August 31, 2016        

                                   

                                               

                                                DEATH AND REINCARNATION

What is death? Death is only a transitional passage, period or phase from one dimension and/or vibration level of the soul/spirit to another. I am reminded of the scripture, First Corinthians 15:55-57, King James Version (KJV). “O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?” The grave has no victory over us because we are always evolving into a higher vibration emanating more love and light into our next reincarnation.

Because we are spiritual beings having a human experience when we take the last breath the spirit/soul takes flight from the mortal flesh. Our soul is the free spirit of our embodiment that sometimes nudges us or speaks loudly to do what is right and just regarding our fellow beings. Even though our human body may suffer from illness, malady or pain before the final transition, death had no power over our spirit/soul. We have often heard from family members who talked about how peaceful and serene that person face was upon transition.

We freely volunteer to reincarnate on this planet. And we do this for a collective mission: to uplift the planet and all inhabitants to a higher vibration of light, love and compassion. We voluntarily agreed to do battle with the dark forces -- fear, hate, disharmony, racism, sexism, etc. -- that try to overtake humanity. We do this not by engaging in a battlefield of nuclear weapons, guns, swords, sticks and stones or more hateful debate; but by empowering other beings with ammunitions of love, light, grace, healing and compassion.

In doing so, we can now arm and illuminate ourselves to shine forth into every dark crevice of the world by giving the greatest gift of all: THE POWER OF LOVE. We are soldiers of light, love and compassion. We are light givers and we come to this planet resurrected with a new thinking of inclusivity where embracing and giving more love, joy, healing and compassion are the norm.

As we continue to pray for World Peace we can shed light and share love, charity and compassion in abundance. We can bring enlightenment to those who are searching for light. We can be diligent and conscientious and send out light to illuminate those still in darkness.

As we do battle and wield our Divine Sword of Light, our Divine Pink Flame of Love, our Divine Emerald Flame of Healing, and our Divine Purple Flame of Compassion we can deny the grave of negativity and its fleeting thought of victory. AND SO IT IS, AND SO IT IS, AND SO IT IS.

                                                            LOVE, PEACE AND MERCY

The God that created this universe did so without violence. The creation of earth was done with love, healing, compassion, mercy and forgiveness. The intent was never for us to kill, maim and hate our brothers and sisters in His name. Somehow, we have turned our creative powers into the opposite of what the Creator intended. Yet, hope springs eternal.

One of the tenets of the Sermon on the Mount (The Beatitude) Matthew 5: 7 says:  “Blessed are the Merciful for they shall obtain Mercy.”  We have seen this displayed on the battlefield where mercy is sometimes shown to the “enemy”. We saw mercy on display after the South Carolina massacre. The grieving family extended mercy, love and forgiveness to the perpetrator.  We saw, after the Lebanese war, a Lebanese Christian intelligence officer, who had killed many Muslims during the war, ask for forgiveness in an open letter to the Muslim society.  All around us are examples of redemption, forgiveness and mercy.

As we strive to overcome the malaise of war, strife, anger and bitterness, I am reminded of yet another tenet of the Beatitude: “Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God”, Matthew 5:9. When we make peace with our “enemy” with unconditional love we are living up to our full potential. We were created to live peaceable with our neighbors, within our community, and our neighboring countries.  Therefore, as we ponder these lines of scripture, we are reminded that these tools were given to us to embolden our lives to demonstrate mercy and peace. It was the blueprint for us to live and breathe through our daily existence.  Now is the time for us to re-center ourselves and demonstrate divine love and mercy for each other. Remember, we are all one. And since we are all creators we can create and manifest a world of love, joy and mercy.

Instead of elevating violence and bigotry we can bring peace within ourselves and to our fellow human beings.  Let’s understand the doom and gloom heard on the news and use it for its true purpose: to remind us that we are here to create all that is inherently good in us: love, joy, mercy, charity, compassion and peace.

August 16, 2016

                                                ARE WE BEING TRUE TO OURSELVES?

Have we been true to ourselves? Have we created a loving, healing and compassionate

community for ourselves, our children and our fellow human beings?

The Creator made us into His own image and likeness and we are the prototype of goodness, love, generosity, kindness and compassion. When we are true to our self, we create peace and harmony. Yet, we have used our creative ability to build a world not of love and compassion but one that has a lot of hatred and chaos. The environment we have created is not a true reflection of ourselves. And we are now experiencing the environment we have created.

We go about our daily lives sowing seeds of discontent within our environment and, more importantly, within ourselves. We have done a disservice to ourselves by creating this angry, bitter and hate-filled environment.  It has become so toxic that most of us, if it were possible, would just disappear. How did we reach this level of discontent? We have lost touch with our inner light – the guiding light that propels us to be true to ourselves.

But we can change that. Let’s start by showing gratitude for what we already have: like our families whose very presence (whether you are in good relation with them or not) is a blessing. We all have friends and acquaintances that shower us with love.  And if we take a moment to look outside, we can see and enjoy the wonders of nature with all her beauty.  When we see the glass half full instead of half empty, it changes the environment around us. Time and time again, we yearn for what we don’t have (operating from the perspective of “lack of”) or harping on the “good old days,” which if we were true to ourselves, it wasn’t all good. What was good back then was community camaraderie: we helped each other, we looked out for each other and we shared with each other. We were truthful to ourselves and to others. We were our brother’s keeper.  We were all one. This was our community spirit.

We are on the cusp of electing another president for the next four years.  The visions espoused by the two candidates are completely opposite. One offers a pessimistic view of things and the other offers a glimpse of what can be a better future. We, as creator, can envision a world full of love, healing and compassion. We can use our creative ability to send love and light to both candidates.  And we can be in action about being love and light where we are whether we are part of the campaign or not. We have it in us to manifest this reality.

Are we living up to our God-given potential by being true to ourselves?  We are at the crossword where we have to light the fire of our inner truth and start to love ourselves again as well as loving our fellow beings. When we are true to ourselves we no longer have the desire to be untrue to each other.  

August 9, 2016

                                                            LOVE  IS ALL THERE IS

The greatest gift humanity has ever received is love. “Love is all there is” wrote Emily Dickinson “The Single Hound.” When we are deeply committed to being unconditional love we can overcome the dark thoughts that envelop us to move mountains and surmount all obstacles. This I know for sure.

Love is the gift from the Creator of All that IS. Love is the fabric of our being and the essence of who we truly are.  Love is the elixir of our soul that we get to give freely. God in His infinite wisdom did not give us love to be analyzed and parsed to death, however. It’s the simplest thing to express, but we make it complex.  Love comes in all shapes and forms. To those who are open and receptive to receive love in it various forms, are several times blessed.

Let’s look at love from a practical sense.  Whether we are speaking about a person or a thing, having unconditional love requires commitment. Did you know that the main reason people are successful in life is the love they have for whatever they started?  And that they were driven by the passion to see that project come to fruition.  The dedication that comes with unconditional love about a project is what helps you to see the project/thing to the very end. 

Unconditional love does not look for reciprocity. It can share in emotions, joy, pain, or pleasure; and not seek the same. Unconditional, or agape love, gives you and your loved ones the space to follow their path without making them feel guilty because they are not in sync with your own beliefs.  All of these components, among others, are intertwined in the Gift of Love.

When we can give the gift of love freely without pain and resentment we can truly say that we are living in the Now and that who we are at the core is aligned with who we are on the surface. This is a worthwhile, though a very hard, journey to take as it requires daily practice.

Let us be the giver of love to our fellow human beings and sow the seeds of love, watering each other daily to grow.  Give the Gift of Love to everyone especially those who promote fear, hate, doom and gloom. The Gift of Love is the best tonic to our soothsayers.  So let the Gift of Love be the beacon of light to ignite the fire of love within the core of our being.

One of the tenets of this planet was the gift of free will. So why not use this all powerful gift to spread love not hate, healing not pain, joy not gloom, optimism not pessimism. We can make the choice to use this gift wisely. Let the love revolution continues.

Love, Healing and Blessings to you all.

August 1, 2016

                                    DEATH AND LIFE ARE IN THE POWER OF THE TONGUE

“Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.” -Proverbs Chapter 18, Verse 21.

I have often wondered about the paradox of this scripture. I never fully comprehended its true wisdom. However, today, I got a glimpse behind these words. Each time we speak harshly with unkind words to each other we are using the tongue as a weapon that pierces the spirit of the person we are speaking about.  We don’t see physical wounds when we use words, but the harm done is actually more damaging. A spirit wounded by the constant onslaught of unloving words silences the soul and kills dreams, hopes and eventually the body responds.

Let’s Choose Life.

Deuteronomy Chapter 30, Verse 19 says: "I have set before you life and death …therefore choose life that both you and your descendants may live.” When we nourish and nurture each other with love and compassion we create space for a harmonious relationship to exist and expand.

When we are coming from a place of love and compassion—that means seeing and responding to the spirit of a person, rather than their flaws--we would see our sisters and brothers (and ourselves) as made in the image of God. We would see the Divine spark within each other. That spark lights our pathways through the difficult journey of life. That spark beckons us to embrace one another, love and rejoice with each other and see the spirit of love and compassion shining like stars on a very dark night.

I can remember my mother telling me how much she disliked and hated me. My birth was not something she wanted. She disappeared from my life and reappeared when I was 10 years old. Whenever she did not like something she would loudly berate me—to the point where the neighbors would gather around to watch. Her words made me feel like I was not worthy of life and that I would not amount to anything much.

Like many children who have been subjected to this type of harangue, I, at the time, could not comprehend that my mother was projecting her pain unto me. As a result, I was stymied into not speaking up for myself because I doubted anyone would listen to me and I believed that what I had to say had no value. This followed me throughout my primary school years and I would never offer an answer to any questions unless I was called upon by the teacher.

But the Holy Spirit always sends someone to comfort you.  My sixth grade teacher saw my potential, and took me under her wings. Through her tutelage I was able to see my self-worth.  But the scars were very deep, and remained well into adulthood. It started to heal when I became involved in metaphysical work and by constantly working on myself.

As a result of doing introspective work, I realized how important words are. Specifically, how much words of comfort would have been better—for me and for her.

If you are a parent, can you recall the look on your child’s face when he/she showed you his/her report card? If their grades did not meet your standard of excellence, were you harsh or understanding? If the former, can you recall the harsh words that were spoken to that child about not doing better? If you think back, the look of despair on his/her face probably said: “I am not worthy,” “I cannot live up to your expectation,” “I have done my best but it is not good enough for you.” Parents are not perfect. We have all been there and regretted harsh words as soon as they were uttered. Remember: “Death and life is in the power of the tongue.”

Imagine how he/she would feel with words of comfort.  Imagine how those words could elevate instead of traumatize. We can choose life instead of death by thinking first, before we speak. No matter the situation, if anger is the emotion that first appears, take the time to ask yourself: What words can I say to forward this person or this situation? How can I support him/her at this moment?  It’s always our choice to choose to be kind and loving with our words whenever we can instead of putting each other down. This is not easy to do daily. It is a hard road to travel especially when we have also experienced traumatizing moments as children or as adults and we have not done the work to free ourselves.

There are times we choose death with our words instead of life.  When that happens we should have the courage to apologize—to the person we said those words to and to ourselves for projecting our emotional pain onto them. We should also be grateful for the mirror they provided to us at that moment, which allowed that pain to surface. Because at the end of the day, the emotion we are feeling is not about the other person or what he/she did. It is, after all, always about what is already inside of us.

THE GREATEST GIFT IS LOVE

July 25, 2016

                                                            THE GREATEST GIFT IS LOVE

In the words of Master Jesus: “Greater love hath no man than this; that a man lay down his life for his friends”. John 15:13 (King James Version).This is the ultimate portrayal of unconditional love as was preached during Jesus’ life on earth. Think about how awesome this statement is. 

I am not saying that we should start giving our lives for our enemies or for our friends. On the contrary, I am saying if we can find it in our hearts to love unconditionally, especially those who cause us pain, grief, loss of trust, and whatever discomforts we are experiencing and all the myriad of things that anger us for which we are unable to let go, there will be no need to sacrifice our lives because LOVE IS THE ANSWER to all our grief, and sufferings.

To open our hearts to unconditional love is easier said than done –I know from experience. I am still working on it daily. This change does not take place overnight, it is constant work but the reward is so freeing and exhilarating.  To send unconditional love to someone who has wounded you so deeply is the best antidote you will ever find. It frees and releases you from the anger, pain and mistrust that have been eating away your very soul.

When we are filled with love, the unconditional type, we become emissaries of the Creator of All That IS.  We do not expect anything in return for being our god-given selves.  The universe opens up to us and pours out abundance.  We experience wealth – in health, companionship, friends, and families who surround us with that umbrella of love. Stress is no longer part of our daily life hence no disease, pain and worry – all because there’s no lack of anything. We no longer see our fellow being as being different from us regardless of their ethnicity. We are all one.

Whatever the circumstances we are confronted with when we are filled with unconditional love, we get clarity of thought and a different perspective of the situation and are able to overcome it while being steadfast in our love vibration. In the face of hatred, love conquers all the time – in the face of adversity love strengthens. In the face of disaster love comes to the rescue.  How many times have we seen this manifest?  Think about the global reaction to Hurricane Katrina, the earthquake in Haiti, or the terrorist attacks in Paris. The outpouring of love from all over the country and the world – were examples of unconditional that were allowed to come to the surface.

Where there is love hate cannot thrive, where there is love evil cannot abide. Love is the beacon that shines its light into our hearts magnifying the eternal stream of unconditional love that flows endlessly into the inner and outer realms of our physical, spiritual, emotional and mental bodies. Unconditional love is the unseen glue that binds humanity together in the image and likeness of our Creator. Let us pull out our garden tools and start planting the seeds of love and see how the world around us changes. We are the instrument of change so let’s continue the love revolution.

                                                LOVE THY NEIGHBOR

July 19, 2016

The Master Jesus, when asked by His Disciples which was the great commandment in the law He replied that the first was to Love God with all your heart……and the second commandment was to LOVE THY NEIGHBOUR AS THYSELF. These are the two greatest commandments of the law and the prophets. Matthew 22:36-4 (King James Version).

Let’s continue spreading Love. We often think about the love connection as the love between a man and woman, or the love between children/family and friends. But love is an expansion of all these things although in different dimensions.

Think about your neighbor, the family that lives next to you on your right and left. They are your physical neighbors, yes. But take it one step further. Anywhere at any given time, the person or persons that is (are) in close proximity to you is (are) considered your neighbor(s). In the spiritual sense your neighbor is the one who occupies the space next to you at any given time, whether it is in the church or temple you worship, the theatre, the movie, or the shopping mall.  And regardless for how long or when, they are all your spiritual neighbors.

Think of how you interact with your neighbors. A simple Good Morning, a genuine smile that comes from the heart, helping an elderly person to cross the street, giving alms to the poor and those in need, feeding the poor and homeless, saying Thank You to the person who serves you in whatever capacity – all these are acts of love that can be shared with our fellow human being and who are our spiritual neighbors. When these acts of kindness are displayed, however random, they cause a ripple effect. 

“Love should be a force that helps you expand your life and bring forth your innate potential with fresh and dynamic vitality,” wrote President Daisaku Ikeda of the Soka Gakkai International Buddhism. (Excerpted from Discussions on Youth Vol. 1 (SGI-USA, 1998). So when we give unconditional love we are in essence expanding our life force as well as the life force of the receiver of that love.

We have forgotten how to be kind and loving to ourselves and others – but there is no rule or law that says we cannot try to recapture the pure essence of love that is imbedded in our DNA. So keep spreading love. GIVE MORE LOVE until it becomes the only epidemic worth catching.