, images, etc. as you wish. Choose any 10 minutes on Sunday when you can have privacy and peace.
This format should be short and simple enough so that there is no strain.
We can think of this as being... FUN, EFFECTIVE and very EMPOWERING!
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Sent by Jim (holygrail69@gmail.com) on March 25, 2008
Building The Foundation for Our Spiritual Beliefs
As the transition on our planet into new higher dimensions gains momentum, we have ever increasing amounts of spiritual information available to us.
This article is presented to help newcomers to spiritual pursuits establish the best foundation possible upon which to build their new spiritual concepts. It is also being presented to encourage those who are further along on their spiritual path to inspect each concept currently part of their belief system to insure it is up-to-date with the highest truths as new spiritual information is being revealed.
Some of the information which is now available may be well known to those who have pursued expanding their spiritual awareness, but some of it may offer new concepts that could not have been previously given until a higher degree of spiritual awareness had been reached upon the planet.
What I have written are truths for me but you must use your own feelings to determine if you wish them to be truths for you. This is called discernment and this is the central topic I wish to comment upon.
The use of discernment when applied to increasing our spiritual awareness is simply the process of determining if information of a spiritual nature which comes to our attention from any source is essentially true or not. We must determine if this information is uplifting and if it guides us to become the highest version of ourselves that is possible.
Most spiritual information cannot usually be verified through our physical senses. It is not something we can smell, taste, or touch. And the information which the majority of the people see and hear is presented by other human beings as they relate what is truth to themselves.
We therefore must use another method to verify for ourselves which parts of the spiritual information being presented in this transition period, are the ones which will lead us to become the highest version of ourselves that we can be.
Discernment is simply using our personal feelings to determine the value of spiritual information instead of mentally evaluating it. When we use our minds to analyze it, we are easily influenced by preconceived ideas and beliefs which were created from information offered to us in the past. Even if that information from the past was a beneficial truth for us at that time, it may no longer be in our best interests to accept it now.
When we are sincerely making the effort to raise our understanding of spiritual matters, and we use the feelings which come from our hearts instead of our minds, we will be accurately guided to know when the information we receive is the highest truth for ourselves at that time.
When we have this desire to raise our spiritual awareness, spiritual information will come to us in many ways. It may come from a book we read, in a conversation we have with other persons, or even through a single remark that we hear in a movie or television program. It may come in a printed article in a newspaper or magazine, or in an article in an online newsletter such as this one which you are reading right this moment.
Also, it may not even be words at all, but simply an action which another person performs which we happen to notice. As we begin to raise our spiritual awareness, the easier it is for Spirit to bring information to us using all of these sources. We benefit greatly if we develop the attitude that anything which catches our attention, is brought to us for a purpose, and we seek to discover how it can benefit us.
I use the word Spirit for the highest spiritual entity or creating force I know. You may insert God, Creator, or whichever word that is most applicable for your truth.
If we depend upon another person's opinion, we are simply accepting that person's truth. It may not be a truth which is in the best interests for ourselves. This principle applies to anywhere we search for verification which is outside of ourselves. If it does not come from within us, we can never know if it is in our own highest interest or not. Discernment is not seeking someone else to tell us what is true, it is evaluating the information ourselves by how we feel about it.
Many people believe they do not have the ability to receive answers from Spirit. Probably most people do not receive verbal messages from Spirit but every person can receive messages in the form of feelings. We may call it our intuition, or perhaps simply "a gut feeling" that we have. These all refer to the same thing, the feelings within us which are receiving messages from Spirit, which we cannot hear verbally.
Many people simply do not understand why they have those feelings. All too often we push our feelings away in order to use our minds to analyze the information, to find an answer which the mind can more easily accept. When we do this, the outcome is influenced by our ego, and then we ignore our feelings which hold the highest truths for ourselves.
Discernment is simply the process of paying attention and listening to our inner feelings, to that "gut reaction" we can feel about anything we see, read, or hear. It is an innate ability of each person that comes with our life in a human body if we will simply take a few moments to quietly rest and listen. This is the voice of the heart.
If you are not accustomed to meditating, or quietly listening for spiritual answers, when you first begin you may not experience a feeling noticeable enough which you consider as an answer. You may think it is simply your imagination. Do not feel discouraged. Continue to make the effort and each try will bring you closer to having recognizable feelings you can depend upon. The more it is used, the stronger it becomes.
This year, discernment is of significant importance because we are at the turning point in the transition of our planet and society when the controlling force of the dark energy is being broken and a new order is being established.
Large numbers of messages are now being issued from many sources, originating both on our planet and from off our planet. We each are responsible for determining our own future by what information we accept as our truths to follow, and which ones we choose to discard. The source you are now reading is no exception. Apply your discernment to this message as you would to all others.
Discernment lays the very foundation of our own individual spiritual principles and spiritual advancement. As new spiritual information is accepted with our discernment, it begins building layer upon layer. Older information which no longer serves our highest interests will fade and fall away from the pressure of these new layers.
As our foundation of truths begins to grow, we must add another element to discernment. This element is trust. Our trust in ourselves and in the guidance Spirit gives us, must grow as our discernment grows. They are linked together. The smallest element of doubt can undermine even the strongest determination. If we wish for our spiritual awareness to continue to open, our trust must become absolute. We accept completely that we are receiving information from a higher positive source for assistance to become the highest version of ourselves that we can be.
This does not mean that we believe the information which we receive is absolute and will not change as our life experiences change, but it means we trust our ability to receive the most positive information possible at all times
If we apply these principles of discernment and truth in a sincere effort to raise our spiritual awareness, our information will always come from the highest Light, for the betterment of ourselves and therefore it will also be for the betterment of mankind in general.
Because of the Law of Attraction, as this foundation of new truths and trust builds, it begins to attract more positive experiences of truths to us. In this step by step process, we soon need less negative and challenging experiences to raise our spiritual awareness. The result will be that our lives become filled with a positive and uplifting Light.
I wish everyone the joy of such Light in your life…We are all One...
Jim
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