Surrender to the Divine Will

Posted on October 26, 2015 by Ancient Seeker

Learn to surrender to the Divine Will

So you will understand quickly

And have a mind fragrant with love of God

When disaster falls on you suddenly.

While others whiten with terror

In the hour of gain or loss,

Laugh like the rose, for the rose –

Even if you tear petal after petal from it –

Never stops laughing and never grows cast down.

“Why,” says the rose, “should a thorn sadden me,

When I grew this laugh because of a thorn?”

A man asked, “What is Sufism?” The sheikh replied,

“To feel joy in the heart when anguish comes.”

Think of His punishment as like the eagle

That whisked away the Prophet’s sandal

To save him from the black snake in it.

God says, “Never despair.

At losing what leaves you.”

If a wolf comes and destroys your sheep

This misery averts worse misery,

This loss far more terrible loss. Rumi

The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao.

The name that can be named is not the eternal name.

The nameless is the beginning of heaven and earth.

The named is the mother of ten thousand things.

Ever desireless, one can see the mystery.

Ever desiring, one can see the manifestations.

These two spring from the same source, but differ in name; this appears as darkness.

Darkness within darkness.

The gate to all mystery. Tao Te Ching

Behold! The Thing Greater Than Myself

Posted on October 26, 2015 by Ancient Seeker

I told a friend that I have to testify about all that God has done for me. He said, correcting me, “You mean all that you have done for yourself,” as if to say, “You don’t believe in yourself. You believe in an external (e.g., nonexistent) entity.” I explained my belief in the Indescribable Energy, Force, Spirit, That Which is Unnamable, that I call God. Even though my view of God is unlimited, I use that term because that is the name given to the Presence by the people who raised me.

I read to my friend the part of The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho in which the boy realized that the soul of God was his soul. Therefore, he was able to perform miracles. Similarly, I use separation terminology to express my realization that I am part of a greater something. I am a drop of water in an ocean. I am a particle of sand within an infinite beach. The drop is still the ocean, as the sand is the beach. Because I am aware of who and what I am, I can freely use “God” and not diminish myself.

I understand what I mean when I say “what God has done for me.” It is an easy and simplistic way of saying that, as I grow in awareness and understanding of that which is greater than me, I manifest the harmonious conditions that are Reality.

It is a luxury to believe that success and achievement are solely a result of one’s own actions and abilities, when such things can be gone in an instant. Throughout the natural world, people have believed that they are self-sufficient and superior when, in fact, their physical ownership and dominion was and is often a result of conquests, colonization, and elimination, or because they accommodated and acquiesced to those who wield power and might. There can never be enough money and power for those who derive fulfillment from foundations of sand. Why else do those who have much continue to seek more? Such desire is neverending.

I will go one step further and state my belief that life is eternal and that human incarnation repeatedly occurs. We live the effects of causes created in past embodiments and are constantly creating causes that will have future effects. Unfortunately, with little or no memory of our pre-birth selves, we experience each life anew, believing that our prosperity or indigence is totally the result of our own efforts or lack thereof. If the former, we are prone to believe in ourselves as stand-alone islands, solely empowered by our personal strengths, capabilities, and external connections.

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The Illusion of Fear

Posted on October 19, 2015 by Ancient Seeker

The illumined walk without fear – by Grace. Joel Goldsmith

Fear – False Evidence Appearing Real

You are in a spot that is absolutely safe, with one exception: the danger created by your own fear. The Pilgrimage by Paulo Coelho

When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won’t be the victim of needless suffering. Miguel Ruiz

The intensity of the pain depends on the degree of resistance to the present moment. Eckhart Tolle

When there is no enemy within, the enemies outside cannot hurt you. African Proverb

If you get the inside right, the outside will fall into place. Primary reality is within; secondary reality without. Eckhart Tolle

A Shift in Consciousness

Posted on October 19, 2015 by Ancient Seeker

Last night I woke up at 2:30am, worried about how I will pay my various bills. Almost instantly, feelings of peace and happiness overrode and surrounded that anxiety. I feel that I am going to create something and that I’m going to be ok. This time, my creation will come from the peace and joy within me instead of the usual fear and desperation. Therefore, it will be just right for me. It will further my goals and be compatible with the ways in which I want to live and express myself.

I feel a shift. Yesterday, I explained to a friend that we work for years on our swim stroke techniques or on developing a skill or craft. We must have that same intent and perseverance in developing our consciousness. Because we are infinite, there is no end to our evolution. There’s always more to learn and further to expand in every way – energetically, physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.

When I returned to swimming and bicycling after seven months in recovery from a broken foot, it was like starting over. My ankles and muscles hurt. I was exhausted. I felt as though I was swimming through mud. My coach would say, “Stop focusing on speed. Focus on your technique.” I remembered swimming with another coach who focused mostly on drills instead of straight lap swimming. Her swimmers swam less mileage during workouts, but performed better in competition. Boring and tiresome drills build muscle. They strengthen your arms and legs, which build the ability to utilize correct form. Proper stroke and body position propel you more swiftly with less effort.

Nine months later, “suddenly” I became faster. That’s how I felt last night. “Suddenly” I felt a shift in consciousness, like I know that things will work out. I’m going to be able to keep my house, to pay my bills, and to move more concretely towards my goals.

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Finite Thought, Infinite Existence

Posted on October 12, 2015 by Ancient Seeker

For the first time I noticed – as I would notice repeatedly during my ordeal, between one throe of agony and the next – that my suffering was taking place in a grand setting. I saw my suffering for what it was, finite and insignificant, and I was still. My suffering did not fit anywhere, I realized. And I could accept this. It was all right. (It was daylight that brought my protest: “No! No! No! My suffering does matter. I want to live! I can’t help but mix my life with that of the universe. Life is a peephole, a single tiny entry onto a vastness – how can I not dwell on this brief, cramped view I have of things? This peephole is all I’ve got!”). I mumbled words of Muslim prayer and went back to sleep. Yann Martel, Life of Pi

[H]igh in the firmament where soul material gathers and plays out all the dreams and joys of which we temporal beings can barely conceive, [there are] all the things that are beyond our comprehension; but, even so, are not beyond our attainment if we choose to attain them, and believe that we truly can. Garth Stein, The Art of Racing in the Rain

ONE VOICE

From the album “Never Say Never” by Brandy

I had a dream, a crazy vision

It may sound strange, this intuition

But it was true beyond description

And somehow I knew that it was real

When I saw

One sky above

There is just one source of love

If I got one chance, one choice

I’ll sing it from the heart, one song, one voice

I’ve seen the fires of deep division

The hearts of stone, the cold ambition

But I have found my sacred mission

To live in this world and still believe

That there is

One sky above

There is just one source of love

If I got one chance, one choice

I’ll sing it from the heart, one song, one voice

Searching For Meaning

Posted on October 12, 2015 by Ancient Seeker

I had a dream that I lost my bicycle. I was devastated. When I woke up, I thought, “Am I going to lose my bike in real life?” One side of my mind responded, “This is attachment. You still have things to learn. The dream is making you aware of a weak spot.” My other side argued, “Why shouldn’t I want things? That bike enables me to stay healthy, to exercise my body. I’m so tired of dealing with loss. It seems as though I’ve been dealing with loss my whole life. What am I supposed to learn? I’m tired of painful lessons. I need clear guidance. What am I supposed to do? Why is this happening? What is the point, the meaning?”

A few days earlier, I had a job interview. I prepared well, dressed to impress, and left an hour and a half early. Traffic was decent. I arrived in the area with time to spare. For some reason, I kept missing the correct exit and driving around in circles. I called and asked for directions. Drove with the receptionist on the phone and STILL could not get on the right road. Arrived at the interview stressed, late, and had to run to the bathroom before I could speak properly to the HR person who greeted me. Of course, I made a horrible impression and did not get the job.

After the bike dream, I asked additional questions. “Why didn’t I see the exit sign clearly? Is something happening to me or do I simply have too much on my mind? I’m not focused. I’m thinking too much. I don’t know. I feel like a failure. I’m incompetent.” I know I’m supposed to wake up with the joyful expectation of a child, but I’m still upset about arriving late to the interview. I decide to get up and meditate, even though clearly I’m not hearing God or my spirit guides.

After meditation, I played my praise music. “The Great I Am” by Donnie McClurkin is an old school fast piano playing song. I started jumping and dancing like one of the happy ladies in church. I needed someone to come fan me. Next came a really old before my time song, sung by a group of old men, Lee Williams & The Spiritual QC’s. “So Good To Me” talked about being thankful for getting through the night ok, being able to stand on two good legs and walk, opening your eyes and being able to see, the little things that we take for granted.

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A New Level of My Destiny

Posted on October 7, 2015 by Ancient Seeker

Went to the edge of the ledge, but I didn’t jump. Mary J. Blige

We are made from stronger stuff than any of us knows. The number one thing is not even just to keep going, but to trust that there’s something more. Always. O, The Oprah Magazine

If you get up one more time than you fall, you will make it through. Chinese Proverb

While achieving your goal may not happen on your preferred timetable, it is important to have faith that time will bring success. Trusting that achievement is not only possible, but probable will help soften your fears. Ash Blankenship.

Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength. Mahatma Gandhi

From Joel Osteen’s Sermons

If you’re going to walk on water, you have to get out of the boat.

I am soaking up God’s goodness.

I count it all joy!

My best days are in front of me.

No weapon formed against me will ever prosper.

I remember who I am and whose I am.

The most powerful Force in the Universe is pushing back the darkness in my life.

I give God praise in all things as I move forward in joy and peace.

On the other side of this difficulty is a new level of my destiny.

Here I Stand – My Testimony

Posted on October 7, 2015 by Ancient Seeker

“Here I Am” by Marvin Sapp

The above link is to the song “Here I Am” by Marvin Sapp. It is on my GospelLinks page. However, I have placed it within this PathPost because I feel so strongly that it applies to me right now. The potent lyrics are:

Here I am. I’m still standing.

Here I am, after all I’ve been through.

I’ve survived every toil and every snare. I’m alive.

There were times when I almost gave up and I’ve cried and said, “God, it’s too much.”

Yet, I’m standing here today with one thing to say, “God, I thank you. I thank you!”

All of the pain that I had to go through, it gave power and a testimony.

Now, I’m standing here today with one thing to say, “God, I THANK YOU. I THANK YOU!”

In February 2014, my consultant contract did not get renewed. My unemployment benefits ran out in October 2014. Except for a two week project that ended this past Friday, I have had no income. Zero! Nada! Yet, today, I stand – still very much overfed; in my own house for which I have made no mortgage payments in over a year; still driving a car that continues to get me to and from wherever I want and need to go, although it needs major maintenance and I pray for safe passage each day. My computer works and I have phone and Internet access. I may have let it go for five or six months, but I found a way to get my hair braided (and to buy hair!☺). After recovering from health issues, I have resumed bicycling, swimming, and yoga, which require expenditures. On and on. I have more than survived and I am SO VERY THANKFUL!

Yes, my worst fears came to pass: I couldn’t pay my bills. My credit is shot. My phone and Internet services were discontinued. My family stepped in before my utilities were shut off. I have submitted at least five loan assumption and modification packets to at least four entities because I KNOW AND DECLARE that I am not losing my home to foreclosure. I couldn’t afford gas; therefore, I walked wherever I needed to go or stayed home. There were so many things that I couldn’t do or buy because I had no money, things that I used to take for granted.

How did I make it through a year with no income? Friends, family, associates and acquaintances, people I hadn’t heard from in years gave me expected and unexpected financial support: direct cash, online deposits into my checking account, groceries, a credit card to buy toiletries, household supplies, and printer cartridges. People took me out to eat, after which I brought home leftovers. I am regularly treated to movies and other social activities.

Typing this, I become emotional. Listening to Marvin Sapp’s “Here I Am” makes me cry with amazement and gratitude. Here I am. I am standing after all I’ve been through.

But there’s more to this story.

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Release Stress

Posted on September 29, 2015 by Ancient Seeker

Every day brings a choice: to practice stress or to practice peace. Joan Borysenko

You must learn to let go. Release the stress. You were never in control anyway. Steve Maraboli

Trying to understand is like straining through muddy water. Have the patience to wait. Be still and allow the mud to settle. Lao Tzu

At certain moments you need to have discipline, and in others you need to just be guided by life. You have to balance your willpower with the capacity to relax and enjoy and go with the flow. There is a Zen proverb that says, basically, if you want something, step aside and let this thing come to you. Paulo Coelho.

Living is a form of not being sure, not knowing what next or how. The moment you know how, you begin to die a little. The artist never entirely knows. We guess. We may be wrong, but we take leap after leap in the dark. Agnes de Mille

Calming My Chaotic Mind

Posted on September 29, 2015 by Ancient Seeker

I went to the law library to research various subjects and practice guides. In order to minimize my time in the library, I copied certain documents on a small flash drive. When I completed my tasks, I gathered up my belongings, removed the flash drive from the computer, and left. I was very busy for the next week and a half. At some point, I missed the drive, but figured that I had misplaced it and, like other items, it would eventually show up.

After two weeks, I began to panic. I looked everywhere – in my purses, my car, pockets, desk, floors, in between couch pillows. Waking up at 2 AM, I turned on my laptop, and discovered that I hadn’t downloaded any documents from the library. Thus, I presumed that I hadn’t removed the device from the library’s computer.

The next day, I called the library and was told that, when found, they throw the drives away. They don’t have space to store the many USB devices that people leave behind. I thought of all of the time I spent at the library, carefully selecting my desired documents. The librarian had to contact another staff member to access the database that contained what I needed. All that effort was worthless now. How could I have left the drive?

The day before I began to miss my flash drive, I had a dream in which I was swept into the ocean by huge waves. I knew that I could swim, but I was so far out, I began to feel hopeless. I wondered why I had this dream. I didn’t feel overwhelmed or lost. The next morning, during meditation, I felt tired. The loss of my flash drive was consuming my thoughts. I felt that, metaphorically, every time I get close to shore, a big wave comes and carries me far away. I use much effort to swim back only to find myself swept out again and again. In my meditative flashback of my dream, I decided not to swim back and to just drift out to sea. I had no more energy or inclination.

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