Category Archives: developing awareness

Perhaps We Have Reasons of Our Own

Posted on by under developing awareness, Finding our unique way, simple spiritual insights

Spirit tells me that once we begin to move
uphill in spiritual awareness, we are unlike
a ball rolling downhill. It would take
an inner force to slow or stop us.

What inner force or forces would slow
or stall our progress?

Resistance to oneness.

Please explain.

We are never alone on our journey of life.
We share our experience of physical life
and its multitude of situations, events,
and challenges with a cast of seemingly
unknowable numbers of people, and other
life forms, interacting with each other,
or pretending not to.

But, in addition to all the the physical
senses are aware of, there are also
untold numbers of non-physical beings who
send their energies as loving arms,
to assist and protect us.

What good can they do for me and others
if we are unaware of their existence?

We can imagine they are with us.

Make believe?

Not exactly.

Then, what?

We each have an inner sense – call it
intuition, or conscience – of how
to respect and care for each other.

We also each possess a unique gift
or calling, some more than others,
for reasons beyond the scope of
our discussion.

We each seem to need to develop in
unique ways that emotional desire
directs us toward.

So, we need to listen to our own
inner voice?

Exactly.

As a first step to visualizing
spirit teachers, guides, and friends?

Yes.

Does that describe my relationship
with you?

No.

Yes. I thought not. Then, where
do you come in?

Not where, but why.

Then, why?

Why what?

Why would you spend precious time
and energy with a slow learner,
not to mention an aging one,
such as myself.

It’s never too late to learn. and …

And what?

Perhaps we have reasons of our own.

Dreams serve us well, or can.

Posted on by under developing awareness, seeking the middle way, Spirit shares words of wisdom

Spirit tells me that dreams serve us well,
even if we cannot remember them, upon awakening.

They are designed to help us see symbolic
meaning between situations and personalities,
whether human, animal, bird, or imaginary
creatures, within the dream and similar
situations, events and characters within
our everyday non-sleeping world of illusion.

Situations and stories play out in dreams,
and then, usually, end suddenly. We wake up
to a different world of more easily
understood situations and characters.

Perhaps we have just become accustomed to
the events and actors in our waking world?

Yes, and familiarity can easily breed
deceit.

In what way?

Advertisers, politicians, educators,
news reporters, and even many parents
use a pretense of authority and truth,
and intentional dishonest to persuade,
or pressure young and trusting minds.

But, in my dream I witnessed a crow
doing what crows could not likely do.

Were you aware of this during the dream?

I seem to remember being confused
and in awe.

But, you accepted the situation as being
valid.

Yes.

Why did you not question something that
did not seem to make sense?

Because I was witnessing the event.
It was only in my mind that it did
not make sense.

You read fictitious stories without
expecting them to be real.

But, surely, real life is not
a fictitious story.

Then, why do you not question events
and situations in your so-called
waking life that do not seem to make
sense, and people claiming to be
what you know they are not.

Perhaps they have a hidden agenda.

Yes.

But, I’m only one person. What possible
useful purpose would it serve for me
to …

So you adopt more socially acceptable
position of pretending not to know?

I guess. But, if whatever untruth
is generally accepted, then surely
I would serve no useful purpose, and
some others must know but, like me,
prefer to pretend not to.

Why?

It’s easier, and possibly, safer.

Yes.

Awareness as a thermometer; not a thermostat, until …

Posted on by under developing awareness, unconditional love, until we let go

Spirit tells me that personal awareness is as a thermometer,
not a thermostat until …

Until what?

Until it is programmed.

How does one program awareness?

How does one program a thermostat?

It contains a built-in thermometer and when the measured
heat level reaches or drops to a preset temperature, then
the thermostat kicks in, or turns on, to maintain
the chosen level of heat.

Why is a particular level of heat chosen?

For personal comfort.

Exactly.

How does that relate to awareness?

Everyone is aware, at a chosen comfort level.

Then, how can we raise our awareness?

Adjust your personal comfort level.

Of what?

Truth.

You’re getting personal.

Yes.

But, it hurts.

Of course it hurts, until you let go.

Of my illusions?

Yes.

But, how?

With love.

How can love help?

Not just love, unconditional love.

How does it work?

We love some stories that we know are fiction.

And, unconditional love is like that?

Yes, more or less.

More or less?

Yes.

Dear Reader, Spirit challenges me to think deeply about life as I live it,
moment by moment,even during simple activities of daily living.
If you enjoy witnessing my struggle to grow in understanding, then you are
welcome to join us on our other blogs:
Grass-Roots Spiritual Philosophy 101 @ jeanw5dotcom.wordpress.com
I Ching as a Way to Enlightenment @ spiritsharesgemsofwisdom.wordpress.com

Constraints as Challenging Bars

Posted on by under developing awareness, Finding our unique way, self-transcendence, Spirit shares words of wisdom

Spirit shares ageless wisdom with me, but
it seems to require never-ending development.

I obviously don’t have what it takes.
I struggle, as many others surely do,
to live within constraints not of my own
choosing.

Spirit claims that I do choose and am
trying to avoid accepting responsibility
for choices I freely make.

But, how free are we to make choices
when the choice I seem to need to make
is the lesser of two or more otherwise
unacceptable choices? Spirit is unimpressed
with my whimpering. It doesn’t move him.

Constraints, He tells me, are necessary to future
progress in any discipline or area of human
development, including spiritual, intellectual,
or material, in that they provide challenges to
our present level of skill, as well as serving to
soften our ego’s otherwise smug sense of
satisfaction in the moment of victory.

Challenges that we have faced and overcome
seem to whisper to our inner ear,
perhaps we should raise the bar.

Whatever works

Posted on by under developing awareness, Finding our unique way, understanding life struggles

Spirit shares timeless wisdom.

But, there are times when He seems to be
just too much.

Too much what?

Too much authority.

Too much for whom?

For me.

Such as when or how?

You seem to tell me that I must learn to walk
my talk, and yet I find myself walking your talk.

Is there a difference?

Yes, or at least in degrees of adherence to
simplicity. You don’t seem to understand
that physical life is different than life in
Spirit, alone.

In what way?

There is so much to enjoy in my world.

And, in mine?

God only knows what exists in Your world.

I know.

We’ve wandered from the topic.

One of us has.

Then, to get back on track, why do I find
myself trying to walk your talk when my
very instincts assure me that pleasure is
designed for earthly enjoyment.

It is.

Then, why do I find myself trying to live
a much more simple lifestyle than I find
comfortable, just to please you.

Do your efforts in this regard seem
to please me?

No.

Then why do you do it?

I don’t know.

Then, let me remind you that you choose
to accept the conditions I require of you.

Yes, I choose to accept, but, something
in me still resists.

What?

What is it within we that resists
or what is it that I resist?

Are you directing my style of questioning
towards me?

Whatever works.

Yes.

Beauty Expresses Itself – Reason Does Not

Posted on by under developing awareness, simple spiritual insights

Spirit shares wisdom with me. It’s not His wisdom,
He tells me. It belongs to everyone who cares to
claim it. He shares what has been shared with Him.

Problems arise, He tells me, when we each absorb
the wisdom we receive, from whomever, or whatever
source, according to our unique understanding,
that has necessarily developed through personal
experience.

How can what is necessary be a problem?

Not in itself.

How, then?

The problem develops when we seek to share our
understanding with others.

But, surely we need to share …

Yes, we need to share our unique understanding
at least with those who do seem to be aware of …

How can the awareness be shared but not
the understanding …

In the story of Buddha and the rose, the rose
expressed something to the teacher that he
wished to share with his followers….

And only one student responded with a smile
at the beauty of the flower.

Yes. They were all aware that it was a beautiful
rose, but were …

Trying to rationalize what message it was meant
to teach them.

Yes, appreciation of beauty for its own sake
requires emotional maturity.

Beauty expresses itself and reason does not?

Yes

Heroes come and go

Posted on by under developing awareness, Finding our unique way

Spirit shares perennial wisdom with me,
and with anyone else who cares to listen
to our more-or-less private dialogue.

But, it is a dialogue with a difference.
How so? Spirit seems to know and, at time,
so I suspect, directs my thoughts, and
even my emotions.

But, He must pull them from a pool of
previously existing collection (in my mind,
or in my small share of cosmic mind), I do
recognize them as my own, more or less.

In this respect (as well as in depth of
awareness and intelligence) He has
a great advantage over me.

I can often suspect how He would likely respond
to whatever I might say, do, think, or feel, but
He often catches me by surprise with thoughts
far beyond what I might have suspected.

Why? Perhaps I have still to develop appropriate
respect for the depth of …

Why did you not refer to My depth? Am I less
than my thoughts, to you?

I’ve been there and I’ve done that.

What?

Hero worship.

Perhaps you worshipped the wrong heroes.

Are there right heroes?

For whom?

For me.

No.

Why?

You would, in time, find faults with them,
as you do with Me.

You seem to go out of your way to ensure
that I find faults with you.

Yes.

Why?

Your addiction to hero worship is
a stumbling block on the path
to truth. Truth is forever.

And Heroes come and go?

Yes.

Acceptance follows Awareness

Posted on by under developing awareness, Finding our unique way

Spirit shares words of wisdom with me, and with
whomever else cares to join our one-to-one sessions.

Spirit tells me that acceptance follows awareness
or it does not.

But, this is not our I Ching lesson.

This is a truth that goes beyond I Ching.

How can truth go beyond a way to truth?

It must, of necessity.

As in the goal being beyond the journey?

Yes.

But, if a goal is beyond a journey, or path,
to that goal, then how can it ever be reached.

It cannot.

Then why do some of us struggle to find and
then to follow our way to wherever if
wherever does not exist?

It does exist, and it calls us to itself.

But, why struggle to go there if we can
never reach it?

We do reach it.

How?

As we travel towards truth, truth is
also moving towards us.

Is there a half-way meeting place?

No.

Then what?

As we absorb truth, truth is also absorbing
us. We become one.

But not equal parts of one?

Yes, never equal, for we are becoming;
we are even now, one within an all-
inclusive one.

Wow! But, back to awareness and acceptance.

We can never go back.

A shopping cart of thoughts and emotions

Posted on by under developing awareness, Finding our unique way, grass-roots ethics

Spirit shares words of wisdom.

Spirit tells me that all thoughts and all emotions
have value; some more and some less.

Who determines their value?

We each do.

How can we be said to choose thoughts and emotions
when they sometimes seem to flood, unwelcome
into our minds.

We choose to let them into our minds.

How?

Through habit-forming mental laziness, as in
habitually choosing the same food items at
a market.

Food for thought?

Yes. We ignore those items we do not generally
include in our diet or on our menu.

At the market, it’s easier and quicker to shop
if I know what I’m looking for.

Yes, and you do not pay much attention, if any,
to the many possible alternatives available.

But, I do buy what I believe is nutritious and
that I enjoy eating.

There may be many other available food items
equally nutritious that, perhaps, if you would
allow yourself to adapt to, you might enjoy,
at least as much or more than the foods you
now regularly purchase.

Then I would have to choose which, when I only
need one or another.

Perhaps they could become equal, more or less
alternatives.

Haven’t we wandered from thoughts and emotions?

One of us may have.

How do they connect?

They don’t.

Then, what?

They relate.

How do they relate?

They each require being chosen. Food items do not
put themselves into your shopping basket.

And, thoughts and emotions …

Yes. They do not place themselves into your mind.

My mood determines …

What or who determines your mood?

I’ll have to think about that.

Yes.

Everyone is called

Posted on by under developing awareness, Finding our unique way, simple spiritual insights, Spirit Tells Me, Uncategorized, understanding life struggles

Spirit shares words of wisdom.

Spirit tells me that when a pendulum has moved as far
as it can in any direction, then it has no choice but
to turn back and move toward …

But …

But what?

Doesn’t the extreme of the movement in any direction
more or less match the extreme …

Yes.

So, wouldn’t the reduced …

The wrong analogy?

Yes.

No.

Please explain.

Extremes are extremes.

And those whose thinking is extreme in one direction
could become just as extreme in another?

Yes.

So, how to be dedicated to one path without risking
being pulled to an opposite way?

There are no opposite ways.

Then, to a different path?

Awareness.

Of what?

Of the many ways …

How is that possible while moving along a chosen way?

How did your so-called chosen way become chosen?

It seemed to make more sense, for me, than the others
I knew.

Then, you were aware of other ways?

Yes. Perhaps not in great depth, but …

But?

Also, I seemed to feel called to this one.

However some others may feel called to a different way?

Yes.

Yes. We each are called in a unique way to a unique path.

Or, we are not called?

Everyone is called. Some just ignore or resist answering.