PEACE OR DRAMA

Do you want more peace or do you want more drama? 

When I first read that in Eckhart Tolle's latest, A New Earth, I admired  the simplicity of honest solution in the question – how choosing to focus on peace moment by  moment becomes the stepping stone to its continuance in our ongoing days.    In other words you reap peace if you sow it.  Lately however,  my conscious peace seed planting seems to have fallen deeply behind schedule.

Or should I say, I've chosen to  LET that happen by seesawing my focus back to the side of drama.

As I go through the dissolution of my relationship, I've allowed an old paradigm of conflict and injustice to be dusted off and placed at the centerpiece of my emotional table.

It  isn't fair!  I've been lied to – deceived.  Years of my life – wasted...

It seems natural to sit at this table of upheaval, chaos, fear and pain and reflect on all that was and is currently wrong – sowing seeds of drama.

The argumentative dialogue that occurs in my head pleads its infallible case to a  judge and jury also in my head.  There's mass agreement.  A  verdict of guilty is shouted so strong, the pounding gavel so loud, that plastered walls crack, windows shake,  hanging lights swing from the ceiling as if the earth rumbles in agreement under our collective feet.

"Oh, it's a doozy of a case," I rationalize, but somehow when finishing  these episodic imaginings, I feel less and less connected to anything that resembles peace.

And who among us hasn't been there?

When our buttons of injustice have been pushed, when our hearts feel broken and betrayed – to talk about peace, especially from the point of view of personal responsibility, seems almost cruel.  One feels  raw – grieving. Yet, to be able to own one's part in the outcome even when feeling raw and abused becomes the stuff of mastery.

Here lies the hardest hurdle.

I heard it once said that how you do anything is how you do everything.  How you handle crisis will be fairly consistent with how you handle the majority of your life.  How you handle agreements, contracts, money is likely to be indicative of how you "do" life.  If the handling is half-hearted, then it's likely that all the ventures one undertakes will never really surpass  a half-hearted energy level.   If you leave things better than you left them, whether anyone notices are not, that whole-heartedness breathes life into all facets of one's journey.

So going back to the original question – peace or drama.

Peace already exists.  You and I do not create peace.  We simply choose to plug into that expression of peace which already existed.  In the same way we don't create abundance – abundance already exists.  Again we choose to merge with the thoughts and actions that exemplify abundance.

You could even challenge history books by saying Columbus did not discover America.  The land mass we call America already existed.  Columbus simply got into a ship and began a journey.

At some point, I will see that peace in this situation already exists.  I have to want it enough to align with. it  I have to want it more than I want to be right. That means I have to want it more than I want to cling to my story, I have to want it more than imagining the mental courtroom dramas regardless of how valid and justified I feel.

I have to let all that grumbling go if I ever want to feel peace.

Throughout the year s, I've certainly felt conflict and betrayal before.  Yet now, older and God help me, a little wiser, I can no longer let it run its unconscious course the way I had in my youth.  I know better.   My "knowing" is better.  With each moment by moment decision along the spiritual path, I've developed in my knowing of what truth is and discovered  I cannot change anyone's behavior or mind but my own.

I'm learning first hand that strength comes, not from the resisting or clinging to my position, but by surrendering it all together.

So, I'm ready - ready to get in my ship of intention and begin my journey towards the peace that already exists.  My ego would have me believe that I am forfeiting my rights.  My soul reminds me there's infinitely more where that came from.  The journey requires me to forgive.  The journey requires me to be willing to understand the behavior – not condone it, but understand.  The journey requires me to practice being in the present – to see the flower, feel the wind, pet my dogs because when I am doing that, I'm not focused on the practice of being a victim.

I get to practice what I preach.  How fortunate I am.

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Change is the prelude to Growth
Category: Religion and Philosophy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=veM1xGeBO5o

Gorgeous and Soul-stirring

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Clearing Up Courage
Category: Religion and Philosophy

What is courage, really?

Lately, I've found myself curious over conversations about courage;  the lack of – developing the muscle of -  mustering up enough ….

When people say that they lack the courage to…  then one would have to strongly consider that getting some would be the means to a desired end.

But is it?

I continue to get clearer on the spiritual truth that the ways and means to everything we will ever need rests within.  Quite simply, we are enough.  We are designed with ultimate intelligence and the ability to thrive.  And if we are not experiencing that, it isn't that these qualities do not exist or that they are reserved for an elite few, it's that you and I are not using them to their greatest potential.

Feeling the need for courage fosters a belief that on some fundamental level, we're not enough or that we don't have what it takes.

You need courage to walk into that interview?  No, you need to know that you are enough.

You need courage to stand up for yourself in a family or work situation?  No, you need to remember that you are enough and that the greater truth will always rise to the top. Your only job is to remain true to your integrity.

You need courage to face a diagnosis?  No, you need to remember that you are enough.  There is an intelligence inside you that welcomes recognition.  There is a beauty inside you that welcomes recognition.  There is a divine order inside you that welcomes recognition.  Recognize it now.

You need courage to face the aftermath of a natural disaster?  No, you have an opportunity to remember that even in the midst of apparent chaos, there is an undeniable order that looks forward to displaying itself in the days, months and years to come.  You are divinely cared for.

Well, then I need courage to know that I am enough.  No, you are enough period.

You see, the quest for courage feels comparative to a quest for a band-aid for the wound of our illusional thinking.   The wound is only as real as we give it power to be.  Stop the perception that you are damaged or lacking and the need to fix those defects also stops.  It's illusions that we buy into – the "not-enoughness" -  that makes a market for the buying and selling of courage.

The more credence we give these illusions of dualism the more important that commodity of courage seems to be.

Disassociate from the fear of not being enough and you can kiss the need for a quest for courage goodbye.

It's time to wake up.
 

Wake up to the truth that the qualities of God are our qualities because we are made in the likeness and image of that which is the Creator – Infinite Intelligence.  Just as a single drop of ocean water possesses all the same elements and properties that are found in the ocean as a whole, so, too, do you and I possess all the perfection of that which created worlds.
 

Yes, we carry around that much potential.   We are a part of the One Mind.

Feeling this need to go after courage means that we have fallen asleep to the reality of who we are.

Do you think that Spirit, God, Infinite Intelligence ever feels the need for more courage?

Of course not.  That divine energy is unfailingly aware of its abilities.

My home was recently broken into and laptops and jewelry were taken.  There was also minor property damage and a couple of really scared golden retrievers left in the wake of the intrusion.

Initially I was stunned.  This was my first experience of being robbed and I could not seem to shake the feeling of being violated – my sanctuary spoiled.

Others in my household were also visibly shaken.  And so this scenario seems like the perfect launch for all of us to gather up our courage and move forward . 

No, it's an opportunity to remember that we are enough – we are divinely protected regarding the things that are of real importance and that nothing of spiritual value can ever be taken away by another.

What each one in my family is given the opportunity to remember is that the items taken are stuff.  "Stuff"
can be replaced.  Insurance forms can be filled out.  Upgrades in our home can be made.  What was not and can never be taken is our ability to think.  I started reciting one of my favorite affirmations, "This too is good.  This too is of God. And I demand to see the blessing in it."

The blessings are showing up and in the days that unfold, I continue to have the choice to remember that since it is all God, that something spectacular wants to enter our lives if we but allow it.  Getting caught up in the story and attempting to muster up courage to move forward only stalls the flow of the wonderful revelations that this event has to offer.

As Christopher Robin said to Pooh, "Promise me you'll always remember:  You're braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem and smarter than you think."

Yes – always remember that.

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Spring Cleaning

S - Sweep – Sweep up and throw away your excuses as to why you can’t or won’t do something. Stop being the one who merely comments on what is wrong and start being the one who offers solutions.

P - Polish – Polish your heart with all its unwavering and steadfast passion and allow it to lead you to unlimited ways of creatively expressing who you are and what you love.

R - Rinse – Rinse away all of the self-doubt that has long coated your motivation and become willing to reacquaint yourself with a shiny, untarnished and larger sense of self.

I - Increase – Increase your circle of influence with those who see the glass half full - brimming with possibility and who champion you to do the same.

N – Neaten - Neaten your environment and create a sanctuary that is pleasing to the eye. You’ll feel the difference both physically and emotionally.

G – Groom - Groom your mind just as you would groom your physical self. Everyday look into the mirror of your being and adjust your thoughts, brush away the negativity and begin to consciously apply the law of attraction for your good.


C - Clear – Clear out the clutter. Take out what you haven’t used or worn in the last year and donate it to a charity. By clearing out the old, the new can finally come in.

L – Lighten - Lighten up and stop taking yourself and your situation so seriously. If joy is our birthright, then allow that quality of being to help lead you down the path of rediscovering sustaining happiness.

E – Empty - Empty out your bag of regrets and know that this now moment is the beginning of creating whatever life you desire. What you choose to focus on today colors and creates your tomorrows.

A – Arrange - Arrange your time so that you have equal parts work and play. Understand that one isn’t more important than the other. Both play vital and necessary roles in developing an optimum lifestyle.

N – Number - Number your goals and keep them in sight, referring to them often. When one is accomplished, replace it with another, always raising the stakes to see just how much good you can embody.

I – Inhabit - Inhabit your days with acts of unconditional love. Make it your intention to cherish and champion the good of others without expecting anything in return.

N – Nail - Nail up and complete any wobbly communication and unfinished business and if it simply isn’t possible to take immediate care of it, then create a plan to do so.

G – Gather - Gather up your friends and family and let them know how much you appreciate them. Praise their goals, their dreams, their lives.

©2007 David Ault

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Reclaiming Divinity

A student of mine proposed what I considered to be a spectacular idea. 

He said that if an angel had come to our mothers while she was still pregnant with us and declared that the child she was about to have was to be the son or daughter of God, how would we have been treated?  Differently than memory serves?

Consider the Mary and Jesus, mother and son dynamic and you begin to glimpse what he was driving at.  We’re told Mary believed what the angel said and looked upon Jesus with unwavering respect and admiration. Her feedback, care and support for him could have been a crucial factor in his own remarkable faith.

Anyone of us would have embraced life from an entirely different perspective if our parents were constantly telling us and the world that we were divine, sacred and holy.

Chances are that probably didn’t happen and we’ve spent great sums of our earthly years recovering from such an absence of belief.

Yes, recovering.

I feel we are a species in recovery.  In varying degrees and full spectrum stories we are trying to find our way back to an angelic voice whose whispered words tell the story of our divinity.  We look for that acceptance and feedback from others because our formative years were perhaps void of it.  We look and we look – some changing and altering behaviors in desperate attempts of hearing it, some so distanced from any form of love and self-worth that they gave up any and all hope of ever experiencing it.  Some are medicating and abusing themselves because the pain from that absence feels too much to bear.

Yet, if we are to believe that our inherent nature is the same as say, a Jesus, a Buddha or any other spiritual master then we can’t help but have our eyes and urgings towards a road of recovery – a road that will help us leave behind our diminished worthiness.

The great metaphysical mystic Thomas Troward wrote about how we all are spiritual prototypes of our own making – program in the thoughts of our damage and our prototype will reflect damage.  Program in a Mother Mary form of personal feedback and our prototypes carry an expectancy of miracles, marvels and unlimited possibility.

To commit fully to our recovery one must first come in touch with the spiritual truth that recovery is actually possible.  And to be really, really honest, one must come in touch with the bare bones truth that our essential self is perfect and complete as it is –  it’s the illusions of fear and personal disdain that require recovery.  We must sit ourselves down and examine how avoiding such a self-worth path becomes as detrimental to our existence as self-imposed starvation.

If we are to believe that we are spiritual beings having a human experience, then our DNA won’t rest until we embrace our spiritual components.  To breathe in and embrace the longing to experience and express divinity and joy is as natural an urging as hopping is to a kangaroo.

In other words, the urge to return "home" to who we truly are will never leave.  Spiritual homesickness will forever push at our soul.

Recovery then requires surrender.

We gain light years in restoring our authentic spiritual prototype when we stop talking about and focusing on what we didn’t get.  Didn’t have a mother or father who championed your God-presence?  Well, it’s safe to bet, neither did our parents.  Yadda, yadda, yadda.  We know this already and yet we still talk about it and create bondings with others based on dysfunction rather than building relations based on the principle that we are divine beings here to bring light and love to the planet.  Imagine brunch conversations where we talk only of the healing energies that we look forward to giving and allowing.  Imagine talks over the phone which only involve what went right during the day.

You and I have the opportunity to stop the heritage of forgetfulness and start immediately choosing a different set of beliefs and practices.

Years ago when I started letting go of my family by birth, with our own set of torturous travels of spiritual forgetfulness, I began to open to and experience a family of my own conscious making that included mother and father figures of such great depth and mentorship that I can’t imagine my life without them.

But I had to be willing to surrender any allegiance to being a victim in order to really appreciate the fruits of those created relationships.

And once we believe in our ability to recover then surrender to the process, we begin setting a course of allowing that long locked-up divine essence to have free rent within our hearts, our thoughts, our actions and our words.  No longer hiding behind self-deprecating remarks or punishing habits, we start the next phase of life by welcoming any and all feedback that talks about our being the sons and daughters of God.

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NEW CD - Worthy Shoes Available

"Another amazing musical disc from this genre's enduring pioneer - New Thought music is now filled with many talented class acts and this artist is right at the top."                                         Universal Music Group

"Worthy Shoes is one of those rare combinations of CD's that offer everything.  The title track makes you cry - several others make you dance - all of them open your heart."                             Meta Arts 

My first studio recorded CD in three years is now available for digital download here on MySpace.  The actual manufactured disc will be available starting March 1 on my soon to be revamped website - davidault.com and amazon.com

So let your downloading fingers do the selecting and help me celebrate my 7th solo CD release.

Track order:

Don't Need No Map - Pocketful of Possible - Gamble Everything - Worthy Shoes - Didn't You Know - We Are The Ones - Work of Heart - Through God's Eyes - Already Alright - Yahweh - Power For Good

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For A Moment

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A Personal Ad From God

Long walks on the beach are fine, but I am willing to go anywhere with you- to your job, to the supermarket, to baby-sit your grandkids. Am content to tag along as you do laundry, file your taxes, or keep your chemotherapy appointment.

Any ethnicity will do - I do not care; I feel we are all the same anyway. Your economic background does not in any way influence my desire to be with you.

Am well traveled - been everywhere- literally, and would be happy to share those adventures with you if you like.

I have an ability to see beyond surface conditions and am not influenced by the opinions of others; therefore, I am readily willing to accept your physical body just as it is and just as it is not-and even love and appreciate it. Hopefully, I can guide you to do the same.

Of course, I would love it if you acknowledged my handiwork from time to time. I am pretty great in the creative department, and I will neither judge you nor abandon you if you get too busy to notice.

I am keenly aware of your creativity also. Any hesitancy or fear you have concerning the expression of it - well, I can help you with that if you like.

I am not at all threatened by your growth or your success; in fact, I thrive on it. I am your biggest cheerleader.

I do not care about your past - when I say not care, it does not mean I fail to honor your journey and all the things you have accomplished; I am simply not interested in your mistakes, be they extensive or small.

What I am saying with all this is that I am looking for a longterm relationship and yet totally willing to go at the pace and level you are comfortable with.

I am available 24/7, and my support and belief in you knows no boundaries, no restrictions. Give the two of us a shot-I guarantee you will not regret it.

David Ault

Copyright © Protected with Rights Held by Rev. David Ault
 

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This One Day

You are not the same person you were 365 days ago.

There is cell, blood and tissue regeneration.

People have come and gone.

Countless miles traveled. 

Physical adventure and immeasurable displays of emotion. 

Old beliefs discarded and new ones nurtured.

Change.

Some of it conscious -  most of it, not so much.

Every one of those "365 day - 24 hour" time-capsules carried equal importance.

Day 148?  Just as significant as day 241 or 300.

And that third Thursday last Spring (the one you can't remember) was just as beneficial as say New Year's Day or the anniversary of your sobriety or cancer-in-remission checkup.

And that arbitrary Monday last month holds as much significance in your growth as the day you walked across the stage and accepted your diploma or held your newborn for the first time.

Every day contributed to where you are in this moment.

So if you LIKE where you are at this time, then keep feeding your days with the same fuel of thoughts, words and deeds.

If you DON'T like where you are – start by changing this one day.

This one day.

Change what you dwell on.

Instead of linking one worst case thought to another, start to create a new dwelling place in mind.  Start dwelling on simple circumstances where things went right, people laughed and activities flowed.  Start dwelling on which body parts ARE working and praise them for it.  Start dwelling on what bills you CAN pay and be grateful for what that service provided you.

Dwell on possibility.  Dwell on what has worked, who you DO like, who HAS shown up  and what good is happening in the world.  Do that for a day.  Do it for another.  Then another.

And before you may realize, a collection of those deliberate dwelling days has become a month.  A month has become a season and a season a year.

Ralph Waldo Emerson encouraged, "Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in, forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; you shall begin it well and serenely..."

I agree with Emerson's suggestion to not carry our blunders with us from one day to the next for what good does it do to wallow in defeatist energy?  AND, what I additionally believe, is that in order to let the next day be all that it can be, then one must BLESS the day AND the blunder. For only by blessing the absurdity can we ever really begin to let it go.  Dwell on the blunder itself or dwell on the blessing of the blunder…

Each a choice – each creating a tone for which our future days are colored.

Can you look back over this past year and authentically bless each day?

The blunders as well as the victories?

Can you consider that both were necessary for you to refine your choosing, your preference, your desire?

If not, then start with blessing today… then tomorrow, then tomorrow……

A year from now, you'll look back and see that you aren't the same person you were when you first read this.

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Year End Resolutions

Did I express love this year - real love? The kind of love that doesn't announce itself in flashy circumstance or structured conditions - but an authentic, quiet, internal love? The kind of love that bubbles to the surface when I gaze at another with understanding, a love that places me in their shoes, granting freedom from judgment and deepening my compassion? A philanthropic love that expresses because it simply feels compelled to, because it knows there is more than enough and everyone can benefit. If not, then I resolve to be and do better in my authentic loving.

Did I forgive this year - really forgive? The kind of forgiveness that cracks open my heart, peeling away one more layer of righteous indignation, thus allowing my soul to breathe? The kind of forgiveness that loosens my clinched fists held high at a situation so that I don1t enter into the next one with guarded mistrust? The kind of forgiveness that comprehends there is a difference between understanding a behavioral choice and condoning it? If not, then I resolve to be and do better in my forgiving.

Did I stop this year - really stop? The kind of stopping that can't help but make me vulnerable by becoming more familiar with who I am without distraction, smoke screens, excuses or self-imposed numbing? The kind of stopping that turns me, naked, towards my feelings, giving them permission to express? No right or wrong - a stopping that simply lets me hear what I need to hear so that I can live more effectively? If not, then I resolve to be and do better in allowing myself to stop.

Did I seek adventure this year - real adventure? The kind of adventure that requires me to not only take a leap of faith off my cliff of familiarity but actually sends me back to get a running start? The kind of adventure that shakes the dust off my capable but underused wings and gives them an opportunity to catch the gorgeous wind of change? The kind of adventure that knows there is no outside safety net in this physical world, only an internal one? The kind of adventure that shouts, "I choose to live fully!" If not, then I resolve to be and do better in seeking adventure.

Did I seek wellness this year - real wellness? The kind of wellness that requires me to be fully conscious of what I put in my body - the kind of wellness that requires me to practice what I preach when it comes to self-love while understanding that the power to dissolve poor habits starts by simply choosing to change? Wellness that says, "This is the only body you1ve got. Treat me with respect, praise me daily and honor me as the holy temple that I am?" If not, then I resolve to be and do better in allowing wellness in my life.

Did I play this year - really play? The kind of play that gives value to the heavenly activity of fun -knowing that fun is sacred, that play is the equivalent of work and that during play - renewal and relaxation usher in the newest ideas and the clearest choices for better manifestations? Did I view play as a necessary life function and not a debatable luxury? If not, then I resolve to be and do better in my relationship to playing.

Did I set a goal and see it to completion this year -really complete it? The kind of completion that lets the vibration of satisfaction and confidence in my abilities heal any opposing ideas of not being good enough? Did I honor my life and its sacred purpose by utilizing my time with forward thinking and letting my mistakes be motivators not antagonists? Did I dissolve my insecurities and procrastination by understanding that my untapped genius has but one mode of expression and that is through idea, thought, word and action? If not, then I resolve to be and do better in setting and completing my goals.

Did I open myself up to learn this year - really learn? The kind of learning that entices me to enroll in being a student of life with thirst and enthusiasm? Did I set an intention for uncovering more of my potential, letting divine intellect eat from my plate and stepping deeper into the waters of wisdom? Did I open a book, take a class, study a language, learn an instrument, write a poem, visit another culture? Did I learn to surprise and thrill myself with the infinite capacity I have to master more than I thought I could? If not, then I resolve to be and do better on my personal path of learning.

Did I clean up my relationships this year - really clean them up? The kind of cleaning that requires me to break open the lock, pull back the curtain, throw open the window and start removing the dust of harsh words, grudges, false accusations and misguided choices that have layered my heart? Did I make amends for the fearful ways that disheartened another, for neglecting to honor their point of view? With careful examination, did I communicate my truth, understanding that sometimes all we may be able to do is agree to disagree and to do so without judgement or malice? If not, then I resolve to be and do better on cleaning up my relationships.

Did I share my good this year - really share? The kind of sharing that comes from the pure joy of seeing another succeed, not from what I think they can or will do for me in return? Did I tithe back to where I was spiritually fed, transformed and inspired? Did I practice random acts of kindness and give of my time, talent, and treasure realizing that my good is a part of a never-ending wellspring that cannot run dry -whose source is and always will be the infinite wellspring of the Divine? Did I commit to walking the altruistic path, remembering that every step brings healing and enlightenment to the world? If not, then I resolve to be and do better in my sharing.

Did I pray this year - really pray? The kind of prayer that is spoken not to God but AS God - prayers that affirm rather than beseech, are pregnant with knowing rather than bloated with doubt? Did I make my every day activities a prayer - realizing that every thought I think carries with it the responsibility of an effect on the world? Did I remember how truly powerful my own prayer actually is and that by simply devoting myself to the practice of it, I become the change? Did I remember that my prayer takes what I seek and introduces it to me, the seeker? If not, then I resolve to be and do better with praying.

Did I do all these things because deep down inside I fully understand how precious I am and that these activities will help me to see that I am held in the light as a perfect idea? Did I remember that I have been perfectly conceived and am always held in the perfect mind of God as perfect being? Did I know that there is nothing that I can ever say, nothing I can ever do that will separate me from the love of God? If for any reason, I forgot my divinity this year, then I resolve to be and do better in my knowing of it, to fully understand and embody the truth that it is done unto me as I believe. And I believe in the power of Good, for me, for you, for all.

c David Ault

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