What if sickness is a choice and not a ‘thing’ that happens to us?

Firstly, I’d like to state for the record how amazed I am that it’s been 3 years since I last wrote anything! I mean, what the? As I consciously think back over that time, it all feels like a blur; literally like I’ve been walking and talking and doing everything in a daze. Whoa!!

The past 3 years have been somewhat of a transitional phase for me, as I moved out of religion and began to detox from the ideas and beliefs I had accumulated from the years I had been exposed to them. Not that those ideas or those that taught them to me were ‘bad’, though they were certainly limiting and harmful to my peace of mind, as I see things now.

Something else that is quite funny is that during the time I wrote all my previous articles I was getting sick all the time… LOL… and since I stopped writing I can hardly recall a time where I was sick; hypocritical much? Although in saying that, my definitions of sick and sickness are changing all the time. Sickness to me used to be getting colds or flus, headaches, fevers etc., and now it’s more to include things like boils, pimples, scratches, cuts, blocked nose etc.

For roughly a 3 year period, around 2011-2013, I had multiple boils appear in various places around my body. These appeared every few months or so even while I was writing previously about what sickness was and how to heal oneself from it/prevent it. Funny how things work really, isn’t it? As I look back on the past few years, I can see how I was too focussed on the intellectual side of things and wasn’t really applying/living it. Since I last wrote I’ve been gradually moving away from the head and more into the heart. It surely isn’t a coincidence then that I haven’t had a boil in roughly 2 years and other minor sicknesses are becoming less prevalent in my experience/body.

Which leads us to the question that titles this article, what if sickness is a choice and not a ‘thing’ that happens to us? I have had different views on sickness for quite some time now that I forget what it used to be like when I thought I was a ‘victim’ to these painful ailments that afflicted me. So many times I asked myself, “why is this happening to me?” and “why me and not someone else?” and so on and so forth. But what if we stepped out of this type of thinking for a second, and really, sincerely asked ourselves, what is sickness? Is it actually something that happens to us or is it something we do to ourselves?

Now I realise that last question might be quite offensive at first, but putting the offense aside, can you seriously reflect on what that question entails? What if sickness wasn’t an external ‘thing’? If you’re someone that is constantly afflicted by different ailments and/or you’re in constant pain, how significant would it be if these things were not happening to you, but buy you! Not by some external, devious force that is after you, but buy an innocent, unconscious thought system you had no idea about. Would this be a game changer?

Everybody is on their own path and going about things in their own way, which is perfectly fine. There is no right path or wrong path, no slow path or fast path, no this path is better than that path; just different paths that are ultimately leading to the same destination. Even this might not be something you agree with, and that is perfectly fine too. The trick to all of this is in realising that allowance creates health, and judgement/resistance makes sickness. For those who are brave enough to swallow it and look honestly within, you will realise that the more judgemental you are, the more sickness and pain you experience.

This is certainly something I have become aware of since I started moving out of the head and into the heart so to speak. As each day passes I am better able to see the link between my state of mind and what I experience in the body and in the world around me. The typical way to look at this is to say that we feel crappy inside because of what is happening in the world outside us or in/on our body. But this is just a form of denial, a form a denial that we all experience, myself included of course.

The truth of the matter is, we experience inside our mind first, and then in the body and world around us. Mind is always cause, the within; whereas the world and body is the effect, the external. Only once we start to accept this, even if only a miniscule amount, will we start to see that it is true. We always experience our beliefs; this is just the way it works. The only way to experience something different is either to change the belief, or let go of the belief entirely. When you let go of belief, you experience what is, otherwise known as truth, reality, or whatever else you like to call it.

It does take faith to step into the unknown. It takes faith to cast off so many years of believing one thing to realise, or start to realise, that you had been wrong all that time. Not wrong in the sense of bad or needing punishment, but wrong in the sense that you had placed your trust in something that did not have your best interests at heart. Ultimately, any belief is limiting. All beliefs, sooner or later, will manifest in some type of sickness or disease. This is simply because beliefs are an interpretation of reality, not reality itself. Health is the manifestation of reality, whereas sickness is the manifestation of unreality.

You will notice as you look at the world around you, that beliefs divide, not unite. Yes, you will occasionally see people who share certain beliefs unite together, but only while the belief stays shared. As soon as one or multiple differing beliefs are detected, these people will no longer associate with each other and may even go to the other extreme to try and harm or kill each other, all over belief. If you ever doubt the power of the mind, or that the mind is the cause, look no further than these types of examples in your life and the world around you.

The word belief can be substituted for any of its cousins, namely values, goals and judgements to name a few. They are all essentially the same thing and accomplish the task of separating us from one another. Anything that separates will cause sickness, just the same as anything that unites will heal. And remember, all this is in relation to the mind. Only the mind can judge, and only the mind can forgive.

Is any of this causing a shift in your perception yet? Is it helping you to see that things might not be as what they seem? Because the secret is that there is no secret. There is no secret remedy because there is no secret cause. There is no secret cause because all cause is in your mind. If you would but look there you would see it, looking at you in plain sight, where it has always been. There is no enemy virus out to get you. There are no bacteria stalking you, waiting for you to slip into its grasp. We are not a victim to any disease or sickness that previously existed, that currently exists or will exist in the future.

All these things are but outward manifestations of internal ideas. These ideas may vary in form, but they produce the same results: sickness and dis-ease. It is our mind that is at dis-ease, not our body. The body is nothing in and of itself, it receives its dictates from the mind. The evidence of this is clear and plain to see, for those who are willing to see it. What use is there in swallowing a pill to cure an idea, a sick thought? It is ideas in the mind that need to be healed, not the body. It is the beliefs, values and judgements that we hold so dear that are responsible for everything that we experience in ourselves, in our bodies and in the world around us.

The clearest example I can use from my own life was in the case of the auto immune disease I developed in my early 20’s. The symptoms of the disease were that the cells in my body were attacking themselves. Put simply, my body attacked itself. Now, if the body was cause and my mind effect, there would be nothing I could do about it, I would essentially be doomed except for maybe a few drugs or lifestyle changes that might limit the damage. But, if looked at from the other way, that the mind is cause, I could do something about it. And I did. I realised that the body was merely reflecting the thoughts I had about myself. During this time I constantly attacked myself by telling myself I was useless, not good enough and many more, much more explicit than those. And so, as things work, I manifested an outward condition that mirrored my inner condition.

That is the most crystal clear example in my own life where it demonstrates that the mind is the only thing that needs healing, because it is the only thing that can create anything. Only once I realised there was a choice in the matter could I do anything about it. Only once I realised sickness and disease are not ‘things’ out there, external to me, could I do anything about it. I have countless examples of healing other ailments over the years on top of this that have solidified the fact that we do indeed have a choice to be sick or not to be sick, as we so choose.

How to Heal Your Life of Sickness and Disease

When it comes to healing and sickness and everything in between, it can often be a touchy subject and one that has the potential to ruffle a few feathers and cause certain emotional reactions, mainly because it hits so close to home for all of us. In line with this, it is natural for all of us to be skeptical about alternative views and ideas about health, wellbeing and things to do with sickness and disease in general.

I have had a certain amount of feedback in regards to my previous articles, especially my last one titled “You’re Not What You Eat, But What You Think” where people have expressed that my approach is simply about mind over matter, that I believe you can use the power of your mind to directly heal anything and everything. I admit that while it could be read and interpreted that way on the surface, it most certainly isn't about that. So, in order to help clarify this and provide a bit more insight into my previous articles, this article has been written to clarify on this a bit further.

As has been stated in my previous articles, my approach teaches that illness and disease is not an enemy but a friend; not something that is trying to harm us, but something that is trying to free and liberate us. It is simply matter of perception, or how we look at it. If someone sees illness as a nuisance or a foreign invader that is trying to harm them, then it will seem the way it is perceived. But the key is to realise that it is just a matter of perception.

We have been conditioned from an early age to think of illness and disease as an external thing, something that is separate from us. Whereas, I suggest, as many others are also beginning to suggest, that our health or lack thereof has more to do with things which are internal, factors which are inside us. This may come across as being a bit too “in your face,” but in my experience it is greatly liberating and empowering to know that I have more control over my health than it being mostly out of my ability to influence.

Let me ask you a question. If you had the choice between having direct control of your health or not having direct control, which would you choose? And from this I ask you another question. Would you not be empowered to know that the capability to heal illness and disease is already within you and that it is not dependent on medication, surgery or any other external source to bring about?

I am going to use the big scary “R” word now, one that scares many of us and still scares me to this day, and that is the word “responsibility.” We all admit that if we want to be successful in any area of our lives we need to take some type of responsibility over it. Now, when it comes to our health and wellbeing this is no different. If we want to bring about any type of healing or recovery there is to be a certain amount of personal responsibility taken on our part. Unless and until we take this responsibility, there will be no or very little change take place. Any and all types of change are hinged on personal responsibility and this is no different when it comes to our health and wellbeing.

And this leads us to the main shift in thinking that takes place when considering where this new approach comes from. Instead of illness and disease being an external thing trying to harm and hinder us, it is internal feedback that is trying to free and liberate us. Illness and disease is considered as feedback from a body that is trying to get our attention and that is trying to communicate something to us. It can be likened to a tap on the shoulder or the light on your car dashboard. They are both there to get your attention, and in the case of the light on the car dashboard, it is there to let you know that something is out of balance somewhere else and that it needs your attention.

In keeping with the light on the car dashboard analogy, once you correctly assimilate what the problem is in the car and then address and balance the problem, the light will disappear automatically and all by itself. Why? It is because you have removed the cause of the light coming on in the first place. In the same way, illness and its symptoms is likened to the light on the dashboard, as it is there to indicate an imbalance within us. In exactly the same way as the light on a car dashboard disappears once you have addressed the cause in the car, once you assimilate and address the cause of the problem within yourself, the symptoms and the illness disappear automatically in the body.

How is this possible? It is possible simply by understanding what illness and disease really is, as opposed to understanding what it is not. When we realise and accept that sickness in all its forms is not something that is there to hinder us, everything changes in an instant. When we begin to see that illness and its symptoms fulfill the same role as the light on the car dashboard, we begin to see and understand what is really taking place here.

Healing and recovery from illness and disease is not about using the power of your mind, having power of mind over matter or anything like unto it. Instead, it is about understanding what sickness and its symptoms really are and the purpose they serve. Trying to medicate a symptom is like trying to fix the car by merely focusing on the light on the dashboard. Just like the dashboard light is not the problem and only indicates what the problem is, so it is with sickness and any symptoms experienced in the body.

Illness and disease acts as an indicator, a communication device that is trying to tell you that something else is out of balance. In this way, the sickness and its symptoms are not the cause itself but the effect of something higher, something deeper. This aligns with a basic principle in the universe that states only a cause can create an effect; an effect cannot create another effect. In keeping with this, an effect can only be reversed or taken away on the level of cause, not on the level of effect.

Therefore, the way to treat the effect is to address the cause. Unless and until the actual cause is addressed no progress will be made. But, on the flip side, as soon as the cause has been addressed and balanced, healing and recovery is natural and the symptoms disappear all by themselves, just like the light on the car dashboard does once the cause of its coming on has been addressed.

The hardest part for us to accept is that the cause is within us and not outside of us. And this brings us back to the responsibility part. Although please be aware that taking responsibility has nothing to do with blame and it should not in any way engender guilt in any shape or form. This responsibility is to merely accept that there is an imbalance within us that needs to be addressed and then to take the appropriate action. It is an empowering and liberating process rather than a dis-empowering one that incites blame, shame or guilt.

In essence, illness and disease serves a great and wonderful purpose in our lives as it exists to serve us and help us move forward in life. As hard as it may be to accept at first, the reality is that illness and disease are there to help and serve you, not the opposite as is commonly believed. May you move forward in life in the knowledge that all things are there for your benefit, including sickness in whatever form in may take in your life and body.

Change Your Perceptions, Change Your Life

One thing I am beginning to realise is that perception drives everything in life. I am beginning to realise that all my negative states are the results of perception, or judgement of what is taking place in my life. Essentially it is all according to story, or the ego. Most of the perceptions we make are based on ego, our stories of what has happened in the past.

This realisation has come due to an effort on my part to be more aware and conscious of what is taking place in my life. It is apparent that life is just perception; it is the observer perceiving the observed. We as human beings are both the observer and the observed of what we experience. Accordingly all of life is feedback of us, allowing us to see where we are at, ultimately giving us never ending opportunities to change, grow and essentially progress. In reality the universe and life is organised to cater to our progress, it is designed to lead us upward and forward towards realising our full potential.

I have had opportunities this week to descend into old, repetitive negative states but I have chosen not too. And how did I get to that point of choice? First I was aware and secondly I changed my perception. If I was not aware, fully conscious, I would not have been able to change my perception. Why? Because I would have been consumed in the perception, the perception and I would have been one, not separate. Only by being conscious can you separate yourself from the perception you are making. This is why agency or the ability to choose is essential in the grand scheme of things. Everything in our lives is designed to move us closer to choice, whether we see it that way or not.

How many people can actually say they are conscious in their lives? How many people are actually aware of the perceptions they are making when they make them? How many people can separate their perception from themselves? The truth is most people run on auto pilot for the majority of their lives, totally unaware of the perceptions they are making on a moment by moment basis. Generally the ones that say they are the most conscious are the ones who are the most unconscious. People that are truly conscious do not need to make such assertions as they operate from a state of awareness, fully aware of their inner and outer conditions.

In my own life, most of my negative states in the past are the results of self-judgement, the perception of some action I have or haven’t performed according to some expectation. Normally the expectation is according to our story, what has happened in the past or what we have seen others do in the past. Because we have seen a certain action performed in such a way we expect ourselves to do it the same way or even better. We pick up these expectations throughout our lives, and then compare ourselves to them as we go about day to day lives. Then when we don’t live up to these expectations, we get upset to the point of beating ourselves up both within and without. Do you see the futility in this?

First of all, the expectation has been formed from a perception, a perception based on our story at that point in time. Essentially it is now a perception of a perception. With each layer of perception we get further and further from reality, how things really are. You see there are two sides to every experience, what really happens and our perception of what happens. In NLP this is described by the phrase, “the map is not the territory”, meaning that we do not experience the actual territory, we experience the territory only according to the map we are using. Our map is our perceptions, these perceptions work according to our filters. The filters are beliefs, values, memory, language etc. based mainly off the past.

If left on auto pilot then this becomes a vicious cycle of perception creating perception creating perception. A person then becomes at effect of their reality, as from their unconscious perspective everything in life outside of them is just “happening” to them. Being unconscious, on autopilot, is the basis of the victim mentality. The victim mentality is manifested by those who believe life isn’t fair and that life just happens to them being outside of their control. This again is all according to perception. The map has become the territory to these people, they believe what they experience is what is actually happening. In reality, this couldn’t be further from the truth.

The reality is we experience life as we are, not as it really is. We experience the territory, what really is, only according to our maps, which are our filters and the ego. The ego and the filters work hand in hand feeding off each other in a repetitive cycle. This is what is referred to as the story. Our story is what has happened to us in the past. It is the “I’m not good at dancing because when I was 10 I tripped up during dance practice at school”. It is the “No one likes me because I am fat and people tease me”. It is the “The world is an evil place because of all the wars, rapes and murders that I see on the news.” It is the “I don’t believe in marriage because all my friends are divorced and are bitter as a result.”

This is all “story” and is based on perception. Every single person is influenced by their own “story”; this is why we don’t see life as it really is; we only see things according to our “story”, our perceptions based off the past. Most people do not live in the moment, they live unconsciously in the past; letting the past dictate what they experience. This is why people repeat the same experiences over and over again. This is the meaning of the map is not the territory, but unfortunately most people live their lives believing the map is the territory. They don’t realise their entire life is created by and based on perception. It is all perception; it is all the way we experience the territory via our individual map.

It is only possible to see the map for what it is when you are aware, when you are operating outside of your “story”. When you are aware and in the moment, you are not operating according to your filters and ego. Being aware allows you to see the perceptions you are making, and gives you the ‘choice’ to change that perception if you so choose. By changing your perception you change the territory as you are using a different map. Change the map and you change the territory. The truth is you are the map and the territory; you use your own map to create your own territory. If people really understood this then most of the so called problems on the planet would disappear almost instantly.

So the question is when will you choose to be aware? When will you choose to be conscious of your perceptions? When will you choose to use a different map to see the territory for what it really is? The choice really is yours, no one else can make it for you, no one else can perceive for you. You make your own perceptions, and your life is a result of those perceptions. Change your perceptions and you change your life. In order to change your perceptions you need to be conscious, be aware of your thoughts and emotions and what is going on inside of you. To remain on autopilot is to remain trapped in the perception. Only by being conscious can you separate yourself from your perception. You are in control of your life; you are your map. Change the map, change the territory; change your perception, change your life.

The Real You Vs. The False You

For many this will seem like an intriguing concept, the concept of there being another you. Most people go about their day by day lives thinking that what they see in the mirror is ‘real’. What’s more, most people believe that everything they see in the world around them is ‘real’. Have you ever seen the cartoon Transformers? It is an old cartoon which was around in the 1990’s and has become popular in recent times by Michael Bay’s attempt at bringing them into the theatre. For those of you who saw the original cartoons, can you remember the tag line in the theme song? For those not familiar with this song the words are, “Transformers, more than meets the eye”. This being the perfect phrase to now use in describing you, as just with the transformers there is also a lot more to you than meets the eye.

Most people tend to identify themselves with what they see in front of them. If you are like most people, when you look in the mirror you believe that person being reflected back is you. As far as you are concerned everything that is ‘you’ can be seen in that mirror. But in reality this couldn’t be further from the truth. What you see in the mirror every day is just the reflection of something greater, something that is hidden within your physical shell which we call our bodies.

This hidden part of ourselves is not hidden in the sense that we are not meant to find it. Neither is it hidden from us so that we will not find it or become aware of it. It is hidden in the fact that it cannot be seen with our traditional five senses. And seems we as humans tend to equate reality with being able to perceive it with one of our senses, we are not normally aware of this ‘hidden’ aspect of ourselves as we go about our day by day lives. It is this hidden aspect of ourselves that we will be looking at here.

Many civilisations, nations, cultures, people throughout the ages have had an awareness of this hidden aspect of being. Many refer to it as spirit, whereas others call it the soul. It is this spirit, this soul, where the ‘real’ you resides. This is the ‘you’ that existed before you were born on earth, and will continue to exist long after you pass through the process we currently call ‘death’. This part of you is eternal; it cannot be created or destroyed.

Now this is completely opposite the characteristics of the ‘you’ you’re acquainted with on a day by day basis. The ‘you’ you’re used to is fat, slow, ugly, dumb, broken, limited, weak, handsome, hairy, short, tall and the list goes on. And according to this part of ourselves we will cease to exist once we die. This is based off the fact that we have seen our ancestors die and be put in the grave; therefore we too will follow the same path.

It is at this point appropriate, after having established that there are two aspects to us as human beings, to put names to these dual aspects of ourselves. First of all, one of these aspects of our being is false, whereas the other is real. No points for guessing which one is which at this point, right? The false aspect of ourselves is called the ‘ego’, with the real aspect of ourselves being referred to as ‘I AM’, or the Higher Self.

Before getting into any more detail it is important to provide some visual aids to help describe what is being explained. The following diagram depicts very basically some attributes of these two different aspects of us as human beings. Following the diagram we will break it down and apply it to ourselves in seeing how this knowledge can benefit us in our day to day lives.

The Real You – ‘I AM’ This is your spirit. This is the eternal you that is: Unlimited Unchangeable Immortal Accepts everything without judgement Part of the One One with all things Exists in the ‘NOW’

The Filters These represent our filters as human beings. These function as we go about our daily lives. The filters are: Beliefs & values Perceptions Environment Memories Decisions Attitudes Language Time/Space It is these filters that determine what we experience in our lives. We do not actually see life as it is, we only see life through these filters. Each of us have differences in how we use these filters, which is why we all experience different things in life.

The False You – ‘The ego’ This is the container that is the effects of the filters on the left. How we use the filters create the ego, or the false self. The ego is your false self, it is the you that is: Limited Changeable Mortal Judges Separate from the One Separate from all things Exists in the past and future At birth, this false self, the ego, is blank. Thus each of us creates our own egos as we go through life from birth. The ego grows and feeds off our filters. Without the filters the ego would not exist.

Let us now take a more detailed look at these dual parts of our being. The deepest, most authentic part of ourselves is who we really are, the ‘I AM’. It is within this ‘I AM’ that our true nature and abilities reside. It is the ‘I AM’ that has come to this part of Earth to experience life within the physical density. This was necessary so the “I AM’ could experience itself in a way that wasn’t possible before we were born on Earth.

As part of being born on Earth we each acquire a physical body of flesh and blood. But we also acquire something else when we enter mortal existence; we acquire filters. As seen in the table above these filters include beliefs & values, perceptions, environment, language and time/space. These filters were not part of our existence before being born on Earth. It is these filters that colour every aspect of our physical lives.

This is where it begins to get very interesting. How we use our filters from birth essentially determines who we become. But you see, who we really are, the ‘I AM’, is unchangeable. Who we really are is already perfect and complete. We are not here to become something as the ‘I AM’ already is all it can be. And it is here we enter into one of the greatest paradoxes that life has to offer.

As we grow as children we begin to experience and use these filters in different ways. As we do so a certain thing known as the ego begins to expand and grow. The more and more we use these filters the stronger the ego becomes. As the ego grows stronger the ‘I AM’ slips more and more into the background. The more control the ego has over our lives, the less control the ‘I AM’ has. Put another way, the more we live from ego, the more of an illusion we live in; and the more we live from ‘I AM’, the closer to reality we live.

The more we identify with ego the less we identify with what is real. The ego does not see things as they really are; it sees things according to the past. For example, after multiple break ups we begin to be resistant to entering into future relationships. Why? Because according to our ego, relationships cause hurt, pain and suffering. Your filters are now coloured accordingly and all you experience in relationships is pain, hurt and suffering. This applies to any experience which we have judged or perceived to be a certain way.

Hence the fact that it is all but an illusion. In reality all of life is a fresh moment, a new moment of NOW. This new moment is not influenced by any of the previous ones, unless we allow it. When we live from ego, we live according to our past, according to our life story. But this story is nothing but an illusion of past beliefs & values, perceptions, environment, language, memories, decisions etc. If we were to drop these filters at any moment we would see life as it really is. This is the paradox we live in. We live in a reality that is an illusion created by ourselves.

The irony of it is that reality is always there to be seen, but we choose not to see it as we live via the ego. The real you, the ‘I AM’, is the pure awareness that exists beyond your thoughts, beyond the filters, and beyond the ego. You are not your thoughts. You are not your filters. You are not your body. And you are most definitely not your ego. These things are parts of you, but they are not you. It is like your body. It is made up of hands, fingers, a head, neck, legs etc. These things are part of you, but they are not who you really are.

As you wake up to this you will start to experience the power that lies within you. As you recognise you are not the voice in your head, it begins to liberate you from the inside out. You will realise you are not a slave to that inner voice, to your emotions, your feelings, and your thoughts. You will realise that you are the silent ‘I AM’ that underlies all of these things, the part of you that is real. As you get in touch with this ‘real’ you, life as you know it begins to shift dramatically. You realise that you have been living in an illusion, albeit an illusion that seems very real while you are in it. Einstein affirmed this as near the end of his life he stated, “Reality is merely an illusion, although a very persistent one”.

You cannot begin to live your full potential until you realise who you really are, and in order to do this you need to understand who you are not. I hope that as a result of reading this you now have a better idea of who you are not, so that you might more fully get in touch with who you really are. There is so much more to you than meets the eye. The more you get in touch with the ‘real’ you, the more you will be able to transform your life. It all starts with a decision, the decision to act. Will you continue living in the illusion, or are you ready to step out of the illusion into reality. The choice is yours.

How Precious We Each Are

This past week has led me to some great reflection on what is important in life and how precious each one of us is as human beings. Someone that I knew and regarded highly passed away exactly 7 days ago to the day. This young man was only 19 years old at his passing through the veil and it came as a shock to everyone that knew him.

This young man along with his immediate family belongs to the same faith as I do, that being The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. With our faith comes the knowledge that death is not the end of life but merely a transition from one phase of life to another.

Even so it difficult to say a temporary goodbye to someone you know. I can only imagine the feelings of his closest relatives. Nevertheless it was the means of this friend’s death that caused me and most everyone else to feel the way we did. Unfortunately he took his own life for reasons that are only known to him and God at this time. It was this circumstance that provided the feelings of sadness in our hearts and streams of tears to our eyes.

As I was standing near his grave this morning for his burial I was pondering over his life and who he is as a son of the Living God. I wondered how his exiting this phase of life would affect his eternal destiny. No mortal among us can judge or know for sure, that is up to our Heavenly Father and those assigned for such tasks. But nevertheless it was these thoughts that plagued my mind during his burial service.

What if I was to exit this life ten minutes from now? What if I left this world tomorrow, or the next day? What words have I left unspoken? What feelings have I not conveyed to those I love? Who might I have been able to touch during my life if I tried a bit harder? Would I be sufficiently prepared to meet my God if I were to leave this earthly abode today, tomorrow or the next day? Have I dealt justly and fairly with others during my mortal stay here? What would I be remembered for? Would people speak kind words of me at my own funeral?

These questions and more have fluttered through my mind space over the past week since this good man has left our physical presence. Even with all these questions going through my mind, there was one thought in particular that really impressed me and lured me into further reflection. It was the thought of ‘How Precious We Each Are’. As I pondered upon this single profound thought I began to be inspired by something grander that had its source outside me. I was blessed with an experience immensely greater and nobler than anything I could ever conceive of my own accord.

I was impressed within myself that each one of us is truly magnificent in and of ourselves. Even though this young man had taken his life, it didn’t detract from the fact that he was and still is as precious in the eyes of God as any other human being on this planet. At this very moment I have a burning desire to be of greater service to my fellow human beings. It is up to me now to make sure that I continue to fuel this fire with my own righteous thoughts and actions throughout my day to day life.

How easy it is to get distracted from what is really important in life. In reality our relationships with others is all we really have. Humans receive life through other human’s. At times we think the computer gives us life; or we get confused and think a car is the source of our life; or maybe it is money that has blinded you at times in your life. Whatever the counterfeit, the effect is the same. It detracts our attention from those things that really have life in life.

Behind every computer is a person that has either made it or put the information on it; it is a human being that makes the car and drives the car; and the same goes for money as it is people like you and I that print and use money on a day to day basis. Behind every THING in your life is a person, a living breathing human being like yourself. The source of all life in life is human life. We are it. You are it. You’re an individual, but part of a greater whole. While we may seem separate, we are each interconnected in a very real way.

I sincerely hope that I can take this experience and let it have a positive impact on my life and my being. I owe it to my brother who has just recently gone before me and all those other ‘precious’ and wonderful people that live on this planet. My desires are that each one of us might also open our eyes and hearts to the undeniable truth of who we really are. You are precious. I am precious. And all of life is precious. 

What is Our True Potential?

The answer to this question has been a topic of discussion since the dawn of time itself. But in order to understand the answer fully, one needs to fully comprehend one simple fact. The very essence of our being is of a dual nature. One is real, the other just an illusion. The real part of us, the spirit, that immortal aspect of us, had it's existence before we were born into this physical body. The illusionary part of us, the ego, that mortal aspect of us, came into existence when we were born into this life with a physical body.

This is such a fundamental truth of our existence, yet so very few people have a knowledge of it, yet alone understand it. This is especially so in the western civilisations as there is such a huge focus on the physical, worldly aspect of life that the spiritual, unseen part of life is often completely overlooked and disregarded. But this very fact remains even when knowledge of it is absent, that human's and life share a common bond of having a dual nature, one being physical and the other being spiritual. The spiritual part of life is reality. One of the fundamental laws of the universe is the law of cause and effect. The spiritual aspect of life in all its forms is the cause level. And the physical aspect of life in all its forms is the effect level.

Let me ask you this question. Where do most people place all their attention and awareness? Is it on the spiritual, cause level; or the physical, effect level? That's right, most people only have their awareness in the physical, effect level of reality. Now remember, the physical aspect of life is an illusion, it is not real. The physical merely reflects the effects of things that are taking place on another, deeper level. And that deeper level is the spiritual level, the level of true reality. This is the level where all things existed BEFORE they became physical. That's right, ALL things that have previously existed, do now exist and will ever exist physically had their existence first spiritually.

This truth is consistent through all of life. All things on this planet have a dual nature, including Human Being's. Now our TRUE potential exists in only one of these aspects of our being. The problem is, most of us Human Being's believe our true potential is found and expressed in the physical aspect of ourselves. This couldn't be further from the truth. The truth is this, that you are a spiritual being have a short physical experience. The truth is that you existed long before entering this world as a baby with a physical body, and you will exist long after you leave this world through the process we call death.

You see the nature of the ego is separation. The ego is limited by our beliefs, values, thoughts and perceptions. When you look at life through the ego you are destined to encounter fear, anger, hurt, sadness etc.. All emotions are created from judgement. The day you stop judging the world, and others in the world, is the day you will never experience another emotion. Emotions are the physical bodies response to judgements and perceptions taking place in your mind. Remember the physical is the effect level, not the cause. So in order for something physical to be created, it first had to exist in the non physical.

When you live life through the ego aspect of your being, you are automatically limited. Looking at life through the veil of ego is like living in a dream. In this dream you only see things according to your beliefs, values and perceptions. You do not see life as it really is, you see life as you are according to your beliefs, values and perceptions. It is not possible to experience life as it really is in this dream like state. This is why it is an illusion. And the funny part is that we live life as though the illusion was reality. Funnier still is the fact that we created the illusion and then believe it is reality without even knowing it. Trust me I know as I have been there and am still there in many facets of  life.

So then where does our true potential lie? It is in the other half of our nature, the spiritual, immortal part of us. Some refer to this as our conciousness, the untainted awareness that lies beyond our thoughts. This awareness is accessible only in moments of peace and clarity. It is the stillness that exists beyond thoughts and is accessible through meditation and other such practices. This state of pure conciousness and presence is where your true potential lies. It is the immortal aspect of yourself, the real you so to speak. This is the part of you that possesses all the seeds of Divinity and unlimited potential.

As a person gets in touch with this aspect of themselves a whole new world opens up to them. An aspect of themselves they never knew existed. When you go through your day to day life looking through the real aspect of yourself it is a completely new experience. It is through this pure conciousness that you see life as it really is. Emotions do not exist when you live from this aspect of yourself. Emotions are replaced by states of being, or in other words, the true parts of yourself. You realise that you do not need to be anyone other than who you are in this state. All judgement is non existent from this aspect of yourself. Separation is also non existent as all things are one and equal. A person is only able to express their true nature and potential when they get in touch with this immortal aspect of themselves. It is here that we must seek to live from. It is here where we get in touch with the reality of who we are and what we can really achieve in this life and beyond.

 

The truth is that each Human Being on this planet has unlimited potential as a Son or Daughter of the Divine. Call this Divine personage or essence what you may, but the truth is that each of us has the same blueprints within as inherited from our Divine parentage. Remember we are each beings of a dual nature. One is real, one is an illusion. One is spiritual, the other physical. One is conciousness, the other ego. One is our true potential, the other our fake potential. It is our choice which side we live from. No one can make the choice for you. 

Knowledge is not enough. For knowledge to work it needs to be put into action, and that also is your choice. You can either live from the cause side of life where you create the life you want; or you can live on the effect side of life where your life is created for you by forces outside of yourself. Either way it is your choice.